I Samuel
Please read through all of the book of I Samuel. Which of the many episodes in this book seems to you the most tragic? What is the most important lesson to be learned from this episode? Alternatively, choose an episode/passage you find particularly uplifting. Why do you like this particular episode/passage?
posted by Ancient Art at 8:15 PM
8 Comments:
One tragic incident in the book of Samuel is when Phineas' wife hears about the death of her husband and father-in-law in the same day. This news forces her to go into premature labor. I just think this is tragic because it must be horrible for any woman to hear about the death of her husband and father-in-law. Now she is a single mother who will be forced to raise her son one her own. She also has no man to take care of her, which is a bad thing in ths society. And who's going to want to marry a woman who has a child from a previous marriage?
With all that Saul has achieved in his life, I feel the most tragic happenings in 1 Samuel is how Saul takes his life because he is loosing the war against the Philistines, he asked his armor-bearer to take his life but he wouldn't. Saul hearing about his sons being killed also makes him not want to live.
An uplifting story is the excellent story of David and Goliath. It is a true story of "not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." Also demonstrates that you don't have to be big to be known, small people can do things too.
I think that a tragic moment in Samuel is when the two brothers and their father die. The brothers die in a war and the father dies when he hears the news of their death. When the wife of one of the brothers hears the news she had just given birth to a new born son named Ichabod. This is a tragedy that not only had she lost a husband but a new born son lost his father that he would never be able to meet. However, the father knew this was going to happen. The father was told to tell his sons to quit blasphmening God. The father did not obey God. So God came to Samuel and told Samuel that they would die. The father found out from Samuel and he said let it be. He knew he did wrong and knew he should have listened to God. That was kind of the uplifting part of it.
Part of the tragedy in I Samuel is the desire of the Hebrews to have a king "like other nations" (8:5). God wanted his nation to be different from their neighbors. However, the history of the Hebrews is that they wanted to be just like their neighbor, worshipping idols and not obeying God's command.
The most uplifting part of I Samuel was David and Goliath. David, a small boy who was too young to fight for the army, became a champion by defeating Goliath. With 5 smooth stones, a slingshot, and his faith in God, David was able to overcome the massive Goliath.
The major lesson that can be learned from I Samuel is that God will provide for those who have faith in Him. The Hebrews were losing their faith in God, who brought them out of Egypt, and started to worship other gods of their neighbors. David, in contrast, had a strong faith in God that allowed him to defeat Goliath and survive in the wilderness until the threats on his life were over.
The witch of Endor Sam I (28:1-25) is a story many can relate to today since it is similar to many of the fantasy stories/movies that is popular today. Saul made a mistake in visiting the witch since all witches/wizards were supposed to have been removed from Israel. Saul knew that God was not with him, which should have been a clue, so he decides to call Samuel's spirit to discover what he (Saul) should do. One would think that after hearing that Israel would lose the battle that Israel would leave and fight another day. Also notice Sam I (28:13) where the witch tells Saul that she saw "gods ascending out of the earth". This is one of those places where the work Elohim is used as a plural.
I'm going to begin with something uplifting. At the beginning of the book, Hannah is unable to have children. She was devistated about this and God heard her and blessed her with a son as she promised to give her son to God and never shave his head. This all happened and God saw that she was obedient and blessed her with five more children afterwards.
The story that I find tragic is the story of Eli's sons. The fact that they were so disobedient and chose not to following in the ways of God, or listen to their father is just horrible. However, this is something we see quite often today. Many of the tragic stories relate in some way today. It seems that we just never learn.
The concept of giving up a child is habitual in the Bible. Abraham and Isaac, God and Jesus... and now Hannah and Samuel. Sometimes this thought is uplifting... sometimes it is not. In Hannah's case,I know it would be bitter sweet.
Hannah has no children. She thinks she is unable to. Does she give up and call herself "barren"? No. She prays to God in such a way that Eli thinks she is drunk. If only she could have a son, she would give him to God. It sounds crazy to want something so badly that you are willing to give it away. But God has heard her plea. And He took her up on her offer. He gave her Samuel; and at the appropriate time, she gave him back.
That's an tragic and uplifting story. But it's not over with. God didn't just let Samuel hang out with Eli for the rest of his life... doing menial tasks. God had a plan for Samuel. And one day, He calls him.
Now Samuel doesn't have a clue what's really going on, he thinks he is hearing Eli. But when Sam tells Eli what's going on, Eli immediately understands. Eli instructs Sam (as he has been for some years now) on what to do. Eli instructed Sam to listen and then do. With that small task, God did amazing things. The uplifting side of all of this? Just because you don't really know what or why something has happened to you, doesn't mean God isn't in the midst of it all.
i think that the tragedy in first samuel is with Eli. His sons where to chaotic. they just wouldn't litsen to Eli. They were not good christians. The thing that made everything even more tragic is he is a boy named Samuel who talks to god. All Eli wanted is for his sone so be good christians like Samuel.
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