Bible Chapter: I Samuel 1 & 2

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    This book is a transition in Israel’s history.  It goes from the ruling of the judges to the time of having a king.  The transition person is Samuel.  We see the story of a women named Hannah who was sad because she had no children.  One year she went to offer a sacrifice and prayed that God would give her a son.  Eli, the priest, told her God would answer her prayer.  As a result, Samuel was born.  Hannah promised to give him to God to serve Him all his life.  After she did this, Hannah had other children.
    The birth of Samuel and what God did in his life is a positive story.  A sad story also shows up in these chapters as we see that Eli failed to raise his sons, Hophni and Phinehas to be godly men.  They served as priests and abused the office.  They were wicked men who used the position as priest to be greedy and immoral.  Eli told them to quit but did nothing about them.  This brought God’s judgement on the family.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    Nothing is too hard for God.  That is something that I, and everyone, needs to remember.  When there are strong desires, especially for something that is pleasing to the Lord, He has all power to answer our prayers.  In her sorrow, we see that Hannah still worshiped God and prayed.  She didn’t give up.  She kept her promises to God.  So, I must keep remembering that nothing is too hard for God.  The miracles are not up to me.
    I also must remember that God is serious about His commands.  We see His judgement of Hophni and Phinehas as they not only sinned, but were very open about it.  Their greed and promiscuity was an insult against God’s purity.  They stole from God and abused women.  I’m sure they had fun.  I’m also sure they didn’t think God would do anything about it.  In today’s world there are many people who do whatever they want and never think God will do anything about it.  How wrong they are.  This is an important lesson to remember.  God’s righteous judgement will either bring rejoicing or sorrow.

3.  How can I help someone?
    We all need to remember that God is worthy to receive our worship.  This is true even when it seems as if God is ignoring us.  Hannah kept her focus on God even when she wasn’t see any answers to her prayers.  I also want to remind people that God will judge those who insist on sinning and not making Jesus their Lord. The two options for eternity are both real.  One is awesome.  The other one is horrible.  It is up to us.