The Lord and His Anointed | 1 Sam. 1:1-3:21

As preached by Zach Thompson.

God is the true king of Israel, and He will reign through his anointed one.

He will:

1) Be unrestrained by human ability, wisdom, or resources.

2) Oppose His enemies.

3) Guard His people by raising a faithful representative.

1 Samuel 1-3

Good morning, Christ Fellowship! This morning, we will start working through the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. 

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel have a single, continuous narrative, and we think the only reason they aren’t a single book in our Bible is that they didn’t both fit in a single scroll. 

So you’ll hear me go back and forth in how I talk about them. Sometimes I’ll call them the book of Samuel, other times, I might say “the books of first and second Samuel,” but the book of Samuel is shorter, so I’ll probably lean toward that. 

These books record the transition of Israel from the time of the judges up to the end of King David’s reign.

Over the course of 1 and 2 Samuel, we’ll be introduced to three main characters. Samuel, who is the last judge of Israel. He was a prophet and priest, and God used him to anoint the first two kings of Israel. The second main character that we’ll meet is Saul, the first king of Israel, who eventually rebelled against the Lord and was removed. The third main character is David, the man who is after God’s own heart with whom God made a covenant, which was ultimately fulfilled in Christ. 

In our text today, we’ll get introduced to Samuel. We’ll get a taste of the spiritually abysmal state of things in Israel. We’ll get introduced to the main themes and promises that are meant to guide how we read the rest of the narrative in the book of Samuel.  

So, if you are able, would you stand in honor of the reading of God’s word? 

“There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 

3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore, Hannah wept and would not eat. 8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?” 

9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now, Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” 

12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 

19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.” 

21 The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” 

And he worshiped the Lord there. 

2 And Hannah prayed and said, 

“My heart exults in the Lord; 

my horn is exalted in the Lord. 

My mouth derides my enemies, 

because I rejoice in your salvation. 

2 “There is none holy like the Lord: 

for there is none besides you; 

There is no rock like our God. 

3 Talk no more so very proudly, 

let not arrogance come from your mouth; 

for the Lord is a God of knowledge, 

and by him actions are weighed. 

4 The bows of the mighty are broken, 

but the feeble bind on strength. 

5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, 

but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. 

The barren has borne seven, 

but she who has many children is forlorn. 

6 The Lord kills and brings to life; 

He brings down to Sheol and raises up. 

7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; 

He brings low and he exalts. 

8 He raises up the poor from the dust; 

he lifts the needy from the ash heap 

to make them sit with princes 

and inherit a seat of honor. 

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, 

and on them he has set the world. 

9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, 

but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, 

for not by might shall a man prevail. 

10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; 

against them he will thunder in heaven. 

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; 

he will give strength to his king 

and exalt the horn of his anointed.” 

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.”

Let’s Pray

The book of Samuel is a book about the Messiah. 

It’s a long book with a lot of history and details, so when we read it, we can get caught up in the details and the narratives and the characters we love or the characters we despise. 

But this book isn’t history for the mere sake of history. The one who compiled these accounts about Samuel and Saul and David had a clear purpose in mind. 

To make it abundantly clear:

God is the true king of Israel, and He will reign through His anointed one. 

God is the true king of Israel, and He will reign through His Anointed One. 

This reality isn’t just for our text today. This is an anchor that runs throughout the entire book of Samuel. 

In 2:1-10, we have this theologically dense prayer from Hannah. 

Look at 2:1. How does Hannah start her prayer? 

“My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD.” 

Who is Hannah talking about here? She is talking about herself and God. These are personal and individual statements, and they are appropriate! Because after a long season of infertility, she came to a season of prayer where she was desperately dependent on God, and God responded. 

But as she prays individually, it seems like something happens. She realizes that her own situation mirrors the situation of the nation. Israel is barren. Israel isn’t bearing fruit. But Hannah sees that her personal narrative is tied to the narrative of the nation.

Look down at 2:9-10. 

I almost only read these two verses for our public reading because these two verses are the theological center point of our text today. You should definitely underline them or mark them in some way. Everything in our text flows out in both directions from this moment, and these two verses sum up the themes that we will see throughout the rest of the book. 

2:9-10. “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. 10 The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of this anointed.” 

All of the points that we’ll make today could flow from just these two verses, and all of the narrative surrounding this prayer from Hannah is like a commentary and illustration for what she prays here. 

But notice something specific. At the beginning of her prayer, she was talking about herself, but in these verses, it’s clear that Hannah has expanded the scope of what she is addressing. Whom will the Lord judge? In verse 10, he “will judge the ends of the earth.” 

Now, a question: Who is able to rightly judge others? Our modern mind might react against this. “We aren’t supposed to judge. It’s not my place! Who am I to judge?” 

But that’s not what the Bible teaches. Who is able to rightly judge others? Someone with authority to judge. If you are watching a major league baseball game, and you think that the last pitch was a ball, but the umpire called it a strike. Which one of you has the final say? The umpire! You have no authority there. You have no position. The umpire makes the judgment because he has the authority. 

Look at the end of 2:8, “the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s and on them he has set the world.” Our God created and sustains the universe, and so, He judges the ends of the earth as the one who has full authority. 

This is a reference to kingship. 

It’s authority. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth because he is the sovereign king over the ends of the earth. 

But look at 2:10. What does the next line say? To whom will the Lord give strength? “To his king.” Because everything in this narrative is in the past for us, it’s easy to look over something like this, but think about it. Hannah was praying this before there was a king in Israel! What king is she talking about? 

Look in the next line. The Lord will “exalt the horn of his anointed.” The King that Hannah is praying about is the Lord’s anointed king. The one chosen by God to be king over his people. This is a prophetic anticipation that the Lord will anoint a king to represent himself

And right here at the beginning of our series through Samuel, let’s make it explicit. David is not the ultimate anointed king in 1 and 2 Samuel. Jesus is. Jesus is the Son of David–the anointed one–the messiah–the Christ. 

This book of Samuel builds anticipation for who the Christ would be. It’s laying out the circumstances and character of the man who would ultimately be revealed as the Christ. 

So, for the rest of our time, we are going to draw out themes from this text that will flow throughout the entire book of Samuel and that ultimately point to Christ. 

God is the true king of Israel, and He will reign through His anointed one. He will:

1. Be unrestrained by human ability, wisdom, or resources.

Ability, wisdom, resources. 

God is not restrained by what you can do. He is not restrained by what you think. He is not restrained by what you have. He isn’t restrained by anything we can think or imagine.

In our text, Think of Hannah. We don’t know exactly how long she had been unable to have children, but it’s long enough that it is well established that she was barren. We can deduce that it had been a long time. It seems that she was the first wife of Elkanah. For some time, they were happily married with the expectation of children, but when she didn’t conceive, Elkanah married another woman in order to produce an heir. So how long was this? It was long enough to establish that Hannah probably wouldn’t have children. 

But then, we see that this rival wife doesn’t just have children. She had a lot of children. At minimum, she had four. Notice the plurals in 1:4: “On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.” You notice the plural there? She has sons and daughters. So from that, we can put it together; this is at least four children if she has both sons and daughters, and I think we can assume that it is probably more. 

This is a substantial amount of time for Hannah. It’s not a few months of trying without success. It drives her to a season of desperate prayer that we see while she is at the temple. Then, after that season of desperate prayer, the Lord grants Hannah a child. 

And she knows without a shadow of a doubt that this is from the Lord. She knows that the Lord is the one who reversed her fortunes. How did she know that? 

On one hand, we could say the Lord revealed it to her, but on the other hand, we have good grounds to say that she knew this was the hand of the Lord because of how long she had tried without success. She couldn’t do it. Her inability to affect her circumstance over a long period of time is the very thing that God used to make it clear that it was HE, and no one else, who changed her circumstance. 

Just take a moment here. Consider the meaning of longsuffering. What does it mean for us to wait on the Lord? Waiting on the Lord usually means that we are waiting for him to do something now, but he hasn’t done it yet. If God gives you what you want right when you want it, then that isn’t waiting on the Lord. 

In those years of barrenness, do you think that she saw much purpose in that? Could she see what the Lord was doing? No. 

She would eventually give birth to the man who would be among the most faithful judges that the Lord raised up. This man would anoint not only one but two different kings of Israel.

He shadows the faithfulness of Christ. The Lord raised him up as a faithful mediator between himself and his people. Samuel didn’t let any of the Lord‘s words fall to the ground.

But stop. Consider.

Hannah did not see any of this. She couldn’t. But the Lord shaped something in her as she waited.

What is the Lord shaping in you while you wait? It’s so rare that we see what the Lord is ultimately doing, but on that day when he answers your prayer, be it in this life or in glory, what song will be on your lips because of what he taught you in the long wait of anticipation?  

For Hannah, God was shaping the prayer that we see in chapter 2. And that is where we see our current point most clearly. 

He is unrestrained by human ability, wisdom, or resources.

Look at 2:3-8. In these verses, we see a reversal of expectation because God pursues his purposes without regard for human ability, human wisdom, or human resources. 

Walk through those verses with me. In verse 3, it warns against pride and arrogance because it isn’t your judgments that matter. It’s the Lord’s judgments. “The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.”

In verses 4 to 8, we see side-by-side images that illustrate how God will use weak and despised things to confound the wisdom of our age.  

In verse 4, the mighty are broken. The feeble bind on strength. 

Verse 5, the full are hungry and the hungry are full. The barren one is fruitful, and the one with children is forlorn.

In verse 6, humanity is powerless in death. But the Lord has total control. He kills and brings to life. He brings down to Sheol and raises up. Underline that. I’m pretty sure when Jesus showed his disciples where his resurrection was in the scriptures, this one was a verse he pointed to.  

Verse 7: Those who are poor, he makes poor. Those who are rich, he makes rich. He makes people lowly, and he makes people exalted. 

Verse 8, 

What does all of this come to? What is the text driving at? 

That the Lord will pursue his purposes without restraint from human ability, wisdom, or resources. 

Don’t these verses sound like something from the New Testament? Think of the beatitudes in Mt 5. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Those who mourn, who are meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness… those who are persecuted. Jesus calls them blessed in the kingdom of heaven. 

Or think of Matthew 20. The last will be first. 

Or 1 Corinthians 1 that we read from our middle reading “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Do you think that God caught a big fish when he got a hold of you? Your abilities don’t give God the power he needs to accomplish his purposes. He isn’t restrained by human ability or wisdom or resources. You who are proud in heart, be humbled at the astounding power of our God. 

Do you think that you are insignificant and God couldn’t use a worm like you? One who has swum in sin and shame for far too long to be genuinely useful. To you, I say the same thing. Your abilities don’t give God the power he needs to accomplish his purposes. He isn’t restrained by human ability or wisdom or resources. You are humble in heart, trust to the power of our God. 

Whether you are proud and exalted or humbled and lowly, you need this same truth. If you are accomplishing anything, it is because God is accomplishing it, and he does it without being restrained by human ability, wisdom, or resources. 

God is the true king of Israel, and He will reign through His anointed one. He will:

1. Be unrestrained by human ability, wisdom, or resources.

   
   

2. Oppose his enemies.

Look at 2:9 again. “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. 10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces, against them he will thunder in heaven.” 

It’s clear. Isn’t it? He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off.” He guards those who are his, and he opposes his enemies.

Doesn’t this sound familiar? James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

This isn’t politically correct for us to say, but we must say it. All who live as enemies of God, listen. God opposes you. 2:10, “the adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces.”

Later, we’ll see King Saul live this out, but we also see it in the rest of our text for today. 

After Hannah’s prayer, we meet the sons of Eli. We aren’t going to read all of this, but follow along with me as I summarize it. Look at 2:12; There is a summary statement there. “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD.”

It goes on to say that they were priests who spurned the Lord and their position of priest. In verses 13 to 15, they ignore the gravity of the sacrifices they made to God and treated it like a barbecue where they got to pick the cut of meat they would get. In verse 16, they threaten people who tried to make sure they practiced the sacrifice in accord with the law of the Lord. 

Then, verse 17. “Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt.”

And in verse 22, we find out that it isn’t just the sacrifices. They were also sleeping with the women who served in the tent of meeting.

These men did fear God. They didn’t care that the Lord saw what they did or what was in their hearts. 

And their father, Eli, offered them a warning in verse 25: “If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?”

But the sons don’t listen, and what does Eli do? Nothing. He allows them to continue in their selfish and faithless service at the tent of meeting. 

So the Lord rejects them. The sons of Eli held the Lord in contempt. They hated him. They didn’t care that he was the king who deserved their every ounce of allegiance. Eli cared more about perception and peace with his sons than he did about what the Lord thought of how they were despising his name and harming the faith of all who came to worship the Lord there. 

The Lord opposes his enemies.

In our text today, the Lord rejects Eli and his house from being priests. And he doesn’t only do it once. He tells him twice. 

In 2:27-36, a man of God comes to Eli with a prophecy of condemnation. Look at 2:29: “Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?” Do you notice that God includes Eli in the sin of his children because Eli had the authority to stop it, but he didn’t? 

Parents take note. You are accountable to God for how you do and don’t discipline your children. The Lord speaks to Eli, not his sons. In the same way that a pastor will give an account for the souls of those in the church, parents will give an account for the way that they instruct and discipline their children.

Eli’s warning was true, but he didn’t follow through. A verbal warning is good, but it can’t stop there. This text is about far more than parenting, so I won’t spend too much time here, but I exhort you to ponder this more. 

In verses 30-36, God promises to cut their family off from the priesthood. We don’t feel the weight of this because we aren’t Israelites. These were the Levites. The tribe of Levi didn’t get an inheritance the way the rest of the Israelites did. They got cities, but they didn’t get land like all of the other tribes. They couldn’t produce the way the other tribes did. 

They were supposed to be dependent on the offerings of God’s people for their sustenance. This was their inheritance. 

When God cut this family off from the priesthood, he was cutting them off from their inheritance. He is cutting them off from the only God-given means of livelihood that they had.

And in 2:34, he says that this prophecy will be confirmed by the sign that both of Eli’s sons would die on the same day. 

This prophecy is terrifying, and it is severe. And I’m not even covering all of the details! This should be earth-shattering for this family. It should strike the fear of God into their hearts, but they don’t – change – anything. 

They don’t repent. There isn’t even a response recorded in the text. 

Then, God reaffirms this prophecy when he speaks to Samuel for the first time. Look in 3:13-14: “And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

Again, this should strike terror into their hearts. But it doesn’t. Look at the next verse. How does Eli respond? 

“It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.” This sounds like faith, doesn’t it? It sounds like he is submitting to his discipline. But he’s really just confirming the prophecy. 

In verse 14, God said that “Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

He wasn’t saying that they couldn’t be atoned for. He was saying that they wouldn’t listen to the Lord. They wouldn’t care enough to repent. 

Are you doing this in your heart? 

For all of us here, listen! This is what the enemies of God do. They hear the warning of God, and they cast it aside. Let him do what he wants! And I will do what I want. 

Friend, that is not humility. That is pride, and God opposes the proud. In ignoring the word of the Lord, you are becoming an adversary of God. 

Is there something that the Lord would have you cast aside today? Something that you have known very clearly that you should turn from it, but you keep embracing it? 

Don’t be like Eli. Hear the warning of the Lord. 

Sin wages war against your soul. It will entice and destroy you, and the enemy will rejoice as you suffer for it. 

This brings us to our last point. 

God is the true king of Israel, and He will reign through His anointed one. He will:

1. Be unrestrained by human ability, wisdom, or resources.

2. Oppose his enemies.

3. Guard his people by raising up a faithful representative.

God guards his people by raising up a faithful representative. A mediator who listens to his word and obeys. 

2:9, “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones.” 

Consider how God does this in our text. While Eli’s sons are living in rebellion, God is allowing Hannah to be barren. And because she is barren, she makes a vow to give this baby to the LORD. And when the LORD miraculously grants her a child, she gives that baby to the Lord. And this unassuming child who has nothing but the coat his mom made for him every year grows as it says in 3:19, “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.”

Samuel was faithful. He wasn’t like Eli. He heard the word of the LORD, and he responded. And what happened? Look in 3:20. “And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.”

Samuel was established as a prophet. He was a mouthpiece of God for men in a place where they had been void of God’s presence because of the faithless priesthood. 

After the curse against Eli, God gives a promise in 2:35, “And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.”

In this verse, Matthew Henry writes, “The work of God shall never fall to the ground for lack of hands to carry it on.” 

God guarded his people by opposing this weak and wicked priestly family. But he didn’t leave them without another to pick it up. 

As to the priesthood, Samuel is a preliminary fulfillment of this promise for a faithful priest. Most commentators agree that in regard to the actual priesthood, this is fulfilled in the priests of Zadok who are faithful to David in 2 Samuel 15. 

But in this narrative, it seems clear that we are supposed to look at Samuel as the answer to Eli’s faithlessness.

Throughout Samuel’s life, he was faithful to the Lord. He mediated between God and men as a priest. He was a prophetic representative of God who anointed kings to rule over the people of God. 

In Samuel, God is preparing the one who would anoint David, and in David, God found a man who was after his own heart and who would ultimately receive the promise of God in 2 Samuel 7. The promise of a Great David’s greater Son whose kingdom would be established forever by God. Who would build a house for God’s name and look to God as his father? Who would have the unfailing, steadfast love of the Lord? 

In the book of Samuel, God was preparing the way for Christ. 

And as we approach the table today, let’s consider how the truths of this passage point us to what we remember in this meal together.