1 Samuel 2-3 today..... 1_Samuel 4 tomorrow...

Read it... still catching up on the blogging.
sandJ

Chapter 2: verse 1-10... Thank you God, because you brought me victory and triumph over my struggles.... Only You are my holy, solid foundation (Matthew 7:24-29)... God knows what is in each person's heart, so your talk doesn't mean anything to me (Luke 16:14-15)... when I am weak, God picks me up and carries me in His strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)... God makes the first, last, and the last, first (see also Luke 13:30)... God brings us back to life even though we are dead, as He has the power over both (Romans 6:13,23; Romans 8:38-39, 2 Timothy 1:9-10, 1 John 3:14, 1 John 4:7-21)... the Lord blesses those He chooses as He sees fit according to His soveriegnty and omniscient and perfect will, and all blessings come from Him alone (Matthew 5:44-45, James 1:17, 1 Corinthians 1:26-30, 1 Corinthians 4:7)... God lifts us up from our fallen dirty condition and makes us royalty as His children (Psalm 40:2-3, Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 2:9-10)... God created the world upon the foundations of His love and truth, He gives eternal life to those who love Him, but those who reject Him will be separated from Him forever (Revelation 21:1-8, Genesis 1:1-2:7, Matthew 13:41-43)... No one who opposes the Lord will stand, and any that do stand, only do so because of God's mercy and grace (James 4:4-10, Revelation 20:11-15, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Zechariah 4:6)... "God will give strength to His king" [Jesus-Luke 22:39-44] and lift up those He loves (Matthew 5:3-12).... I do wonder if some of Hannah's prayer was prophesy about things to come, or if she was just speaking only of herself?
verse 11-12... wow, complete contrast here... I have always wondered how parents who love God so much can have children who do not, although I guess I shouldn't wonder since the reverse can be true as well and it all comes down to personal choice... all the more reason to pray that my children will make the right choice since parental choice and guidance does not determine a child's absolute decision to love and honor God.
verse 13-15... why would the priest want it one way over the other? why would it matter? all I can think about is how boiled meat breaks apart easily so maybe the priests wouldn't get as much that way... I don't know... maybe they cut off a larger chunk if it was raw? I think of how yummy people's food is at a potluck and I think the priests would want to wait and taste the boiled meat to get to taste test the cook's skills. :)
vers 16... I can see the sin in this, since they are standing in the way of the person's ability to worship, they are destroying their worshipful mood (as I'm sure they are now angry and not focused on God anymore), and they are putting themselves before God as if they think they are greater of more deserving than God... all sins... not good
verser 17... yes...yes they were!
verse 18-19... awwww... how cute :)
verse 20-21... God is good... He never just takes... He always returns blessings with more blessings.
verse 22-25, 27-36...poor Eli... not only will his sons not listen to him when he tries to set them straight, now he has to know in advance of their doom... maybe Eli could have done more to stop them from their sinning... would it have done any good?... did he try as hard as he could to help them see the "light"?... yet it was God's will that they did not take heed... this is hard to swallow... it makes me think about how we know that those we love will go to Hell if they do not repent and turn to God and accept Jesus as their Savior... but not everyone we love will listen... those who do not will perish in Hell... sometimes I wonder if we take this seriously enough... if we work as hard as we could to save those who are lost... if we poured out our lives as if Heaven and Hell were real, would it make a difference?... for some, maybe yes... but for others, maybe no... it is hard to think that those we love may be burning in Hell for all eternity... it is even harder to think that that is how God told us it would be... it is not His will that any be lost, but He already knows that some will... and if it is that hard for us to take in, just think how hard it must be for God, who created them and loves them even more than we do!... our efforts may end up being in vain in the lives of some, but I think that it is better to labor in vain than to never even try at all... for we, like Paul, ought to strive to reach as many people as we can for Christ in hopes that we might help save some (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)
veres 26, 35... I wonder if Eli knew it was Samuel who was going to take over for his family? I wonder how Eli felt about that? was he happy that he could at least play a part for God in the life of someone who would honor Him? it does not appear that he was jealous that Samuel was good while his own sons were bad... this is such a lesson to us... we should always be thankful for anything that brings glory to God... whether anything good comes out of it for us or not.... this is one really big way we can worship God by showing Him that He really is first in our lives (and in our hearts, minds, and souls -Matthew 22:37-38... that it is not about what He gives us, but that our worship and love is based on who He is... that is true love and true worship, I think)


Chapter 3: veres 1... it seems that there is a direct correlation to the obedience of the people and the revelations of the Lord... this should not be a surprise, since our sin hinders our relationship with God by putting up a barrier between us and Him... only by confession our sins and repenting can we experience the fullness of all God wishes to share with us... even when our eternal relationship with God is secure (through grace in Jesus), our personal relationship can suffer destruction if we continue to sin and refuse to turn from it... the proof can be seen in our own lives as clearly as it is demonstrated and expressed here.... I think also of David's Psalm 32 in regard to this, too ("Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise,they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!")
veres 2-6... when I read this story, I think of my own kids who are always finding an excuse to get up and not go to bed... I wonder if Eli thought that that was what Samuel was doing?
verse 7... interesting that Samuel was serving God, yet did not know God... it is an interesting thing to think about... that even while we were sinners, and did not know who God was, God was still using our lives to bring Him glory... so whether sinner or saved, we are all part of God's eternal plan... the only difference is that when we are saved and being used, we get to enjoy the process because we know that God is using everything for His glory and we can excitedly anticipate how great it will be in the end... when we are sinners, God is still using us, but we do not get to experience the joy that comes from desiring to be part of His service.... one more reason to tell others about salvation through Jesus... if we love those around us, then of course we want them to experience joy... the only way they can do that is if they know Jesus and learn about how their lives are serving God's amazing eternal purpose!... gives a broader meaning to the phrase "your life has purpose"
verse 8... I wonder why if finally dawned on Eli?
verse 9... makes me think about how I let God know I am listening to Him and desiring to hear what He has to say in my life?... do my actions show that? both in public and private? do my words? do my prayers? ... just something to ponder on a bit, I think
verse 10... cool! Samuel saw Him and heard Him... that is just really cool!
verse 13... had God wanted Eli to fire his sons or maybe kill them? would that have saved Eli's lineage of priesthood?
verse 11-15... poor Samuel... not a fun message to have to get or give... kind of takes the oomphf out of getting to see and hear God... if reminds me of a dream I had one time... I was dreaming of a verse over and over and when I awoke the verse was still in my mind... I was so excited, cause I was like, "oh cool, God is talking to me"... so anyway, I ran to my Bible to look up the verse... it was Acts 12:23, and it said: "Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died."... kind of a buzz killer verse... I don't know if God was talking to me through a dream or not... probably not... but either way, it has served a purpose in that anytime I begin to think of myself as better than I really am (a dirty rotten sinner, only saved by God's grace)... anytime I begin to think that I am all that or start to rely on my own strength or praise myself, I remember that dream and that verse, and it does a good job of bringing me back to reality... God's reality... cause I don't know about you, but I sure don't want to get eaten by worms anytime soon! :)
verse 15-17... what to do!... tell Eli and face his probable anger, or don't tell him and face his curse and wrath!... not much of a choice... sometimes being the message bearer is not that fun... I guess that is why the phrase "don't kill the messager" became popular... but, Jesus does warn us that being His messanger will not always be easy or popular, but the eternal rewards will be definately worth it! (2 Corinthians 4)
verse 18... what a great attitude... just goes to show that fear is the only thing we really have to fear (didn't somebody famous say that: the only thing to fear is fear itself, or something like that?)... anyway, it is true... fear doesn't come from God... it is just one of the devil's tactics to try to keep us from doing what God wants us to do... and so often I have found that when I obey the outcome is so much better than I had expected when I had chosen to dwell on the fear of the unknown... better to just obey... anyway, then if something bad does happen, at least you are dealing with reality and fantasy... cause reality can be worked on, while fantasy is just a never ending game of ungratifying and unedifying 'what-ifs'.
verse 19... I like that... "and he let none of his words fall to the ground"... I don't know if it means that God upheld all His words, or if it means he supported all Samuel said because Samuel was so much in His will... but either way, I guess it is close to the same, and it shows God's faithfulness yet again. :) I'm glad God is faithful and unchanging. :)... PS the study notes say that this is in contrast to Eli, in that Eli did not back up his words with action... when he told his boys not to sin against God, he did not back it up... a reminder for us that not only should be speak about Jesus, and encourage others to live for Him, but we need to make those words evident in the actions of our lives, as well.... and we need to keep our promises, too... if we tell someone we will hold them accountable, or work on an area in our own lives, we need to make sure to follow up on that and really do what we say... our character is shown not only by how elequently we speak, but also by how nobly we live.
verse 20-21... and that is how we are to know if someone is of God, right, because they speak God's Word and uphold it's truth with/in/throughout their lives (1 John 4:1-3, 1 John 3:9-10)... it reminds me of words to a song that a friend of mine sang so beautifully: "and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, and they'll know we are Christians by our love"... I hope that that is true and we can confidently say that... sometimes I wonder though, so I pray that God will continue to refine me in this so that I do not point away from Him with my life or confuse others by how I live, but rather, in all I say and do and think, bring utmost glory to Him for the rest of my days.
Good night and God Bless,
sandJ