King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 12 notes
1And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
2There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
3Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
4The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
5They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
She was already prophesying about her own future.
She went on to bear more children 🧒 aside Samuel, though she did not know that.
6The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
7The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
9He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
10The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
11And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.
12Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.
A very strange statement. A statement that makes you wonder how this was possible 🙆.
How could the sons of Eli, who were priests of the Lord, the mediators and ones set apart to commune with the Lord, not know him?
What then were they doing in the priestly office to start with?
But sadly this statement is true in the times of Eli and is true today.
Many priests and pastors — generally many so-called men of God — do not know the Lord.
The Lord they serve and teach about — it's a strange paradox.
Very strange indeed.
13And the priests’ custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
14And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
15Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
16And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
17Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
Hmm 🤔... As I read these parts, I noticed God had become very lenient at this time in his dealings with his people.
This practice would not have survived one day in the times of Moses.
It did not mean God was not to be feared 😨. For he was still God.
Indeed, it is wisdom to still FEAR GOD the way they did in the times of Moses, even if you lived in the times of Eli's sons and saw the forbearance of God.
It did not mean he had changed. Indeed, anytime God's long suffering is demonstrated, it is for this one purpose.
2 Peter 3:9 AMP
The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Yes, it is to lead to repentance.
And as we see from Eli's story, when God suffers us for long and we don't repent, the punishment is worse.
For the sons of Aaron, they were killed instantly and their generations cut off, because they had no children.
For Eli and his sons, they were cut off and the entire priesthood taken from them.
And God watched over his word all through the descendants till he removed the priesthood from their hands and their lineage.
So their sins caused a curse 🤬 on their seed 🌱 and their living descendants.
And so now I fear 😱, in this light I fear greatly, for our generation has been given a very long leash by the Lord.
And we keep praying 🙏 for mercy and extension of time ⌚.
But when the long suffering of God comes to an end,
Woe to us.
Oh Lord, have mercy 😢
I Samuel 2:17 NKJV
Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.
18But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
In time past I used to wonder how that Samuel, who is from Mount 🗻 Ephraim, could be allowed into the priesthood, seeing he was not a Levite.
But he was the first born, and the Levites were swapped for the first born of all Israelites because of the death of the first born sons of the Egyptians.
Long story short, Samuel was the first born, and instead of a Levite being swapped for him and the family paying a little token to the Lord,
They chose to give him directly as promised, without swapping him for a Levite.
And Hannah's need fell right in line with God's need.
The priesthood had been corrupted by Eli and his sons.
The word of the Lord had become scarce in those days, and Israel 🇮🇱 was slowly moving into apostasy.
God needed a worthy example to use.
And there comes Hannah, who had longed for a child all this while.
Why should God give her a child 🧒, to what end, when he could have a part in her child and give her others later?
And so he waited for Hannah till she was so driven with sorrow that she was willing to give birth and give her son to the Lord.
At least she was used to not having a child, but the shame and public ridicule was something she could never get used to.
She could bargain with the Lord and give her son out to the Lord — a loss for her, but at least no one could call her barren.
And this she did, and God blessed her with some more children 🧒.
Imagine she had made this decision earlier... Then Eli's corrupt sons would not have had such a field day for so long.
But such is the life.
19Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
20And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.
21And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.
My pastor made a statement that as the first fruit, i.e. Samuel, grew, the blessings (his other brothers and sisters) were provided and multiplied, grew,
To which I add, no mention ever is made of Samuel's siblings,
Indeed, he was lent out permanently to the Lord; he was the Lord's. He had been cut off from them, and for that the Lord gave Hannah five fold.
She used her life and womb and the pain of childbirth all to the Lord.
Such sacrifice could not go unnoticed by the Lord.
22Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Now they had gotten worse.
From stealing meat 🥩 meant for the Lord, and now committing whoredom right 👉 at the door 🚪 of the tabernacle.
In the very presence of God.
So it is with every corrupt practice in the Lord's house. It only leads to more and more corruption.
Before you know it, you are committing wonderful sins you never dreamt possible by you.
So what we see today in the church ⛪ is not new.
There is nothing new under the sun.
23And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
24Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress.
25If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.
Hmm. God cannot be mocked. They thought 💭 to mock God with their actions, but God cannot be mocked.
Galatians 6:7-8 KJV
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. [8] For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
And they thought to be shrewd with God.
What they did not know was that God, being holy, is also very shrewd.
Psalm 18:26 NLT
To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
And this he did to the sons of Eli.
26And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.
27And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?
28And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
29Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
The Lord expected him to be stricter on his sons and enforce discipline, but it seems he himself was partaker of their evil ways by just reprimanding them and doing nothing else in such a dangerous matter.
All he did, or was recorded as doing, was that he advised them and described as transgressions such an abomination as this.
People in his lineage died for less. Eli knew this.
He knows what happened to the two ✌️ sons of Aaron who offered strange fire 🔥 before the Lord.
They were consumed by strange fire from the Lord 🔥
30Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
Oh my Lord and my God. A true and just God.
31Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.
32And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
33And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
34And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
35And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
His anointed — was it referencing the Christ? I believe so.
The eternal God had plans to reward Samuel's faithfulness into eternity.
1 Samuel 2:30 NKJV
Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
36And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.
A sad ending for Eli, his sons and his descendants.
So outside of the ministry work, the descendants of Eli shall starve and suffer want.
It is only the ministry work that will give them bare survival.