Day 78 - 1 Samuel 1-3, Psalm 78

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In ancient times, texts were written on scrolls, and Samuel was too long to fit on one scroll. To make copying and reading easier, it was split into two separate scrolls, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. Today we start 1 Samuel.

We start off 1 Samuel, chapter 1 with two key personalities, Eli and Samuel. Eli was the high priest and judge of Israel at the time. Hanna, Samuel’s mother, prayed for child after being barren for many years. Eli blesses her and prays that God grants her request. Hanna vows to dedicate Samuel to the Lord. True to her promise, she brings him to the temple to serve under Eli, the priest. Showing us the unexpected ways God connects us all.

In 1 Samuel 2, we see Eli’s family falling apart. Eli was a good man personally but failed as a leader by not disciplining his corrupt sons. A prophet of God comes to Eli and pronounces God’s judgment—his family will lose the priesthood, and his sons will die on the same day. As parents, we can feel confused about how to discipline our children. It is best to teach our children hard lessons ourselves then to get to the point where God has to intervene. Meanwhile, Hanna sings a song of thanksgiving.

In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel is a young boy serving at the temple under Eli when he hears God calling him at night but does not recognize His voice. An experience we have all gone through. Discerning the voice of God can be one of our first spiritual challenges. God gives Samuel a message of judgment against Eli’s household. The chapter ends with Samuel being established as a true prophet.

From Samson to Eli, and Eli to Samuel, we witness a fundamental shift in Israel’s history. The people, dissatisfied with prophetic leadership, demand a king. This decision not only alters Israel’s destiny but shapes history to this day.

Psalm 79, another Psalm by Asaph, describing the destruction of Jerusalem. The psalmist asks, How long, Lord? Will God stay angry forever? Even in his confusion and suffering Asaph commits to praising God forever.