FEBRUARY 8. -HANNAH'S PRAYER.-1 Samuel i. 9-28. INTRODUCTION.-Hannah was the wife of Elkanah, a Levite, who lived at Ramah. They had no children, which grieved Hannah sorely. Once each year, Elkanah and Hannah went up to Shiloh, where the tabernacle was, to offer sacrifices; perhaps at the time of the Passover. Our Lesson begins with Hannah's prayer, just after the sacrificial meal had been eaten. It is generally believed that the events narrated in the first three chapters of the first Book of Samuel occurred during the last years of Samson's life. HANNAH'S PRAYER.-V. 9 11. With many marks of earnestness and emotion, (ver. 10,) Hannah begged a son of the Lord, and vowed that if God would grant her request, the child should be a perpetual Nazarite, and devoted to the Lord all his life long. For the vow of the Nazarite, see Num. vi. 1-6. The obligation lasted generally only for a specified time; this child's was never to cease. As a Levite, the son would be bound to spend a portion of his time in the service of the tabernacle, but that serIvice would not commence till he was twenty-five years old, and would end at fifty, Num. viii. 24, 25; nor would it be uninterrupted. Hannah promised it should begin so soon as the infant could leave her, and should last till his death. MISUNDERSTOOD.-V. 12-18. Eli, the high-priest, sat by a post of the temple, had a seat near one of the tabernacle's entrances; there he heard causes, and gave judgment. Hannah prayed silently, her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. It was unusual for a Hebrew to pray thus; their private prayers were generally uttered aloud, Dan. vi. 10. Hannah's sorrow, too, produced traces of excitement in her features and motions. Eli imagined she was intoxicated, and rebuked her sternly. (You remember when the manifestations of holy joy were mistaken for signs of drunkenness ?) Though she was so cruelly misunderstood, Hannah did not give way to ill-temper, but answered meekly and respectfully, no, my lord, etc. A daughter of Belial,-a wicked, worthless woman. Belial means "wicked; the word is used as a name for Satan, the child was born; his mother called him Samuel, "asked of the Lord," because he had been given in answer to prayer. Elkanah went up to the tabernacle year by year as formerly; Hannah remained at home with her boy till she could carry him to Shiloh once for all, and leave him there. To this her husband consented, adding the devout wish, only the Lord establish His word. By granting her a son, God had showed that He had accepted Hannah's vow. Elkanah meant, The Lord make the babe His faithful servant for ever. Hebrew mothers nursed their children much longer than is common in England. Samuel would be some three years old when she weaned him. Then both parents took him to Shiloh to present him to Jehovah. For sacrifice they brought three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, etc. Three-tenths of an ephah was the proper quantity of flour to offer with each bullock, Num. XV. 8, 9. One animal would be slain at the dedication of the boy, the other two were Elkanah's annual offering. Hannah informs Eli who she is, how God has fulfilled her petition, how she is come to fulfil her vow. Lent him to the Lord,-better, "returned to the Lord him whom I have obtained by petition." Samuel was not a loan, but a gift. And he worshipped there-refers to Elkanah, he offered the child freely to Jehovah; in that husband and wife were quite agreed. In ver. 24 we read, "and the child was young,"-"literally, and the child was a child, not merely in tenderness of years, but in childlike docility, meekness, and gentleness.”— Wordsworth. REFLECTIONS.. 1. We have here another example of the efficacy of fervent prayer. 2. We should take our troubles to God, as Hannah took hers. 3. Let us learn (1) to beware of hasty judgments, Eli thought Hannah drunk when she was praying; (2) never to be INTRODUCTION.-When the sacrifice was finished, and the child was formally and finally presented to Jehovah, Hannah's full soul burst forth in a song of praise. There is no doubt that she was directly inspired by the Holy Ghost; the whole song, particularly the last verse, is a prophecy of Christ. parallelism of this hymn with that of the Virgin Mary, when the birth of Jesus was foretold to her, has been pointed out before.* Other similar songs are those by Zacharias and Simeon, Afternoon Lessons, January 15th and 29th, 1871. The HANNAH'S SONG.-V. 1-10. And Hannah prayed.-In the Scriptures, prayer often means praise as well, Neh. xi. 17; Hab. iii. 1; Phil. iv. 6. Hannah's song of thanksgiving relates to herself, ver. 1; to the character of God, ver. 2; to the general dealings of His Providence, ver. 3-8; to His treatment of the good and the bad, ver. 9; to the kingdom of the Messiah, ver. 10. My heart rejoiceth in the Lord. -She did not lose sight of the Giver in His gift. She traced her happiness to the right Source. That is true joy which proceeds not from the creature but from the Creator. Other sources of joy dry up, this endures for ever, Ps. xvi. 11. The river of God's pleasures never runs dry, Ps. xxxvi. 8. Mine horn is exalted.-Compare 2 Sam. xxii. 3; Ps. lxxv. 4; lxxxix. 17; Luke i. 69. The figure is taken from such animals as the ox, whose horns are their ornament and defence. But see Illustration. It signifies power and glory. My mouth is enlarged, etc.,-to give praise to Jehovah. "Of the four members of this verse, the first answers to the third, and the second to the Afternoon Lesson, January 8th, 1871. fourth. The heart rejoices at the lifting up of her horn, the mouth opens wide to proclaim the salvation before which the enemies would be dumb."-Kiel. The enemies are those who taunted her with being childless; but we may triumph in salvation from sin; victory over Satan, death, etc. Then Hannah rejoices in the character of God. He is holy, Ps. xxx. 4. Holiness includes all the perfections of God. Beside Him there is no god at all. He is the shelter and defence of His people, the Rock, Deut. xxxii. 4. Addressing God's foes, she warns them not to boast themselves in selfconfidence; God is a God of knowledge, -literally, of knowledges, i.e., He is omniscient; by Him actions are weighed, -His actions are strictly just, proceed not from impulse but from deliberate determination. This thought is enlarged in the following verses. Whatever is done upon earth, God does it; He appoints men their stations; He decides the length of their life and the manner and hour of their death. Out of the dust..from the dunghill.. among princes. .glory,-from the lowest depths of degradation to the highest honour. Well may earth be governed by God, for He is its Creator and Upholder; the pillars of the earth, etc. The earth is compared to a building whose foundations are deep and immovable."-Kitto. Let us learn to be contented with our earthly lot, to discharge its duties faithfully. God has appointed it to us. Doing its work, we are serving Him. Life and death are in God's hands; the latter never comes by chance. "Whenever any die, it is God that directs the arrows of death. Death is His messenger."-Henry. See Rev. i. 18. But God's righteous government extends beyond this world; it determines the everlasting doom of the wicked and of His saints, ver. 9, and first two clauses of ver. 10. No strength can contend with His omnipotence. The Lord may lead IIis servants through trial and trouble, but He will keep their feet so that they do not stumble and perish, Ps. lvi. 13; cxvi. 8; cxxi. 3. Thus the snares Satan sets for the saints fail to overthrow them. These threats will receive their ultimate fulfilment at the judgment-day. At the close, Hannah's song rises to higher strains of prophecy; she foretells how all the earth shall be subdued before Jehovah; how Illustration. "MINE His King shall obtain universal empire. Undoubtedly the reference is to King Jesus. The horn,-see on ver. 1. The horn, in prophetic language, signifies a monarchy, Jer. xlviii. 25; Zech. i. 18; Dan. vii. 24; Rev. xiii. 1. Let us ask ourselves, Are we God's saints or His adversaries? Are we subjects of Christ's kingdom. SAMUEL'S MINISTRY.-V. 11. Elkanah and Hannah went home: Samuel remained at Shiloh. Doubtless it was a sore grief to parents and child to part; but Samuel would soon begin to take pleasure in doing such service in the tabernacle as his tender years allowed. Note, God does not despise the service a child can render Him. HORN IS EXALTED." "This expression often occurs in the Bible; and, doubtless, the reference, here and in other such passages, is to the horn as a general symbol of power and glory. It is, however, remarkable that, whether this were formerly the case or not, some of the women in Syria do wear a sort of horn upon their heads. This is particularly the case among the Druses of Lebanon, speaking of whom Dr. Macmichael observes, 'One of the most extraordinary parts of the attire of their females is a silver horn, sometimes studded with jewels, worn on the head in various positions, distinguishing their different conditions. A married woman has it affixed to the right side of the head, a widow on the left, and a virgin is pointed out by its being placed on the very crown over this silver projection the long veil is thrown, with which they so completely conceal their faces, as rarely to have more than one eye visible.' (Journey,' p. 251.) Colonel Light gives a similar description, and adds that the horn is a tin or silver conical tube, about twelve inches long, and about the size of a common post-horn. The wife of the emir was distinguished by a gold horn, enriched with precious stones. Buckingham saw a similar horn in use among the Christian women at Tyre; and the writer of the present note has even observed a precisely analogous ornament worn by the women at Tver and other places in Russia."-Kitto. "There is something remarkable in the headdress of the governors of provinces in Abyssinia. A large broad fillet is bound upon their foreheads, and tied behind the head. In the middle of this is a horn, or a conical piece of silver, gilt, about four inches long, much in the shape of our common candle extinguishers. This is called kirn, or horn, and is only worn in reviews or parades after victory. This, I apprehend, like all other usages, is taken from the Hebrews; and there appear to be several allusions to the practice in Scripture, where mention is made of 'exalting,' or 'lifting up the horn. "Bruce. FEBRUARY 22. A SAD MESSAGE.-1 Samuel ii. 27-36. INTRODUCTION.-Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. As the Hebrew priesthood was hereditary, both were priests. But they were both wicked men. By law, certain portions of the sacrificed animals belonged to the priests; part was offered upon the altar, the rest was eaten by those who made the offering at a solemn meal. Hophni and Phinehas took violently more than their right, robbing both God and man. The consequence was few Israelites cared to make thank-offerings. They ceased to offer God voluntary worship at His tabernacle. In the Lord's eyes Eli's sons' sin was very great; they neither served Him themselves, nor permitted others to serve Him. THE CRIME.-V. 27-29. As Eli sat in his usual place at the door of the tabernacle, a prophet appeared to him, speaking words of startling reproof. He spoke not in his own name, but as God's herald, beginning his message with, Thus saith the Lord. First, he recites God's favours to Eli and his ancestors. God had chosen them to be His priests. A brief MORNING LESSONS. enumeration of the duties and privileges of priests follows. To offer upon Mine altar, they only might offer sacrifices. To burn incense,-includes all service in the holy place. To wear an ephod before Me,-to enter the holy of holies, which the high-priest alone of all living might enter, he only when wearing his ephod. And did I give? etc.,-i.e., the portions mentioned Lev. vii. 31-35. Then the prophet puts an indignant question, conveying a charge of gross unfaithfulness, Wherefore, etc. ?-But Eli had not committed these sins, how could he be responsible for them? The answer is found in the words, and honourest thy sons above Me. Eli ought not to have permitted his sons' iniquity. He was not only their father, but judge and high-priest too. He did remonstrate with them solemnly; he should have prevented their sin at any risk, at any cost to his own feelings, using force if necessary. Children often think their fathers unkind when they check and punish their faults. But were they to pass over wrong leniently, they would sin against God, and expose themselves to punishment. THE PENALTY.-V. 30-36. Ver. 30 explains the principle on which the Lord acted: it forms the basis of the Reflections. The punishment was, his posterity should die before old age; he should see the tabernacle dishonoured and Israel distressed; the high-priesthood should pass from his family; to the faithful priest his descendants should come begging for bread. Hophni and Phinehas should both die in one day. In subsequent Lessons we shall learn how the threats were fulfilled. Thine arm, thy strength. An enemy in My habitation, etc., see Margin. A faithful priest -may mean Zadok, 1 Kings ii. 27; 17 but its highest reference is to our great High-Priest, Jesus Christ. REFLECTIONS.-1. All God's promises are conditional: when the condition is not expressed it is implied.-Here the implied condition was that the house of Eli should be faithful to God. Thus God gives us heaven, if we endure to the end; mercy, if we forsake our sins; pardon, if we are penitent and believe in Jesus; His Holy Spirit, if we ask Him; etc. 2. Between honouring and despising God, there is no medium.-Often there is but a step between lowest vice and highest virtue. Illustrate: the soldiers who remained on board the "Birkenhead" as she sank, that the women and children might escape, manifested noblest courage. Had they deserted their post, they would equally have evinced basest cowardice. To believe on Jesus is to glorify God; "he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar," 1 John v. 10. 3. In every word, deed, thought, we either honour or dishonour God. 4. "Them that honour Me I will honour,"-sometimes in this life; not always. Certainly at the judgment, when Jesus shall own them for His people; when they shall sit down sharers of His throne, Rev. iii. 21. 5. Let us seek the honour which cometh from God only, John v. 44; Rom. ii. 7. 6. "They that despise Me, shall be lightly esteemed,"-whatever they now think of themselves; however highly they may be respected by their fellowmen, Dan. xii. 2. 7. Have true views of honour,-men often make strange mistakes. Honour never binds child or man to do wrong. Read Prov. xvi. 32-" is better" NOW. MARCH 1.- -THE CALL OF SAMUEL.-1 Samuel iii. INTRODUCTION.-In 1 Sam. ii. 21 we read, "The child Samuel grew before the Lord," grew in goodness as well as in stature. You remember what is said of Christ's childhood? Luke ii. 52. In this respect Samuel was a type of the holy Child Jesus. What happened when Jesus was twelve years old? Luke ii. 42-49. It is supposed that Samuel was about the same age when he was called to be God's prophet. A VOICE IN THE NIGHT.-V. 1—10. In those days the Lord seldom revealed His will through prophets, perhaps on account of the iniquity of Israel. The word of the Lord was precious,-rare. There was no open vision,-" prophecy was not spread," was not given copiously or frequently. At that time Eli was old, and nearly blind; Samuel waited upon him, performing for him all kinds of little services. Both priest and child slept within the enclosure of the tabernacle. One night both lay down to rest as usual: Samuel was awoke by some One calling his name. Probably it was the dead of night, for it was ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, the seven lamps of the golden candlestick were lighted in the evening, burnt as long as the oil lasted, generally till dawn. Samuel thought Eli had called him; perhaps the old man had often wanted him in that way before. He ran to Eli; but he had not called him, and told him to lie down again. Both fancied he had been dreaming. Again the voice; again he went to Eli; again the same answer. Read ver. 7. Jehovah had never called the boy before; he had no idea Whose voice he had heard. Again he was awoke with the call: this time he felt certain Eli had summoned him; Here am I; for thou DIDST call me.-How surprised and startled must both have been! But Eli understood at last; he perceived that the Lord had called the child. He instructed him how to reply if he heard the voice again. How astonished the boy would be when he was told to say, Speak, Lord! Had God spoken to a little child like him! We may be sure he did not sleep again. Soon he heard the call, and answered, Speak; for Thy servant heareth,-forgetting, in his excitement, to say, Speak, Lord. THE REVELATION.-V. 11-14. In the main, God's words repeat the announcement brought to Eli by the man of God. See last Lesson. The repetition would assure Eli of its certainty; nothing should avert the threatened punishment, ver. 14. Both the ears..shall tingle,—with horror and alarm. Strange tidings for a mere boy to hear! ELI TOLD.-V. 15-18. No wonder that Samuel feared to show Eli the vision !-It is never a pleasant office to bear bad news. He opened the doors of the tabernacle in the morning. Eli could see the message was a sad one; it troubled the boy. He charged him solemnly to reveal everything, God do so, etc.,-Ruth i. 17. Samuel reports all faithfully. Eli answers, It is the Lord, etc., - thus he expresses his resignation to God's will. Whatever God did must be good in itself, though evil to Eli. SAMUEL ESTABLISHED TO BE A PROPHET.-V. 19-21. Samuel had been faithful in his first commission. God gave him more. Other messages he delivered; all his prophecies were accomplished. All Israel knew he was the mouthpiece of Jehovah, and reverenced him accordingly. From Dan, the extreme north. To Beersheba, -the extreme south, Judges xx. 1. The Lord appeared, etc. Through Samuel's faithfulness, the word of the Lord was no more scarce, there was again an "open vision." REFLECTIONS. 1. God loves and honours goodness in children. 2. Note Samuel's temper.-He did not grow angry at being disturbed so often. He was glad to do all he could for the old priest. 3. God knew Samuel's name. - He knows ours, all about us. None of us are forgotten before God. 3. " Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth."-Could Samuel have found a better answer? When God speaks, let us hear and heed. The youngest may be His servant. 4. "Methodist Scholars' HymnBook," Hymn 241. 5. Negligence of duty is no small sin. -Example: Eli's negligence, James iv. 17. 6. "It is the Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him good."-So should we receive all that God sends upon us. "Methodist Scholars' Hymn-Book," Hymn 106. 7. The reward of faithfulness to our duty,-honour; higher service for God. Illustrate from the Lesson. Samuel would be tempted to keep from Eli part of the painful truth. |