 |  |
It is evident, as one reads I Sam. 8: 1-3, that there is an intended parallel here with
the record of Eli and his sons.
"And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were
judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre,
and took bribes, and perverted judgment" (I Sam. 8: 1-3).
"Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel . . . . . I hear of
your evil dealings by all this people" (I Sam. 2: 22, 23).
The nature of our exposition, the amount of the material before us, and the necessity to
make some selection, make it impossible for us to deal with the lovely story of Hannah's
faith, and young Samuel's innocence. Neither can we give detailed structures; if we
were to do this, it would be fairly safe to say that we should be dealing with these Books
of Kings for the remainder of our days. In this series we are simply endeavouring to
point out the more important features in the onward movement of the purpose of the ages,
and to give enough material to guide the earnest seeker into a fuller understanding of the
passages under examination. We cannot, therefore, attempt a detailed analysis. The
reader will find much to his hand in the margin of The Companion Bible.
Leaving the structure set out in The Companion Bible, we give instead the following
analysis, which, as the reader will see, has the merit of focusing the attention upon the
essential features, but, of course, omits much more than it can include.
I Samuel 1: 1 - 8: 3.
A | 1: 1 - 2: 21. Hannah. Her son.
The song.
Exalt the horn of His anointed.
B | 2: 22-26. Eli. Very old. His sons' evil dealings.
A | 2: 27 - 7: 17. A man of God. Eli's son.
The prophesy. "Faithful Priest."
"Before Mine Anointed."
B | 8: 1-3. Samuel. Old. His sons turned aside.
Hannah's song, in the first section of the structure, demands our attention. While its
origin is the birth of Samuel, its burden is prophetic. It speaks of the enemies of the Lord
being silenced and, as the song nears its conclusion, its Messianic character becomes
more and more apparent.
"The 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" (I Sam. 2: 10).
With this song should be compared Mary's song and the prophecy of Zacharias in
Luke 1:--particularly the words of verse 69: "And hath raised up an horn of salvation for
us in the house of His servant David."