3:1 - 4:1 The Calling of Samuel; Prophecy regarding Eli (in Shiloh)
- In these days, the word of the LORD is rare; visions are "not widespread."
- God calls Samuel in the night, but he thinks it is Eli, who is almost blind, calling him, and he goes to Eli twice before Eli realizes it's actually God and tells Samuel next time to reply, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."
- God tells Samuel that he will do something that will make "both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle," then tells of his intention to fulfill his prophecy about Eli's house.
- The next morning, Samuel is afraid to tell Eli, but Eli insists. When Samuel tells him, Eli's response is "It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him." Eli is a good man, it seems, but a weak man where it has concerned his sons. He accepts God's decision with resignation.
- Samuel, on the other hand, comes to be recognized -- from Dan to Beersheba -- as a "trustworthy prophet of the LORD"; "none of his words fall to the ground." What a great way of expressing that when Samuel spoke, people listened.
2-10 - The Philistines Capture the Ark of God
- The Philistines "muster" against Israel, who go out to fight them and lose 4,000 men.
- Puzzled by their defeat, the leaders decide that the next time they'll take the ark with them, so God will help them overcome their enemies.
- They send to Shiloh for the ark, and Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, come with the ark.
- When the Israelite camp shouts for joy at the sight of the ark, the Philistines at first are frightened, then are determined to fight even harder so they won't be enslaved by the "gods" who struck Egypt with plagues. This long after Egypt, the incident is known, but the true God is not.
- Again, the Philistines defeat the Israelites, killing 30,000 foot soldiers and capturing the ark. Hophni and Phinehas are also killed.
- A Benjaminite runs to Shiloh with the news of the defeat.
- Eli is sitting by the road watching, because he is nervous about the ark being taken away from Shiloh. Apparently he has been powerless in preventing the ark from being used as a "good luck charm" in battle.
- Eli, now 99 years old, is told that his sons have been killed and that the ark has been captured.
- At the news of the ark (not his sons), he falls backward, breaking his neck, for he is not only old, but heavy.
- He had judged Israel 40 years.
- When the wife of Phinehas, about to give birth, hears the news of the deaths and of the ark, she dies giving birth to a son she names Ichabod: "The glory has departed from Israel."
1-12 The Philistines and the Ark
- The Philistines bring the ark to Ashdod and place it in the building that also houses the idol Dagon.
- The first morning, Dagon has fallen on his face before the ark. They put him back up.
- The second morning, Dagon has fallen again, but this time his hands and head have been cut off.
- God strikes the people of Ashdod with tumors. They move the ark to Gath, and the people of Gath are struck with tumors. They move it to Ekron, who protest and gather the people and insist the ark be sent back to Israel, for "there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city."
- Those who don't die are stricken with tumors. Note: The Philistines are afraid of God, but it doesn't seem to influence their belief in false gods. I guess they just see the Israelite God as stronger than their own.
- The kings of the armies flee
- The women at home divide the spoil
- The mountain of Bashan (taller than the hills on which Jerusalem is built) looks with envy on the mount of God, where he will reside forever. Note: Commentaries relate this passage to the coming church, prophesied in Isaiah 2:2 ("the mountain of the house of the LORD is the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills") and spoken of in Hebrews 12:22 ("You have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God").
1-15 Encouragement to Be Generous
- Example of the Macedonians. The grace of God had been extended to them to the effect that out of their poverty, they gave beyond what they were able to give.
- So as you excel in faith, speech, knowledge, eagerness, and our love, we urge you also to excel in generosity.
- Follow also the example of Christ who became poor for your sakes.
- You were eager to do this last year -- now follow up on your good intentions.
- Let there be a balance -- those who have much give to those who have little
- Titus is just as eager for you as I am, and he is coming to see you with a brother who is famous for preaching the gospel. (No one knows for sure who this refers to.)
- We don't apologize for our participation in this undertaking; we intend to do what is right in the sight of God and men.
- May you show Titus and our brothers the "proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you." Paul is clever in his use of psychology here, much as he is with Philemon when asking him to treat Onesimus well.
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