Ethan: Welcome to Immerse: the daily bible reading experience.
Day 100 and 83
immersed in Samuel Kings.
The books known today as First and Second Samuel and First and Second
Kings were originally a single work later divided due to the size
limitations of ancient scrolls.
In its original unity, Samuel Kings tells the story of the Israel like
monarchy from beginning to end.
Hebrew tradition tells us that this grand work was put together over time
from the records kept by prophets such as Samuel, Nathan and Gadd, who were
God's messengers to the people of Israel.
They observed crucial moments in the life of the nation, interpreted events
in light of God's covenants, and recorded their insights for posterity.
The royal history of Samuel Kings, therefore is also the
story of the word of the Lord.
Spoken through his prophets in response to the deeds of Israel's rulers.
While Samuel Kings is drawn from the records of various prophets and
collected to address the concerns of different historical periods, a
single literary structural pattern runs all the way through the work.
A repeated formula describes how long the kings reigned, where they reigned, and
how old they were when their reigns began.
But the two halves of Samuel Kings also have separate concerns.
We can understand the intent of the first half by recalling one of the purposes
of the preceding books to predict and defend the monarchy in Israel.
The book of Deuteronomy made provision for the requirements of a future king.
The book of Judges reminded Israel how bad things were
before they had their first king.
The story of Ruth revealed how the descendants of a Moabite
could still be God's anointed.
The first half of Samuel Kings is similarly a defense of a monarchy.
It reminds the people that they asked for a king, even though the prophet
Samuel warned them that a king would burden them with taxes and labor.
Specifically, it describes the establishment of the monarchy and
then explains why God ultimately rejected Saul the first king.
Far more importantly, the first half of Samuel Kings describes
the fourth covenant, which gives structure to the ongoing story of
the Bible, Israel's second king.
David is a man after God's own heart, and God promises that a lasting dynasty
of kings will come from David Israel's future, thus comes to be tied up with the
destiny of King David and his descendants.
The second half of Samuel Kings returns to a focus on the earlier covenant God
made with Israel through Moses that covenant promised them blessings or
curses based on whether or not they were faithful to his instructions.
The stories of Israel's successive kings demonstrate an increasing failure
of the monarchy to lead the people into wholehearted allegiance to God.
So the prophets build an extended covenant lawsuit, an indictment
of the kings and people.
Because the people haven't kept their part of the covenant, the nation first
splits in two, then the territory of each remaining kingdom diminishes.
Both kingdoms now called Israel and Judah are eventually
conquered by foreign empires.
Jerusalem itself is sacked.
Its walls touring down and the temple burned to the ground.
The people are carried away from the land.
In other words, the second half of Samuel King's is a defense of the exile.
Samuel King's seemingly ends on this note of failure, the failure of Israel,
of God's plans for Israel, and indeed of God's plans for the world through Israel.
But at the end of the whole work, jokin, the surviving heir to David's
throne is released from prison and treated as an honored vassal by
the king of the Babylonian empire.
A thin sliver of hope remains.
The Bible portrays the Lord as the creator of the earth,
the true king of all nations.
With Israel now and shambles, the question returns to God himself.
How will he keep his promise to redeem and restore the world now that
his chosen instrument has fallen?
The Book of Samuel Kings.
There was a man named Chea who lived in Rama in the region of
Zf, in the Hill country of Efram.
He was the son of Roham.
Son of Elihu.
Son of Tohu.
Son of Zf, of Efram.
Chea had two wives, Hannah and Panina.
Panina had children, but Hannah did not.
Each year, Alcan would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord
of Heaven's armies at the tabernacle.
The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli, HNI and Phineas.
On the days Chena presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat
to Panina and each of her children.
And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because
the Lord had given her no children.
So Panina would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord
had kept her from having children.
Year after year, it was the same.
Panina would taunt Hannah as they went to the tabernacle.
Each time Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.
Why are you crying?
Hannah Elna would ask, why aren't you eating?
Why be downhearted?
Just because you have no children?
You have me.
Isn't that better than having 10 sons?
Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray.
Eli, the priest, was sitting at his customary place beside
the entrance of the tabernacle.
Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to
the Lord, and she made this vow.
Oh Lord of heaven's armies.
If you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son,
then I will give him back to you.
He will be yours for his entire lifetime and as a sign that he
has been dedicated to the Lord.
His hair will never be cut as she was praying to the Lord.
Eli watched her, seeing her lips moving, but hearing no sound.
He thought she had been drinking.
Must you come here drunk?
He demanded, throw away your wine.
Oh, no sir.
She replied.
I haven't been drinking wine or anything stronger, but I am very discouraged and
I was pouring out my heart to the Lord.
Don't think I am a wicked woman for I have been praying out
of great anguish and sorrow.
In that case, Eli said, go in peace.
May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.
Thank you, sir.
She exclaimed.
Then she went back and began to eat again and she was no longer sad.
The entire family got up early the next morning and went to
worship the Lord once more.
Then they returned home to Rama.
When Chea slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea and in
due time she gave birth to a son.
She named him Samuel for she said, I ask the Lord for him.
The next year, Al Cana and his family went on their annual trip to offer
a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow, but Hannah did not go.
She told her husband wait until the boy is weaned.
Then I will take him to the tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.
Whatever you think is best.
Alcan agreed.
Stay here for now and may the Lord help you keep your promise.
So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.
When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh.
They brought along a three year old bull for the sacrifice and
a basket of flour and some wine.
After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.
Sir, do you remember me?
Hannah asked.
I am the very woman who stood here several years ago, praying to the Lord.
I asked the Lord to give me this boy and he has granted my request.
Now I am giving him to the Lord and he will belong to the Lord his whole
life, and they worshiped the Lord there.
Then Hannah prayed.
My heart rejoices in the Lord.
The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies.
I rejoice because you rescued me.
No one is holy like the Lord.
There is no one besides you.
There is no rock like our God.
Stop acting so proud and haughty.
Don't speak with such arrogance.
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done.
He will judge your actions.
The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong.
Those who were well fed are now starving, and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children, and the woman
with many children wastes away.
The Lord gives both death and life.
He brings some down to the grave, but raises others up.
The Lord makes some poor and others rich.
He brings some down and lifts others up.
He lifts the pore from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor.
For all the Earth is the Lord's, and he has set the world in order.
He will protect his faithful ones, but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.
Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven.
The Lord judges throughout the earth.
He gives power to his king.
He increases the strength of his anointed one.
Returned home to Rama without Samuel, and the boy served the
Lord by assisting Eli the priest.
This concludes today's immerse reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.