Week 1: Samuel hears the word of God

Title: Samuel hears the word of God

Objective: 

• Be familiar with Samuel's parents
• Hanna's vow and the Lord's response
• Review the concept of consecration (Nazarite)
• Contrast between Samuel and Eli's children
• The Lord's calling and my response

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)
  • Intro & Chapter 1
  • Chapters 1 & 2
  • Chapters 2 & 3

Reading:

• General
  • 1 Samuel 1-3
• Specific
  • Family background (1Samuel 1:1-7) 
  • Hannah's vow (1 Samuel 1:8-18)
  • God's fulfillment (1 Samuel1: 19-28 & 1 Samuel 1:18-21)
  • Eli's sons (1 Samuel 2:12-17 & 1 Samuel 2:22-36)
  • God calls Samuel (1 Samuel 3)
• Conclusion prayer
  • Hanna's prayer (1 Samuel 2:1-10)

Key verse(s):

• "‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’" 1 Samuel 3:9

Comments:

• Hannah, whose name means (compassion)or (grace) resembled the Church of the New Testament that has enjoyed the exalted compassion of God, proclaimed through the sacrifice of the cross and the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Grantor of son hood to God and communion with Him. 
• God allowed it, for the soul of the pious Hannah, to get so saturated with bitterness, to cry out from the depths of her heart, to grant her the son He had prepared beforehand for her, and for all His people; whose life and ministry became an integral part of the Holy Bible.
• Hannah was in bitterness of soul (1 Samuel 1: 10); yet her anguish did not keep her from sharing with other believers, eating of the sacrifice, so that all would be reconciled together in God.
• Her bitterness of soul did not cause her to hate or envy her husband’s other wife, but made her entreat for divine help to take away her disgrace.
• Hannah became a living example - along the generations - of the power of a silent prayer.
• While many of us resort to God in the times of affliction, then forget Him in our times of joy; Hannah, on the other hand, did not forget the Lord. But she rather entered into new depths, seeing in her child a symbol of God’s work of salvation. 
• Her praise came to be close to that of St. Mary, the mother of God (Luke 1: 46 - 55)

Review questions:

1.  How can you prove that Elkanah was very kind and cared about Hannah?
2. What is required from the one who is vowed for the LORD? When did Hannah go to the temple with Samuel
   her son? And what did she take with her as a sacrifice to the LORD?
3. What were the sins that the sons of Eli the priest doing?
4. What was the sin of Eli the priest with his sons? What was God’s punishment to Eli the priest?
5. How did all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognize that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD?
   

Homework:

1. Elkanah was a man from _____ and the name of his father was _____ an _____. Elkanah married two women;
   _____ (who had children) and _____ (who was barren).
2. What was Hannah’s vow to the LORD in the temple?
3. From the praise of Hannah, one can win by:
   a) his/her power b) his/her smartness c) depending on God
4. Under whom was Samuel ministering before the Lord?
5. How many times did God call Samuel and he thought it was Eli who called him?
6. So Samuel grew, and the LORD was _____ ____ and let none of his _____ fall to the ground
7. How often did Elkanah go to Shiloh? And why?
8. When did Hannah go to the temple with Samuel her son? And what did she take with her as a sacrifice to the
   LORD?
9. Under whom was Samuel ministering before the LORD?
10. The sin of the sons of Eli the priest was great before the LORD because:
    a) they were eating a lot of meat b) they were not listening to the advice of their father Eli the priest
    c) they were treating the LORD's offering with contempt
11. What was the message that was given to Samuel by God?
12. Which verse shows that in the days of Eli the priest the Word of the Lord was rare.