1 Samuel 15:1–35 Samuel Rebukes Saul

[Study Aired April 20, 2026]

In today’s study, our attention would be drawn to Saul’s final rejection as king due to his disobedience in sparing Agag and the best of the Amalekite spoil. The study also highlights the fact that partial obedience in the sight of the Lord is regarded as outright disobedience. 

In the final analysis, the takeaway from the study is that our obedience to the Lord’s word must be thorough. However, if we draw back, we will lose the crown. That was what happened to Saul, who was the Lord’s elect, and it serves as a warning to us, who are living in the closing days of the ages.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.    

The Lord Rejects Saul

1Sa 15:1  Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 

This verse shows us that to be able to reign as kings in an age to come, we must be anointed. Being anointed in the Bible signifies being chosen by God for a special task or office, such as kings, prophets, or priests. This is usually symbolized by oil being poured on the head, which represents the spirit of the Lord.

1Sa 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 

As the Lord’s elect, we have been anointed just like Saul. Samuel reminding Saul of his anointing in verse 1, is to show him that the anointing or the spirit of the Lord, is to help us pay attention or walk according to the word of the Lord. 

Eze 36:27  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 

Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 
Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

1Sa 15:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 
1Sa 15:3  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 

The Amalekites ambushing the Israelites when they came out of Egypt in verse 2 is to let us know that when we started our walk with the Lord, we were unsuspectingly unaware of our flesh as our enemy. 

In verses 3, the goal of our mandate as royals is marked out for us. That is, to destroy the deeds of our flesh signified by the Amalekites (man, woman, infant and sucking). As we are aware, ox, sheep, camel and ass all represent physical riches. 

Gen 30:43  And the man [Jacob] increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses. 

Therefore, the mandate to kill the ox, sheep, camel and ass of the Philistines in verse 3 implies that we must do away or put to death, the love of physical riches which is part of our fleshy desires, which many, in their quest to get rich have been drowned in destruction and ruin. 

1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

1Sa 15:4  And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 
1Sa 15:5  And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. 
1Sa 15:6  And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 

It is important to note that the gathering of Saul’s army was at Telaim, which means ‘lambs.’ In the Bible lambs on the positive note denote the Lord’s elect as shown in the following:

Luk 10:3  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

Joh 21:15  So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

These verses imply that Saul and the men gathered with him, represent the Lord’s elect. This is affirmed by their number – two hundred thousand and ten thousand. 

2Ch 17:16  And next him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the LORD; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valour. 
2Ch 17:17  And of Benjamin; Eliada a mighty man of valour, and with him armed men with bow and shield two hundred thousand. 

Jdg 4:14  And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

Saul and his army laying wait in the valley and requesting the Kenites to depart from the Amalekites before attacking them in verses 5 and 6 is to let us know that in our dealing with our flesh, we must exercise patience lest we end up treating everything that comes out of our lives as being evil. It takes maturity to distinguish between the good seed that the Lord is sowing in our lives and the works of our flesh. This is emphasized by the Lord when he told the parable of the wheat and the tares where he emphasized that it takes time to be able to identify the wheat from the tares.     

Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. 

1Sa 15:7  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. 
1Sa 15:8  And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 
1Sa 15:9  But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. 

The victory won by Saul and his army against the Amalekites, who represent our flesh, was achieved from Havilah up to Shur. Havilah means ‘circles’ and Shur means the ‘wilderness of Etham.’ We must remember that it was in the wilderness that the Lord caused the Israelites to go in circles until they all died. The Israelites in the wilderness signifies the church system of this world. Therefore Saul smiting the Amalekites from Havilah until Shur implies that during our time in the churches of this world, we did win some victories over our flesh. However, we were not thorough with dealing with our flesh as we kept Agag, the king of the Amalekites alive and got enticed with the riches or the wealth of this world or mammon signified by the sheep, oxen, the fatlings and the lambs of the Amalekites. 

Luk 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Agag here represents the ten horns of the beast or the strength of our flesh. As long as the strength of our flesh has not been dealt with, we haven’t won the war against our flesh. 

1Sa 15:10  Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 
1Sa 15:11  It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 
1Sa 15:12  And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. 

The Lord repenting that He set up Saul does not mean that He regretted His actions, since He does not alter His purpose. Rather, it means that He is changing His method of achieving the same goal. 

Num 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?  

As we are aware, Saul was the Lord’s elect and therefore, Samuel grieving for Saul all night is to show us that as the Lord’s elect, we do not take lightly when our brothers and sisters miss the mark of the Lord’s higher calling. In other words, we are overwhelmed with grief when our brothers and sisters miss the way.  David mourning for Jonathan’s death give us a glimpse of how we feel when our brothers and sisters fall away.  

2Sa 1:25  How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. 
2Sa 1:26  I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. 

Saul leaving Carmel and moving on to Gilgal implies that when we fall away, we leave Carmel, meaning the ‘orchard of God’ or the ‘church of the Lord’s elect’, and go to Gilgal, which in the negative sense, means ‘rolling’ or ‘wandering about.’  

1Sa 15:13  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 
1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 
1Sa 15:15  And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 

Saul’s insistence that he had performed the commandment of the Lord is to make us aware that our brothers and sisters who fall away, are not given the place of repentance, just as Esau found no place of repentance, though he sought for it carefully with tears. 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 
Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 

The bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen in the ears of Samuel is to let us know that our sins are plain before the Lord, and therefore we cannot hide from our sins. In verse 15, Saul was trying to justify his actions by saying that he kept the sheep and the oxen for sacrifice to the Lord. As indicated in the introduction section, our partial obedience is regarded in the sight of the Lord as outright disobedience. 

Pro 16:2  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. 

Our prayer is therefore to ask the Lord to search our hearts and see if there is any wicked way in us, so that He will lead us in the way everlasting. 

Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 
Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

1Sa 15:16  Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 
1Sa 15:17  And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 
1Sa 15:18  And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 
1Sa 15:19  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
1Sa 15:20  And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 

What the Lord said about Saul in verse 17 that when he was little in his own sight, He anointed him as king of Israel is the same as saying that in times past, we walked according to the desires of the flesh, however, in God’s mercy, He came and lifted us up to sit with Christ in heavenly places. 

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 
Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Our task as the Lord’s elect or future kings of the earth is that in this age, we must overcome the carnal mind of our flesh, just as Saul was tasked by the Lord to destroy the Amalekites. However, many who are called to become kings, like Saul, are not able to wholly destroy the flesh, and therefore, they lose their kingship or crown as we shall see later in this study. 

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 

As indicated in verse 20, Saul was not given repentance as he continued to insist that he had obeyed the Lord, just as many who fall away find no place of repentance in this age.

Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he [Esau] would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.  

1Sa 15:21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 
1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

The people taking the spoil, sheep and oxen in verse 21, to present them as sacrifice to the Lord instead of destroying them implies that many of the Lord’s children are derailed from the goal of becoming overcomers of their flesh, by the love of money or mammon, which they think would help them to worship or offer a better sacrifice to the Lord. A look at the leadership of the church system of this world or Babylon, shows how the love of money has caused them to err from the faith and have therefore pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 
1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

In verse 22, we are told that obedience is better than sacrifice and that to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. We demonstrate our love to the Lord by our obedience to His word. Therefore, our obedience to the Lord is what governs our relationship with Christ. Without obedience, all our effort in the house of the Lord is vain. 

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

The fat of rams represents the transient nature of the riches of this world or mammon. Therefore, paying attention to what the Lord says cannot be compared with the riches of this world, which many in this world, including our brothers and sisters in Babylon, are coveting. 

Luk 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

In verse 23, we are told that rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft. Rebellion is the same as transgressing or sinning against the Lord, as shown in the following verse:

Jos 22:22  The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,) 

Witchcraft means ‘divination’, which means seeking advice from false prophets. This implies that sinning against the Lord is the same as seeking advice from false prophets. 

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 
2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.  

It is insightful to note that stubbornness in verse 23 is the same as iniquity and idolatry. Iniquity means trusting in our own righteousness. 

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

Idolatry therefore means paying attention to the false idols of our hearts and minds which are the false doctrines in our heavens, instead of the truth of the Lord’s word. This suggests that being stubborn in the biblical sense has to do with rejecting the righteousness of the Lord in pursuit of the false doctrines in our hearts and minds. All of these disqualify us from reigning with Christ in an age to come. There are many who have refused the multitude of counsel from the our elders by trusting the false doctrines in their hearts and minds. As a result, the crown has been taken away from them.

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. 
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? 
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; 

1Sa 15:24  And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 
1Sa 15:25  Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. 

Finally, Saul admitted to Samuel that he had sinned. However, as stated earlier, he could not find the place of repentance. This is because repentance is a fundamental change of mind, heart, and direction, which involves a sincere turning away from sin toward God. While repentance can involve confession of sin, it is distinguished from mere regret or confession of sin, focusing instead on the actual turning from sin and embracing righteousness. In the case of Saul, his confession of sinning did not mean that he had repented. He did that so that Samuel would honor him before the elders and people of Israel by accompany him to worship the Lord. 

Act 26:19  “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 
Act 26:20  but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. 

1Sa 15:30  Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.

1Sa 15:26  And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 
1Sa 15:27  And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 
1Sa 15:28  And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 

Saul’s refusal to obey fully the commandment of the Lord cost him the rulership. Verses 27 and 28 show us one of the principles that helps us to unlock the mysteries of the kingdom by the things that are made. Samuel interpreted the tearing of the skirt of his mantle when Saul laid hold of it to mean that the kingdom of Israel has been taken away from Saul and given to his neighbor who is better than him. The things that are made include our mundane activities, which in this case refers to the tearing of the skirt of Samuel’s cloak.    

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

1Sa 15:29  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. 
1Sa 15:30  Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. 
1Sa 15:31  So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD. 

Verse 29 affirms our earlier assertion that the Lord repenting for setting up Saul as king (verse 11) does not mean that He had repented from His action. It shows that He is changing His method of achieving the same goal.   

Verse 30 emphasize the point that Saul was not repentant of His action even though He confessed to Samuel of sinning. Saul’s confession was to make Samuel honor him by going with him before the elders and the people. 

Samuel going with Saul in verse 31 is to show us that we are not to dishonor our brothers and sisters, who fall along the way, before the Lord’s people.

1Sa 15:32  Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. 
1Sa 15:33  And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. 
1Sa 15:34  Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. 
1Sa 15:35  And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel. 

It is Jesus who was the first to overcome the flesh. Here in verse 32, Samuel represents Jesus, our Lord, who showed us how we are to be ruthless in our dealing with our flesh (king Agag). 

In verse 33, we are shown that it is the flesh which has made the church system of this world not able to bear fruit of producing the Lord’s elect. In this age, it is the church of the Lord’s elect who seems to be barren. However, in the fullness of time, it will become obvious to everyone that it is the church system of this world with many children, who is rather barren.

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

It is important to note that Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord at Gilgal. It was in Gilgal that the Israelites who entered the promised land were circumcised, that is, the cutting off of their flesh. 

Jos 5:2  At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. 
Jos 5:3  And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

Jos 5:8  And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. 
Jos 5:9  And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. 

Samuel and Saul going their separate ways such that Samuel did not see Saul again till he died is to show us that we cannot have fellowship with our brothers and sisters who fall away. This is because a little leaven, leavens the whole lump.

Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 
Gal 5:10  I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.  

May the Lord continue to destroy everything of the flesh within us through His judgment as we see the day approaching. Amen!!

1 Samuel 12:1–25 Samuel’s Farewell Address

[Study Aired March 23, 2026]

The chapter today under review is about Samuel’s farewell speech where he vindicated his integrity, reproved the Israelites for demanding a king and warned them of the consequence of disobedience. The study focuses on Samuel’s revelation of how the Lord had shown mercies in the past to the people of Israel, and confirmed their sins by calling for thunder and rain in the time of wheat harvest. The study ends with Samuel urging the people of Israel to continue serving the Lord faithfully as he continues to intercede on their behalf. 

Samuel’s Farewell Address

1Sa 12:1  And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. 
1Sa 12:2  And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
1Sa 12:3  Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. 

In verse 1, Samuel represents our Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the history of the people of Israel, the Lord has been their king. However, in asking for a king in the previous chapter, the people of Israel were rejecting the rulership of the Lord Jesus. However, the Lord told Samuel to do according to what the people of Israel desired – to have a king rule over them. It was in obedience to the Lord’s word that Saul was appointed as king of Israel.

Samuel agreeing to the demand of the people of Israel and giving them a king is therefore the Lord satisfying the desire of the people. There are times the Lord permits His people to have what they request, with the view of showing them the deceitfulness of their hearts and minds and to fulfill a larger purpose. As we know, all things are going according to the counsel of His will. This implies that both good and evil are used by the Lord to fulfill His eternal purpose. Therefore, both day and night are the same in the sight of the Lord.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Psa 139:12  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

During the wilderness experience of the people of Israel, the Lord gave the people of Israel what they requested, but in the final analysis, He sent a wasting disease to destroy them.

Psa 106:13 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
Psa 106:14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; 
Psa 106:15 he gave them what they asked but sent a wasting disease among them. (ESN)

Bringing a wasting disease among the people of Israel means that although they received the physical satisfaction for their request, they experienced severe spiritual decay. This was all to fulfill His purpose of rejecting the commonwealth of Israel and choosing us in Him according to the riches of His mercy towards us.

Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.

We had also rebelled against the Lord just like the people of Israel when we became futile in our thinking and therefore the Lord gave us up to our desires. The Lord led us through this evil path so that we shall come to see that our hearts are desperately corrupt. It is when we come to know that without the Lord’s intervention we cannot help ourselves, that the Lord comes with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to lead us to Himself, such that our evil cravings are destroyed through His judgment.

Rom 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Rom 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 
Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 
Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

This was the situation in which the people of Israel found themselves when they requested a king and the Lord gave them their heart’s desire.

Verses 2 and 3 focus on Samuel being a witness for Christ. The Lord has called us to become His witness just like Samuel. Being His witness means living our faith through Christlike behavior, service, and love, which serves as a living testimony. It is when we become witnesses of Christ that we can bear fruit which abides.

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

1Sa 12:4  And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand.
1Sa 12:5  and he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

These verses show us that we must indeed serve as the Lord’s witnesses during our time here on earth. This implies that our righteousness must be evident to all – not only to the household of faith, but all those outside the faith who come into contact with us. 

1Ti 3:7  Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

We know from the word of the Lord that it is not in our power to learn righteousness. It is only the judgment of our flesh by the Lord that makes us to become like Him – having no spot or blemish. This is what the Lord is working out within each of us, to become like Him.

Rev 14:4 These (His elect) are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 
Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The Lord’s Righteous Acts

1Sa 12:6  And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 
1Sa 12:7  Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers. 
1Sa 12:8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.

Here in verse 6, we see Samuel reminding the Israelites of how the Lord intervened in their circumstances and brought up Moses and Aaron to lead their fathers from bondage in Egypt.  In our case, it is the Lord who is reminding us that He has raised His elect, represented by Moses and Aaron, to bring us out of our bondage to the flesh. Through what every joint supplies, we are able to come out of our bondage to the flesh.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

In verse 7, we see that what the Lord did in raising up Moses and Aaron to lead His people out of Egypt is called ‘the righteous acts of the Lord.’ The Lord coming to us to lead us out of the church system of this world or Babylon, which is represented by Egypt here in verse 7, to become part of the church of Jerusalem above, or the firstborn, is all part of His righteous acts toward us.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 

1Sa 12:9  And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 
1Sa 12:10  And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. 
1Sa 12:11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. 

When our attention is turned from the Lord, we become a prey to our flesh symbolized by the Philistines. Sisera was the commander of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan. Both Sisera and the king of Moab in verse 9, represent the devil, who empowers our flesh. The question is, “How do we forget the Lord?” It is usually during times of prosperity, comfort, and success, that we forget about the Lord. This usually leads to self-reliance and pride instead of dependence on the Lord.

Deu 8:11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
Deu 8:12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 
Deu 8:13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 
Deu 8:14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

Through the mercies of the Lord, He brings us to repentance as we cry to Him for deliverance from our flesh.  The Lord sends Jerubbaal according to verse 11 to deliver us from bondage. Jerubbaal means ‘let Baal contend’ or compete. Baal means ‘lord’ or owner and was a Canaanite god which Israel frequently turned to worship. The first step in the Lord’s deliverance from our flesh as we cry to Him is to let the false doctrines in our hearts and minds, which empower our flesh, represented here as Baal, compete with the truth of the Lord’s word. As a result, we are overcome by our flesh, giving the Lord the occasion that He is seeking to come into our lives with His judgment.

Jdg 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

The Lord then sends Bedan which means ‘in judging.’ That is to say that the Lord comes to judge us. It is through this judgment that we are gradually delivered from our flesh. The Lord then sends Jephthah which means ‘He opens.’ It is through this judgment that the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are opened to us. Finally, the Lord sends Samuel which is the name of God. In other words, the Lord comes to establish His throne in our hearts and minds.

Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

1Sa 12:12  And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king. 
1Sa 12:13  Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. 
1Sa 12:14  If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: 
1Sa 12:15  But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.

Here in verse 12, we are given a reason why the Israelites wanted a physical king, when the Lord was their king. It was because they wanted a physical king to fight their battles for them.  When we are under the control of the flesh, we seek physical instead of spiritual reality to address the issues we face. However, in the wisdom of the Lord, the demand for a physical king was all part of the Lord’s design, to bring the people of Israel to an expected end.

Verses 14 and 15 show us that our past mistakes are not relevant. What is important is to forget those things which are behind and focus on being obedient to our Lord. That is when we experience His rulership in our walk with Him. On the other hand, our refusal to submit to Christ will cause the hand of the Lord to be against us.

Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 

1Sa 12:16  Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. 
1Sa 12:17  Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. 
1Sa 12:18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

In verse 16, the Lord is requesting us to stand still and see the great thing the Lord will do on our behalf. The great thing is our salvation as we see the Lord destroy the old man or our flesh for us to become overcomers. Standing still means that the Lord is the one who does the work of destroying our flesh. 

Exo 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. 
Exo 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 

In verse 17, Samuel told the Israelites that in spite of the fact that no rain falls in the wheat harvest, He, the Lord, will send thunder and rain to fall. We must remember that the Israelites in this study represent us when we were in the churches of this world or Babylon. In Babylon, the weather is just like a period of the wheat harvest. That is to say that there is no rain or the truth of the Lord’s word. However, the Lord is assuring us, His elect, that He will bring in the truth of the word of the Lord because of our time of drought in Babylon.

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail [the truth of His word] shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

As shown in verse 17, the coming of thunder and rain during the wheat harvest was for the purpose of realizing that our wickedness is great before the Lord in asking for a king. Spiritually, what the Lord is telling us is that the truth of the Lord’s words which we experience after this drought in Babylon, is for the purpose of realizing that we were like beasts before the Lord when we thought we make our own decisions and therefore, are kings of our own destiny.

Psa 73:22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

In verse 18, the thunder and rain that day caused all the people to greatly fear the Lord and Samuel. Samuel here also represents the Lord’s elect. It is as the Lord rains down on us the truth of His word and also through His judgment or thunder that we become a blessing to those we come into touch with – they come to fear the Lord. In other words, our witness to Christ becomes more effective.

1Sa 12:19  And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. 
1Sa 12:20  And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
1Sa 12:21  And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

In the fullness of time, our brothers and sisters will ask us to intercede on their behalf as we see the people requesting Samuel to pray for them. It is during this period that they will be aware of their sins and receive mercy just we have received mercy in this age.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

1Sa 12:22  For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people. 
1Sa 12:23  Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: 
1Sa 12:24  Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. 
1Sa 12:25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king. 

It is heartwarming to note that in verse 22, the Lord is assuring us that He will not forsake us because of His name’s sake. Before the world was created, God had desired to have a people called by His name – His elect.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

In verse 23, Samuel assured the people of His intercession for them. As indicated earlier, Samuel represents the Lord who is interceding on our behalf before the Father.

Heb 7:24  But this man [Jesus], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 

If we are to receive the reward, then we must follow what Samuel said in verse 23 about the good and the right way to serve the Lord. We must fear the Lord and serve Him in truth. As our understanding is enlightened to know the truth of the Lord’s word, we automatically come to fear Him and serve Him in truth.

Pro 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

It is through His word that we come to appreciate the great things He has done for us as mentioned in verse 24. On the other hand, as indicated in verse 25, if we do wickedly, we shall be consumed by the enemy, the devil. However, as Paul said, we are persuaded of better things on our behalf, that is, things that accompany our salvation. 

Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Heb 6:10  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 
Heb 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

Our confidence is not in ourselves but in the fact that He who has began a good work in us will see to its completion. Amen!

1 Samuel 9:1–27 Saul Chosen to be King 

[Study Aired March 2, 2026]

Introduction

The study today focuses on the Lord’s providence in guiding Saul to Samuel to be anointed as the king of Israel. The study starts with Saul’s physical attributes which made him stand out as a possible candidate for a king. This is followed by Saul’s journey in Israel in search of his father’s lost donkeys, which ultimately led him to Samuel, who was going to anoint him as king of the people of Israel.

Introduction of Saul

1Sa 9:1  Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
1Sa 9:2  And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 

Verse 1 describes Kish, the father of Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, as a mighty man of power. In the Bible, the description of a mighty man of power signifies our Lord Jesus Christ. The tribe of Benjamin represents the family of the Lord’s elect as shown in the following verses:

Gen 43:34  And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Gen 45:22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

Gen 49:27  Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

Benjamin means son of the right hand. Here in Genesis 49:27, we can say that it is the Lord who is wild as a wolf in His destruction of our flesh as He devours our flesh through His judgement when He rises in our hearts and minds as the morning star and in the fullness of time, divides the spoil for His elect (reward of His elect).

Kish means ‘bent.’ This describes the way of the Lord which is not straight forward (bent). 

Rom 11:33  God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep that it is impossible to explain his decisions or to understand his ways.
Rom 11:34  “Who knows how the Lord thinks? Who can become his adviser?” 
Rom 11:35  Who gave the Lord something which the Lord must pay back? 
Rom 11:36 Everything is from him and by him and for him. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen! (GW)

As indicated, Kish being a mighty man of power, represents Christ. Saul means desired, which can mean chosen. What this implies is that Saul was chosen by the Lord to become a king. The Lord has called and chosen us, His elect, to reign with Him as kings in the fulness of time. 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 

On a negative note, Saul also represents the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon. His attractive physical attributes imply that the leaders of the church system of this world come with charisma, which is difficult to ignore as they sweep the Lord’s people off their feet with their personality, such that they are not able to discern that these men of God do not represent the Lord’s elect.

Pro 31:30  Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 

1Sa 9:3  And the asses of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. 
1Sa 9:4 And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. 

In the Bible times, owning asses signifies being physically rich, as shown in the following verses:

Gen 24:35  And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.

Gen 30:43  And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

Therefore, Saul going out in search of the asses of his father means that we start our walk with Christ in pursuit of the Lord’s spiritual riches. Saul taking one of the servants of his father to search for the asses implies that in this pursuit of becoming spiritually rich in Christ, we become witnesses of Christ. 

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.  

In verse 4, we are shown the cities Saul visited in search of his father’s asses. The meaning of these cities that Saul and his father’s servant went through have implication of what we must go through to become spiritually rich. The first place they passed through was Mount Ephraim. Ephraim means ‘doubly fruitful.’ The mount of Ephraim is the house of the Lord or the church of the Lord’s elect.

Isa 2:2  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

What this suggests is that to become spiritually rich or doubly fruitful, we must enter the house of the God of Jacob or the church of the Lord’s elect, which is the pillar and ground of the truth. That is where we are nourished through what every joint supplies, to become spiritually rich in Christ. 

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

The next place where Saul and his father’s servant went was the land of Shalisha. It is important to note that Salisha means ‘the third.’ The number three symbolizes the process of spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgment. This means that it is through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh that we become spiritually rich in Him.

The third place of the search was the land of Shalim. Shalim means ‘foxes’ and therefore to become spiritually rich, we must take out, through the Lord’s help, the foxes which spoil the vine. These foxes which impoverish us spiritually are the false prophets parading as angels of light.

Son 2:15  Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. 

Eze 13:4  O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

The fourth place Saul and his father’s servant went searching for the asses was the land of Benjamin. The name Benjamin means ‘son of the right hand’, which means the Lord’s elect. It is in the assembly of the Lord’s elect that we are empowered to become spiritually rich. The fact that in all these places, Saul and the servant did not find the asses means that becoming spiritually rich is a process which takes time. We only find these spiritual riches when we search with all our hearts.

Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

1Sa 9:5  And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us. 
1Sa 9:6  And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.  

The land of Zuph means the ‘land of honey comb.’ It is in this land of honey comb which signifies the rudimentary gospel of milk and honey which causes us to ponder over the Lord’s thought for us.  

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

It was in this city that a man of God, Samuel, lived. The servant saying that Samuel can show them the way to go means that it is Christ who can show us the way we should go. What we need to understand is that Christ works through His elect, like Samuel, to show us the way to become spiritually rich in Him.

2Co 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 

1Co 4:8  Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

1Sa 9:7  Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we? 
1Sa 9:8  And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.
1Sa 9:9  (Before time in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)
1Sa 9:10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.

Here Samuel, the man of God represents Christ. Saul reminded the servant that they must bring a present to the man of God. However, at that time Saul did not have anything worth offering to Samuel. This is because the bread in their vessels was finished. The bread here represents the word of the Lord. At this stage of Saul’s life, he did not know the Lord and therefore could not hear His voice. As a result, there was nothing to offer the Lord. It is when we are given to know the truth of the word of the Lord that we can offer something precious to Christ. This offering which we must bring to Christ is presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

Rom 12:1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

In verse 8, the servant’s remarks that he has a fourth part of silver that he will give to the man of God implies that we must give the whole of what we have to the Lord. This whole of what we have is our bodies which we must offer to the Lord without any reservation.

Num 23:10  Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!”  

In verse 10, Saul agreeing to go to the city to see Samuel means that it is through what every joint supplies (what the servant offered) that we are able to come into the city of the Lord’s elect to see Christ or to come to know Him. 

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

Coming into the City of the Living Lord

1Sa 9:11  And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? 
1Sa 9:12  And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place: 
1Sa 9:13  As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him. 
1Sa 9:14 And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place. 

The young maidens (vs 11) represent the churches of the Lord’s elect scattered all over the world. The role of the church is to fetch water to quench the thirst of the Lord’s people. The water signifies the word of the Lord which is made available through what every joint supplies in the church of the first born. It is in the midst of the churches of the Lord’s elect that we find the seer who symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Joe 2:27  And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

In verses 13 and 14, it was when Saul and the servant were in the city that they met Samuel. That means that it is when we come into the church of the Lord’s elect that we come to see Christ. It is instructive to note that in verse 13, Saul and the servant were told that the people will not eat until Samuel comes to bless the sacrifice. We are the sacrifice, and it is when the Lord comes to breathe over His people the Holy Spirit that we are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. 

Joh 20:22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

As Saul and the servant entered the church of the Lord’s elect, Samuel was coming toward them on his way to the worship site. This is to let us know it is not we, who are seeking after the Lord, but it is the Lord who is coming toward us to sit in our hearts and minds (worship site). 

Eze 34:11  For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 
Eze 34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

1Sa 9:15  Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 
1Sa 9:16  Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. 

The Lord indeed moves in mysterious ways. The lost asses of Kish and Saul’s father’s request for Saul to take one of his servant to search for the lost asses were all part of the Lord’s plan to bring Saul before Samuel, with the purpose of anointing him as king of Israel. In other words, the mundane activities that we engage in are all designed by the Lord for the purpose of bringing us to Himself. 

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 
Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.

It is insightful to note that the Lord told Samuel in verse 16 that Saul shall save the people of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. As we are aware, Saul was rejected by the Lord as king later in his reign. He therefore signifies the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon. What this implies is that even during our time in Babylon, the Lord was gradually destroying our flesh through His judgment.

1Sa 9:17  And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people. 
1Sa 9:18  Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is. 
1Sa 9:19  And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. 
1Sa 9:20 And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house? 

We can see from these verses that Saul did not know Samuel. We all start our walk with Christ not knowing Him. Just as Samuel told Saul to go to the high place to eat with him, so is the Lord telling us, His elect, to go to the church or assembly of the Lord’s elect, signified by the high place. It is in the church that we eat with the Lord, which means being fed with the truth of the Lord’s word in order to know Him. Just as Samuel told Saul that the important thing is to go to the high place and eat with him and then He will tell Samuel what was in his heart, we are to focus on our gathering together to dine with the Lord through His word. It is through this that we become aware of what is in our hearts. That, the heart is desperately wicked and corrupt.

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jer 17:10  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

It is worth noting that Samuel told Saul not to worry about the lost asses because they had been found. All that Saul had to do was to go to the high place to eat with Samuel. Our focus must be on our gathering and the word of truth which is able to give us an inheritance. When we focus on Him, the Lord will take care of our needs.

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 
Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

In verse 20, Samuel also said that Saul is the desire of Israel. At that time, the people of Israel wanted to be like any other nation, and therefore the Lord gave them Saul, who is like them. Later, we saw how the people were disappointed in him. What the world is looking for in leaders are people who are loving, kind, not corrupt, etc. These qualities can only be found in the Lord’s elect. That is why the scriptures tell us that the desire of the people of the world is the revealing of the sons of God. When Christ comes, the sons of God shall be revealed to the world. 

Rom 8:19  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 

Samuel Dines with Saul

1Sa 9:21  And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? 
1Sa 9:22  And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons.
1Sa 9:23  And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee.
1Sa 9:24 And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. 

Saul did not consider himself as someone who can become the king of Israel because he was from a small tribe and his family was the least of the families of the tribe of Benjamin. We are all like Saul. We do not deserve to be part of the Lord’s elect. However, in His mercy, He has favored us and chosen us in Him before the foundation of this world. 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

As we can see in verse 22, Samuel made Saul sit among those bidden to come to feast. As indicated, Samuel here represents the Lord who has raised us up in him to sit in heavenly places.

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 
Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

The thirty people who were invited to the feast represent the Lord’s elect who are destined to overcome to become part of the marriage feast of the lamb. These are those who will reign over the kingdoms of this world. 

Gen 41:46  And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

2Sa 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

Our coming together is like a feast where we eat and drink as the Lord has set apart our portions for us, just like Samuel reserving a portion for Saul. The eating and drinking is knowing the Lord through His word.

In an age to come, we shall be at the marriage feast of the Lord, where we shall be like Him even as we come to know Him as He is. As we are aware, in this life we only know Jesus in part. However, when we see Him, we shall be like Him and know Him as He is. The feasting at the marriage feast of the lamb is for the purpose of knowing Him as He is.

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 

1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

1Sa 9:25  And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house. 
1Sa 9:26  And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. 
1Sa 9:27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God. 

As indicated earlier, Saul was the Lord’s elect at this stage of his life. Samuel communing with Saul is the Lord communing with us through His word. Therefore, Samuel communing with Saul after they came down from the high place implies that our study of the word of the Lord must not be confined to only our gathering or feasting. In our closet, we must continue to study the word of the Lord to show ourselves approved as workmen who need not be ashamed.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

It is insightful to note that Samuel told Saul to let the servant pass on before them. In this case, the servant represents our brothers and sisters in Babylon whom the Lord is not opening their eyes and ears to hear the word of the Lord. To our brothers and sisters in Babylon, the word of the Lord is a parable. However, to us, the Lord is showing us the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven as signified by Samuel ready to show Saul the word of God in verse 27.

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 

May the Lord continue to show us the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven as we see the day approaching. Amen!!

1 Samuel 7:1–17 Samuel Judges Israel

[Study Aired February 16, 2026]

Introduction

Our focus today will be centered on the ark of the covenant coming to Kirath-Jearim, Samuel judging Israel during this period, the gathering of the Lord’s people at Mizpeh and finally, the battle with the Philistines.

The Ark Comes to Kirath-Jearim

1Sa 7:1  And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 

In the word of the Lord, a city represents the church of the firstborn or Jerusalem above or the church system of this world or Babylon, depending on the context. 

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 

Rev 17:18  And the woman [the church system of this world] which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. 

The name Kirath Jearim means city of forest. As shown in Isaiah 29:17, the fruitful field is regarded as a forest and therefore the city of forest (Kirathjearim) denotes the church of the Lord’s elect.

Isa 29:17  Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

The name Abinadab means ‘father of generosity.’ The ark being possessed by the men of Kirathjearim and bringing it to the house of Abinadab signifies our transition from Babylon to the church of the Lord’s elect where Christ comes with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to possess the hearts and minds of His elect, whose father is known for His generosity in favoring us.

If we are to have the Lord in our hearts and minds, then our hearts and minds need to be sanctified as shown by the sanctification of Eleazer, with the purpose of keeping the ark in verse 1. It is instructive to note that the name Eleazer means ‘helper.’ We know that the helper is the Holy spirit whom the Lord is sending to His elect for their sanctification.

1Pe 1:2  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

In Exodus 19:14, being sanctified means washing our clothes which means becoming righteous through the washing or cleansing by the word of the Lord. This washing by the word is the Lord’s judgment or the fire of the Lord’s words which causes us to learn righteousness.

Exo 19:14  And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

1Sa 7:2  And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

Some versions of the Bible make verse 2 much clearer. Examples of these versions are as follows:

1Sa 7:2  And the ark was in Kiriath-jearim for a long time, as much as twenty years: and all Israel was searching after the Lord with weeping. (BBE)

1Sa 7:2  A long time passed after the ark came to stay at Kiriath Jearim. For 20 years the entire nation of Israel mournfully sought the LORD. (GW)

It is when we come into the church of the firstborn or the Lord’s elect (Kirathjearim) that we mournfully seek after the Lord. We mourn because we are being judged in this age. We are just like the two witnesses of Revelation chapter 11, who are clothed in sackcloth.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

The ark abiding in Kirjathjearim for twenty years signifies the time during which the Lord enrolls us in His army as we war against our flesh.

Num 1:3  From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. 

Num 1:26  Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Samuel Judges Israel

1Sa 7:3  And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 
1Sa 7:4  Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. 

Samuel in this case represents our Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 3, Samuel admonishing the house of Israel is the Lord speaking to His people, His elect. If we are to progress in our spiritual relationship with Christ, then we must do away with the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among us. These strange gods and Ashtaroth signify the idols of our hearts or the false doctrines which we hold dear in our hearts. When we come to the church of the firstborn from the church system of this world or Babylon, signified by the Lord dragging us just as the ark is brought to Kirathjearim, we come with a lot of idols of our heart which must be done away with. These idols of our hearts are the stumbling block of our iniquity.

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. 
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; 
Eze 14:5 That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

In verse 3, we are told that if the Israelites do away with their strange idols and Ashtaroth, the Lord will deliver them out of the hand of the Philistines. This implies that our false doctrines empowers our flesh and that by doing away with these idols of our hearts, we are set free from the clutches of our flesh, denoted by the Philistines.

The children of Israel putting away Baalim and Ashtaroth and serving the Lord only is the Lord’s elect being given to know the truth of the Lord’s word which destroys the idols of our hearts. As we imbibe the truth of the Lord’s words, these false doctrines are done away. The truth of the Lord’s words is the hail that sweeps away the refuge of lies in our hearts and minds.

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. 

The Gathering of the Lord’s People

1Sa 7:5  And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. 

As indicated, Samuel in this study represents the Lord. Mizpeh means ‘watch tower.’ This implies that the Lord is requiring us to become His watchmen.  

Isa 21:6  For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

Isa 52:8  Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.

Isa 62:6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,

Eze 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

As shown in these verses, the role of a watchman is to hear the word of the Lord and to declare what the Lord is showing us. Samuel telling the people of Israel to gather at Mizpeh so that he prays for them means the Lord interceding on our behalf to make us His watchmen.

Heb 7:24  But this man [Jesus], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 

1Sa 7:6  And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. 

As the Lord’s watchmen, we are to draw water and pour it out before the Lord. To draw water means to be given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. To pour the water out before the Lord means to be judged by the Lord, as shown in the following verses:

Psa 22:14  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
Psa 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. 

Job 30:16  And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me. 
Job 30:17 My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest. 

As we are aware, the spiritual significance of fasting is to loose the bonds of wickedness or to break the yoke of the flesh which comes about through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh. The Israelites fasting at Mizpeh therefore implies that we learn righteousness as we are judged by the Lord. All of this comes at the back of the fact that we know we have sinned against the Lord and therefore deserve His judgment.

Isa 58:6  “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Isa 58:7  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 
Isa 58:8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 

Samuel judging the people of Israel at Mizpah symbolizes the Lord governing or ruling and executing judgment over His people to make us His watchmen. It is therefore, we, His elect, whom the Lord is governing and executing His judgment for the purpose of destroying our flesh.

It is important to note that here at Mizpeh, all the Israelites were gathered together for the purpose of Samuel praying for them as they turn back to the Lord. This oneness is the unity that is required in our gathering as the Lord’s elect for Him to command His blessings.

Psa 133:1  A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 
Psa 133:2  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 
Psa 133:3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. 

The Battle with the Philistines

1Sa 7:7  And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 
1Sa 7:8  And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 

Our engagement against our flesh is typified by the lords of the Philistines coming up against Israel. It is when we are making progress in our relationship with Christ, as the Lord makes us His watchmen (significance of Mizpeh), that this struggle against our flesh becomes intense. The children of Israel being afraid of the Philistines means that we are all afraid of our flesh because in our natural state, we have been defeated several times by our flesh, and we think we cannot make war against our flesh. In our desperation, we come to the Lord asking Him to save us from our own flesh. This is symbolized by the Israelites appealing to Samuel to pray to the Lord to save them out of the hand of the Philistines.

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

It is important to note that as our High Priest, the Lord is always interceding on our behalf in accordance with the oath He swore to our father Abraham that we shall be delivered from our enemies (flesh and the devil) so that we pass the rest of our lives in rest and quietness. 

Luk 1:70  As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 
Luk 1:71  That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Luk 1:72  To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
Luk 1:73  The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 
Luk 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
Luk 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

1Sa 7:9  And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. 

Our Lord Jesus had been offered for a burnt offering to God for our sake and is praying for us His elect, and God the Father has heard Him because of His reverence.

Heb 5:6  as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” 
Heb 5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

1Sa 7:10  And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 

Through the mercies of the Lord, it is while we are offering ourselves as living sacrifices to the Lord that the pull of the flesh, signified by the Philistines drawing near to battle the Israelites, becomes intense. 

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 

In the Bible, the phrase “the Lord thundered” implies the Lord’s judgment as shown in the following verse:

Psa 18:13  The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

The hail stones and the coals of fire in Psalm 18:13 above, are all part of the Lord’s instruments of judgment. Therefore, the thundering with a great thunder upon the Philistines indicates our victory over the flesh through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh (Philistines). Are you struggling with sin? Continue to cry to the Lord as the Israelites did, and He will come with His judgment to destroy the flesh so we can have victory over it. As we can see in verse 11 of the study, the Israelites had victory over the Philistines. This implies that the Lord who has started this work of destroying the enemy within us, will deliver victory to us.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

1Sa 7:11  And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.

Bethcar means ‘the house of the lamb’ which is Christ. Therefore, Bethcar is the church of the Lord’s elect or Jerusalem above which is free. The men of Israel pursuing and smiting them until they came to Bethcar means that our struggle with our flesh is completed in the house of the Lord. This is through what every joint supplies.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.  

1Sa 7:12  Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. 
1Sa 7:13  So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 

Samuel taking a stone and calling the name of the place between Mizpeh and Shen, Ebenezer, is to let us know that the destruction of our flesh is done in stages and that at every stage of our walk with the Lord, we must acknowledge that it is the Lord who has helped us this far.

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Here in 2 Corinthians 3:18, the Lord changing us into His image from glory to glory means that we are being changed from one stage to another, which is consistent with what Samuel said at Ebenezer as he laid a stone to symbolize how far the Lord had helped the people of Israel.

The defeated Philistines not able to come to the coasts of Israel anymore in verse 13 implies that as we journey with the Lord, we come to see certain areas of our lives in which the Lord has wrought complete victory for us over our flesh. In such cases, the flesh has been completely defeated and therefore cannot rise again. However, there are still areas of our lives which we are yet to overcome.

It is interesting to note that the Lord was against the Philistines as long as Samuel lived. This is to assure us that as long as the Lord is with us, He will fight our battles for us as He will continue to destroy our flesh through His judgment.

Isa 42:13  The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.

1Sa 7:14  And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

The restoration of the cities which the Philistines had taken is the Lord making us aware that our labor in the Lord shall not be in vain and that whatever we have lost in Him because we yielded to our flesh, shall be restored to us. Indeed, the Lord is the restorer of the broken down walls of our lives. He will not relent until He has brought us to our desired haven.

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. 
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 
Psa 107:31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

These verses in Psalm 107 above describe how the Lord comes to us with His judgment to destroy our flesh with the purpose of bringing us to our desired destination of becoming His children abounding in His resources to complete the race marked out for us.

Joe 2:23  Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. 
Joe 2:24  And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.
Joe 2:25  And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 
Joe 2:26  And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
Joe 2:27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

It is important to note that at the end of verse 14, it is mentioned that there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. The Amorites also represent our flesh, just as the Philistines do. This statement that Israel was at peace with the Amorites is to make us aware that the destruction of our flesh is in phases. As we know from the word of the Lord, in the early part of Israel’s journey to occupy the land of Canaan, the Amorites were confronted and destroyed. That is why the Israelites were at peace with the Amorites. The flesh will always be with us but it is being rendered powerless by the Lord through His judgment. 

Jos 10:6  And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
Jos 10:7  So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.
Jos 10:8  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
Jos 10:9  Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.
Jos 10:10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

1Sa 7:15  And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
1Sa 7:16  And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. 
1Sa 7:17  And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD. 

As indicated earlier, Samuel judging Israel all the days of his life is the Lord ruling, governing and judging us throughout our lives as His elect. The moving of Samuel from Bethel to Gilgal, to Mizpeh and finally to Ramah every year shows us our spiritual progression in Christ. Bethel means ‘the house of God.’ We must leave Babylon and enter the house of God or the church of the first born as the Lord’s elect. Gilgal means ‘circle’ or ‘rolling.’ One of the significant events which happened to Israel in their walk with Christ is the mass circumcision of the men of Israel at Gilgal. This implies that through the Lord’s judgment, we overcome the flesh as we roll away our reproach when we lived like the people of the world.

Jos 5:2  At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
Jos 5:3  And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. 
Jos 5:4  And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. 

Jos 5:8  And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. 
Jos 5:9 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

It is as the Lord judges us that we become His watchmen at Mizpeh which means ‘a watch tower.’ That is when we press for the heights of our calling or the high calling of God, symbolized by Samuel coming to Ramah, which means ‘heights.’

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

May we continue to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ even as we press for the high calling of the Lord. Amen!!

1 Samuel 2:1–36 Hannah’s Prayer and Song

[Study Aired January 12, 2026]

Today’s study can be put under five sections. The first one is about Hannah’s song of thanksgiving to the Lord for granting her a son, Samuel. The second one deals with how the Lord blessed the family of Elkanah and Hannah with many children after lending Samuel to the Lord. The third section focuses on the growth of Samuel and Hannah’s superintending care of Samuel as she clothed him every year. The fourth aspect of the study is about the wickedness of Eli’s sons and the rebuke of Eli. The study ends with a message of judgment by a prophet sent by the Lord regarding the wickedness of Eli’s sons.  

Hannah’s Prayer

1Sa 2:1  And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 
1Sa 2:2 There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 

Hannah’s prayer began with rejoicing in the Lord. The church must learn to rejoice in the Lord. This does not mean that we shall always have a rosy experience with the Lord all the time. As a matter of fact, we are to suffer in this age for His name’s sake. However, this rejoicing in the Lord is more inward even though outwardly, things may not be right. 

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 

In verse 1, we are given the reason we must rejoice in the Lord. It is because He has favored us in this age to become part of His plan of salvation. As a result, He has availed to us all the resources we need so we can be partakers of His marriage feast at the end of the age. 

Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 
Php 4:20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.  

2Co 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 

As shown in verse 1, when we rejoice in the Lord, our horn is exalted in Him. Horn symbolizes strength. Therefore, as we rejoice in the Lord, our strength is increased in the Lord. 

Isa 40:29  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 
Isa 40:30  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 
Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

Another benefit of rejoicing in the Lord is that our mouth is enlarged over our enemies. Our mouths represent what we speak, and what we speak is dependent on what we know. Therefore, our mouth being enlarged over our enemies implies that as our knowledge of the Lord grows, we overcome the schemes of the adversary, the devil.

Luk 10:18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 
Luk 10:19  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 
Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

The Lord has shown us that by the things which are made, we come to know His eternal power and Godhead. As we are aware, the reason why some countries such as the USA, are very powerful is because of the knowledge they have which translates into developing advanced weapons. Therefore the power that we are given to tread on serpents and scorpions is the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God which the Lord has given to us. This power comes to us when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives as He teaches us to know the truth.

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  

In Hannah’s prayer in verse 2, she mentioned that there is none holy as the Lord and that there is no rock like our God. A rock figuratively refers to a refuge. Therefore Hannah saying that there is no rock like our God means that it is only in Him that we can take refuge. All other forms of protection – money, education, etc. are in vain without Christ.

Psa 46:1  To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

1Sa 2:3  Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 

Here in verse 3, Hannah was referring to Peninnah’s boasting about the fact that she had more children than Hannah. As indicated in the previous study, Peninnah represents the church system of this world while Hannah signifies the church of the Lord’s elect. Peninnah’s boasting is consistent with the men of God of the church system of this world. When they speak, you can feel their sense of pride. Recently, I was driving home from work and just turned on the radio to one of the channels of one of the mainstream churches here in Ghana. The pastor who was preaching said that there is no way he can ever get sick. That is arrogance coming out of his mouth. As the Lord has shown us, pride or arrogance always comes before a fall. 

Pro 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.  

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 

Our actions being weighed by the Lord in verse 3 is another way of saying that the Lord weighs the spirit behind our actions. 

Pro 16:2  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. 

1Sa 2:4  The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. 

In the Bible, the first time that the words ‘mighty men’ appeared referred to children of the union between the sons of God and the daughters of men. The sons of God in this case refers to those who lost their position as the Lord’s elect as they were seduced by the church system of their day. All those who come out of the church system are the mighty men referred to in verse Gen 6:4.

Gen 6:4  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

According to the word of the Lord, bows signify the bitter words or the false doctrines of our brothers and sisters in Babylon. As shown in Romans 9:32, they who stumbled in verse 4 symbolize those who live by the law of Moses. It is the church system that lives by the law of Moses.

Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words. 

Rom 9:32  Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

In conclusion, the bows of the mighty men broken and they who stumbled are girded with strength means that we, the Lord’s elect, who used to be under the law of Moses are now through faith, are strengthened as the Lord has made the words or the false doctrines of the church system of this world of no effect to us. 

1Sa 2:5  They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. 

Those who are full and have hired themselves for bread in verse 5 are our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world who have to pay to receive the false doctrines from their pastors. We, His elect, on the other hand, are the hungry, who by the Lord’s grace, have been fed with the word of the Lord. As a result, we who are barren have the complete (the significance of the number seven) race of humanity as our children to be, while the church system of this world, who now has many children, has become unproductive (feeble). This is what happened to the Israelites during the time of Moses or the church in the wilderness. They ended their days in futility and their years in trouble.

Psa 78:33  Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. 

1Sa 2:6  The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 
1Sa 2:7  The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. 
1Sa 2:8  He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them. 

In verse 6, Hannah mentioned that the Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and brings up. This is what it means for the Lord to make alive or bring up so that the poor is raised from the dust to sit among princes and set the world upon them: 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

This is how the Lord kills and brings to the grave: 

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

1Sa 2:9  He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. 
1Sa 2:10  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. 
1Sa 2:11  And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest. 

The Lord keeping the feet of his saints means the Lord will lead us in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake. 

Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

The wicked refers to those who depend on their own strength and not Christ. The wicked being silent in darkness implies that in this age, they cannot speak the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven because they are not given to know them. In verse 9, the reason the wicked are made silent in darkness is because by their own strength, they can do nothing. 

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Our adversary is the devil, and when the word is used in the plural, it includes all those who are influenced by the devil against us. As indicated in verse 10,  the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces. In addition, out of  the heaven shall He thunder upon them as He judges them. What these statements mean is that no weapon formed or fashioned against the Lord’s elect shall prosper. 

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1Sa 1:6  And her adversary (Peninnah) also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.

Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. 

The Lord giving strength to His king and exalting the horn of His anointed are basically the same in meaning. That means we shall be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit. This is because horn suggests strength, and therefore our horn being exalted means our strength is being increased.

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 

In verse 11, Samuel (the child) ministering before Eli, the priest, is the same as ministering to the Lord. As the Lord has told us, whatever we do for one another, we have done it unto the Lord. 

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

Eli’s Worthless Sons

1Sa 2:12  Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. 
1Sa 2:13  And the priests’ custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; 
1Sa 2:14  And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. 
1Sa 2:15  Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. 
1Sa 2:16  And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 
1Sa 2:17  Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

According to Strong, the sons of Eli being referred to as sons of Belial is to show us their deplorable state as they epitomize wickedness. One of the principles of the word of the Lord is the ‘is, was, and will be’ nature. If at the time of Hannah, the leaders of the church system of her day were sons of wickedness, then it means that the situation today is the same; that is, evil men are in leadership. 

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 

Mic 3:11  Your leaders exchange justice for bribes. Your priests teach for a price. Your prophets tell the future for money. But they rely on the LORD when they say, “After all, the LORD is with us. Nothing bad will happen to us.” (GW)

Jer 5:30 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; 
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? 

In verses 13 to 17, we see the grievous sins committed by the sons of Eli, who were priests. They profaned the offering of the Lord in favor of their personal gains. The Lord in His wisdom had provided for priests who help with the congregation’s sacrifices. However, the sons of Eli seized for themselves some of the part of the sacrifice of the peace-offering as they were not content with the portion the Lord had given to them. 

Lev 7:34  For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute forever from among the children of Israel. 

If we look around us, we can see the sins of Eli’s sons being committed  in the church system of this world. Pastors think they have the right to use the offering of the people in the way they want. Although in most churches they may have a group of elders, these people only serve as advisory to the pastor. As we know, advise is only a recommendation which can be taken or rejected. In other words, these pastors have the final say in all issues pertaining to the churches. This is how Isaiah describes the pastors’ rule over the church system of today which is consistent with the behavior of Eli’s sons:

Isa 56:11  Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.     

In verse 12, the Lord stated the underlying problem with the leaders of the church system of this world – they knew not the Lord. Actually, these leaders are men serving their lusts with the offerings of the Lord. As a result, many in the church system of this world abhor the offerings of the Lord as shown in verse 17.

Jdg 2:10  And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. 

The verse above highlights a cycle where each generation of the church system claims to know the Lord, but in reality, they do not, leading to spiritual debauchery. We were part of this cycle of decadence until the Lord reached out to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

1Sa 2:18  But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 
1Sa 2:19  Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 

As indicated earlier, Samuel ministering to Eli, the high priest is the same as ministering to the Lord. In other words, as we serve each other, we are ministering to the Lord.

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

The mention that Samuel was a child here in verse 18 is to let us know that we all start our walk with the Lord as babies in Christ needing the milk of the word of the Lord. However, we must not remain as children. We must progress to become mature being able to rightly divide the word of truth. 

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 
Heb 6:3 And this will we do, if God permit.  

A linen ephod is one of the priestly garments. The full regalia or garments of the priest are as follows:

Exo 28:4  And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

As we are aware, the garment represents righteousness of Christ. It is important to note in verse 18 that Samuel was girded with only a linen ephod, which is only a part of the full regalia of a priest. This is to let us know that righteousness is not fully attained when we start our walk with Christ. As we grow through the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh and our insight into the word of the Lord increases, our righteousness also increases. In other words, being changed from glory to glory is a process which ultimately fulfills the promise that we will become “the righteousness of God.”  

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

As indicated in verse 19, every year, the mother made Samuel a little coat. This means that our righteousness is progressive or gradual. It also implies that the role of the church, signified by Samuel’s mother, Hannah, is to help us in attaining the righteousness of God. This is achieved through what every joint supplies.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

1Sa 2:20  And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home. 
1Sa 2:21  And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD. 

Hannah lent to the Lord and was not expecting anything in return. However, she received more than she had ever hoped for – she bore five more children. Having five children means that it was by grace through faith that she was blessed as a mother. It means that it is grace through faith that the church is bearing mature children. This grace is the chastening that we experience from the hand of the Lord.

Luk 6:34  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 
Luk 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 
Eph 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

The child Samuel growing before the Lord means that we must desire to know Him more and more as we see the day approaching.

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 
Heb 6:3 And this will we do, if God permit.  

Eli Rebukes His Sons

1Sa 2:22  Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
1Sa 2:23  And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. 
1Sa 2:24  Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’S people to transgress. 
1Sa 2:25  If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them. 
1Sa 2:26  And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. 

As we can see in verses 22 to 25 above, Eli knew what his sons had done and referred their judgment to the Lord and told his sons that if a man sin against the Lord, who will pray for him? As we can see in the story, his sons did not listen to their father’s warning. Spiritually, what the sons of Eli were doing is the same as the man who slept with his father’s wife. When our behavior discredits the integrity of the church of the Lord’s elect, which is the wife of Christ, it is spiritually equal to sleeping with our father’s wife. This is the prescription for dealing with such issues:

1Co 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 
1Co 5:2  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 
1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 
1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 
1Co 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:   

We must remember that this story of the misdeed of Eli’s sons was written for our admonition. 

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 
1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 

In verse 26, the child Samuel grew and was in favor before God and men. As we spiritually mature in our walk with Christ, we shall receive favor in the sight of the Lord and also with men.

The Lord Rejects Eli’s Household

1Sa 2:27  And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? 
1Sa 2:28  And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? 
1Sa 2:29  Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 
1Sa 2:30  Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 

These verses show us that we cannot escape the judgment of the Lord when we persistently sin against Him. It is important to note that when Eli did not discipline his sons, the Lord regarded Eli as honoring his sons above Him. This implies that when we refuse to discipline our brothers and sisters in our midst who persistently lack moral judgment, and their deeds are known by the church, then we are refusing to honor the Lord at the expense of these brothers and sisters. If the church does not act, the whole church will become leavened.  

Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

The verses also show us the character of the Lord. It reveals His patience, mercy, and compassionate nature, emphasizing His desire for repentance over quick judgment. It highlights His long-suffering love, and contrasts His divine patience with quick human tempers, showing His readiness to forgive and offer repeated opportunities for people to turn back to Him.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

1Sa 2:31  Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. 
1Sa 2:32  And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever. 
1Sa 2:33  And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. 
1Sa 2:34  And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. 
1Sa 2:35  And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. 
1Sa 2:36  And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a piece of bread. 

In verse 31, the Lord is saying that His judgment shall surely come. 

Hab 2:3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. 

These verses show how the Levitical priesthood was to change to the priesthood of Christ which comes through the line of David of the tribe of Judah. It is Christ who was to be raised up as a faithful priest who will do according to that which was in the heart and mind of the Father. 

Act 2:29  Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 
Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne

The unbelief of the priesthood of Eli and His sons brought us the priesthood of Christ, and so in a similar vein, it is through the unbelief of the church system of this world or Babylon that we have obtained mercy to serve as priests of the Lord. 

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 
Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?   

We therefore thank the Lord for His mercies towards us to be called and chosen in this age. Amen!

1 Samuel 1:1–28 The Birth of Samuel

[Study Aired January 5, 2026]

Today’s study focuses on the two wives of Elkanah – Peninnah and Hannah. The study goes into details about Hannah’s struggle with her barrenness, which was ordained by the Lord, and Peninnah’s endless torment of Hannah to make her miserable. In Hannah’s desperation, she made a vow to the Lord that if the Lord will give her a man-child, then she will give him to the Lord as long as he lives. The Lord answered Hannah’s prayer as she gave birth to a boy called Samuel, who was eventually given to the Lord to work under Eli, the High Priest. 

As we are aware, it is the spirit that gives life, the flesh or the letter, profits nothing. In this study of the Book of Samuel, we shall look at the spiritual significance and not focus on the stories which will not benefit us.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

Introducing Hannah

1Sa 1:1  And there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim from the hills of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 
1Sa 1:2 And he had two wives, the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the second, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 

Elkanah means ‘God has possessed.’ He was an Ephrathite who lived with His two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. As we are aware, a woman represents a church, either positively or negatively.  The fact that Peninnah had many children while Hannah was barren means that Peninnah represents the church system of this world or Babylon or Jerusalem which has many children but is in bondage with her children. In other words, the church system of this world has many members while the church of the firstborn or the Lord’s elect has few people.

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

The name Peninnah suggests the kind of woman she signifies. Peninnah means ‘coral’ which is a hard stony substance secreted by certain marine creatures in the sea. In simple terms, Peninnah represents the woman dominated by the sea of flesh (hard stony substances from the sea) which cannot submit to the Lord. 

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

On the other hand, Hannah symbolizes the church of the Lord’s elect or Jerusalem which is above. Her barrenness was ordained by the Lord to show us how His church must be barren in this age, until the lake of fire age, when His elect as saviors shall bring salvation to the whole of the human race from Adam to date. 

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.   

The name Hannah means grace, and we know that it is by grace through faith that we are saved. Every elect knows that our salvation is not by our own selves. It is the work of the Lord.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.  

1Sa 1:3  And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
1Sa 1:4  And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: 
1Sa 1:5  But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. 

Shiloh means ‘rest’, and therefore the Lord of hosts being at Shiloh signifies that knowing Jesus entails being at rest in Him. 

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 

However, when we are operating under the law of Moses, we find no rest in the Lord, because being under the law of Moses is about trying to obey the laws by ourselves. This brings about frustration because we end up failing to obey. 

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 
Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

Elkanah’s religious adherence to the yearly worship and sacrifice to the Lord at Shiloh together with his wives, signifies that the church of the Lord’s elect, together with the church system of this world all start their walk with the Lord with the law of Moses, which does not bring us the way of peace or rest. 

Isa 59:8  The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
Isa 59:9  Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. 
Isa 59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. 

The mention of Hophni and Phinehas as priests of the Lord at that time in Shiloh is to make us aware of the deplorable state of the leaders of the church system of this world into which we were ushered at the beginning of our walk with Christ. This is what the word of the Lord says about Hophni and Phinehas, who were sons of Eli, the high priest:

1Sa 2:12  Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. 

1Sa 2:17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. 

According to Strong, the sons of Eli being referred to as sons of Belial is to show us their deplorable state as they epitomize wickedness. One of the principles of the word of the Lord is the ‘is, was, and will be’ nature. If at the time of Hannah, the leaders of the church system of her day were sons of wickedness, then it means that the situation today is the same, that is, evil men are in leadership. 

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 

Mic 3:11  Your leaders exchange justice for bribes. Your priests teach for a price. Your prophets tell the future for money. But they rely on the LORD when they say, “After all, the LORD is with us. Nothing bad will happen to us.”
Mic 3:12 Because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble, and the temple mountain will become a worship site covered with trees. (GW)  

Jer 5:30  A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; 
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? 

As we can see from verse 3 and 5 of I Samuel chapter 1 above, the Lord, represented here by Elkanah, in His wisdom has given to both the church system of this world represented by Peninnah and the church of the Lord’s elect something to offer to Him. 

Psa 116:12  What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? 
Psa 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. 

However, as we can see in verse 5, the Lord always gives His elect a worthy portion to offer because He loves His elect.  

Jer 31:3  The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. 
Jer 31:4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

In spite of the Lord’s love for the church of the firstborn or of His elect, He has shut her womb. This is signified by Hannah not able to give birth despite the love that the husband Elkanah had for her.

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

1Sa 1:6  And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 
1Sa 1:7  And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. 
1Sa 1:8  Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons? 

What happened to Hannah is the same that is happening to the church of the elect in every generation. To our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world, we are barren, and therefore, the established church system of this world or Babylon is always provoking us sorely. They do not know that the Lord’s plan entails having few people as His elect in this age as saviors for the whole of humanity. 

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.    

This brings to mind the three hundred men who were chosen by Gideon to engage the Midianites in a battle. To a carnal man, they are too few or barren compared with the total army strength of thirty-two thousand men who initially assembled to take on the Midianites. 

Jdg 7:2  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Jdg 7:3  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 
Jdg 7:4  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 
Jdg 7:5  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 
Jdg 7:6  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 
Jdg 7:7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 

It is insightful to note in verse 8 that Elkanah was doing everything possible to comfort Hannah and letting her know that having him as a husband is better than ten sons. The Lord is always with us, comforting and urging us on and letting us know that when we have Him, He is more than ten sons. In other words, when we have Him as our husband, He is more than having all fleshly men (the significance of ten men) on our side. Do you feel that you are alone in all your struggles? No, you are not alone! You have Jesus and an innumerable company of angels on your side. Here is what the word of the Lord says about this:

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 

The Birth of Samuel

1Sa 1:9  So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD
1Sa 1:10  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
1Sa 1:11  And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. 

When we are under the judgment of the Lord, we are in bitterness of soul, and our recourse is to pray to the Lord who is able to make a way of escape with the purpose of making us able to bear it. 

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

There is nothing wrong in weeping when we are under the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh. However, the Lord has assured us that after weeping comes joy in the morning. 

Psa 30:2  O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 
Psa 30:3  O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 
Psa 30:4  Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Psa 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psa 30:11  Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 
Psa 30:12  To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.  

In verse 11, we see the purpose of the church of the Lord’s elect, represented here by Hannah’s promise that if she gives birth to a man child, she will wholly dedicate him to the Lord. The church’s purpose is to bring forth a man-child dedicated wholly to the Lord. We can say in a negative sense that since Hannah was under the law of Moses, she can signify the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, who travailed in birth and brought forth a man child who was caught up to God.

Rev 12:1  And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Rev 12:3  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 
Rev 12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

1Sa 1:12  And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. 
1Sa 1:13  Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 
1Sa 1:14  And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. 
1Sa 1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
1Sa 1:16  Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

As Hannah continued to groan before the Lord, Eli, who represents the leadership of the church system of this world, thought she was drunk. Indeed, our brothers and sisters think that there is something wrong with us, just as on the day of Pentecost, the church system of the disciples’ days thought that the disciples were drunk. 

Psa 38:9  Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.

Psa 102:20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 
Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

Act 2:12  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 
Act 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 

1Sa 1:17  Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 
1Sa 1:18  And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. 

Our petition before the Lord shall not go unanswered. These are some of the assuring words that the Lord has given to us to wait in expectation:

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Isa 65:23  They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. 
Isa 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Verse 18 shows us that after Hannah had prayed to the Lord, she went her way and did eat, after which her countenance was no more sad. This is another way of saying the following:

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

1Sa 1:19  And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. 
1Sa 1:20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

It takes the Lord’s remembrance for things to happen. Our efforts are in vain without the Lord’s remembrance. This does not mean that the Lord forgets. It is a biblical expression to show us that when the set time comes according to the Lord’s agenda, He performs it.

Psa 98:3  He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Psa 105:8  He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

Psa 105:42  For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.

Hannah’s pregnancy and everything that pertains to the birth of Samuel are all written in the Lord’s Books. In other words, the Lord has written everything we will do in this life before we were born.

Psa 139:15  Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, 
Psa 139:16 but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. (CEV)

Therefore, when we find ourselves in difficult situations with no way of escape, we must remember that what we are going through is all written in His book, and therefore, at the right time, the Lord will intervene in our circumstance and bring us to an expected end. He will never leave us alone!

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 
Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 
Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jer 29:14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

There are times that I go through certain situations when I wonder whether all of these were written in His books concerning me. Then it will dawn on me that all these are written and therefore the solutions to all these challenges are also written concerning me. That is when I come to realize that whatever situation I find myself in, it shall not hold me back from the love of the Lord.  

Samuel Given to the Lord

1Sa 1:21  And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. 
1Sa 1:22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide forever. 

Hannah did not go to offer the yearly sacrifice and her vows because she wanted the child to be weaned and presented to the Lord as a mature young boy so that he would abide in the Lord’s presence forever. The focus of the church of the Lord’s elect is therefore to prepare God’s people to mature so that we shall abide permanently in the house of the Lord. This preparation involves helping the Lord’s people to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, fearing no evil and knowing that His rod and staff are comforting us. Being mature also entails seeing the goodness and mercy of the Lord which will make us dwell in the house of the Lord forever!!

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 

1Sa 1:23  And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

The Lord has already shown what is good to us, that is, the church must focus on the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry and edifying of the body of Christ so that we all come in the unity of the faith. In other words, the church must wean the babies in Christ. That is what the Lord, through Elkanah, was telling the church, represented by Hannah. 

Mic 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 

1Sa 1:24  And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. 
1Sa 1:25  And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 
1Sa 1:26  And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. 
1Sa 1:27  For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 
1Sa 1:28  Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

In the Old Testament time, those who offered a bullock or ox as sacrifice to the Lord were regarded as very rich. 

Pro 14:4  Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. 

Hannah offering three bullocks therefore implies that it is through the process of spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgment that the church of the Lord’s elect becomes spiritually rich. Offering three bullocks, an ephah of flour and a bottle of wine implies that the church of the firstborn is spiritually rich in the knowledge of the truth of the word of the Lord, as flour and wine are all symbols of the word of the Lord. 

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

In these verses, Eli represents the Lord. Leaving Samuel under the care of Eli as long as he lives is the same as having lent Samuel to the Lord. According to Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB), lent can mean to borrow. This shows that Samuel being lent to the Lord means borrowing from the Lord. Samuel here signifies the elect, and therefore Samuel being lent to the Lord means that we, His elect, are debtors to the Lord. As the parable of the unforgiving servant suggests, we are all debtors to Christ because of sins. By the death of Christ, we are set free from being debtors because of sin. However, as the word of the Lord shows us, we are still debtors, but in this case, it is in regard to putting to death the evil deeds of the flesh.

Rom 8:12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 
Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 

May the Lord help us to walk in the spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Amen!

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 40 Discussion

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