1 Samuel 1-8 (Road to monarchy)
Acting on God’s Word – Eli hears God’s message (1 Sam 3:10-21)
1 Sam 3:10-21 One of the most memorable parables Jesus told was about the sower sowing seed (the Word of God) and what happens to it as it falls on different kinds of soil (the condition of one’s heart –…
Learning to know God’s voice – Samuel called (1 Sam 3:1-14)
1 Sam 3:1-14 My husband told me a few times that when he is finishing off projector duty at the end of a church service, he can often pick out my voice in the entrance hall from the din of…
Tolerating sin – Eli confronted (1 Sam 2:22-36)
1 Sam 2:22-36 Many Christian parents know the sadness that comes from having children who do not follow the Lord. We can’t help but ask searching questions. Why did they choose the path they did? Where did we go wrong?…
An abuse of power – Eli’s sons (1 Sam 2:12-21)
1 Sam 2:12-21 Early in the film, The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf, the wizard talks to Frodo about the ring the latter inherited, a ring that is capable of wielding incredible power. The original owner of the ring, the…
Hannah’s Song (1 Sam 2:1-10)
1 Sam 2:1-10 Hannah’s Song, which reads like a psalm, may remind us of the Beatitudes about the blessedness of those who are poor, who weep, who hunger and the reversal that comes in their receiving the kingdom of God,…
A prayer answered, a vow fulfilled (1 Sam 1:9-28)
1 Sam 1:9-28 As we consider power and powerlessness in Hannah’s story, we may wonder about the difference between appropriate persistence or the kind of grasping that God condemns. After all, did not God close Hannah’s womb (1 Sam 1:5-6)?…
Hannah prays for a son (1 Sam 1:1-11)
1 Sam 1:1-11 While COVID is raging around the world, so many of us feel powerless to shake the fears, the health concerns, the blues that come from being limited in our social interactions. We may also be powerless to…