Analysis of 1 Samuel 1 28
The passage I selected, 1 Samuel 1:28, tells the story of the birth of Samuel and begins with a story about Samuel's mother, Hannah, who prays for a child during the family's annual pilgrimage to worship at Shiloh. Eli, the priest at Shiloh, hears her prayer and tells Hannah that her prayer will be answered. Hannah promises the Lord that if she is granted a child, she will return him to the Lord and his life will be dedicated to the Lord's work. The birth of Samuel was the first step in Gods plan to give Israel deliverance from their Philistine enemies. Samuel evolves as an important figure in telling the story of the Israelites' move from the judges' leadership to the establishment of a kingship. 1 Samuel is presented in the form of a narrative account of the life and contributions of Samuel. Like most of the bible, scholars have tried to determine the author, date of writing, purpose of the text and the historical and chronological order of events. The author is unknown. Some scholars believe Zabud, son of the prophet Nathan, a priest and the "personal adviser" to King Solomon, wrote the text shortly after Solomon's death. Others believe Samuel himself wrote the text, while some scholars believe the priest, Ahimaaz,
was the author. Most do agree that the composition and editing took place in several stages over a considerable period of time. The people saw him as a leader and began to ask him for a king. All surrounding lands had a king and they wanted the protection and leadership in battle that a king offered. Samuel admonished the people and told them that God provided their protection and he would lead them in battle. The people of Israel were gripped by internal and external crisis. The external threat comes from the Philistine's desire to expand their empire by conquoring territory belonging to Israel. The internal crisis comes from Israel being a loose federation of tribes that cannot adequately defend itself from the Philistines. This combined with the corruption in the house of Eli (through his sons) make for chaotic times for the people of Israel. Kohlenberger, III, John R. and Barker, Kenneth L., eds. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary: An Abridgement of the Expositors Bible Commentary. Chicago: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994. God's message throughout 1 Samuel is a call to repentance, a call of faith, God's election of Israel, his provision for his people, his faithfulness to them and his promise of a coming King. Samuel selects and anoints Saul as the first King of Israel. Later, Samuel also anoints David after Saul's leadership has ended. God interacted directly or through prophets with these kings throughout their leadership. Though the monarchy ultimately failed, it was the basis for the messianic hope.
Some common words found in the essay are:
God Samuel, Hannah Peninnah, Shiloh Eli, Hannah Peninnah's, Saul David, Israelites Gods, King Solomon, David Saul's, Hebrew Scholars, David Goliath, 1 samuel, scholars believe, people israel, receive grace, bible commentary, ark covenant, birth samuel, god samuel, samuel's birth, child samuel's birth, samuel begins, writing purpose text, 1 samuel 128,
Approximate Word count = 1724
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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