1st SAMUEL: COMMENTARY 1:5-8 What a tender hearted man! the shrew got the sons (who apparantly never amounted to much) but the mother of Sam got his love and tenderness and consideration. 1:14ff What a sad land when a weeping muttering women at the door of a holy shrine is more likely to be a drunk than a pure heart grieved and grieving. 1:19 God ALWAYS remembers us and our grievings 1:20 Samuel: "heard of God" - that is, one who's very existance is a constant reminder of how God heard and remembered; how wise of this women! She made sure SHE remembered that God had heard her and remembered; 1:23 again, a man mindful of his wife; what was inportant to HER was what mattered to him; frankly, already with sons from Peninnah, Sam probably mattered more to HER than to him...? Rude thought, but realistic; 1:28 imagine Eli's relief that with his own rotton sons he at least had one more chance to raise up a Godly "son" so as to provide at least SOME spiritual legacy to Israel 2:5 "pines away" - see notes 1:5-8 2:7 the Lords sends poverty - yet raises the poor from the dust; one could presume the 1st part implies punishment (wealth=reward) but beware, He also raises those same poor; So the vs is NOT a judgement on the moral virtues of wealth vs poverty, but a straight without apologies statement of His sovereignty; ie: whether for "good" or "bad", He MAKES poverty as part of His statement of sovereignty; yet, He also raises those same poor, exalts them, ALSO a statement of His soveriegnty; She doesn't judge God here, she DECLARES Him; 2:12 wickedness - no regard for the Lord; just that, no conscious desire to oppose Him, no demonic intent to thwart Him, they just flat out IGNORED Him in their plan to do what ever they wanted; 2:17 worse and worse!! 1st they ignored Him; and THEN they contemptuosly scorned Him; bad enough to ignore Him, but when you go out of your way to spit in His eye-WATCH OUT! 2:18 "ephod" see 2:28 2:21 imagine growing up "in the presence of the Lord" WOW!! nothing like having the Lord as a live-in role model... 2:25 Did God MAKE them keep sinning?? NO NEED TO! Apparantly He just quit making any further attempts to change their behavior; He "gave them over" ala Rom 1:24... 2:23 bad enough to not care what God thinks, but at least MOST people care what the neighbors think, but not these two; they just didn't care! 2:30 note carefully, the Lord's promise IS KEPT; Eli's house WILL always minister and will continue to administer, but in a demeaned and disdaned state; instead of offering glorious sacrifice to God, they'll BE there alright, but only to empty ash trays when the meeting is over (so to speak); so God keeps/kept His word, but He certainly still reserved the right to decide HOW that promise would be fulfilled; thus He proves Himself true and just ALL at the same time; A warning indeed to anyone who would presume upon the Lord ("I can do what ever I want 'cause I'm saved" ?? recent example is Larry Flynt? "Chriatian Pornographer?? paralyzed, besotted on pain drugs, caught up in lawsuits, etc...) 3:1 "those days..." see notes 1:14 3:3 WHAT A BEDROOM!! the Ark of God as a nightlight! Samuel was liteerally permeated, saturated with the Lord, an opportunity Eli's sons obviously had but had rejected; 3:7 in spite of the above, he still only knew about Him, he didn't yet know Him; even so, he was more Godly than the priest Eli; 3:9 what a sad moment for Eli - giving instructions for the most remarkable meeting in ages, yet NOT to his own sons, but another; and yet perhaps to a "spiritual" son... 3:13 not just sin, but specifically "the sin he knew about"; sadly enough, Eli's whole house and descent wasn't condemned to ignominious discrace because those two sons sinned, NO, it was because Eli didn't restrain them (even unto their death); his sons mattered more to him than his God, and for that his entire house was doomed; ironically, had his God mattered more to him, he would have raised his sons to have the same heart, and there wouldn't have ever been their growth into Godless wickedness; God doesn't call for this prioritization to tear apart our families, but rather to preserve them; had He called for Eli to make sacrifices for Him that would have involved hardships for his family, they would have learned the value of the priviledge of serving God, of trusting Him amidst hardship; they would have become men of God, rather than men of self doomed to perish in their sin; It wasn't just because he had sinful sons; He represented GOD to Israel, and Israel saw his family and said "BOY! some God WE got! SHEESH!"; Yet sad, yet bittersweet - despite such wickedness and deviation, God still allowed Eli's line to be allowed to serve and worship Him - implies that NO one has sinned so badly that he is totally unable to serve tha Lord, to be used by Him; 3:15 Poor Sam! Some beginning! 1st thing God tells him is about the near annihilation of his "family" and of his ? father figure? the degree of inimacy isn't clear, hard to say why he hesitated to tell Eli - was it grief? or fear of a crotchety old prophet? certainly was a powerful 1st impression, eh wot? 3:16 Well, he says "my son" - maybe they were close (makes sense anyway) 3:17 how sad Eli learned so late to say this!! how his children might have profited from such lessons 3:18 a sad epitath for Eli and family 3:21 note the association of the use of "word"; God revealed Himself to Samuel through His word - ?spoken? ?written? probably both; but they see that for Isreal, it became "Samuel's word" Samuel was so permeated and saturated with the Lord that his word was God's word; he became a living breathing walking Bible; Lord, may it be so even with me!! 4:1-11 Bad day for Israel; but see! even the Philistines knew about Egypt!! 4:4 I wonder how the basic Israelite fighting man felt seein the ark show up with the two scumbag twins in tow; everyone knew about these guys, anyway; I doubt strongly if it added to their sense of security about winning the day; 4:13 even then he worried about the Ark yet no record of his ever warning Israel: "Hey you guys could, might lose that!!" again, he knew of a wrong or danger yet he did NOT speak out! 4:17 Look at the order of memtion - was it an attempt to save the worst for last? 4:18 At least poor Eli was shocked for the right reason 4:21 Phinehas' wife was more godly than her scumbag husband 5:1-5 poor Philistines!! how embarassing having to help your god back up on his pedistal: "HELP ME!! I'M A PHILISTINE GOD AND I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP!!" 5:5 When was this written with regard to the action? this verse implies it had been long enough to impress the writer about the Philistines persistance in avoiding the threshold; 5:6 tumors - buboes? was this the plague? rats and "tumors" 5:8 philistine elders version of "share the wealth"; I wonder why they thought Gath would be safer place than Ashod? 6:1 7 mo of rats and plague and death; some victory!! Moral? even when they are in sin, it NEVER pays to attack Israel; 6:3 Guilt offering; too bad Israel wasn't as solicitous of the Lord's good will; Philistines were more ready to admit guilt than Israel! 6:8 what a horrible time to be alive that such catastrophies could strike and some think it mere happenstance - i.e. NOT out of the ordinary range of possibilities; 6:19 the Philistines never once apparantly looked inside it; THEY feared it more than Israel, even before the rats and tumors showed up; 6:20 How sad, all they could say was "Gee, what a spoiled sport!"; they were no more eager for that box than Ekron, yet only obediance to known truth was needed to prosper with the Ark; "who can stand...", why, who would want to ?? Can't they see that they're better off on their knees with the Ark, than on their feet apart from it (and God)? 6:21 What was so remarkable about the men of Kiriath Jearim that THEY should be the unanimous choice? 7:3 "if" you are returning... Sam knew his people well; the overt blatancy of their syncretism is astounding - as if people calmly claiming to be Christians ALSO had voodoo dols and Hindu idols in their houses or churches (though our hypocrisy does tend to hide our tendency to frequently split our devotion twixt God and $'s); And it is NOT far from now that we WILL see such corruption of belief and truth occur in main stream demoninational churches, being praised for their "open mindedness" and "spirit of love" as they betray all that they once stood for... 7:5 Sam waited for Israel to show TRUE behavior of repemtance, THEN he called out the assembly at Mizpah; 7:6 pouring meant ? symbolizing their williningness to be poured out by/before their Lord? 7:7 if I were a philistine, I'd get nervous TOO if I saw Israel gathered together on it's knees before their God "afraid becau se of the Philistines" - NOT necessarily an UNfounded fear; they had only Sam's word in vs3 about deliverance, plus they KNEW the Lord was capable of handing them over to the P's if that were His will; after all, they had learned that He was NOT a tame God... 7:12 Sam, ever the teacher to his people, always trying to establish firmly in their lived and minds who and what the Lord God IS to Israel; 7:13 the Epitath of the Philistines? 8:1 the agenda of 7:13-17 would age anyone in a hurry 8:3 WHY?! Another tragedy of failed fatherhood, inspite of his own personal godliness, that is NO guarentee of godly children - perhaps more time w/ them and decreased w/ Israel would have made for better sons? This also indicates 2:35 is a Messianic prophecy NOT refering to Sam, but to the Lord since Sam's house doesn't seem too very "established" here, but perhaps not... 8:6 was it the "King" part or the "your sons are jerks" part that displeased Sam? 8:10-18 A summary of the Divine opinion on human government! v11-13 the draft v14-17 taxes v18 you asked for it, you GOT it! 8:20 after Mizpah another generation had grown up apparantly not impressed w/ the assurances to be found in a rock called Ebenezer - stone of help; They wanted more tangible common ("...but OTHER nations have one...) solutions to national survival; re 8:7-8, 22 a sense of quiet sadness about the Lord; No thundering proclamations, No epic prophesies of cosmic proportions; more like a sigh of a not so surprised resignation concerning their foolishness; He saw what was coming and tho it was all part of the plan, that didn't mean He had to be glad Israel had taken the long hard wrong road... 9:1-2 A real Tom Selleck of Kingly raw material 9:5 a wry sense of humor 9:9 again - a sense of some historical perspective, but HOW LONG? 9:16 tho to seek a king was a rejection of God - A SIN - the good Lord was/is still willing to work to our/their good w/ in those parameters; yet what glory they missed NOT having GOD lead them as their King, and then seeing God Himself deliver them of the Philistines; 10:1-8 Sam prophesies to convince an obviously hesitant Saul (see 10:16, 22) about his role as chosen of God; He had external evidences vs1-4, and topped off by internal evidences vs5-13; 10:11-12 Not necessarily kind/complementary remarks; 10:17-21 a beautiful piece of dramatic showmanship (how was the choosing done?) but Saul blew his cue - yet not a necessarily bad attitude for a future king, ie NOT powerhungry; 10:26 if you follow the Lord's cue, He'll provide the additional supporting cast Himself; note Sauls silence, 2ary to fear? wisdom? 10:27 a kingw/o a totally consolidated throne, hence the return to the fields? (11:5) 11:1 they had a king and already they're surrendering, and THESE guys had the Ark! 11:2 the R eye was the one that peeked around the shield held in the left hand; besides being a really nasy thing to do... 11:3 apparantly old Nahash felt pretty confident to be willing to allow them sending for help; unless such a move would give him even further control once no one answered or once someone did and they were conquered too; 11:6 why was he angry? at Nahash? at Israel for so soon abandoning His kingship for diplomacy of dispair? 11:7 What a statesman! he knew just how to get their attention; he threatened their bank account!! Plus he was a name dropper; BUT it was the Lord's terror that turned them out; 11:8 already they're falling into 2 natural divisions as Israel and Judah 11:11 NOT a bad General either! a dawn attack and a 3 pronged advance into the enemy 11:12 NOW they're all eager to say "I knew him when...and NOW he's MY king, just like I always said..." 11:13 Saul wisely consolidated his position; those who opposed him NOW OWE him their lives, they will be eager indeed to please him; 11:15 "ALL the people" this time 12:1-4 Sam establishes his credentials, his character is verified; 12:6-13 historical recap 12:25 An epitath for Saul; 13:3 That Jon was quite an aggressive guy 13:6 Typical tactic for them in those days, they not only lacked faith in God, they didn't even back the King; 13:7 Saul stuck it out - an admirable display of military courage (tho he was a real chicken in moral/social/political courage) BUT he TOO did not fear the Lord, he feared losing his soldiers to desertion MORE; 13:11-12 he always had an excuse - blaming it on someone else and/or external circumstances; the men were scattering, you were late, the Philistines were close etc, etc 13:19 Interesting tactic to keep a people subject: keep them from ever gaining weapons; "sword control" instead of gun control; 14:1 he didn't tell Saul - Why NOT?? things must have been strained 14:3 SEE, Eli's family is still serving... 14:6 what faith!! "whether by many or by few" - Saul obviously didn't believe that sitting under his pomegranate tree; 14:21 some army; the deserters joined the enemy! yet God did NOT bring confusing destruction on to them 14:24 Sauls getting cocky! and it's hurting his judgement; 14:29 Jon is unafraid to speak out, traite that will cost him his father's good will; but obviously win him the peoples good will - a force Saul fears; Saul's foolish oath caused several bad results: 1. Nearly cost Jon his life 14:43-45 2. Decreased the victory Israel could have had over Phil's 14:30 3. Caused the people to sin due to their overwhelming (and unnecessary) hunger; 14:43 Jon's attitude in his answer is pretty clear - he's disgusted with Saul for his handling of the days events; 14:45 OOPS! Saul got hit w/ "JON brought about...deliverence"; i.e. NOT YOU Saul-baby w/ your stupid oaths! Saul backed down from the people - he remains afraid of them - more afraid of them than of the Lord; the people had to have seen this - after all his big oaths, he backed down 14:47 and yet after that bad interlude, he did set about establishing Israel against it's foes. 14:49-51 Family portrait 15:3 "Destroy" - see foot note in NIV; 15:6 inspite of foolishness, he does show occasional flashes of diplomatic insight and wisdom 15:7-9 But then he does the ultimate stupid manuver - HE decides (Mr. I-AM-THE-KING!) to alter just a little what the Lord decreed (NOT "suggested"); WHY? was he again afraid of the people - who probably WANTED the plunder? 15:24 that's his excuse anyway; 15:14 a little irony in the voice? 15:15 "The Soldiers" oh boy, he's already building his excuse; "The Lord YOUR God" NOT "MY God"; 15:20 Double talk! I DID do it...sort of...; God doesn't accept "sort of" ANYTHING! 15:22-23 A summation of life and fall of Saul! 15:24 A confession yet NOT REALLY; he's still making excuses - "the people made me do it!" 15:26 "You have rejected" theres a finality and absolutness about that - Sam is realizing Saul has decided already - he'd rather be King of Israel than servant of God, NOT realizing that he CAN'T be the 1st w/o being the 2nd... 15:30 Saul's trying to salvage some political gain from the fiasco; 15:31 Sam is a man who changes his mind, he really does care for and like old Saul (see 15:35-16:1) and hates to see him disgraced further; 15:32-33 Now THIS is the Sam of old - strong and swift to obey the Lord's commands Agag - the Last of the Amalekites 15:35 A sad and bitter parting for both men NO doubt...; Sam mourned - as if Saul were already dead; 16:1 a stern but kindly rebuke to Sam 16:2 He mourns, yet he FEARS, knowing Saul; 16:4 Sam must have been a fierce old man for the town to "tremble" 16:7 Sam was going to try to repeat another Saul, perhaps Saul himself was just a military stand-in till David was ready? At least he was an object lesson to Israel/Sam - NOT the appearance of a King, but the soul/heart of a king that matters; 16:14 How mighty and totally Sovereign is our God! For whom even His greatest foes (Satan and Co) must ALWAYS stoop to do HIS bidding - when God says "go and torment", the spirit GOES; 16:17 "someone who plays well" nothing but the BEST, Buddy, and don't you forget it! syas Mr I-AM-THE-KING! 16:19-21 How'd you like to be hired by the guy YOU know you've been chosen to replace and who'd gut you like a dog if he knew about you? There's a certain courage there for sure! David was surrounded by enemies - both HOME as well as abroad...perhaps this early experience prepared him for his later life's episodes of being frequently on the run... 16:23 God set Saul up! kinda sneaky really! create a problem and then let YOUR boy become the answer... 17:1-7 a Marine DI's dream! 17:8-11 talk about stacking the deck - one on one combat w/ THAT chunk? HA! no wonder the P's were cocky, this is an ancient version of a "secret weapon"? Saul is terrified, too... 17:15 Ancient member of the Army Reserve? 17:18 wise move! gotta keep the big shots happy so maybe he won't put your sons on the Kamakazi unit... 17:25 obviously taxes were heavy enough that their removal was quite an inducement 17:26 Ah, even at an early age David was a guy to figure all the angles before making his move; but see ALL that concerns him! NOT just personal wealth, but also the reputation of Israel and of God 17:28 embarassement and envy speaks out! sounds a lot like the brothers of Joseph of the coat; "FEW sheep" 17:29 David is fairly casual about the issue that's kept all Israel in an uproar for >40 days, no wonder it miffed his brother; either that or he's setting up an opprotunity to be overheard and invited by Saul - so he won't seem too pushy; 17:34 Anyone who can kill lions and bears w/ his bear hands ought to feel fairly casual about a Philistine (who probably had acromegaly) yet look to whom David gives credit - "the LORD who delivered me"; 17:38-39 he was wise enough to try them on, but smart enough to take them off again because they hampered him; even at the risk of irritating a rather irritable King; 17:45-47 Did that boy have a flair for the dramatic!! See his real desire! He wasn't primarily interested in his personal gain (tho he was smart enough to inquire about it); for him, the issue at stake here was GOD'S GLORIFICATION and David was going to do just that; with his experience w/ a sling David had excellent reason to believe he could kill this clown on his own; yet, he sought to glorify God w/ his own talents (bear and lion killing is NOT a skill to be taken lightly...) See the wisdom of David - he chose WELL his weapons; like the wild animals, Goliath was NOT an opponant to be grappeled w/ hand-to-hand; his reach and strength and size were HIS advantages so David avoided those and used his OWN strengths - his ability to kill at a distance; he did NOT stun Goliath, that stone "sunk in" to his forehead - he lobotomized him; 17:55 Saul wanted to notify next of kin? He obviously had SOME measure of confidence in Dave or he wouldn't have gambled the outcome of Israel on this one "boy"; 18:1 two kindred spirits - both more interested in the reputation of God and Israel than for their own status; 18:4 "even his sword" a famous weapon indeed (see 13:22 and 14:13-14) 18:6-9 Saul, ever fearful of the people, could not stand to have anyone "better" than himself; 18:11 David didn't DO anything! Why? Did he merrely attribute such behaviour to Saul's "affliction"? 18:12 How SAD! a tactic used here by Saul w/o success later WAS used successfully by David to steal Bathsheba! 18:12-16 David was willing to lead, to get out in front, to face common hardships and share in their troubles and trials and successes; 18:16 only Sauls fear of the people and their love for David prevented Saul from openly trying to slay David; 18:17-19 Apparantly that original reward (17:25) was not kept either! Saul's becoming more and more untrustworthy 18:23 how wise and observation! He didn't just see the personal gain to it, but saw past that to the negative issues beyond; ie: cost of living at court, etc? palace intrigues? 18:24 Anyone close enough to get foreskins certainly WOULD be likely to be killed! Smart Saul! either way he wins! either David is dead or 100 enemies are dead; 18:26 nothing like a price one can afford!! 18:27 a little bit of wedding shopping!! "tra-la-la...let's see now...hmmmm...a hundred foreskins; Oh! I know JUST the place!..." and 2 hundred dead philistines later, What a deal! Frankly I'D have been willing to have donated the foreskin W/O the hassel of killing me... WHERE IS SAM ALL THROUGH OF THIS?? 19:1 Now the conspiracy widens, NOW Saul has included others in his plans 19:2-7 for a while at least, Saul listens to reason 19:10 THIS time Dave did ignore the meaning of the attempt; what are IDOLS doing in David's house?! They belonged to his WIFE! 19:33 Saul and that spear of his; so far he hasn't hit anything/one w/ it YET! 21:1 Ahim obviously knew something was afoot - no doubt scared Dave would drag him into a problem w/ Saul; 21:2 David lies; no record of what the Lord saw in this, whether He approved or not... 21:8 "urgent" bussiness indeed! at least THAT part was true! 21:15 Divine humor, no doubt; 22:2 Saul's rule was obviously producing David's army FOR him; 22:6 Saul is always sitting under trees! does he feel the need to always keep his back to something? 22:6-8 see how Saul's rule is crumbling, see how his authority is dying; 22:14 Ahim was bold at least at the end, when he knew he had nothing to lose - 22:17 again see how Saul's rule is weakened, his orders constantly confronted and refuted; 23:6 this was to explain HOW he could inquire of the Lord; whats an "ephod" that it should be an oracle of the Lord? 23:17 Jon was a true friend - he desired to serve more than to rule; 23:19 NEVER trust a Ziphite!! 23:21-29 hot on the trail, leaving his country OPEN to attack - Saul has lost ALL perspective; out of his PERSONAL desire to destroyDavid he has forfeited ALL willingness to do what a King SHOULD do - PROTECT HIS PEOPLE; 24:5 by refusing to disobey the Lord and do what men would do, David gained the throne publically by having Saul HIMSELF declare David his successor (24:20) 24:16-21 what a bitter sadly tragic man is Saul! reduced now to hoping only his NAME will survive; 25:10 is the "servants" reference an insult to David accusing him of unfaithfulness to Saul? 25:13 Nabal's about to find out just what a really big mouth can get him on the open market... 25:17 even his servants all him wicked; 25:21 David learned a lesson from Saul! investing his own time and resources in protecting Nabal so that HOPEFULLY he would become an ally; 25:24 straight talk is what appeales to David 25:38ff she speaks like a believer 25:39 "Doing wrong" - actually David WOULD have been wrong to kill Nabal for being a jerk and refusing food; it was HIS to refuse! 25:44 How SAD! Michal really loved David and mean ol Saul gave her away to someone else - probably to pay her back for helping David escape... 26:1 AGAIN, the only good Ziphite is a dead Ziphite 26:14 NOT destined to win Abner's good will! 26:17 is Saul of poor vision? he's always missing w/ that spear... 26:18 David is wise, he pleads his case, but from a very safe and tactically secure position; 26:21 Saul now says this w/o tears, everytime he confesses, he does it with less and less conviction, no wonder David said, "No thanks! I'll let YOU guys come and get the spear..." 27:1-12 No WONDER there are no more philistines if the people were as dumb as their king! 27:11 makes Sherman's March to the Sea sound down right generous 28:2 Achish was begging for trouble! 28:7 though he drove them out, alas! his people sure knew where to find one fast enough...she probably did a lot of bussiness still 28:8-9 Apparantly she was "retired"? perhaps that's why they knew of her? 29:1-11 God gets David out of the way so he's not forced to kill Israelites, and ESP the "Lord's Anointed" and yet retain his cover; Also he needed time to rescue his family 30:1-6 "David found strength in the Lord HIS God..."; also see the result of Saul's disobedience? MORE Amalekites! 30:22 even in the BEST troops lead by the best leader (even a GOD appointed leader), there's gonna be bums, dead beats and "evil men and trouble makers"; 30:24 a wise military attitude! 30:26 Another wise attitude; he paid back his allies when he could, rather than greedily hording it; He REINVESTED his wealth so as to reap it later again...ie take care of your friends when YOU can so that THEY will be able and willing to reciprocate when YOU need it! Also: an allies good will is ultimatley worth much more than the loot; 31:2 Jon died w/ his father; how sad that he could not have served w/ David 31:11 Jabesh Gilead AGAIN, who ARE these people?