1 Samuel 2 Commentary
Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. This cannot be good news. The priesthood has failed. The priest was meant to be the voice through which the LORD spoke to the people. The fact that the LORD begins to speak to Samuel is an indictment of an establishment that had become very ungodly. The LORD would talk to the people but not through this priesthood.
It is at this point that we begin to see the importance of the office of the prophet. For now, the message from the LORD is one of judgment against the house of Eli. Later, the prophets would be important in providing guidance to the kings of Israel.
Hannah’s song of praise is inspired and provides the basis for what happens in this book. Samuel is the faithful servant whose feet the LORD guards while Eli’s household is the wicked who are silenced in the place of darkness. In place of Eli, the LORD promises to raise up a faithful priest.
Not long from now, the book will quickly wind down Samuel’s time and introduce us to king Saul. Like Eli, (the priesthood), Saul, (the kingship) will fail. The LORD would use the same words and promise to raise up a king who would be faithful.
In the immediate context, Eli’s household was replaced by a more faithful priesthood and Saul was replaced by David. But we know the LORD isn’t talking about these human replacements. The LORD is talking about a time when He would descend in form of a human being, and provide the perfect priesthood and the perfect kingship to humanity.
We are therefore looking at an important announcement. Jesus Christ is the perfect High Priest. Jesus is the perfect King. Samuel is a good prophet but we know he is not the Prophet that Moses had said the LORD would send. All these streams are pointing to the office of the seed that is perfectly reflected by the man Jesus Christ. No wonder the Pharisees could not tell the right identity of the seed. Who would blame them? Was Jesus the King, the Priest, the Lamb, the Servant, the Prophet…? No man is ever this complex! Well, he is not a man.
It should be interesting that the people are more righteous than the leaders at the house of the LORD. Isn’t this preaching to us in positions of leadership in our fellowships?
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