Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power known. Psalm 106:8

1 Samuel 3-4

1 Samuel 3

The Lord Calls Samuel

¹ The child Samuel ministered to the Lord in the presence of Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days. There were not many visions then.

² At that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow weak, so that he could not see), ³ and the Lord’s lamp had not yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down in the Lord’s temple where the ark of the Lord was, ⁴ the Lord called Samuel. He said, “Here I am.”

⁵ He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”
He said, “I didn’t call. Go back to bed.”
He went and lay down. ⁶ The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!”
Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”

He answered, “I didn’t call, my son. Go back to bed.”

⁷ Now Samuel didn’t yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.

⁸ The Lord called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”

Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

The Lord’s Jugdment against Eli

¹⁰ The Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹ The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am going to do something in Israel at which both the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even to the end. ¹³ For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he didn’t restrain them. ¹⁴ Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be removed with sacrifice or offering forever.”

Samuel Shares his Vision

¹⁵ Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the Lord’s house. Samuel was afraid to show Eli the vision. ¹⁶ Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!”
He said, “Here I am.”

¹⁷ He said, “What is it that he has spoken to you? Please do not hide it from me. The Lord do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to you.”

¹⁸ Samuel told him every bit and hid nothing from him.
He said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”

¹⁹ Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. ²⁰ All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of God. ²¹ The Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

1 Samuel 4

The Philistines Capture the Ark

¹ The word of Samuel came to all Israel.

Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle and encamped beside Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. ² The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. ³ When the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has God defeated us today before the Philistines? Let’s get the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant out of Shiloh and bring it to us, that it may come among us and save us out of the hand of our enemies.”

⁴ So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Hosts, who sits above the cherubim, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.

⁵ When the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded. ⁶ When the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does the noise of this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” They understood that the Ark of the Lord had come into the camp. ⁷ The Philistines were afraid, for they said, “The Lord has come into the camp.” They said, “Woe to us! For there has not been such a thing before. ⁸ Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. ⁹ Be strong and behave like men, O you Philistines, that you not be servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Strengthen yourselves like men, and fight!”

¹⁰ The Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, for 30,000 footmen of Israel fell. ¹¹ The Ark of the Lord was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

The Death of Eli

¹² A man of Benjamin ran out of the army and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. ¹³ When he came, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the Ark of the Lord. When the man came into the city and told about it, all the city cried out ¹⁴ When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, “What does the noise of this tumult mean?”

The man hurried and came and told Eli. ¹⁵ Now Eli was 98 years old. His eyes were set, so that he could not see. ¹⁶ The man said to Eli, “I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army.”
He said, “How did the matter go, my son?”

¹⁷ He who brought the news answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the Ark of the Lord has been captured.”

¹⁸ When he made mention of the Ark of the Lord, Eli fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had judged Israel for 40 years.

¹⁹ His daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to giving birth. When she heard the news that the Ark of the Lord was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her pains came on her. ²⁰ About the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she didn’t answer, nor did she regard it. ²¹ She named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the Ark of the Lord was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband. ²² She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of the Lord has been taken.

John 5:24-47

²⁴ “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. ²⁵ Most certainly I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man. ²⁸ Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, ²⁹ and will come out, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. ³⁰ I can, of myself, do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.”

Testimonies about Jesus

³¹ “If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid. ³² It is another who testifies about me. I know that the testimony which he testifies about me is true.

³³ You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴ But the testimony which I receive is not from man. However, I say these things that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

³⁶ But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John, for the works which the Father gave me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me, that the Father has sent me.

³⁷ The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form. ³⁸ You do not have his word living in you, because you do not believe him whom he sent.”

Witness of the Scripture

³⁹ “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and these are the ones which testify about me. ⁴⁰ Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life. ⁴¹ I do not receive glory from men. ⁴² But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. ⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.

⁴⁶ If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Psalm 106:1-12

Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good

¹ Praise to the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his loving kindness endures forever.
² Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord,
or fully declare all his praise?
³ Blessed are those who uphold justice.
Blessed is one who does what is right at all times.
⁴ Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that you show to your people.
Visit me with your salvation,
⁵ that I may see the prosperity of your chosen,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that I may glory with your inheritance.

⁶ We have sinned with our fathers.
We have committed iniquity.
We have done wickedly.
⁷ Our fathers did not understand your wonders in Egypt.
They did not remember the multitude of your loving kindnesses,
but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
⁸ Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake,
that he might make his mighty power known.

⁹ He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up;
so he led them through the depths, as through a desert.
¹⁰ He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
¹¹ The waters covered their adversaries.
There was not one of them left.
¹² Then they believed his words.
They sang his praise.

Proverbs 14:30-31

³⁰ The life of the body is a heart at peace,
but envy rots the bones.
³¹ He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for his Maker,
but he who is kind to the needy honors him.

«       »