Community on Columbia

God wakes up Samuel and gives him a dire prophecy to deliver to Eli, describing the complete downfall of his house because of his negligence in restraining his sons’ corruption.

Notes on 1 Samuel 3:1-21

The sons of Eli are revealed as the poster boys for religious fraud, false piety, victimization and lust. Their self-seeking is contrasted with the young Samuel, who “ministers to the Lord.”

Notes on 1 Samuel 2:12-36

God answers Hannah’s prayer, and she responds with a prophetic offering of thanksgiving that echoes through the rest of the scriptures.

Notes on 1 Samuel 1:19 – 2:10

The Books of 1 & 2 Samuel focus on Samuel, both a priest and a prophet, and the rise of Saul and David. In the first chapter of 1 Samuel, Hannah is wracked by sorrow because she has no children and prays to God, vowing to dedicate her firstborn as a Nazarite.

Notes on 1 Samuel 1:1-18

In the last chapter of the Book of Judges, the Israelite tribes realize that their rash vow and war of extermination against the Benjamites will eliminate an entire tribe. Their solution only leads to further bloodshed.

Notes on Judges 21:1-25

The disharmony between the Levite and his wife (Judges 19) results in an atrocity that leads to a civil war between the tribes.

Notes on Judges 20:1-48