
๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ–๐ฑ: ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น’๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐๐ผ๐ฑ’๐ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ด๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐
If you haven’t already, take time to read ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ–๐ฑ. These chapters mark significant turning points, including Samuel’s calling as a prophet, God’s judgment on Eli’s household, and the dramatic events surrounding the ark of the covenant.
๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น’๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด: ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ต๐ณ๐๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ (๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐ฏ:๐ญ–๐ฎ๐ญ)
The chapter begins with an important observation: “๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ณ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ๐ด; ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ท๐ช๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ” (1st Samuel 3:1). This sets the tone for a time of spiritual drought in Israel.
God calls Samuel one night while he’s lying in the temple near the ark of the covenant. At first, Samuel mistakes God’s voice for Eli’s, but after being instructed by Eli, he responds, “๐๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ, ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ด” (1st Samuel 3:10).
Samuel’s readiness to listen and obey stands in stark contrast to Eli’s sons, who disregard God’s commands. From that moment, Samuel becomes a faithful prophet of the Lord, delivering God’s messages to Israel.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐:
• Are we ready to listen when God speaks, even if His message is challenging?
• How can we cultivate a heart like Samuel’s, eager to serve and obey God?
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐น๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐น๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ด๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: ๐๐น๐ถ’๐ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ (๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐ฐ:๐ญ–๐ฎ๐ฎ)
God had warned Eli of the consequences of his failure to discipline his sons, and in Chapter 4, those warnings come to pass. Israel faces the Philistines in battle, and in an attempt to secure victory, they bring the ark of the covenant into the camp, treating it as a good-luck charm rather than respecting its sacredness.
The Philistines defeat Israel, killing 30,000 men. Hophni and Phinehas die, and the ark is captured. When Eli hears the news—not just of his sons’ deaths but of the ark’s capture—he falls backward, breaks his neck, and dies.
This moment underscores the dangers of complacency and the consequences of dishonoring God.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐:
• Do we sometimes treat God’s presence or blessings as tools to serve our own agendas, rather than revering Him as holy?
• How can we guard against complacency in our spiritual lives?
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐?
Before we continue, let’s take a moment to understand the significance of the ark of the covenant.
The ark was a sacred chest made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, and topped with the mercy seat, where two cherubim faced each other. It was built during the time of Moses as instructed by God (Exodus 25:10–22).
Inside the ark were:
- The tablets of the Ten Commandments, representing God’s covenant with Israel.
- A jar of manna, a reminder of God’s provision in the wilderness.
- Aaron’s staff, which had budded as a sign of God’s chosen leadership.
The ark symbolized God’s presence with His people and was kept in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle. Its capture by the Philistines was not only a military loss but a spiritual crisis for Israel.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐: ๐๐ผ๐ฑ’๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ (๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐ฑ:๐ญ–๐ญ๐ฎ)
The Philistines, thinking they’ve triumphed over Israel’s God, place the ark in the temple of their god, Dagon. The next morning, they find Dagon’s statue face down before the ark. They set it up again, but the following day, Dagon’s head and hands are broken off.
God then afflicts the Philistines with plagues wherever the ark is taken. Realizing they can’t handle the power of Israel’s God, the Philistines prepare to return the ark, acknowledging God’s supremacy.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐:
• How does this story remind us of God’s unmatched power and sovereignty?
• Are there areas in our lives where we’ve underestimated or taken for granted God’s holiness?
๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ–๐ฑ
1. ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ’๐ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ: Samuel’s story teaches us the importance of being attentive and obedient to God’s calling, even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable.
2. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ’๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ: The Israelites treated the ark as a tool for their own purposes, leading to devastating consequences. We are reminded to honor God with reverence and humility.
3. ๐๐ผ๐ฑ’๐ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐๐: The Philistines’ defeat, even after capturing the ark, shows that God’s power is not confined by human hands or circumstances.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ
• Are you actively listening for God’s voice in your life, and how can you create space to hear Him?
• How do you approach God’s presence—with humility and reverence, or with casual familiarity?
• What steps can you take to ensure your life reflects trust in God’s power and sovereignty?
๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ
Next, we’ll continue with ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฒ–๐ณ, exploring the return of the ark and how Samuel leads Israel to repentance and victory.
Take time to reflect on the lessons from Chapters 3–5. Let’s keep pressing into God’s Word, seeking deeper understanding and application for our lives!