Save the drama for your mama.
This was an action packed little reading. Being a lover of drama, it was really hard to stop at 5. And, if I am to be perfectly honest I will probably read tonight to find out what happens to the Ark.
Its like a whole new Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I love, love, love!
Getting ahead of myself, we begin with the lush Hannah, jk, jk, she's not a lush she just looks like one. She's having problems with her sister-wife and with not getting preggers. So she goes to church to pray. As she sits silently praying, moving her lips but making no noise (as people tend to do) Crazy Eli the priest assumes she's drunk and tells her that it may be time to push away from the bottle.
So yeah, that was odd to me and very random. I can't really get a handle on what that's suppose to mean, if anything.
Hannah makes a vow to the Lord that if He gives her a son, his life will be dedicated to the Lord, like Samson he will be a Nazirite from birth.
It comes to pass.
But, unlike Samson, Hannah does not raise her son. Once he is weaned he is given to Eli and his two crazy son's to raise. I think this is a little strange. Why was she so desperate to have a child to keep it maybe 3 yrs and then give it away? Especially seeing as how Eli hasn't done such a bang up job with his boys.
These two are nothing BUT trouble. For one thing they steal from the offerings, we learn this in a rather grotesque story about fleshhooks. Really just typing the word made me a bit queasy. I know it's animal flesh, but the word flesh to me just conjures up visions of dead, boiled, human bodies.
Sorry. Lost me head for a wee bit. (and apparently turned Scottish as well?)
The Lord speaks to Eli and is like, you besss get those boys in line. They are stealing from ME?! Bad, bad things will happen to them as well as yo own self, if this is not stopped ASAP.
Here I think we get a peek at how the church can be so corrupted by the people whom others put their trust in. I feel like sometimes the power is too much, like it overtakes the person. Does Eli not believe God? Does Eli think that the fact his boys are totally laughing in the face of God is something He will over look because he is a man of God?
Are people really that naive?
Really?
Sam is growing up to be everything we hoped he would be, even in a house full of fools. Now here we get one of THE funniest scenes I have yet to picture in my head.
Its bedtime and Eli is asleep in one room and Sam in another. Sam hears someone call his name "Samuel" and he run into Eli's room and says "Here I am"
Eli: "what are you talking about? I didn't call you!"
God: "Samuel"
Samuel: running into Eli's room "Here I am"
Eli: "what are you talking about? I didn't call you!"
God "Samuel"
Samuel running into Eli's room "Here I am"
Eli: "what are you.......wait!.........Are you drunk!" Just kidding, he realizes that it MUST be God calling him and he tells Sam to listen closely next time and speak to God.
I find it strange that Eli sees Hannah silently praying and takes her for drunk and Sam hears voices and his first thought is "God is speaking to him"?!
God tells Sam that its the end of the road for Eli and the boys. Sam shares his news and I don't feel like Eli was surprised by it.
Its battle time and the crazy Israelites feel like its a good idea to bring the ark out so that they will have extra-strength power to beat the Philistines. Not such a good idea, as it get captured.
Yep.......that's what I thought too! How could IT be captured. I guess I just sorta felt like if a bad guy touched it he would burst into flames or something? His hand would fall off, his eyes would fall out, blood would run from every pore in his body? Something. But I was wrong.
They do get boils and all that stuff and they are like, Let's get rid of THIS THING! So they move it to another city and all those people start feeling puss-y. Thet want to totally GIVE IT BACK. I kinda feel like the Israelites should make them keep it a while longer?
Thats where we end..........
1 comment:
I don't really have much to say here, so I will just answer your questions the best I can.
I don't think there's anything in the 'Eli thinks Hannah's hammered' arena.
I think back then it was just a big deal to have a child, a legacy. And it's really like boarding school for Jews. They did get to go see him once a year. When they get to be teens, don't we all want to send them to boarding school? Lest they sneak our hard drank. The Lord was faithful in keeping His word to her, and she, wisely, did the same.
That's funny, I think the same thing about the word flesh.
I don't know why Eli wouldn't have tried to reign them in more. I know in the end of today's reading it says he was fat. Maybe he was being bad and stealing extra food, too.
I think God has a tremendous sense of humor. I mean, just people watch sometime, and you'll know what I mean. So, I can totally see Him laughing at Samuel when He's calling him, and Samuel keeps running in and waking up Eli. You know, like, 'pssssst, Sam-uel.'
I've always thought the same thing, too, about the Ark getting captured. Remember back a couple books ago, when the Ark almost fell of its wagon, and one of the Israelites grabbed it to keep it from falling and he was struck dead? I don't understand why those dirty Philistines were allowed to put their grubby hands on it. I guess God allowed it to deal with them in a more creative way. He was able to smite more of them by allowing them to take it back with them, I guess.
Tomorrow (or tonight if you're getting a head of yourself) is 1 Sam. 6-11. I'm very excited, we're gonna really start mixing up the books in a few days to maintain the chronological happenings.
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