In a break from 1 Samuel, I have been up early today thinking about 1 Thessalonians 4 ahead of the funeral service today for our sister in Christ, Joy Warren. Here are some of my preliminary thoughts.

1 Thessalonans 4:13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout,[e] with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage[f] one another with these words.

In the midst of Hannah's praise to God over the birth of her son Samuel, there's a remarkable line.

She prays that he would give power to his King. But right then, in the time of the Judges, there was no king in Israel, and Israel had never had a king (other than God).

1 Samuel 2:10 He [the Lord] will give power to His king;

He will lift up the horn of His anointed.

Hannah prays to the Holy God. She prays, not seeing things how they appear, as we might ordinarily experience them. But rather she speaks of the possibilities that are, now that she knows that there is no one holy like the Lord.

Key issues are: The Lord knows, so stop your arrogance 2:3; The Lord turns things round 2:4-8 and The Lord will be victorious, specifically that he will guard the faithful 2:9a, 2:18-21

1 Samuel 2:2 There is no one holy like the Lord.
There is no one besides you!
And there is no rock like our God.
3 Do not boast so proudly,
or let arrogant words come out of your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and actions are weighed by him.
4 The bows of the warriors are broken,
but the feeble are clothed with strength.
5 Those who are full hire themselves out for food,
but those who are starving hunger no more.
The woman who is childless gives birth to seven,
but the woman with many sons pines away.
6 The Lord brings death and gives life;
he sends some down to Sheol, and he raises others up.
7 The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the trash heap.
He seats them with noblemen
and gives them a throne of honor.[a]
For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
he has set the world on them.
9 He guards the steps[b] of his faithful ones,
but the wicked perish in darkness,
for a person does not prevail by his own strength.
10 Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered;[c]
he will thunder in the heavens against them.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give power to his king;
he will lift up the horn of his anointed.[d]

11 Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the Lord in the presence of the priest Eli.

12 Eli’s sons were wicked men; they did not respect the Lord 13 or the priests’ share of the sacrifices from the people. When anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling 14 and plunge it into the container, kettle, cauldron, or cooking pot. The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. 15 Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won’t accept boiled meat from you—only raw.” 16 If that person said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself,” the servant would reply, “No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don’t, I’ll take it by force!” 17 So the servants’ sin was very severe in the presence of the Lord, because the men treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.

18 Samuel served in the Lord’s presence—this mere boy was dressed in the linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: “May the Lord give you children by this woman in place of the one she[e] has given to the Lord.” Then they would go home.

21 The Lord paid attention to Hannah’s need, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

Today our focus is on the implications of the death and resurrection of Christ on our sexuality and key question, what does sexuality look like in the new creation? Plus the single and sexuality.

In this second talk in our four talk series on 'Holy Sexuality' Dominic Steele takes us to the bible and explores big issues confronting each of us as we live in 21st century inner city Sydney.

We have been following the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1.  Hannah was childless and desperately wanted a child. She prayed to the Lord in desperation … and her prayer was answered.

And we saw that lovely line that God loves to answer the prayers of the afflicted. And that the Lord remembered Hannah.

However, I don’t think I want to say from 1 Samuel that if you are sad because you are woman who can’t have children, or generally sad because of other disappointments, that you should pray earnestly to the Lord, and you are guaranteed disappointment will turn to joy. 

I am sure there were other childless women in Israel at that time who prayed to the Lord for a child.

And it is reasonable to assume there were many who were still not given a child.

As John Woodhouse says we are told this story of Hannah, not because it is typical of every troubled person is Israel who prayed. But we are told this this story because it is unusual.

So why was her prayer granted? That's our topic today!

1 Samuel 1:24 When she had weaned him, she took him with her to Shiloh, as well as a three-year-old bull, half a bushel of flour, and a jar of wine. Though the boy was still young, she took him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli.

26 “Please, my lord,” she said, “as sure as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this boy, and since the Lord gave me what I asked Him for, 28 I now give the boy to the Lord. For as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.” Then he bowed in worship to the Lord there.

1Samuel 2:2 My heart rejoices in the Lord;

my horn is lifted up by the Lord.

My mouth boasts over my enemies,

because I rejoice in Your salvation.

There are two words that jump out at me in our study today, AFFLICTED and REMEMBERED.

God has had a pattern of looking at his servants' affliction.

In Exodus, God saw the affliction of the Israelites under Egypt.

And here Hannah in her prayer is saying 'God please do - what I know you love to do.'

She has a confidence in the character of God. A confidence in the way he has acted in the past.

And I just love the word ‘REMEMBERED’ there.

There was a flood on the earth, and the Lord Remembered Noah.

In the days of Moses, God remembered his covenant with Abraham. 

When God remembers his people it means action their behalf.

I found today's passage an enormous comfort in knowing God is hearing our prayers and acting on them as we cry out in our affliction.

1 Samuel 1:9 On one occasion, Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh. The priest Eli was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s temple. 10 Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears. 11 Making a vow, she pleaded, “Lord of Armies, if you will take notice of your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.”

12 While she continued praying in the Lord’s presence, Eli watched her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying silently, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to be drunk? Get rid of your wine!”

15 “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman with a broken heart. I haven’t had any wine or beer; I’ve been pouring out my heart before the Lord. 16 Don’t think of me as a wicked woman; I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.”

17 Eli responded, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the request you’ve made of him.”

18 “May your servant find favor with you,” she replied. Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent.

19 The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to worship before the Lord. Afterward, they returned home to Ramah. Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 After some time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, because she said, “I requested him from the Lord.”

Today we meet the priest at Shiloh and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas. They appear to be materially successful, but the sons particularly are wicked and corrupt. We see that the wicked will not ultimately prosper, but that God will bring them to justice.

And we take comfort from this that in our society where we might see the wicked apparently prosper, there will be a moment when God will bring justice.1 Samuel 1:3 This man (Elkinah] would go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord’s priests.

1 Samuel 1:9  He guards the steps of His faithful ones, 

but the wicked perish in darkness,

for a man does not prevail by his own strength.

10 Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered;

He will thunder in the heavens against them.

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

1 Samuel 2:12 Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord 2:13 or for the priests’ share of the sacrifices from the people. 

1 Samuel 2:22 Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 He said to them, “Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people. 24 No, my sons, the report I hear from the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him, but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the Lord intended to kill them. 26 By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.

27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Didn’t I reveal Myself to your ancestral house when it was in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh’s palace? 28 Out of all the tribes of Israel, I selected your house[u] to be priests, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave your house all the Israelite fire offerings. 29 Why, then, do all of you despise My sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship? You have honored your sons more than Me, by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of My people Israel.’

30 “Therefore, this is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Israel:

‘Although I said

your family and your ancestral house

would walk before Me forever,

the Lord now says, “No longer!”

I will honor those who honor Me,

but those who despise Me will be disgraced.

31 “‘Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestral family, so that none in your family will reach old age. 32 You will see distress in the place of worship, in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family will ever again reach old age. 33 Any man from your family I do not cut off from My altar will bring grief and sadness to you. All your descendants will die violently. 34 This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: both of them will die on the same day.

In six weeks time on Sundays we start a series at Village Church on the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel. 

So The next six weeks in Daily Bible Time we are going to orientate ourselves to that part of the Old Testament by reading sections of 1 Samuel together. 

In these books 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel.

We will read - of a love triangle - with tension between the women; a religious temple where the priests are gluttons and engage in sex orgies with the worshippers; there’s tensions and then all out war between neighbouring countries; there’s pressure for a new system of government; amazing displays of bravery and rash promises; there’s the story of a brutal vindictive ruler; and a power battle between the young challenger and the old incumbent; there’s love and deep friendship; a mass slaughter of priests; and there’s Quiji Boards and Occult.

It sounds like today. But it's 1000BC.

1 Samuel 1:1-7 (CSB)

1 There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim in[a] the hill country of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives, the first named Hannah and the second Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless. 3 This man would go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Armies at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord’s priests.

4 Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he always gave portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to each of her sons and daughters. 5 But he gave a double[b] portion to Hannah, for he loved her even though the Lord had kept her from conceiving. 6 Her rival would taunt her severely just to provoke her, because the Lord had kept Hannah from conceiving. 7 Year after year, when she went up to the Lord’s house, her rival taunted her in this way. Hannah would weep and would not eat. 8 “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband, Elkanah, would ask. “Why won’t you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

In this first talk of a series of four on 'Holy Sexuality' Dominic Steele takes us to the Bible and explores big issues confronting each of us as we live in 21st century inner city Sydney.

We look at the way God made things in the very beginning and then explore what went wrong.