1Samuel 2:36 - Prayer Tents



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1Samuel 2
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2Hannah prayed: I'm bursting with God-news! I'm walking on air. I'm laughing at my rivals. I'm dancing my salvation.H2584H6419H559H3820H5970H3068H7161H7311H3068H6310H7337H341H8055H3444 2Nothing and no one is holy like GOD, no rock mountain like our God.H6918H3068H1115H6697H430 3Don't dare talk pretentiously— not a word of boasting, ever! For GOD knows what's going on. He takes the measure of everything that happens.H1696H7235H1364H1364H6277H3318H6310H3068H410H1844H5949H8505 4The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces, while the weak are infused with fresh strength.H7198H1368H2844H3782H247H2428 5The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts, while the hungry are getting second helpings. The barren woman has a houseful of children, while the mother of many is bereft.H7649H7936H3899H7457H2308H6135H3205H7651H7227H1121H535 6GOD brings death and GOD brings life, brings down to the grave and raises up.H3068H4191H2421H3381H7585H5927 7GOD brings poverty and GOD brings wealth; he lowers, he also lifts up.H3068H3423H6238H8213H637H7311 8He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, Restoring dignity and respect to their lives— a place in the sun! For the very structures of earth are GOD's; he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation.H6965H1800H6083H7311H34H830H3427H5081H5157H3678H3519H4690H776H3068H7896H8398 9He protectively cares for his faithful friends, step by step, but leaves the wicked to stumble in the dark. No one makes it in this life by sheer muscle!H8104H7272H2623H7563H1826H2822H3581H376H1396 10GOD's enemies will be blasted out of the sky, crashed in a heap and burned. GOD will set things right all over the earth, he'll give strength to his king, he'll set his anointed on top of the world!H7378H3068H2865H8064H7481H3068H1777H657H776H5414H5797H4428H7311H7161H4899 11Elkanah went home to Ramah. The boy stayed and served GOD in the company of Eli the priest.H511H3212H7414H1004H5288H1961H8334H3068H6440H5941H3548

Samuel Serves God

12Eli's own sons were a bad lot. They didn't know GOD and could not have cared lessH1121H5941H1121H1100H3045H3068 13about the customs of priests among the people. Ordinarily, when someone offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant was supposed to come up and, while the meat was boiling,H3548H4941H5971H376H2076H2077H3548H5288H935H1320H1310H4207H7969H8127H3027 14stab a three-pronged fork into the cooking pot. The priest then got whatever came up on the fork. But this is how Eli's sons treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices to GOD.H5221H3595H1731H7037H6517H4207H5927H3548H3947H6213H7887H3478H935 15Before they had even burned the fat to GOD, the priest's servant would interrupt whoever was sacrificing and say, "Hand over some of that meat for the priest to roast. He doesn't like boiled meat; he likes his rare."H6999H2459H3548H5288H935H559H376H2076H5414H1320H6740H3548H3947H1310H1320H2416 16If the man objected, "First let the fat be burned—God's portion!—then take all you want," the servant would demand, "No, I want it now. If you won't give it, I'll take it."H376H559H6999H6999H2459H3117H3947H5315H183H559H5414H3947H2394 17It was a horrible sin these young servants were committing—and right in the presence of GOD!—desecrating the holy offerings to GOD.H2403H5288H3966H1419H6440H3068H582H5006H4503H3068 18In the midst of all this, Samuel, a boy dressed in a priestly linen tunic, served GOD.H8050H8334H6440H3068H5288H2296H906H646 19Additionally, every year his mother would make him a little robe cut to his size and bring it to him when she and her husband came for the annual sacrifice.H517H6213H6996H4598H5927H3117H3117H5927H376H2076H3117H2077 20Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "GOD give you children to replace this child you have dedicated to GOD." Then they would go home.H5941H1288H511H802H559H3068H7760H2233H802H7596H7592H3068H1980H4725 21GOD was most especially kind to Hannah. She had three more sons and two daughters! The boy Samuel stayed at the sanctuary and grew up with GOD.H3588H3068H6485H2584H2029H3205H7969H1121H8147H1323H5288H8050H1431H5973H3068

A Hard Life with Many Tears

22By this time Eli was very old. He kept getting reports on how his sons were ripping off the people and sleeping with the women who helped out at the sanctuary.H5941H3966H2204H8085H1121H6213H3478H7901H802H6633H6607H168H4150 23Eli took them to task: "What's going on here? Why are you doing these things? I hear story after story of your corrupt and evil carrying on.H559H6213H1697H8085H7451H1697H5971 24Oh, my sons, this is not right! These are terrible reports I'm getting, stories spreading right and left among GOD's people!H1121H2896H8052H8085H3068H5971H5674 25If you sin against another person, there's help—God's help. But if you sin against GOD, who is around to help?" But they were far gone in disobedience and refused to listen to a thing their father said. So GOD, who was fed up with them, decreed their death.H376H2398H376H430H6419H376H2398H3068H6419H8085H6963H1H3068H2654H4191 26But the boy Samuel was very much alive, growing up, blessed by GOD and popular with the people.H5288H8050H1432H1980H2896H3068H582 27A holy man came to Eli and said: "This is GOD's message: I revealed myself openly to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt.H935H376H430H5941H559H559H3068H1540H1540H1004H1H4714H6547H1004 28Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your family to be my priests: to preside at the altar, to burn incense, to wear the priestly robes in my presence. I put your ancestral family in charge of all the sacrificial offerings of Israel.H977H7626H3478H3548H5927H4196H6999H7004H5375H646H6440H5414H1004H1H801H1121H3478 29So why do you now treat as mere loot these very sacrificial offerings that I commanded for my worship? Why do you treat your sons better than me, turning them loose to get fat on these offerings, and ignoring me?H1163H2077H4503H6680H4583H3513H1121H1254H7225H4503H3478H5971 30Therefore—this is GOD's word, the God of Israel speaking—I once said that you and your ancestral family would be my priests indefinitely, but now—GOD's word, remember!—there is no way this can continue. I honor those who honor me; those who scorn me I demean.H3068H430H3478H5002H559H559H1004H1004H1H1980H6440H5704H5769H3068H5002H2486H3513H3513H959H7043 31"Be well warned: It won't be long before I wipe out both your family and your future family. No one in your family will make it to old age!H3117H935H1438H2220H2220H1H1004H2205H1004 32You'll see good things that I'm doing in Israel, but you'll see it and weep, for no one in your family will live to enjoy it.H5027H6862H4583H3190H3478H2205H1004H3117 33I will leave one person to serve at my altar, but it will be a hard life, with many tears. Everyone else in your family will die before their time.H376H3772H4196H3615H5869H109H5315H4768H1004H4191H582 34What happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be the proof: Both will die the same day.H226H935H8147H1121H2652H6372H259H3117H4191H8147 35Then I'll establish for myself a true priest. He'll do what I want him to do, be what I want him to be. I'll make his position secure and he'll do his work freely in the service of my anointed one.H6965H539H3548H6213H3824H5315H1129H539H1004H1980H6440H4899H3117 36Survivors from your family will come to him begging for handouts, saying, 'Please, give me some priest work, just enough to put some food on the table.'"H3498H1004H935H7812H95H3701H3603H3899H559H5596H259H3550H398H6595H3899


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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