Chapter 1
Key themes:
- Elkanah, an Epharimite, has two wives: Hannah and Penninah. Penninah has children, but Hannah doesn’t.
- Through persistent prayer and faith in the Lord, Hannah is able to conceive. The child is named Samuel.
Although Elkanah was Ephraimite by residence, he was a Levite by blood.
Chapter 2
Key themes:
- Hannah’s prayer. Starts similar to the Magnificat. Also remembers the Sermon on the mountain. It brings themes of contrast and how the Lord helps those in need and punishes the wicked.
- Eli, the priest, had two very corrupt sons. Prophecy of God of downfall of his house because of it.
- Samuel started to minister under Eli.
Chapter 3
Key themes:
- The Lord reveals to Samuel that He will punish Eli’s house for their sons’ blasphemy and the refusal of Eli of restraining them. Eli accepts God’s will.
Moral sense:
- We need to put ourselves close to the Lord to be able to hear His voice, just Samuel heard the Lord when he was sleeping within the temple.
Chapter 4
Key themes:
- Israel fights with the Philistines. After losing a battle, they bring out the Ark of the Covenant with them. But still, they lost, and the Ark was captured.
- The sons of Eli are slain in the battle. Eli died when he heard of the news.
Moral sense:
- Do not use God just as a tool to get whatever temporal goods you want. Truly holy objects and God Himself can become idols in our hearts.
- The Philistines showed more reverence and feared the Lord more than the Israelites.
Chapter 5
Key themes:
- The Philistines put the Ark in the House of Dagon - Dagon being an idol and the House some sort of temple. Every morning, while the Ark stayed there, Dagon appeared on the ground, broken.
- The people of the city were inflicted with tumors wherever the Ark was, so the Philistines decided (or just thought about it?) to return the Ark.