Christ in 1 Samuel: Son of God

The book of 1 Samuel is one that is very near and dear to me, because it begins with the story of Hannah and the birth of her son, Samuel.  If you have read my book, you will know that Hannah was an example to me when I wondered if I would ever have a child.  Just as God heard Hannah’s prayer, He also heard mine and gave me my son, Jason.

But Samuel was not given only to Hannah.  He was given to all of us as a picture, a foreshadowing, of Christ:

• Samuel’s birth was a miracle.  Hannah was old, and she was barren.
  "Elkanah had two wives, one named Hannah and the other named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah didn’t.” (1 Samuel 1:2, Common English Bible)
  Mary was young, and she was a virgin.
  “When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said, ‘Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!’ She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.’ (Luke 1:26-31, Common English Bible)
• The people ridiculed Hannah because she had no children.
  "And because the Lord had kept Hannah from conceiving, her rival would make fun of her mercilessly, just to bother her. So that is what took place year after year. Whenever Hannah went to the Lord’s house, Peninnah would make fun of her.” (1 Samuel 1:6-7, Common English Bible)
  Although the Bible does not say so, I would imagine that Mary was ridiculed because she became pregnant before she and Joseph were married.
• Hannah’s husband loved her, even though she was barren.
  "And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.  But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb.” (1 Samuel 1:4-5)
  Joseph loved Mary so much that he went ahead with the planned marriage, even though he could have publicly divorced her (Engagement was almost as binding as marriage, and infidelity during betrothal made divorce almost obligatory*), but that would have brought disgrace to Mary.
  “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’” (Matthew 1:18-21, Common English Bible) 
•  Hannah gave birth to a son and called him Samuel, which means “Son of God.” “So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked for him from the Lord.’” (1 Samuel 1:20, New King James Version)
  Mary gave birth to a son who was and is the Son of God.
  “And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:34-35, English Standard Version) 
• Hannah dedicated her son to God, and once he was weaned she took him to the temple and left him there with the priest, Eli, to be raised and trained to serve God.
  “When he had been weaned and was still very young, Hannah … brought him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh. ‘I prayed for this boy, and the Lord gave me what I asked from him. So now I give this boy back to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.’” (1 Samuel 1:24, 27-28, Common English Bible)
  Mary dedicated her son to God and named him Jesus, which means “Yahweh [The Lord] is Salvation.”  And Jesus spent his entire life in obedience to and serving God, The Father.
  “When the time came for their ritual cleansing, in accordance with the Law from Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (It’s written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord.’) (Luke 2:22-23, Common English Bible)
  “The child grew up and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.” (Luke 2:40, Common English Bible) 
• Both Hannah and Mary sang to God after the births of their sons.  Their songs were very similar in that they both praised God for His strength, His justice, and His eventual salvation of all the earth.
  “For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; from heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.” (1 Samuel 8b-10, New King James Version)
  “With all my heart I glorify the Lord! In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior. He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant. Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored because the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name. He shows mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors him as God. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations. He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed. He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, just as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.” (Luke 1:46-55, Common English Bible) 
•  Samuel was a man of prayer.  He listened for God’s voice.
  “Then the Lord came and stood there, calling just as before, ‘Samuel, Samuel!’ Samuel said, ‘Speak. Your servant is listening.’” (1 Samuel 3:10, Common English Bible)
  Jesus was a man of prayer.  He taught us how to pray, and He listened to the voice of His Father.
  “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to the disciples, ‘Stay here while I go and pray over there.’  Then he went a short distance farther and fell on his face and prayed, ‘My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup of suffering away from me. However—not what I want but what you want.’” (Matthew 26:36, 39, Common English Bible) 
•  Samuel became an obedient prophet of God.  A prophet of God is someone who reveals God, speaks for God, and communicates to people the truths that God wants them to know. **
  “And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Jehovah.” (1 Samuel 3:20, American Standard Version)
  Jesus was also called Emmanuel, which means “God With Us,” so He most definitely revealed God to us.  He spoke with the authority of God because he was and is God.  And He explained to the people of His day the truths that God wanted them and us to know, revealing to us how the old law that was given to Moses was pointing to Him and the salvation that only He could provide.  The Prophet, Jesus, was obedient, even to death.
  “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. (John 12:49, New American Standard Bible) 
•  Samuel was the last judge of Israel.  The age of the judges ended when the people insisted on having a king like all the other nations.  Jesus will be our final judge, and He will reign in eternity in heaven as King of Kings.
  “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:16, English Standard Version) 

These are but a few of the ways that Jesus is foreshadowed in 1 Samuel.  As a matter of fact, all the similarities that I have listed here are found in the first 8 chapters of this book of history.  The next 16 chapters tell us about the reign of King Saul, and the final six chapters tell us about the end of Saul's life.  I hope you will take the time this week to read the entire book of 1 Samuel.  Look for other ways that we are given glimpses of Christ in this book (hints - Jonathan is a friend who sticks closer than a brother; Bethlehem is the birthplace of King David; David is the Shepherd King).

My prayer this week is taken from Hannah’s song, 1 Samuel 2:1-2 (New King James Version).  I hope you will join me in this prayer of praise to God:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
My horn [strength] is exalted in the Lord.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock [safety/security] like our God.”

* Ligonier Ministries
**Definition of a prophet of God, courtesy of Matt Slick, http://carm.org/prophet-priest-king