Pre-Nicene: 1 Samuel

1 CHAPTER 1 SAMUEL Omniscient - You know everything. You know who Samuel was and who Eli was. You know what this account is about. You know Hannah’s heart. You know why she did what she did. You know how to teach me. You know my heart and my mind. You know Your Word. You are all-knowing. Omnipotent - You can do anything. You have Hannah make her vow. You open her womb to conceive Samuel. You know Samuel before he is conceived. You made Samuel a Nazrite. You can make me understand if You just wanted too. You are all powerful. Omnipresent - You are everywhere. You are from Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of Ephraim. You are in Shiloh and on the seat by the door post of the temple of You. You are in Ramah. You are in Your Word. You are here with me. You are in my heart and in my mind. You are all-present. Eternal - You are the cause of time. You are when and then and now. You are yearly and the day. You are year after year and all the days of Samuel’s life. You are until the child is weaned. You are today. You are time. Immutable - You do not change. It happened year after year, as often as Hannah went up to the house of You, Peninhah would provoke her, so she wept and would not eat. Eli thought Hannah was drunk. Hannah went her way and ate and her face was no longer sad. Hannah remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. Hannah had dedicated Samuel to You; as long as he lives he is dedicated to You. You will never be made to change. Self-Existence - You exist by Yourself. You make up Elkanah’s and Peninnah’s and Hannah’s existence. You make up Eli’s existence and Samuel’s existence. You make up my existence. You make up Your Word’s existence. You will exist even when Your creation does not. Self - Sufficient- You do no need any of Your creation to do Your will or Your purpose. You choose to use Elkanah, Peninnah, Hannah, Eli, Samuel, Your Word and me because it is Your good pleasure not Your need that governs that choice. Infinite - There are no limits or bounds to Your person or dominion. Now it came about as Hannah continued praying before You that Eli was watching her mouth and it came about in due time after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son and she named him Samuel, saying “Because I have asked him of the LORD.” You do whatever You want to whoever You want and whenever You want. You are limitless. Transcendent - You are a part of Your creation. You teach me about Yourself. You teach me about Hannah. She has a family and makes a vow to You. Eli hears her prayer and speaks to her about the vow she has made. Samuel is born and when he is weaned she fulfills her vow to You as she had said. What are You teaching me? What does this teach me about You? Your Character? Your Nature? Your Power? What are Your thoughts and feelings? What am I supposed to learn? How does this relate to me? What am I supposed to do? How does this change my life? You are teaching me about Yourself and Your heavenly throne. Sovereign - You close Hannah’s womb. You make Peninnah Hannah’s rival, to provoke Hannah bitterly to irritate her. You make Hannah greatly distressed to pray to You and weep bitterly. You have Eli hear Hannah’s prayer to You. You hear Hannah and remember her. You have Hannah conceive Samuel and dedicate him to You. You are in complete control and You are doing Your foreknown plan! Holy - You are a morally excellent, perfect being. You separate Elkanah for Your purpose and Peninnah for Your purpose and Hannah for Your purpose. You separate Samuel for Your purpose. You separate me by Your truth through Your Son for Your purpose. Gracious - You show Hannah Your favor by remembering her when she conceived Samuel and by giving her time to wean him. Merciful - You show Your compassion on Hannah by letting her nurse her son until she weaned him. That is the best. Longsuffering - You do not consider Hannah Your maidservant as a worthless woman; for she had spoken until now out of her great concern and provocation. You are patient with Your people and slow to anger. Wise - They slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli. Your wisdom is greater than my wisdom. Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. Truthful - You always speak the truth. Hannah made a vow and said to You that if You would indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember her and not forget Your maidservant but will give Your maidservant a son. Then she will give him to You all the days of his life and a razor shall never come on his head. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his wife and You remembered her. Your Word is reality. Faithful - Now it comes about as Hannah continued praying before You that Eli was watching her mouth. As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. Faith is not just knowing that You can do what You say, but also that You will do what You say. Wrathful - Eli thought that Hannah was drunk. He said to her about how long will she make herself drunk and put away her wine from her. You destroy all unrighteousness. Jealous - For this boy Hannah prayed and You and given her her petition which she asked of You. So she had also dedicated him to You. As long as he lives he is dedicated to You. You will not share Your people who are rightly and morally Yours with any other person.