Episode Details

Are your words building up or tearing down?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

We are in a new series on 1 Samuel, and we are currently in chapter one. The theme of chapter one is the six people who influenced Samuel's life: So far, we have identified Elkanah, Peninnah, Hannah, and today Eli, Israel's judge and priest.

I am going to read verses 9-17, which pick up on this interaction between Hannah and Eli.

After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head."

As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, "How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you." But Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation." Then Eli answered, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him." — 1 Samuel 1:9-17

Eli is an interesting character in Samuel's story. I really don't want to give too much away yet because you are going to get more to his story in the next four chapters, concluding with his tragic death, resulting from a fall from his chair. So, I want to hold off on giving you too much detail.

But in this immediate text, we do catch a glimpse of Eli's character. We see that he is quick to make a judgment about a very humble and reverent woman. Who knows exactly why he does this, but he does, and I think this is a little interesting because he is supposed to be a judge. Most theologians consider him to be one of the final judges of Israel. Below is a sequential list of the judges of Israel if you want to see them:

1. Othniel - 40 years (Judges 3:7-11)
2. Ehud - 80 years (Judges 3:12-30)
3. Shamgar - Time unspecified (Judges 3:31)
4. Deborah and Barak - 40 years (Judges 4:1-5:31)
5. Gideon - 40 years (Judges 6:1-8:35)
6. Abimelech - 3 years (Judges 9:22)
7. Tola - 23 years (Judges 10:1-2)
8. Jair - 22 years (Judges 10:3-5)
9. Jephthah - 6 years (