Commentary - 1 Samuel 2:18-21

Bird's-eye view

In this brief and beautiful passage, the Spirit of God gives us a picture of simple, covenantal faithfulness standing in stark contrast to the institutional corruption festering all around it. The house of Eli is rotting from the head down, with his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, treating the sacrifices of the Lord with contempt. But here, in the midst of the decay, is a green shoot of righteousness. Young Samuel, a child given to God in faith, is ministering before Yahweh. This section is a portrait of piety in miniature. We see the faithfulness of the child, the faithfulness of his mother, the blessing of the priest (despite his own failures), and the super-abounding faithfulness of God in response. It is a quiet scene, but it is the hinge on which the history of Israel is about to turn. God is preparing His man, and He is doing it through the ordinary, godly rhythms of a faithful family keeping their promises, even when the official ministry is in shambles. This passage teaches us that God's work is not ultimately dependent on the strength of institutions, but on the simple faith of His people, and that He delights to bless such faith beyond all measure.

The central theme is the principle of godly seed. Hannah lent her firstborn to the Lord, and the Lord in turn gives her five more children. God is no man's debtor. This is a living illustration of the principle that whoever loses his life for Christ's sake will find it. Elkanah and Hannah gave up their most precious possession, and God opened the windows of heaven. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grows, not just physically, but "before Yahweh," in the place of worship, setting a trajectory that will define the rest of his life and the future of the nation.

Outline

Context In 1 Samuel

This passage is strategically placed. It immediately follows the description of the vile behavior of Eli's sons (1 Sam 2:12-17) and precedes Eli's weak confrontation with them and the prophecy of doom against his house (1 Sam 2:22-36). The narrator is setting up a great contrast. On the one hand, you have the duly appointed priests, Hophni and Phinehas, who are "sons of Belial" and do not know the Lord. They abuse their office for personal gain and defile the worship of God. On the other hand, you have this boy, Samuel, not even from the priestly line of Aaron in the strictest sense, who is ministering faithfully before the Lord. The light of Samuel's simple piety shines all the brighter against the dark backdrop of the corruption of the priesthood. This is the "tale of two houses" that defines the first section of 1 Samuel: the house of Eli, which is falling under God's judgment, and the house of Elkanah (through Samuel), which is rising under God's blessing. This small paragraph is the quiet center of that great transition, showing us where God's favor truly lies.

Key Issues

Faithfulness in the Ruins

One of the most pressing questions for a believer is what to do when the visible church is manifestly corrupt. The situation at Shiloh was dire. The priests were rapacious thugs, using their office to bully worshippers and steal the best parts of the sacrifices. They were treating the things of God like a racket. And yet, here we have Elkanah and Hannah, faithfully making their annual pilgrimage to this very place. Not only do they come, but they have left their miracle son, their only son, to be raised in this environment, under the authority of the feckless Eli.

This is not a call to indifference about corruption. A prophet is about to pronounce total judgment on the house of Eli. But it is a potent reminder that our personal faithfulness is not contingent on the perfection of the institutions we are a part of. Elkanah and Hannah had made a vow to God, and they were going to keep it. They entrusted their son not to Eli, ultimately, but to Yahweh. And in the middle of this compromised, decaying institution, God was pleased to receive their worship and to nurture their son. God's grace is not thwarted by man's sin. He can raise up prophets in the most unlikely of places. Our duty is to do what we have promised, to worship where God has appointed, and to trust Him to sort out the wheat from the chaff, which He is always doing.

Verse by Verse Commentary

18 Now Samuel was ministering before Yahweh, as a young boy girded with a linen ephod.

The contrast with what has come before is immediate and sharp. Hophni and Phinehas were abusing their ministry, but Samuel "was ministering before Yahweh." The phrase "before Yahweh" is crucial. It means he was serving in the tabernacle at Shiloh, in the very presence of God. And he is doing this as a na'ar, a young boy. This is covenant succession in action. Children of believers are not to be cordoned off from the central realities of worship; they are to be brought right into the middle of it. Samuel is not in a nursery; he is ministering. He is learning the ropes of service from the earliest age. The linen ephod is significant. While the high priest had a unique, ornate ephod, simpler linen ephods were worn by other priests and even by those, like David, who were engaged in a priestly action. It was a garment of service. By putting this on the boy, they were marking him out as one set apart for the Lord's work. He was a little priest in training, a picture of consecrated youth.

19 And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

This is one of the most tender verses in the Old Testament. Hannah's vow was not a one-and-done affair. She didn't just drop the boy off and forget about him. Her faithfulness continued, expressed in this simple, maternal act. Every year, she would make him a "little robe." This robe was likely a garment worn over the ephod, appropriate for someone serving in the tabernacle. But the act itself is what matters. It was a tangible expression of her love, her continued dedication of him, and her support for his ministry. Each year, as the boy grew, the robe would need to be bigger. This annual gift was a marker of his growth and her persistent, prayerful care. This is a model for all Christian parents. We bring our children to God, and then we continue to support and provide for them, equipping them for the service they are called to. Faithfulness is found in these small, repeated, annual acts of love.

20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Yahweh establish for you a seed from this woman in place of the one she dedicated to Yahweh.” And they went to their own home.

Here we see Eli in a better light. For all his faults as a father, he is still the high priest, and in that office, he pronounces a blessing. And it is a true, prophetic blessing. He recognizes what Elkanah and Hannah have done. They have "dedicated" or literally "lent" their son to Yahweh. Eli prays that God would repay this loan. He asks Yahweh to "establish for you a seed," which means to grant them offspring. This is not just a polite wish for more babies. It is a prayer for the establishment of their family line in return for their sacrifice. They gave up their firstborn, the one who would carry on the name, and Eli prays that God would more than make up the difference. This is the logic of the kingdom. You give, and it shall be given to you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Eli, the failing priest, is still used by God to speak a word of truth and blessing over the faithful.

21 Yahweh indeed visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the young boy Samuel grew before Yahweh.

And God answers. The text is emphatic: "Yahweh indeed visited Hannah." The word "visited" here means to intervene graciously, to show favor. God remembered her, just as she had prayed He would in the beginning. The result of this divine visitation was astounding fruitfulness. The once-barren woman now has five more children. She gave one son to God, and God gave her five in return. God is not stingy. He loves to reward faith, and He does so extravagantly. The blessing is a direct fulfillment of her own prophetic song earlier in the chapter, where she celebrated the God who raises the poor from the dust and gives the barren woman a home full of children. And as the family of Elkanah and Hannah is growing at home, the lent son is also growing at the tabernacle. The final clause brings us back to where we started: "And the young boy Samuel grew before Yahweh." His growth was not just physical; it was spiritual. He was growing up in the courts of the Lord, in the place of worship, under the eye of God. While the house of Eli was collapsing into sin and judgment, this young boy was steadily growing in grace and favor, being prepared by God for his great work.

Application

This passage is a profound encouragement to ordinary, covenantal faithfulness, especially in times of institutional decline. We live in an era where many are tempted to despair over the state of the church. We see corruption, compromise, and foolishness, and we are tempted to withdraw. But Elkanah and Hannah show us a better way. They kept their vows. They continued to show up. They did their simple, godly duty, year by year.

Parents should take great encouragement here. The work of raising children for God is often a quiet, unseen work. It is the work of making little robes, year after year. It is the steady, faithful instruction and provision. It is bringing them into the presence of God, teaching them to minister in their own small ways. We are to dedicate our children to the Lord, not just in a formal ceremony, but in the ongoing, practical business of life. And we must trust that God will honor this. He is the one who "visits" and gives the growth.

Finally, we see the glorious mathematics of the kingdom. Hannah gave her one and only, and God returned him to her spiritually, and then added five more children on top. When we give our best to God, whether that is our children, our money, our time, or our talents, we are not losing anything. We are planting a seed that God will cause to grow into a harvest we could never have produced on our own. He is no man's debtor, and those who honor Him, He will honor. The path to fruitfulness is the path of sacrifice. The way to get is to give. This is the foolish wisdom of the cross, and it is the secret to a life that, like Samuel's, grows ever stronger before the Lord.