Author: Administrador

The opening chapters of 1 Samuel provide background for the institution of Israel’s monarchy. After a narrative on the Hannah’s unlikely pregnancy (1 Samuel 1) and her accompanying prayer (1 Samuel 2), 1 Samuel 3 describes the call narrative for the Israelite leader. The story is familiar to many of us. Eli is aged, both … Continue reading “1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20] Commentary by Roger Nam”

At first glance this text about Samuel’s early years seems not to provide many resources for preaching and teaching. But it has been chosen for the lectionary because of its parallels with the gospel text for the day regarding Jesus’ boyhood (Luke 2:41-52). It should also be noted that the Song of Hannah in 1 … Continue reading “1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Commentary by Terence E. Fretheim”

The Christmas season is easily equated with children. Children abound — from the surprising and unsettling birth of God-as-child in a manger to this childhood story of Samuel. Hannah, a barren, older woman prays in the temple for a child. Eli hears her, thinking first that she may be drunk, then realizing that she is … Continue reading “1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Commentary by Dirk G. Lange”

Christmas has come to be widely associated with gift-giving. For Christians it is, or should be, because Christmas marks the celebration of God’s gift of salvation to all humanity. But the reality is that the practice of exchanging of gifts has become highly commercialized. Many persons deliberately take on excessive debt in the interest of … Continue reading “1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Commentary by Gennifer Benjamin Brooks”

A mother’s prayer results in an unlikely beginning to kingship. The monarchy of Israel begins with a narrative of despair and humility. Hannah, from Ephraimite country, is a childless wife, thereby making her one of the more excluded figures of ancient Israel. Unlike today, when the average child costs about $227,000 to raise, in a … Continue reading “1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20; 2:1-10 Commentary by Roger Nam”

The title for this narrative lectionary is apt: from a place of deep sadness Hannah prays to God, vowing that if God will give her a son, she will dedicate that son to God. And God answers! She has her son, Samuel, whose name commemorates her request. Obviously, this is not always the case: there … Continue reading “1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20; 2:1-10 Commentary by Sara Koenig”

The first chapter of 1 Samuel presents itself as a watershed moment in the history of Israel. It draws upon memories from Judges that define Israel in a state of crisis. The rising strength of the Philistines has created a significant external threat. Even deeper threats come from a series of internal collapses. The diffuse … Continue reading “1 Samuel 1:4-20 Commentary by Ted A. Smith”

Hannah: The woman who gives voice to suffering When we think about the individuals in the biblical text who suffer, Jesus would likely top the list.  From the Garden of Gethsemane where an agitated Jesus tells his disciples, “I am deeply grieved, even to death…”(Matthew 26:38), to his haunting words on the cross, “My God, … Continue reading “1 Samuel 1:4-20 Commentary by Karla Suomala”

The reader who wants to understand Hannah’s story must understand not only the intricacies of her story, but the context in which her story appears as well. Although separated in most Bibles,1 1 and 2 Samuel form a single book that depicts the difficulty involved in Israel’s transition from a loose system of judges to … Continue reading “1 Samuel 1:4-20 Commentary by Alphonetta Wines”

After taking up Ruth 1:1-18 in the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, the lectionary now skips to 3:1-5 and 4:13-17. Much has taken place in the pages of Ruth during this one week of liturgical time. First, Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem, just in time for the barley harvest (1:19-22). In chapter two, we learn … Continue reading “Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 Commentary by Brent A. Strawn”