Question

Answer

Good question Rumbi. In the bible, the horn is typically a defensive weapon that represents power (it represents an animal's strength) and often a regal strength like that of a king. In the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (a great reference tool) it says this:

"In general, horn represents power or status in a social context. In Deuteronomy 33:17 Moses compares the tribes of Joseph to “a firstborn bull, [whose] horns are the horns of a wild ox” because Ephraim and Manasseh were large and powerful. Therefore, “lifting up the horn” of someone means bestowing power, joy, health and prestige (Ps 92:10; 1 Sam 2:1). Conversely, “cutting off the horn” is the removal of one’s power or influence (Ps 75:10; Jer 48:25). Since God is the source of strength to those who trust in him, David declares, “The LORD is … the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Ps 18:2 NIV par. 2 Sam 22:3). In Revelation 5:6 the lamb has seven horns-his kingly power is perfect."

The Got Questions website which often has some helpful insights addresses the Hannah context more directly. Her prayer is full of reversals and the horn is representative of hers:

"Hannah’s barrenness had caused her humiliation and shame, but God has delivered her from all that. Notice that Hannah’s rejoicing is in the Lord, not in Samuel; in other words, she praises the Giver as more important than the gift. “My horn is lifted up” is an expression that refers to the renewal of strength. Hannah declares that her strength, her worth, her dignity, and her rightful place as a fruitful wife have been restored. She has been delivered from her shame. Hannah acknowledges God’s greatness, uniqueness, steadfastness, and holiness."

See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Hannahs-prayer.html

1 Samuel 6–8

There's a lot going on in these chapters from the return of the Ark to the establishment of the monarchy. I think one of the key things to pick out here is what the significance of Israel wanting the monarchy signifies a rejection of God. What began as a good "putting away" of their idols in the return of the Ark is negated by their political idolatry of the kingship. This article on Ligonier is a helpful guide to seeing the "sin" in rejecting God as king:

This is the key quote from the article:

"But why was the Israelites’ demand for a king a sin? After all, Deuteronomy 17:14–20 told Israel that if they wanted a king, they could have a king, provided that they choose an Israelite for a ruler, that he not trust in his own might, and that he be careful to know and do the law. In other words, the Lord’s intent was for Israel to have a king, but not a king of the same kind that the pagan nations had. The people of Israel erred in the days of Samuel because they wanted the type of kingship evident among the gentiles, not merely because they sought a monarchy."

How often do we want to be "just like the others" and not pursue God's way of living.  May He help us humble ourselves to walk in the Light of His way and word.

1 Samuel 9

I think the interesting thing about this is the “hum drum” routineness of this. Many of us lead pretty inconsequential (in the grand scheme of things) lives. But we must never forget that God is “in” the mundane details, working them out for His glory. So our daily lives are meant for a purpose to glorify Him.

This is what Dale Ralph Davis says about Saul of Kish and the mundane details:

“However, we might ask: Does Yahweh’s providence only operate in the affairs of major figures in salvation history (Saul in this case) or does his (mostly) invisible wisdom follow my path as well? Does Yahweh direct only major episodes in his kingdom or does his sway extend to the individual lives of his subjects? Surely the latter. Wisdom testifies to it: “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Prov. 16:9); and “A man’s steps are ordered by the Lord; how then can man understand his way?” (Prov. 20:24, rsv). So Yahweh’s strange and baffling providence is not the exclusive privilege of some kingdom elite; it extends to each of his people no matter how apparently common. However, unlike 1 Samuel 9, he may not let you in on the secret. You may see traces of what he has been doing much later as you look back, but in the present you may be just as much in the dark as Saul was. If so, you must simply go on looking for the lost asses—or whatever task God has given you to do.”

Question

As we’re currently reading through 1 Samuel (we’re at chapter 9 today), I’ve been reflecting on some of the passages we’ve read over the past few weeks especially in Joshua, Judges, and earlier.

There have been many accounts of the Israelites conquering lands, killing entire cities men, women, and children and taking over territories, often because the land was good or because God had given it to them. These events are described without any indication that they were wrong, yet God had already given the commandment, “You shall not kill.”

I know God doesn’t change, and that now we live under the grace of Christ, where love, mercy, and forgiveness are central. So I’ve been trying to understand how to reconcile these parts of Scripture with the character of God we see revealed in Jesus.

It’s not always clear if the people being killed had done anything wrong to Israel. Were these killings wrong only in certain contexts? Were non-Israelite lives viewed differently? I’m not questioning God’s authority, but I’m genuinely trying to make sense of how all of this aligns with the commandments and with God’s heart.

This is coming from a sincere and pure place I just want to grow in understanding and appreciate the Word of God more fully.

Answer

Great question, I totally understand the sincere inquiry and I'm happy to try and help,

What you describe is a common experience of reading the Old Testament and it's important to grapple with these things. As you rightly note God is immutable (He doesn't change) so we can't dismiss it as some liberal scholars do pitting "the God of the Old Testament" who they see as 'primitive' and 'wrathful' vs. the "God of the New Testament" who is 'gracious.' No, Yahweh God is the same yesterday, today and forever. We talked about this issue in much greater depth in the Community Group meetings when we were looking together at the book of Joshua in particular. We discussed some of those aspects here - particularly understanding the killing of the Canaanites in the time of the conquest. Particularly the discussion came around this slide (that I shared in the chat earlier - just click on the top of this post to see that slide) where I share some biblical reasons (that need some fleshing out, but, hopefully you can see where I was going). In addition, I also recently came across this helpful analogy about these killings from Michael Kruger about the killings that happened in the Conquest.

"An example might help. Imagine a scenario in which one human injects another human with a deadly toxin, causing that person to die. Is that murder? Well, it depends. If this were done by a criminal who wanted to knock off a rival, then the answer would be yes. But if this were done by an official at a federal prison who was authorized by the state to administer lethal injection, then the answer would be no. On the surface, the two acts might look the same. But everything comes down to whether the taking of life is properly authorized. The issue is not whether a life is taken but how and why it is taken.

Let me try to draw this all together. If every human deserves judgment (and we do), and if God is justified in taking a life whenever he decides to execute that judgment (and he is), and if God uses various instruments for that judgment (including human armies), then there is nothing immoral about the Canaanite conquest. Indeed, to object to the conquest would require us to object to all God’s acts of judgment. Do we also object to Noah’s flood or to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah or to the plagues on Egypt?...."

You can read the whole thing here: https://reformedreader.wordpress.com/2021/06/29/genocide-and-the-ot-conquest-of-canaan-kruger

As for what the Canaanites had done, not all of it is immediately clear, but, we have glimpses of it throughout Deuteronomy and Joshua. They were wicked societies with child sacrifice and other sinful acts and idolatries. The fact is that God often delayed punishing them and used Israel as his instrument.

God waited for example hundreds of years until 1 Samuel 15 (which we'll see soon) to punish the Amalekites through Saul. Their crimes were documented in Exodus 17:8-15 and remembered again in Deuteronomy 25:17-19. God delayed the removal of the Amalekites because going all the way back to Gen. 15:16 where God commanded: "And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” And God's patience with us is because of HIs grace. 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

But God "is not mocked" and His patience is great, but, His justice is pure. When we see it, it can be terrifying and because of our sinfulness it should give us pause. The real question which we confront in the depths of our own sinfulness is often times is less "why does God save this group and not that one?" and more "why does God save anyone at all" if "all have fallen short and no one is righteous" (Rom. 3:10ff).

Hope that helps, happy to answer any follow-ups

Finally, if you want to read through the struggles of another believer (now an army chaplain) on this issue, you can read them here:
https://www.modernreformation.org/resources/articles/what-changed-my-mind-about-the-old-testament-conquest-narratives

A flavour of his point of view:

"A man who binds his son with the intent to sacrifice him is normally insane. But if this son is miraculously conceived in exceedingly old age, and if this father births a nation and a biblical tradition, and if this act prefigures how God so loved the world in a grand metanarrative thousands of years later, we have substantial reasons to take notice.

It is similar with the conquest. The divine command was not issued by a disembodied or transcendental idea of God, nor by a private and personal deity, but by a truly living and demonstrably gracious God who is both infinite and interested in us. He may be measured against that demonstration. This is ultimately what separates Moses and Joshua from others who claim divine sanction. If the rest of the biblical witness is trustworthy and coherent, these features can be brought to bear on the conquest narratives and other passages detailing war to give God the benefit of the doubt."

1 Samuel 10

Just a quick one as I reflect ahead this week on 1 Samuel 10 ahead of time. Some may question about Saul's salvation when in v.9 Samuel talks about God giving Saul "another heart." But note the term is not a "new" heart but "another" (Hebrew "aher") heart. The consensus of most reformed commentators on the passage is that this is not a regenerated heart (as Saul's other behaviour appears in line with unbelief) but "another" heart which is for governing the people when he was reluctant before in Chapter 9.

1 Samuel 13

After some initial victories, Saul gets one of the first tests of faith whereby his heart is revealed. He is told to wait until Samuel comes to offer sacrifices (as Samuel is the only authorized priest in the situation). But facing imminent attack in the heat of the situation, Saul's obedience to God's law is tested and he fails and decides to intervene himself and he offers a sacrifice when he was not authorized to do so because he feared Israel's enemies rather than Israel's God.

13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Notice the emphasis on the heart of Saul.  There's a dynamic here that's helpful for us to think about that comes up time and again. Similar to Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees on Sunday night for their lack of heart (Mt. 12:7" ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,) it's not the outward appearance it's the heart that matters.

Years ago the CCEF (Christian Counseling Education Foundation) developed this helpful chart based on Jeremiah 17:8 to illustrate our heart's righteous and sinful responses to the the "heat" of our circumstances. The more we are "rooted in Christ" the better equipped we are to handle hardship and stress. May we all seek to continue to "water" our souls and ground them deep in our salvation in Jesus Christ as we face the "heat" of our situations today and the rest of this week.

1 Samuel 17

The David and Goliath interaction helps us to understand some basics about how we are to share the Gospel as Christians in this world.
1.⁠ ⁠V.45 gives us the motive" for fighting (the honour of the God who made and sustains us). God is worthy to be shared.
2.⁠ ⁠V. 46 and 47 give us purpose for evangelism "that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." God has appointed us as heralds of His truth.
3.⁠ ⁠v.47 gives the weapons we use - "not with a sword and spear" i.e. not the power of men. The "victory" is in the vindication of God working through the apparently weak to bring down the strength of the world.

1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”

1 Samuel 20-21

A couple of short thoughts on today's reading.
First notice the covenant loyalty between David and Jonathan that brings division between Jonathan and his father Saul. We're familiar with the idea of "blood being thicker than water" but the Bible tells us that our love for God and His truth is higher even than that of our loyalty to our own blood. This anticipates Christ's instruction in Luke 14:26 that God is our highest loyalty. May we pray for our families and act faithfully in and towards them.
Second, in 1 Samuel 21 is a passage mentioned recently in our exposition of Matthew in our Sunday evening series that Jesus mentions in Matthew 12:3-4. Ahimelech here realizes that he had a higher duty to meet a basic human need - especially that of the annointed of God - than to fulfill a ceremonial law. The ultimate inward purpose of the law is not to bind us in mindless regulations but to exercise love towards God and Neighbour. How much more when Jesus Himself, the King of Kings is present (which is his argument against the Pharisees in Matthew 12:3-4).
May God help us to prioritize His love and His purposes in our relationships with one another and may we keep the "big picture" in mind as we seek to be obedient to the law that is designed to grant freedom and help.

1 Samuel 22-23

The cave of Adullam where David hid was likely where David composed Psalm 142 at a time of real desperation. Psalm 142 is a help to us to see what it's like to cling to and cry out to God when our circumstances don't match our desires or expectations. It might be worth meditating on for you today if you're struggling. For me I found particular encouragement in the line: "When my spirit faints within me, you know my way!"

If you want to see the Adullam you can take a peek here: https://biblical-archaeology.org/en/locations/%D7%A2%D7%93%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%9D/ The exact location of the specific cave is not known for certain, but, it's believed to be about 13 KM west of Bethlehem in a series of natural limestone caves and it's near Elah (where David fought Goliath). Today it's a natural park in Israel called the Adullam Grove Nature Reserve. This page has a Google satellite view of the area (it may just be me, but, it's both a little weird and a little comforting to see cars in the same place that David and his men were).

1 Samuel 24-26

I started to write a reflection yesterday that I didn't complete, so I'll roll it into today's readings as well. There is a false teaching in modern Christian circles that is based on David's saying of "touch not the Lord's annointed" (1 Sam. 24:6) when he refused to kill Saul (actually twice in these 3 chapters) because Saul was annointed by God as King. This has been used by some ministers in modern times to excuse them from accountability for sin or scrutiny from fellow believers. That is not the proper intent or application of this text. What these affirmations by David are saying is that his actions are restrained by a specific covenantal-historical context. Saul was the annointed King by God over Israel. In the New Covenant all Christians are anointed by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:21-22) and leaders are to be held to higher moral standards (James 3:1).

But more helpfully, the restraint that David shows in these chapters is exemplary to us in that, though his context is different, he is acting in his life and situation by faith in the promises of God even when presented with opportunities to "shortcut" to get his desires pragmatically. He responds with faith in the situations and listens with restraint to Abigail's counsel (what a lovely name that is truly a Father's delight!). Speaking of Abigail, she is a model of peacemaking to all of us in that she doesn't excuse sin, even in her husband, but, intercedes with courage truth and trust.

May we pray that we would likewise trust God despite the circumstances and do what we know is right from His counsel in His word no matter what we face and may we have a boldness to address sin with wisdom and clarity in a Christlike way.

1 Samuel 28–29

A quick one for today that I meant to post earlier, but Saul’s encounter with the witch/medium of Endor is a challenging text. Recently, a portion of Calvin’s commentary on 1 Samuel (which until recently was only available in his maternal tongue of French) was translated on a forum that I came across. The pastor that translated and summarized it is Pastor Bruce Buchannan (Presbyterian) and this is what he summarizes of Calvin’s view:

“The medium did not see the "ghost" of Samuel, but gave out either a demon's counsel, or her own, though it was indeed prophetical by the will of God. Calvin reasons: God had withheld his prophetic word from Saul by legitimate means, that is through Samuel; how unlike him now to reveal it (through Samuel, no less) and especially by means he had expressly forbidden!”

This is the relevant section from Dale Ralph Davis commentary which offers another perspective:

“Was this episode a piece of fakery? I don’t think so; I don’t think the text intends to suggest that. Some argue that since the woman screamed when she saw Samuel (v. 12a), she herself must have not expected his appearance; therefore, her usual practice must have been imposture and duplicity. One cannot be sure. The sight of Samuel (v. 12a) may not be the sole explanation for her scream. Verse 12b may help explain the scream, that is, the sight of Samuel brought the sudden insight that only Saul would have such a passion to consult Samuel. Hence her client was Saul—and she was doomed (v. 3b). The story carries the stamp of realism, from the central and sobering prophetic message of Samuel (vv. 16–19) to the obvious reticence to answer all our curious questions, along with its (intended?) failure to provide any how-to information for budding necromancers. In any case, we must remember that Scripture describes such practices not as futile but as pagan. Yahweh forbids Israel to use these means not because they do not work but because they are wicked.

How then does one explain this piece of necromancy? I suppose by the power and permission of God. For his own reasons God must have permitted Samuel to “come up” in order to speak his word of truth and doom to Saul. Yahweh’s word was spoken even if it came via an illegitimate method.
Doesn’t this case of effective necromancy open the way for justifying the practice of consulting the dead? No, because Deuteronomy 18 has already stated the doctrinal position. Moreover, this case (1 Sam. 28) is simply the exception that proves the rule. That is, it is as if 1 Samuel 28 is saying, “Now can you see why this sort of hoky-poky is prohibited in Israel? Look at Saul—it only incapacitates and destroys.”

1 Samuel 30-31

Today I saw a redemptive historical connections I'd never thought of before (or perhaps I forgot it - I'll have to look up my sermon on it!) that shows that David is a true Old Covenant "type" and shadow of the New Covenant Christ and Messiah:

As I was reading of the equal rewarding of his men (especially the ones who were tired and stayed behind) and then made it a statute and a rule for his kingdom (v.25) it made me think of Jesus' parable in Matthew 20 about the Labourers in the Vineyard who are all given the same wage, no matter how much work or how many hours they had worked. This is the glorious scandal of God God's grace - we receive what we do not earn or deserve! That's what heaven is - the greatest gift from the hand of God! David's kingdom where blessings came because of covenantal inclusion and not merit is a picture of heaven itself.

So, as you go out to "earn your keep" today (or perhaps especially when you can't go because you're unemployed or under-employed), remember with joy and relief, heaven is your gift because God gives it to you freely by grace through the work of Jesus Christ, not because you've earned it simply because He loves you! May that fuel your attiitude to your boss, your co-workers if you have them and your family and friends and neighbours today. Truly free grace in Jesus Christ. It changes the whole equation and "math" of life. As you're freely given, so you too can freely give not expecting anything in return. Rejoice and eejoy your hebel day! There's an eternity of grace that flows from the throne in heaven!

And if you want to sing about it with me, you can sing this great old hymn: