Ⅱ
The first book of Samuel shows us in typology the bringing in of Christ as the King (typified by David) with His kingdom:
A
Under Eli the old Aaronic priesthood had become stale and waning (2:12-29), and God desired to have a new beginning for the accomplishing of His eternal economy:
１
The content of Judges consists of the children of Israel trusting in God, forsaking God, being defeated by their enemies, and repenting to God in their misery; when they turned to the Lord, He raised up a judge who delivered them from the hand of their oppressors, yet when the judge died, they returned to their evil ways and again became corrupted (1:1-2; 2:11—3:11); this became a cycle repeated seven times in Judges.
２
For many years the church has just been repeating the history of Israel under the judges, but today God wants Samuels, overcoming Nazarites (Num. 6:1-9 and footnotes), who will bring in Christ, the real David, as the reigning King with His kingdom of one thousand years, in which the overcomers will "shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:43).
３
Today we need to look to the Lord for something new, a new revival that will turn this age from the age of the church in the midst of the satanic chaos to the age of the King with His kingdom of one thousand years.
B
For Samuel's birth God initiated things behind the scenes; on the one hand, He shut up Hannah's womb; on the other hand, He prepared Peninnah to provoke Hannah "bitterly to irritate her, because Jehovah had shut up her womb" (1 Sam. 1:5-6); year after year, when Hannah went up to the house of Jehovah, Peninnah provoked her to the extent that she wept and would not eat (v. 7).
C
This forced Hannah to pray that the Lord would give her a male child; Hannah's prayer, in which she made a vow to God, was initiated not by Hannah but by God; God was pleased with Hannah's prayer and her promise, and He opened her womb (vv. 10-11, 20); Hannah conceived, bore a child, and named him Samuel (meaning "heard of God," or "asked for of God").
D
God could motivate Hannah as a person who was one with Him in the line of life; the line of life is a line that brings forth Christ for the enjoyment of God's people so that on earth God may have His kingdom, which is the church as the Body of Christ (Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17-18; Eph. 1:22-23), the very organism of the Triune God; as long as God can gain such a person who is one with Him on the line of life, He has a way on earth (1 Sam. 1:1—2:11, 18-21, 26).
E
Actually, no human being was the origin of Samuel; God was the real origin, who motivated His people sovereignly and secretly; Hannah's prayer was an echo, a speaking out, of the heart's desire of God; it was a human cooperation with the divine move for the carrying out of God's eternal economy:
１
Hannah's prayer indicates that God's move with His answer to her prayer was to produce a Nazarite, an overcomer, who was absolute for the fulfilling of God's desire—1:10-20.
２
A Nazarite is one who is consecrated to God absolutely, one who takes God as his King, Lord, Head, and Husband, and one who has no interest in the enjoyment of worldly pleasures; even before he was born, Samuel was consecrated by his mother to be such a person.
Ⅲ
The first book of Samuel stands for a ministry that brings in the King with His kingdom; we may call this "the Hannah ministry":
Morning Nourishment
1 Sam. 1:11 And [Hannah] made a vow and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your female servant and remember me and not forget Your female servant, but give to Your female servant a male child, then I will give him to Jehovah for all the days of his life, and no razor will come upon his head.In 1 Samuel 1:1-20 we have a word regarding Samuel’s origin. We should not consider that Samuel came out simply from his father, Elkanah. Actually, Samuel came out of God’s economy. God had His eternal economy, but the carrying out of God’s economy had come into question. God had ordained that Aaron’s descendants would be the priests for the carrying out of His economy, but that priesthood became stale and waning. God’s heart’s desire was to gain someone to replace that priesthood.
In order to gain such a person, God brought together in marriage Elkanah and Hannah. Elkanah had two wives. According to God’s sovereign arrangement, the second wife, Peninnah, had children, but Hannah had no children. Furthermore, “her rival provoked her bitterly to irritate her, because Jehovah had shut up her womb” (v. 6). This forced Hannah to pray desperately not mainly for herself but for God. She promised God that if He gave her a male child, she would return the child to Him by the vow of a Nazarite. God was pleased with Hannah’s prayer and her promise and He opened her womb. Hannah conceived, bore a child, and named him Samuel. From this we see that actually no human being was the origin of Samuel. God was the real origin, who motivated His people sovereignly and secretly. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 9-10)
Today’s Reading
In the midst of the chaos of the degraded Israel, Elkanah and Hannah remained in the line of life ordained by God for His eternal purpose. The line of life is a line to bring forth Christ for the enjoyment of God’s people that on earth God may have His kingdom, which is the Body of Christ, the very organism of the Triune God.We need to pray something that is an echo of what is on God’s heart…. Hannah’s prayer was like this. God wanted a Samuel, yet He needed Hannah’s cooperation to pray to Him, saying, “Lord, I need a son.” This prayer was very human, yet it was a cooperation with the divine move for God’s economy. After such a prayer as Hannah prayed, it was easy for God to do something, because man’s cooperation had become a base on which He could move. The moving God answered the prayer of Samuel’s mother according to His desire and intention for His move among His elect.
God’s move in response to Hannah’s prayer was in keeping with the principle that God needs man’s cooperation with His move in His economy. This is the principle of incarnation. God could motivate Hannah as a person who was one with Him in the line of life. As long as He can gain such a person, He has a way on earth. I hope that at least some of us will be today’s Hannahs and say, “Lord, if You have anything on Your heart to accomplish for Your purpose, I am here. I am remaining in the line of life for the carrying out of Your economy.”… God needs many Hannahs, persons who can bring forth some Samuels to turn the age.
The origin of Samuel was especially his God-seeking mother with her prayer (1 Sam. 1:9-18). Her prayer was an echo of the heart’s desire of God. Her prayer was a human cooperation with the divine move for the carrying out of God’s eternal economy. God’s move with His answer to Hannah’s prayer was to produce a Nazarite who was absolute for the fulfilling of His desire. The Lord Jesus was a Nazarite, as were Peter and Paul. Actually, everyone who remains in the line of life is a Nazarite. If we would be today’s Nazarites, we must take God as our Head and Husband, submitting to Him, and have no interest in worldly pleasures. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 10-12)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msgs. 1-2; CWWN, vol. 56, pp. 411-413; CWWL, 1954, vol. 1, pp. 418-421