May 18, 2022
1SAMUEL 2:
Yesterday we heard of the wonderful answer to
Hannah’s prayer and of her determination to fulfill a very
difficult vow to the Lord. Samuel might have only been 3 years old
when Hannah gave him up to stay permanently as a Nazarite serving
at the Lord’s tabernacle. Hannah is such an example of a Godly
woman. No wonder so many girls are named after her!
I noticed an interesting detail
in yesterday’s reading. Elkanah also had a vow. When Samuel was
newly born and Hannah did not go with the family to Shiloh for the
yearly sacrifices, the GNT drew my attention saying that Elkanah
went “to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and the special
sacrifice he had promised.” We don’t really know exactly what
Elkanah’s special vow would have been. But it is conjectured by
commentators that Elkanah was offering a sacrifice in fulfillment
of Hannah’s vow about giving birth to a son. According to the Law,
a wife’s vow could be revoked by her husband on the day he hears
about the vow. But if he doesn’t forbid the wife about the vow on
that day, the wife is bound by her vow and it is logical that the
husband would share responsibility. As Elkanah left on that year,
he told Hannah, “May the Lord make your promise come true.” This is
a great example of doing what God commanded about vows. The
principle was to always follow through whenever God’s name has been
invoked. To do otherwise would be to mar God’s
reputation.
PSALM
91:
This is a favorite psalm, frequently referred
to in our hymns and worship songs. It is also the psalm Satan
quoted to Jesus to tempt him to jump from the pinnacle of the
temple. I feel that the promise that was quoted is not just for
Jesus, but is for every believer. I preach to myself here: Let’s
memorize and meditate upon this psalm!
ROMANS 1b:
Yesterday we saw how the theme of this letter
is the Good News, and how believing this message is the center of
the way God has designed and revealed for how we are saved— no
matter if we are ethnically Jews or non-Jews. The start of this
Good News is that our relationship with God has been broken.
Understanding this fact is what makes the Good News ‘good’. We
don’t start out as ‘nice people’ but as broken people. And Paul
will show us in three chapters that this situation obtains for Jews
(who think they are so good) and non-Jews (who start out not even
having an appearance of ‘good’).
GNT Translation
notes:
Rom.
1:17 For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself:
it is through [believing//faith] from beginning to end. As the
scripture says, “The person who is put right with God through
[believing//faith] shall live.”
18
God's anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of
[0//the] people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being
known.
20 Ever since God created the
world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his
divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the
things that God has made. So [0//those] [people (or mankind)] have
no excuse at all!
24
And so God has given [mankind (humans)//those people] over to do
the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things
with each other.