Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of I Samuel Chapter 2
Metaphysically Interpreting I Samuel 2:1-10
2:1And Hannah prayed, and said:
My heart exulteth in Jehovah;
My horn is exalted in Jehovah;
My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies;
Because I rejoice in thy salvation.2:2There is none holy as Jehovah;
For there is none besides thee,
Neither is there any rock like our God.
2:3Talk no more so exceeding proudly;
Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth;
For Jehovah is a God of knowledge,
And by him actions are weighed.
2:4The bows of the mighty men are broken;
And they that stumbled are girded with strength.
2:5They that were full have hired out themselves for bread;
And they that were hungry have ceased to hunger:
Yea, the barren hath borne seven;
And she that hath many children languisheth.
2:6Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive:
He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up.
2:7Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich:
He bringeth low, he also lifteth up.
2:8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,
He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill,
To make them sit with princes,
And inherit the throne of glory:
For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's,
And he hath set the world upon them.2:9He will keep the feet of his holy ones;
But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness;
For by strength shall no man prevail.
2:10They that strive with Jehovah shall be broken to pieces;
Against them will he thunder in heaven:
Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth;
And he will give strength unto his king,
And exalt the horn of his anointed.
August 13, 1933: I Samuel 2:1-2
What does the study of this lesson reveal? In this lesson the soul's intense longing for spiritual receptivity and aspiration is revealed.
How may this longing be satisfied? By going into the silence every day and listening to the still small voice of Spirit, this longing may be satisfied. In this inner solitude one learns the language of the Father and finds how to become obedient to the laws of spiritual growth.
August 21, 1938: I Samuel 2:1-5
Compare Hannah's second prayer with her first. In her second prayer Hannah's mood was one of exaltation instead of bitterness of soul. She returned thanks to Jehovah for the answer to her prayer instead of weeping and holding in mind her affliction and provocation.
Of what principle does Hannah reveal a good understanding? The principle that insures balance and equilibrium in the divine law.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Samuel 2:11-17
2:11And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto Jehovah before Eli the priest.
2:12Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not Jehovah. 2:13And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand; 2:14and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. 2:15Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of thee, but raw. 2:16And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 2:17And the sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah; for the men despised the offering of Jehovah.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Samuel 2:18-21
2:18But Samuel ministered before Jehovah, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 2:19Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 2:20And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, Jehovah give thee seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of Jehovah. And they went unto their own home.
2:21And Jehovah visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before Jehovah.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Samuel 2:22-36
2:22Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. 2:23And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people. 2:24Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make Jehovah's people to transgress. 2:25If one man sin against another, God shall judge him; but if a man sin against Jehovah, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because Jehovah was minded to slay them.
2:26And the child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Jehovah, and also with men.
2:27And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house? 2:28and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up unto mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 2:29Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 2:30Therefore Jehovah, the God of Israel, saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now Jehovah saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 2:31Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. 2:32And thou shalt behold the affliction of my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. 2:33And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. 2:34And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. 2:35And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. 2:36And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.
August 13,1944: I Samuel 2:27-30,35
Can anyone become a priest or a priestess of Truth? Anyone who loves Truth steadfastly and who is loyal to it under all conditions becomes its priest or priestess by reason of that loyalty.
How can we prove to ourselves that we have real love for Truth? By the strength of the impulse and desire to be true in ourselves to the principle that commands our allegiance. “Thou must be true thyself if thou the truth wouldst teach.”
Is the condoning of wrongdoing in another equivalent to doing wrong oneself? In one sense it is; for instead of condoning wrongdoing we have the power to hold the wrongdoer in the thought of his perfection as a spiritual being. This practice is a powerful deterrent to wrongdoing, as is also the spoken word when it is reinforced by parental authority.
What is the parent’s duty to the child? The parent owes the child sustenance and support in his early life, thorough training in the fundamentals of character during his formative years, and love in wisdom. Personal love and overindulgence are the height of “unwisdom” and do the child irreparable injury.
Is negative goodness of any real value? Yes. It is better than evil but is only equivalent to keeping the letter of the law while ignoring the spirit, which is the life of all things.
In what does spiritual parenthood consist? In the awakening of the soul of another to conscious aspiration toward right and goodness. The spiritual parent is he who causes another to be born again or awakened to consciousness of his place in the divine plan.
In what respect is the parent a creator of destiny? The way in which he discharges his responsibility to his children tends to mark out the channel in which their lives will run. He thus creates destiny for another generation than his own as well as influences his own character.
To what does unrestrained living by sense standards lead? To destruction of the body. The Philistines represent forces that are foreign to Spirit. When these are in the ascendant, error triumphs over Truth in consciousness (Israel flees before the Philistines).
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-31-2014
