Christmas in 1 Samuel

Elkanah plays the same role as Judah did in The first telling of Christmas. The_Director's_Bible_-_017

As Elkanah goes up to the temple he finds Hophni and Phinehas there. Their names mean pugilist (boxer) and mouth of brass. At the time of Christ, God found priests who were beating the people with the law and had not love . (1 Co 13:1)

Elkanah had two wives.

In the Prostitute-Virgin Bride Motif we see that the first wife is the earthly wife who, although has children, are not the children of the promise. They are earthly children who are dead in trespass and sin.

The second wife, Hannah, is the wife who is loved but is barren. She represents the church, the bride of Christ. Her name means grace. Mary was covered with grace in order to be in the overshadowing of God.

Rod of discipline

When her husband offered the sacrifice, he gave his first wife and her children their portion. And he gave Hannah a worthy portion. (1 Sam 1:5)

But the word also means angry or wrath. As Tamar was given the rod, Mary was told the power of God would overshadow her. It was the power of God in discipline hinted at in the sensus plenior of the word play.

Silence before Christ

In fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi (Mal 4:6), God did not speak to Israel for four hundred years until John spoke. Bread represents the body of Christ as the Living Word. So when Hannah did not eat, (1 Sam 1:7) it represents the same silence of the Word of God before the time of Christ.

Scapegoat

Hannah vows that if God gives her a son that he shall be a Nazarite from birth. The Nazarite did not cut his hair.

1Co 11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

The Nazarite is a picture of Christ who bore our shame. (Heb 12:2) The scapegoat bore our sin, and the Nazarite our shame. The image of the Nazarite is the same as that of the scapegoat.

Holy Spirit shall come upon you

Hannah was thought to be drunk. (1 Sam 1 13). This is reminiscent of Pentecost when the people who had been filled by the Holy Spirit were thought to be drunk. (Acts 2:13) And again when the Holy Spirit gathered the bride at Sychar (meaning intoxicated). (Joh 4:5)

Not unclean

Hannah said she had not drunk wine or strong drink. Wine is the grace of the blood of Christ and strong drink is the law (which deludes people into thinking they are righteous). Hannah was not unclean and did not require the law or grace. She was in the same cleft of the rock as Tamar was when hid by the veil.

==A play on words

1 Sam 1:18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight.

Hannah means grace.

God’s son

Since Elkanah plays the same role that Judah did of God, when Elkanah begat a son, God begat a son.

She named him…

Samuel meaning His name is God. Is that close enough to “God with us” , or “Eternal God” to finish the Christmas story?