This was a Bible reflection on a couple verses from the book of Samuel written for a leaders meeting at YMG. And I like it, so I’m putting it here 🙂

Ever wondered why there are two books of Samuel in the old testament? Well, turns out, after hours of research, I found out that the book of Samuel was so long that they couldn’t fit it on one scroll. So, they split it in two.

To give you more of an idea of its size, from both books of Samuel, there are 55 chapters. And from all of those chapters, there’s a total of 1505 verses. But today, we’ll be looking at just two of those verses from the very beginning, before Samuel was even born.

Verse I: The name of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20)

Here’s a little bit of context before the verse… Samuel’s mother, Hannah, was provoked by her rival because she was childless. She wept and opened her heart to the LORD as scripture says, (1 Samuel 1:13) “Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard…” Hannah intensely prayed that she would be granted a son, and that if her prayer was answered, she would dedicate his life to the LORD saying “I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” (1 Samuel 1:11)

Sidenote, if you’re curious... Abstaining from cutting one’s hair was a way to reject worldly standards of personal pride and outward beauty. It was also an outward symbol of strength and devotion to the LORD – you can look to Samson for an example.

Our First Reflection Verse:
1 Samuel 1:20: “and in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked him of the LORD.’”

This is where we derive the meaning of the name Samuel. The name consists of two Hebrew words, Shem (name) and El (God). So, together, it literally makes “Name of God”. But, as it goes with Hebrew names carrying multiple layers of meaning, it also has a much more relevant meaning which is linked to the story of Hannah and her prayer: it means “God has heard” or “I have asked him of the LORD.”

I believe it’s important to know the meaning of Samuel’s name for two reasons:

1. As leaders, we ought to have a deeper understanding of the small things others may take for granted – such as a name. I believe this will add great depth and substance to our own knowledge of biblical texts, which by extension will make our preaching and evangelizing more effective and personal.
2. Knowing the meaning of Samuel’s name paints a vivid picture of his purpose which we see play out from the very beginning of his life to his simple and peaceful passing.

Now just as Samuel’s name reflected the way he lived, so may it be with our own. For this first reflection, I want you to reflect on the meaning of your own name:

Now before you go looking it up, I’ve already done some research for all of our names and I’ll be going through each one quite briefly. All I ask is that while you’re listening, I want you to reflect on a couple of things: 

1. When you first hear the meaning of your name, ask yourself: does it feel close to your soul in the sense that God knew you before you were even born?
2. As the days go by, do you feel like you’re growing closer to the meaning of your name?

• Charl: from the name Charles, meaning “free man”
  • I learnt that Charl isn’t a biblical name, but Christianity has a long tradition of giving theological meaning to non-biblical names by connecting them to Scripture. And from what I could find, the biblical meaning that’s connected to Charl is “Freedom in Christ.” And the scripture verse that’s associated with it is:

Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.”

• Mark: from the name Marcus, is linked with boldness in proclaiming the truth
  • It’s strongly linked to St Mark the Evangelist of the New Testament, and how is he symbolised by the church? With a lion. And what virtues does a lion represent? Courage, strength, and of course, boldness. Fun fact: St Mark’s Gospel is known as the most urgent and action-oriented with the word “immediately” repeated constantly.
• Jaidan: from Jadon, meaning “thankful” or “God will judge”
  • It’s in the book of Nehemiah that we find the only mention of a man named “Jadon”. He pops up ever so briefly to help repair the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. Jadon is known for his quiet, faithful service.
  • I found two scripture verses associated with the name Jaidan: 1 Thess 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”, and believe it or not, but this second verse is found in 1 Samuel 16:7 which says “…for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”.
  • In Hebrew, the name Jadon revolves around the inner life of the heart before God.

• Luis: from Ludwig, meaning “famous warrior” or “glorious in battle”
  • Luis is a “warrior for what is good”
  • Two relevant scripture verses from Timothy and Ephesians paint the perfect picture for this one:
    • 1 Tim 6:12 “Fight the good fight of the faith” 
    • Eph 6:10–18 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” 
• Michael: “Who is like God?” A rhetorical question with an obvious answer (no one). It’s less about being a warrior than it is about being humble.

Verse II: A God of knowledge (1 Samuel 2:3)

For context:

On the day of the yearly sacrifice, Hannah went up to the house of the LORD at Shiloh and gave thanks – for the LORD had answered her prayers and granted her a son. Hannah also prayed, saying, “My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in thy salvation.” (1 Samuel 2:1)

And Here’s Our Second Reflection Verse:

1 Samuel 2:3: “Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.”

This verse is just one part of a very popular poem known as the Song of Hannah; it’s well known and recited by anyone who prays the Divine Office – more specifically, the morning prayer known as Lauds. And what it tells us is something quite beautiful.

Hannah sings, do not speak words of pride or let your mouth utter arrogance! For our God is a GOD OF KNOWLEDGE – an all seeing, all knowing, God – and at the end of our days, He is the only one who judges us for what we do and what we don’t do.

For our reflection, we need to go a bit deeper.

If we look at this verse in its original Hebrew text, we find the word for “knowledge” in this context is: yadah. And “yadah” means to have a “perfect understanding” and a “complete insight.” In other words, God always has the whole picture – including the frame around it, the wall behind it, and – in fact – he owns the entire gallery. 

So for this reflection, I want you to think about those times when you may have been quick to judge someone else’s actions. It could be someone you’ve never met or don’t really know. Someone driving a bit too slow on the road. Someone a bit under dressed at Mass. Or someone simply looking down at their phone. Picture a scenario in your head when you’ve been quick to judge even in the slightest…

• How long did you hold onto that impression?
• How much of their character did you try to predict or presume based on that single action?
• What feelings arose in your gut? Did you feel annoyed? Or put off?
• Did you hear a voice in your head saying, “I’m glad I don’t do that.”

How righteous do we think we are to make judgements on someone we don’t even know. We have no idea how God is working through this person, how He is shaping them. Our judgments can be like throwing out someone’s portrait while they’re still painting it. Sometimes we can be too focused on each individual brush stroke to recognise that God is in the process of painting a beautiful work of art. Indeed we are the ones who are truly being judged. 

Pride is a big sin, but it creeps up on us in all the small things. And arrogance is a one way road leading directly to it. In other words, putting ourselves up on a pedestal is just one step away from falling to the ground.

So, let us now take a small moment to pray:

Dear LORD, dear our God of Knowledge, our perfect Judge. You see all things exactly how they are – with a full picture. Have mercy on us, LORD, for we are blind and prideful. Grant us the grace to think twice about who we judge and how we judge. And will you, dear LORD, catch us when we fall, teach us when we’re ignorant, and fill us with your love that it may overflow into everyone else around us. Amen