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| 1 And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart exulteth in Jehovah, my horn is lifted up in Jehovah; my mouth is opened wide over mine enemies; for I rejoice in thy salvation. |
Mine horn – Horns are symbols of power. T42
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| 2 There is none holy as Jehovah, for there is none beside thee, neither is there any rock like our God. |
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| 3 Do not multiply your words of pride, let not vain-glory come out of your mouth; For Jehovah is a *God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. |
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| 4 The bow of the mighty is broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. |
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| 5 They that were full have hired themselves out for bread; and the hungry are so no more: Even the barren beareth seven, and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. |
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| 6 Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up. |
Down to the grave – To sheol, oblivion, the state of death. E358
And bringeth up – By a resurrection out of sheol, oblivion. E358
Showing that those who go to hell don't stay there forever. HG556:4; HG734:6*
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| 7 Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich, he bringeth low, also he lifteth up: |
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| 8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust; from the dung-hill he lifteth up the needy, To set him among nobles; and he maketh them inherit a throne of glory; For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's, and he hath set the world upon them. |
For the pillars – The saints, the Little Flock. R1813:2
Of the earth – The new social order. R1813:2
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| 9 He keepeth the feet of his saints, but the wicked are silenced in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. |
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| 10 They that strive with Jehovah shall be broken to pieces; in the heavens will he thunder upon them. Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth; and he will give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. |
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| 11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the boy ministered to Jehovah in the presence of Eli the priest. |
Did minister – He was a servant of the Lord by virtue of his being a servant to Eli, God's priest. R5615:5
It is a mistake to suppose that the early years of life, 10 years onward, should be largely spent in play. R4091:3
Unto the LORD – It is a mistake for parents to think that children cannot appreciate religious things at an early age. R4091:4
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| 12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not Jehovah. |
Sons of Belial – While Eli's own influence was exemplary his sons were wicked in various ways, for which he became responsible. R5296:3
If weakness and indecision be a natural failing with us, we are not excusable in failing to fight against it. R1882:5
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| 13 And the priests' custom with the people was, when any man sacrificed a sacrifice, the priest's servant came, when the flesh was cooked, with a flesh-hook of three prongs in his hand; |
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| 14 and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot; the priest took of it all that the flesh-hook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites that came there. |
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| 15 Even before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, and he will not accept sodden flesh of thee, but raw. |
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| 16 If the man said to him, They will immediately burn the fat entire, then take as thy soul desires; he would say to him, No, but thou shalt give it now; and if not, I will take it by force. |
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| 17 And the sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah, for men despised the offering of Jehovah. |
The sin – They took more of the sacrifice than allowed in the divine arrangement. R5615:5
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| 18 And Samuel ministered before Jehovah, a boy girded with a linen ephod. |
But Samuel – As a natural result of favorable prenatal influence. R1671:3
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| 19 And his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to sacrifice the yearly sacrifice. |
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| 20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, Jehovah give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to Jehovah. And they went to their own home. |
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| 21 So Jehovah visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before Jehovah. |
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| 22 And Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and that they lay with the women that served at the entrance of the tent of meeting. |
All that his sons did – Practicing immorality, misleading the people into unrighteousness when, as priests, they should have been instructors of the people in righteousness, both by precept and example. R5615:6
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| 23 And he said to them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil deeds from all this people. |
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| 24 No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear: ye make Jehovah's people transgress. |
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| 25 If one man sin against another, God will judge him; but if a man sin against Jehovah, who shall intreat for him? But they hearkened not to the voice of their father, for Jehovah was minded to slay them. |
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| 26 And the boy Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with Jehovah and also with men. |
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| 27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah: Did I plainly reveal myself to the house of thy father when they were in Egypt, in Pharaoh's house, |
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| 28 and choose him out of all the tribes of Israel, to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear the ephod before me? and I gave unto the house of thy father all the offerings by fire of the children of Israel. |
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| 29 Wherefore do ye trample upon my sacrifice and upon mine oblation which I have commanded in my habitation? And thou honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the primest of all the oblations of Israel my people. |
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| 30 Wherefore Jehovah the God of Israel saith, I said indeed, 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 honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. |
I will honour – In my own due time and way. R2888:6, R2887:5,6
This principle holds good many ways. R5703:2
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| 31 Behold, 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. |
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| 32 And thou shalt see an oppressor in my habitation, amidst all the good that shall be done to Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. |
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| 33 And the man of thine whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to cause thine eyes to fail and to grieve thy soul; and all the increase of thy house shall die in their vigour. |
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| 34 And this shall be the sign to thee, which shall come upon thy two sons, upon Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die, both of them. |
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| 35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind; and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed continually. |
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| 36 And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of thy house shall come to crouch to him for a small piece of silver and for a cake of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priestly offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread. |
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