LET'S SEARCH FOR HIDDEN PEARLS, Week of February 14 to 20, 2022, 1 Samuel 3 to 5, Answers.

LET'S SEARCH FOR HIDDEN PEARLS: February 14-20, 2022, 1 Samuel 3 to 5.

Let's look for hidden pearls (10 mins.)

1Sa 3:3. Why do we know that Samuel did not sleep in the Most Holy? (w05 3/15 21 ¶6)

Because Samuel was a Levite from the non-priestly family of the Qohatites and that is why he could not access to see the holy things. Rather, the courtyard would be the only area of ​​the tabernacle to which he had access, and where possibly, along with Eli, he slept.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Because Samuel was a Levite of the non-priestly family of the Qohatites and the law commanded that none of them could "enter or see the holy things", not even for an instant, whoever did so would die. The Bible says that Samuel was lying down in Jehovah's temple, where "the Ark of God was," so this expression must refer to the enclosure or some section of the courtyard of the tabernacle.

Samuel was a Levite from the non-priestly family of the Qohatites. Therefore, he was not allowed to "go in to see the holy things." The only part of the sanctuary that Samuel had access to was the courtyard of the tabernacle. That's where he probably slept. It seems that Elí also slept in some section of the patio. The expression “where the ark of God was” must refer to the enclosure of the tabernacle.

Because first Samuel was a Levite of the non-priestly family of the Qohatites and therefore he could not enter the sacred places of the tabernacle and when the text says that Samuel slept "where the Ark of God was" he can refer to the entire enclosure of the tabernacle.

We know this because Samuel, being a Levite of the non-priestly family of the Qohatites, therefore, did not have the right to see the Ark or the sacred furniture that was inside the sanctuary, he could only enter the courtyard of the tabernacle, and it is there who was most likely asleep.

What spiritual gems have you found about Jehovah, the ministry, and other topics in this week's Bible reading?

1 Samuel 3:1. The spirituality and faith of the Israelites was totally weak, the account says, that at that time, "it was no longer common to hear the word of the Lord nor were visions frequent." This teaches me: how dangerous it is for us to turn a deaf ear to Jehovah's teachings. The truth is that many Christians do not intend to leave the truth, but little by little they have stopped listening to the voice of Jehovah and this has weakened their spirituality and faith. Let's not let this not happen! Rather, let us continue to listen and pay attention to Jehovah's teachings because our lives and the lives of our families depend on it.

1 Samuel 3:2-5. Hearing those calls, Samuel thought that it was the old Elí who was calling him, so he ran barefoot and in a hurry to help Elí, showing Samuel that he had a lot of consideration and respect for that man, since, despite his mistakes, Elí remained Jehovah's high priest, in this way young men can show consideration and respect for those brothers and sisters who have aged, even if some no longer have positions of responsibility or are no longer able to serve as before.

1 Samuel 3:3. He mentions that the lamp of God had not yet been extinguished, in a certain way we must keep our spiritual fire lit, our zeal to participate in meetings and preaching, if we maintain a good attitude when carrying out our spiritual activities we will be making our light shine in the congregation.

1 Samuel 3:9, 10. At that time in his life, Samuel began to have constant communication with Jehovah, he came to listen to him throughout his life, we can also listen to Jehovah, but we do not have to wait for a supernatural voice speaks to us during the night, but we now have the complete Word of God and, when reading its pages, it is as if the voice of Jehovah spoke to us daily, the more we listen and obey him, the more it will be strengthened our faith.

1 Samuel 3:10. To listen to Jehovah, it is not necessary for a supernatural voice to speak to us during the night. He always speaks to us through his written Word, the Bible. The more we listen to God and obey him, the greater our faith will be. That was precisely what happened to Samuel.

1 Samuel 3:11-14. We are shown how Eli allowed his children to do things contrary to Jehovah's laws, these actions brought terrible consequences, this teaches us that as parents we cannot be permissive with our children when it comes to resolving a matter, on the contrary, we must always help them to see what they are doing wrong so that they can correct their wrong behavior and we do this through the loving advice that Jehovah gives us.

1 Samuel 3:11-18. We learn that Jehovah is a very considerate God with his servants, because by allowing Eli first to realize that Jehovah was the one who was calling Samuel, he made way for this young man to make it easier to give him the message of condemnation that God had for Eli.

1 Samuel 3:13. This verse teaches us that as parents we should also rebuke our children for the things they do wrong. If we don't do it, or we do it wrong or late, they will continue to do what is wrong and there may come a time when there is no turning back and they may even move away from God for not being reprimanded and taught in time.

1 Samuel 3:13,14. Eli made the mistake of not disciplining his sons, so Jehovah condemned both him and his family. This teaches me: that it is not easy for parents to properly and balanced discipline our children, but we must not fall into permissiveness and deprive them of the instruction they need. This example shows us that if we refuse to give proper guidance and discipline, we will end up paying a heavy price. Without a doubt, it is much better to put into practice the biblical advice to "give loving and firm discipline" because it results in corrective training for the good of our children.

1 Samuel 3:15-17. Samuel, a 12-year-old boy, was afraid to tell his Lord Eli the harsh message of Jehovah's condemnation. But fear did not prevent him from being obedient to the Law and respecting his elders. Life will often make us afraid of many things, but this should not prevent us from always complying with the just divine laws.

1 Samuel 3:18. It is true that Elí accepted the judgment of God, but he did not show repentance, the ego and keeping up appearances was greater, instead of asking for forgiveness, and leaving the position, and reprimanding his children, he decided to continue there, this teaches us that when our ego or the desire to keep up appearances could blind us to such a degree that we do not ask for forgiveness or repent of the serious faults of ourselves or a close relative.

1 Samuel 3:19. Samuel, as he grew up next to God, saw how his word was fulfilled. In the same way, if we teach our children more and more about God as they grow older, they will see his hand and have a solid foundation in their minds and hearts to fight against the doctrines and customs of this system.

1 Samuel 3:19. Let us see that unlike the sons of Eli, Samuel continued to grow, and Jehovah was with him and he did not leave any of his words unfulfilled, or in other words, he was growing well in a spiritual sense and that is what young people should imitate members of the congregation who want to or are already progressing, show that what interests them is not to have privileges or to be recognized by the other members of the congregation, but that they want to humbly serve Jehovah and grow spiritually.

1 Samuel 3:20. We are shown that Jehovah appointed Samuel as a prophet to be his mouthpiece, since through him Jehovah sent his advice to kings and nations. Today, Jehovah has also given us the privilege of bringing the good news to everyone, so, like Samuel, we must dedicate time to our service to Jehovah because he wants many people to know him and take his side.

1 Samuel 4:2,10. Mothers, wives and children were plunged into sadness, Israel had suffered two defeats that had claimed the lives of many Israelite men, this loss was a test of faith for them. This teaches me: that, as Christians, we are also exposed to disappointments and blows in life that put our faith to the test. But instead of throwing in the towel, we should see problems as opportunities to demonstrate courage and faith in divine help. As the end draws near, negative things may happen to us, but with Jehovah on our side, we can face the blows of life with courage.

1 Samuel 4:3. The Israelites took the ark of the covenant to the battlefield and still lost. This is because they did not trust God and did detestable things to him, and they only remembered Jehovah when they needed him. This teaches us that Jehovah helps us if we look for him, if we trust him and if we build an even closer relationship with our heavenly Father every day.

1 Samuel 4:3, 4. The Israelites had the idea of ​​taking the ark of the covenant to the battlefield as a kind of amulet, as if such a sacred object would guarantee them a victory against their enemies the Philistines, but not even a object as holy as the ark of the covenant served as "good luck", this teaches us to avoid thinking that things or objects that we use for our service to God or that are related to Pure Worship can serve to give us luck or get rid of problems, let us never allow such objects to become a kind of idol for us.

1 Samuel 4:3,11. It makes us see that apparently the Israelites thought that, since the Ark indicated that Jehovah was with his people, having it with them would ensure victory, this teaches me that I should never think that since I was already baptized and am in Jehovah's people that It does not mean that I am automatically saved, but rather I must make sure that I continue day by day making a good name for myself before Jehovah.

1 Samuel 4:3,10,11. The Israelites were defeated, and instead of consulting Jehovah they took "the ark of the covenant" as a charm. Jehovah was not pleased with this, so the result was "that the slaughter became very great and the very ark of God was taken by his enemies." This teaches me: that in the same way, the person who trusts in the power of an amulet can harm himself, he may think that he is protecting himself, but the truth is, that we will only receive divine protection if we seek Jehovah's guidance before making decisions important. So let us always trust in Jehovah and not in any amulet!

1 Samuel 4:5-11. We can appreciate that upon learning that the ark of the Lord was with the Israelites, the Philistines became afraid and thought that they would be easily defeated and that they would be punished just like the Egyptians in the desert, but later they took courage and faced the Israelite army where the Israelites were defeated, and they also took the Ark of God, with that event it is demonstrated that it is useless to think that something that is related to Pure Worship serves as protection from the attack of our enemies, rather, it is prudent recognize that what we must trust is Jehovah himself and his power.

1 Samuel 4:11. Jehovah straightened out matters with Hophni and Phinehas, the corrupt and immoral sons of Eli, so he allowed the Philistines to put them to death. This teaches me: that Christians should avoid falling into a bad pattern of behavior because this displeases Jehovah. Sooner or later he will straighten out the issues with those who think they can make fun of him. This example makes it clear to us that those who violate biblical principles will receive divine punishment, so if we are developing bad attitudes and tendencies, it is time to act. the necessary changes and seek Yahweh's forgiveness and mercy.

1 Samuel 4:11,22. It shows us the terrible consequences that the fact that parents do not correct their children when it is due can bring. since the sons of Eli rebelled against the clean worship of Jehovah and the whole house of Eli had a calamitous end, regarding this the book Family Happiness says that it seems that some parents confuse love with permissiveness, so they do not set clear rules consistent and reasonable for their children. They neglect to lovingly discipline them, even when they violate godly principles, and it is this permissiveness that can lead children to repudiate parental and other authority.

1 Samuel 4:17, 18. In these verses we see the fulfillment of the first prophecy made by Samuel, his first message was to declare to Eli that the prophecy against his family would soon be fulfilled and although Eli humbly submitted to the divine will Later on the same day, during a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, Hophni and Phinehas lost their lives, and Eli himself died after learning that the ark of Jehovah had been taken by the enemies.

1 Samuel 5. The Philistines quickly realized that it had been a bad idea to take the ark of Jehovah's covenant as booty, since the inhabitants of said cities suffered in various ways to any city where it was taken, and they ended up recognizing that this was a Divine punishment, with this it is demonstrated that those who come to attack Jehovah's servants in the great tribulation will not be able to celebrate their victory for a long time since they will immediately suffer the consequences of having attacked Jehovah's people.

1 Samuel 5:2-4. The image of the Dragon could not stand before "the ark of the covenant of the Lord." In this way, "Jehovah, the true God" challenged the Dragon god and his adorable Philistines, showing that this god was worthless and powerless. This teaches me: how foolish it is to bow before carved images and sacred columns. This story shows us that these false gods are completely useless because they cannot even save themselves, much less their worshippers. Let us not have the slightest doubt that there is "one true and living God, whose name is: Jehovah."

1 Samuel 5:6. The ark of the covenant had to be in its natural place, and not next to other false gods. This is how the Philistines saw it with the punishments from the hand of God. This teaches us the purity of Jehovah, of his Work and of his holy word by which he distinguishes us from the world. Jehovah wants pure and exclusive worship from us, and we must stay away from everything that could put it at risk.

1 Samuel 5:6,7. By taking the ark of the covenant, the Philistines began to experience the painful effects of hemorrhoids, this plague made them recognize that "the hand of the God of Israel" had acted against them and their Dragon god. This teaches me: that Jehovah manifests his power in different ways and forms and this forces even the most skeptical to accept and recognize that "he is the true god." Soon, at Armageddon, He will be in charge of analyzing his name, and once again and definitively, his enemies will have to recognize that it is "the hand of Jehovah" that is acting against them.