Shakespeare and 1 Samuel

Less than a month ago, I blogged about hating Shakespeare. Two out of three of the English classes I am in for my practicum are studying Shakespeare. I guess this bard is inevitably living among English classes and courses at least in my sphere of the world.

On a completely different note, I began reading through 1 Samuel to refresh my near non-existent knowledge of Biblical history. There have been certain bits of info that pop out that I are memorably enjoyable and I want to share them with you:

1 Samuel ...

1. 1:5, 8, 23 -> Elkanah loved his wife, Hannah, very, very much and allowed her to "Do what seems best to you." She was wise to take her son to "present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."
2. 1:5, 6, 19 -> The Lord opens and closes wombs. Now that I'm back in Toronto I listen to the radio again and hear lots about fertility clinics, healthy pregnancies, etc. Perhaps we forget that the Lord works beyond science and He has the power to restore fertility when we ask it of Him.
3. 2:1-10 -> There are so many beautiful songs that have come from Hannah's thanksgiving. The likes of these include, "There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God" and "It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth."
4. 3:7 "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him." He was just a boy, but God was already communicating with him through direct revelation. When do we consider ourselves as ones who know the Lord?
5. 3:19 "The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up and he let none of his words fall to the ground." Is our responsibility not to let God's words fall to the ground? How can we live our lives so that God's Word does not go to waste?

Goodness, there's so much more, but I don't want these little gems to overwhelm. More later.