1 Corinthians 2:8-10 - No eye has seen

2:8

John 1:5 says that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome or understood it. Paul here says essentially the same thing, focusing on the “not understood it” translation of John 1:5. The “rulers of this age” do not understand the glory or wisdom of the cross. The Jewish religious leaders thought they were getting rid of a problem when they succeeded in getting the Roman authorities to crucify Jesus. The Roman authorities thought they were solving a political problem. Ultimately the Roman empire fell to the cross. The devil thought he was killing the Son of God. None of them could have been more wrong. They were all signing their own defeat.

2:9,10

True wisdom depends upon revelation from God through the Spirit. We are utterly dependent upon God for everything. The quote probably comes from Is 64:4, though this isn’t a precise match. It refers to those who “wait for Him”, while Paul says “those who love Him”. Waiting on God and loving God are actually closely related. The key point is “who do we look to”. The Corinthians needed to ask themselves who were they looking to for glory. Human wisdom cannot tell us what God has prepared for us, it is only the Spirit who can reveal these things to us.

1 Samuel 8:6-9 - Give us a king to lead us

8:6

Samuel was greatly displeased about this. Why so? On the positive side it could be because he knew the people were not truly trusting God and wanted to be just like the other nations. On the negative side there could be selfish personal reasons as well. Samuel might be resentful that he was no longer as able as he once was. He could also be being defensive about his two sons. It is very difficult to accept that your own children are not following God. I suspect it was actually a mixture of the two types of reasons. We are mixed up creatures. However, Samuel did the right thing in taking the matter to God. We are mixed up people, with both good and bad within us. As we become more Christlike, the good should become increasingly dominant. However, none of us are pure. We can fool ourselves into thinking we can get everything right, or we can face up to the reality of the situation and turn to God, depending upon His grace to see us through. The latter is by far the better solution.

8:7-9

Israel having a king was actually part of God’s long term plan. They were meant to have God as their king, and ultimately this would be the case with Jesus Christ as king of kings. However, for now God knew that it was Him that they were rejecting, not Samuel. The people of Israel had no real desire to live under God’s rule and to live in fellowship with Him. God knew that Israel had repeatedly forsaken Him and sought other gods, they were now doing the same with Samuel. So God tells Samuel to give the Israelites what they wanted, but to warn them what the consequences would be.

1 Corinthians 2:7 - We declare God's wisdom

2:7

The gospel declares God’s wisdom. It is our task and our privilege to declare God’s wisdom. The church demonstrates utter foolishness when it chooses to declare worldly wisdom, rather than God’s wisdom. “A mystery ...” In Paul’s usage, “mystery” is something that was once hidden but has now been revealed. The mystery is how can a holy God bless a sinful people? That God intended to do this is made clear in the Old Testament, but the how was not clear. The answer has now been made clear, and it is through Christ and the cross. God destined this for our glory. Schreiner says that this denotes “the splendour and beauty believers will receive on the final day”. This is no doubt true, but I believe it also refers to our significance in this age. If we go along with the world’s wisdom then for a time we may appear to have some significance now, but this will quickly be shown to be illusory, and will come to nothing. If instead we follow Christ’s way, our lives will be shown to have been far more significant and effective.

1 Samuel 8:1-5 - He appointed his sons as leaders

8:1-3

Going by the end of chapter 7 one might have assumed that, at least for a period, everything was hunky dory. However, that was not the case. There had been some genuine repentance, for they had got rid of their idols, but there had been no true change of heart.

We become aware of the problems starting with Samuel and his family. Samuel was growing old, and he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. However, the situation was very similar to that of Eli and his sons. Samuel’s sons were no better than Eli’s. Samuel’s sons, named Joel and Abijah, turned to dishonest gain and perverted justice. In fact, there are a significant number of godly men whose sons did not follow in their father's footsteps. 

8:4,5

The elders of Israel now gathered together to demand that Samuel appoint a king over them. We will soon read that this was an act of rebellion against God, but let’s look at the situation a little more closely. Their actions were in many ways understandable. Samuel was getting old and could not go on forever. His two sons were evil and could not lead Israel. However, their solution was to be like “all the other nations”. They failed to note that all the other nations were evil.

1 Corinthians 2:5,6 - A message of wisdom among the mature

2:5

“So that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power”. If we do try to win people over with our eloquence or wisdom, then their faith will be based on our eloquence. And at some point someone more eloquent than us will come along, and the “believers” faith will be based on a foundation of sand, rather than on the work of the Holy Spirit. In order for someone to see the kingdom of God they need to be born of the Spirit.

2:6

Paul has been disparaging wisdom, but this is not actually true. What he has been disparaging is purely human wisdom. The gospel is actually a message of wisdom, but it is not the wisdom of this age, of a godless society. Back in Eden Satan deceived Adam and Eve into thinking that they would have more if they ate of the tree of life. The truth is that without God we are actually less, we become foolish. Transideology is a current example of this, but it is a much wider truth. Paul also refers to the “rulers of this age”. This could refer to demonic powers, but it is perhaps more likely that it refers to human rulers. The Corinthians were enamoured with the rich and powerful, the celebrities. These people had their own “wisdom”, but Paul reminds them that they are coming to nothing.

1 Samuel 7:13-17 - So the Philistines were subdued

7:13

The Philistines were subdued, though not completely defeated at this point. However, they did stop invading Israel. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime “the hand of the Lord ws against the Philistines”. In 1 Samuel there is a lot of “the hand of the Lord”. The outcome of events is seen to be dependent upon the Lord. This does not mean that the actions of men have no effect. Battles were still fought, actions were taken, but the success or otherwise was dependent upon the Lord. The most important decision we take is whether we are for or against the Lord. As Jesus said, “seek first the kingdom of heaven, and all these things will be added unto you”.

7:14

Towns which had been captured from Israel by the Philistines were brought back into Israeli hands. Neighbouring territory was also brought under Israel’s control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites. There had previously been conflict between the two.

7:15-17

Samuel ruled in Israel throughout his life. He also acted as a “circuit judge”, going on an annual circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah. These places were all in or around the territory of Benjamin. It seems that “judged” here is used in the context of deciding court cases. Samuel’s homebase was Ramah where he “held court” for Israel. There he built an altar to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 2:3,4 - I came to you in weakness

2:3

“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling”. This probably does not mean that Paul was full of anxiety, or was fearful of men. That would seem to be inconsistent with what Paul has written elsewhere. It probably does mean that he came aware that he was delivering God’s message, working together with God. Paul was not relying on any strength of his own, but was aware of his weakness. However, this awareness of weakness did not make him timid, for he was also aware of God’s strength.

2:4

So Paul did not rely on “wise and persuasive words”, but instead on “a demonstration of the Spirit’s power”. This does not specifically mean miracles or signs and wonders, though these were part of Paul’s ministry. Rather he relied on the Holy Spirit to convict people, to open their hearts and minds to the truth. We are unable to change people’s hearts. If we imagine that it is up to us to change people’s hearts then we will start trying to manipulate people. It is our job to deliver the message in a clear and intelligible manner, it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict people.