Sunday 23 August 2015
Samuel’s birth and
early years
Hannah
1 Sam 1-3
Good morning, let us come to
God in Prayer.
Father,
we thank You for the Scriptures, and today as we turn to a new section of the
Bible, and perhaps for some of us a section we haven't been in for a while, we
pray that the Bible that is capable of exciting us and refreshing us and
teaching us and challenging us, and convicting us and drawing us to Jesus
Christ…we pray that all of these things might be so tonight. We ask for the
blessing of Your Spirit now as we read the Scripture. We ask it in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Introduction
Bible Readings:
1 Samuel 1:1-18 (Public Reading)
Psalm 40:1-3 (NLT)
I waited patiently for the Lord to
help me,
And he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of
despair,
Out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
And steadied me as I walked along
He has given me a new song to sing,
A hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be
amazed.
They will put their trust in the
Lord.
To recapture the essence of the books
of Samuel, they display the history of God’s people Israel from the end of the
judges with Samuel being the last judge as a theocratic leader to their
experiments in monarchy. The tragedy of Saul came first then the triumphs of
his successor David. It is a transitional period with a changing dynamics as
they moved from theocracy to monarchy rule. Under theocracy rule, Israel was
dependent upon God through his Spirit to designate human leader as and when
they were needed. The establishment of dynastic monarchy saw the designated
leader from a successor from the king’s son. The plan and hope for salvation of
God’s people through the line of David with Jesus of Nazareth.
In the pages of Samuel we find in the
people is real life and truth about God’s dealing with men and women are
discovered vividly illustrated. The events are reckoned to occur in the period
1050-970 BCE.
As we work our way through the books
of Samuel we will discovered with Israel three prime aspect of dealing with
God; relationship, faith and the Kingdom.
Hannah
1 Samuel 1 jumps straight into a
story about Hannah and Elkanah living in Ramah of Ephraim, along with another
wife Peninnah. You will notice two wives are mention and according to custom,
if your wife was barren, the husband was allowed to have a second wife to bear
children to carry on the heritage. This is a story about the first wife Hannah
and not her husband. Hannah had many years of barrenness and would have felt
the pressure of family members, community and neighbours of being without
child.
An annual tradition that Elkanah
observe was taking the household to travel to Shiloh. Shiloh is a city in the
Ephraim hill country where the Ark of the Covenant was contained, capital of
Israel before the first temple in Jerusalem. Shiloh was the principal Israelite
sanctuary during the time of the judges (Judges 18:31). It was a time of
worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies with a thanksgiving
offering at the Tabernacle. (1 Sam 1:3) A relationship with God required
commitment to establish a tradition to help focus your part of the Kingdom of
God.
Also in verse 3, the duty priests are
mention – the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas.
The passage from verse 4-7
demonstrates the sharing for all the family of food and time. Elkanah ensure
his whole family was treated properly and involved in the sacrificial service.
The children were not segregated but participated in the worship as one family.
The story continues (8) and we find
that Hannah is alone crying, not eating and downhearted which Elkanah tries to
consoles her. It is not from empathy but from his position, he loved her
regardless of whether she has children or not. From a theological perspective
in that period the Israelites understood that children were a blessing from God
and that God had closed her from having children. This would have a
psychological hurt upon Hannah that she carried and no one to share her grief
with except to God in prayer. The verses in Psalm 40 echo the cry for help from
David to the Lord, which reminds the plight of Hannah. Let us unpacked the
guiding events that were happening with Hannah that showed the depth of her
misery is clearly portrayed for us.
The name ‘Hannah’ means ‘grace’ or
‘gracious’ and her behaviour in this story indicates that she understood what
divine grace involved.
First, Hannah realised the importance of worshipping God; although her life had many difficulties problems, she did not let them prevent her attending worship. Her worship was not just external or ritualistic; it came from her heart. Hannah’s example is that whenever we are suffering, confused, lonely or anxious, we should worship our Lord.
Second, Hannah realised that the problem she faced could not be remedied by any human source, even by her loving husband. There was only one who could help her, and that was her Lord. Here she reveals her strong faith: although she was experiencing dark providences, her faith enabled her to see beyond her troubles and bring her distress and disappointment to God in prayer.
First, Hannah realised the importance of worshipping God; although her life had many difficulties problems, she did not let them prevent her attending worship. Her worship was not just external or ritualistic; it came from her heart. Hannah’s example is that whenever we are suffering, confused, lonely or anxious, we should worship our Lord.
Second, Hannah realised that the problem she faced could not be remedied by any human source, even by her loving husband. There was only one who could help her, and that was her Lord. Here she reveals her strong faith: although she was experiencing dark providences, her faith enabled her to see beyond her troubles and bring her distress and disappointment to God in prayer.
The scripture report that Hannah
after “a sacrificial meal in Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray.” (9) As she went to the Tabernacle, Eli the priest
was sitting beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. It was Eli’s task to guard
the Ark of the Covenant so that the members of the twelve tribes were able to
worship on the great feast days. We see Hannah making pray to the Lord because
of her deep anguish and crying bitterly (10). She made a vow to the Lord, a
request for the impossible situation to become possible for a child.
There are also several important lessons we can learn from her response in prayer.
First, she did not use the providence of God as an argument against the character of God. She would not have approved of the deduction used by Job’s friends when they deduced from his circumstances that God was against him. Hannah’s providence indicated that she could not have children, yet she knew that the Lord could have mercy on her and give her a child. She referred to God’s character in order to deal with problems with his providence. It is important to note that to question providence is not a sign of rebellion. Ultimately there may have to be an acceptance, as Paul discovered with his thorn in the flesh.
Second, she turned her potential rebellious spirit into a means of intercessory prayer. Hannah was in bitterness of soul, a very graphic description. Though a devout follower of God; her life at one level was difficult. But instead of using her intense emotion to complain against God she used it to express her petition before God. It would have been easy for Hannah to have become bitter, but she did not and became a better believer as a result.
Third, Hannah’s case shows the effectiveness of tears in moving the heart of God. Psalm 6:8 informs us that the Lord hears the sound of our weeping. Admire the graciousness of our God who allows us to pour out our hearts in his presence. The story is told of Monica, the mother of Augustine. She was a Christian but she began to despair of his conversion and she went to see Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, who comforted her by telling her that the child of many tears can never perish. The psalmist reminds us that God collects our tears in his bottle. When Moses was sent by God to deliver his people from Egypt he said that he had heard their groaning’s.
Fourth, Hannah in her distress prayed for a son who would become a devoted servant of God from his childhood. Because Elkanah was a Levite, Samuel would have served the Lord at the tabernacle when he was thirty years old. What is remarkable about Hannah’s prayer is her vision that her child could be God’s servant from his tender years. Her language indicates that she wanted her child to be a Nazarite from the womb, one totally devoted to God. Her prayer did not only focus on her need as a barren woman, it also was concerned with the barrenness of true spiritual leaders in the church, and she wanted a child primarily for the latter reason.
This point raises two issues. First, there is the value of a Christian mother. Then there is the question as to whether it is right for a Christian to make a vow. Obviously it is inappropriate to make vows that we have no intention or opportunity to keep. Neither should we pretend that we have kept a vow; we only have to think of the solemn case of Ananias and Sapphira to see the danger of such deception. Nor can a vow be used as an attempt to bribe God to make us do what we want. Vows seemed to have been made in connection with a religious duty; for example, if God delivered a person from danger or disease, then he would acknowledge the Lord’s goodness publicly at the temple. A vow is not an expression of spiritual ability; rather it is connected to something that is done out of gratitude and through the Lord’s help.
Fifth, Hannah was a humble person. There is evidence that Elkanah was a person of some significance in society; this is seen in his genealogy being kept in such detail, and in his ability to go regularly to worship at Shiloh. Nevertheless Hannah regarded herself as a servant, both towards God and towards Eli. She responded gently to Eli’s cruel assessment of her situation and did not argue or get annoyed.
There are also several important lessons we can learn from her response in prayer.
First, she did not use the providence of God as an argument against the character of God. She would not have approved of the deduction used by Job’s friends when they deduced from his circumstances that God was against him. Hannah’s providence indicated that she could not have children, yet she knew that the Lord could have mercy on her and give her a child. She referred to God’s character in order to deal with problems with his providence. It is important to note that to question providence is not a sign of rebellion. Ultimately there may have to be an acceptance, as Paul discovered with his thorn in the flesh.
Second, she turned her potential rebellious spirit into a means of intercessory prayer. Hannah was in bitterness of soul, a very graphic description. Though a devout follower of God; her life at one level was difficult. But instead of using her intense emotion to complain against God she used it to express her petition before God. It would have been easy for Hannah to have become bitter, but she did not and became a better believer as a result.
Third, Hannah’s case shows the effectiveness of tears in moving the heart of God. Psalm 6:8 informs us that the Lord hears the sound of our weeping. Admire the graciousness of our God who allows us to pour out our hearts in his presence. The story is told of Monica, the mother of Augustine. She was a Christian but she began to despair of his conversion and she went to see Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, who comforted her by telling her that the child of many tears can never perish. The psalmist reminds us that God collects our tears in his bottle. When Moses was sent by God to deliver his people from Egypt he said that he had heard their groaning’s.
Fourth, Hannah in her distress prayed for a son who would become a devoted servant of God from his childhood. Because Elkanah was a Levite, Samuel would have served the Lord at the tabernacle when he was thirty years old. What is remarkable about Hannah’s prayer is her vision that her child could be God’s servant from his tender years. Her language indicates that she wanted her child to be a Nazarite from the womb, one totally devoted to God. Her prayer did not only focus on her need as a barren woman, it also was concerned with the barrenness of true spiritual leaders in the church, and she wanted a child primarily for the latter reason.
This point raises two issues. First, there is the value of a Christian mother. Then there is the question as to whether it is right for a Christian to make a vow. Obviously it is inappropriate to make vows that we have no intention or opportunity to keep. Neither should we pretend that we have kept a vow; we only have to think of the solemn case of Ananias and Sapphira to see the danger of such deception. Nor can a vow be used as an attempt to bribe God to make us do what we want. Vows seemed to have been made in connection with a religious duty; for example, if God delivered a person from danger or disease, then he would acknowledge the Lord’s goodness publicly at the temple. A vow is not an expression of spiritual ability; rather it is connected to something that is done out of gratitude and through the Lord’s help.
Fifth, Hannah was a humble person. There is evidence that Elkanah was a person of some significance in society; this is seen in his genealogy being kept in such detail, and in his ability to go regularly to worship at Shiloh. Nevertheless Hannah regarded herself as a servant, both towards God and towards Eli. She responded gently to Eli’s cruel assessment of her situation and did not argue or get annoyed.
The dialogue between Hannah and Eli,
she received a favourable reply from Eli in verse 17, “In that case,” Eli Said,
“go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
Hannah politely responded with a “thank you, sir!” (18) Hannah return to the
group, began to eat again and her sadness was no longer hindering her, she was
at peace. Prayer is about relationship.
Lessons to learn
One significant lesson from this incident is to realize the true source of power. At the beginning of the story Hannah is powerless compared to Peninnah, to Elkanah, to Eli. Yet she had power with God because she prayed. This is how to estimate effectiveness, not by where a person is in relation to power structures in society or in the church but where he or she is in relation to the throne of God.
Another important lesson is the need for us to pray for strong leaders. Such were lacking in Israel and I suspect they are lacking today. It may be that the future leaders of the church are young children today and we should pray that God would even now be preparing them for this role.
Lessons to learn
One significant lesson from this incident is to realize the true source of power. At the beginning of the story Hannah is powerless compared to Peninnah, to Elkanah, to Eli. Yet she had power with God because she prayed. This is how to estimate effectiveness, not by where a person is in relation to power structures in society or in the church but where he or she is in relation to the throne of God.
Another important lesson is the need for us to pray for strong leaders. Such were lacking in Israel and I suspect they are lacking today. It may be that the future leaders of the church are young children today and we should pray that God would even now be preparing them for this role.
Father, we thank you for the Scriptures and for this incredible story. And we pray, Lord, that we might know something — just a little something of the consecration of this woman's heart to you. Oh, that we might live our lives that You would be first and foremost in ourselves and in our families. And we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Resources
Baldwin, Joyce G 1988 “1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary” Inter-Variety Press, Nottingham
Boadt, Lawrence 1984 “Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction” Paulist Press, New York
Biggs C.R,, A.L.G Catlin 1993 “A Way into the Old Testament” Uniting Church Press, Melbourne
Evans. Mary J 2004 “The Message of Samuel” Inter-Variety Press, Nottingham
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