| Introduction Have you ever noticed that more often than not, when an athlete is interviewed on TV, he thanks or says hi to his mom? He doesn't usually refer to his parents, just to mom. This is due in part to socio-economic situation. But part of it has to do with the special bond between mothers and kids, especially mothers and sons. We see this especial bond between mother and son in the account of Hannah's relationship to her son, even before Samuel was conceived. I. The Story Leading up to the Story: When the Precepts of God Are not Followed, the Result Is Dysfunction, 1-8. A. Though he was trying hard, Elkanah ignored a foundational precept of God's plan for the family: one spouse for life. B. This principle of following God's precepts is true, not only for family life, but life in general: you ignore the precept of faith and the whole house falls down. Mt. 7:24-27 – Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. II. What We See Here Is a Mother's Trust in God. A. After Peninnah's mistreatment of her (6) and Elkanah's incredible insensitivity and cluelessness (8), Hannah flees to the Lord, 9-10. "In one sense Hannah had almost everything an 1100 BC Israelite woman could want. She had Elkanah, a husband of social standing…, moderate wealth…, genuine affection…, and faithful piety…. The problem was that though Hannah had Elkanah, she didn't have him. She shared him. With Peninnah, an overly fertile, mouthy, thorn in the flesh…." Dale Ralph Davis in 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart 1. Let Hannah teach us something about life here – when life gives you lemons…, PRAY! "It was the unbearable harshness of Peninnah that drove Hannah to the throne of grace." William Blaikie in The First Book of Samuel 2. It takes faith to pray like this. a. Although she badly wanted a son, she did not allow it to become an idolatrous desire. b. She prayed to the Lord. 3. Look at the state of her heart, 10 – bitterness of soul (deeply distressed in ESV), wept in anguish. 1) Her husband didn't understand her and took another wife because she couldn't give him the son he wanted. 2) It didn't make sense that Peninnah who didn't seem to care much about the Lord had all these kids and she who trusted in the Lord was barren. b. So, she did what faith enables us to do – she took her issues up with the only one who could do something about it: God! "Many Christians need to realize that Yahweh our God allows us to do this – to pour our griefs and sobs and perplexities at his feet. Our Lord can handle our tears; it won't make him nervous or ill at ease if you unload your distress at his feet." Dale Ralph Davis in 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart 4. Hannah, in her prayer, exemplifies what Peter teaches us. 1 Pt. 5:6-7 – Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. a. She prayed to God because she was convinced he cared about her. b. She addresses the Almighty God, the Ruler of the universe, in whose hands are the hearts of all rulers of this earth, and she assumes that the broken heart of this little, unknown woman from the hill country of Ephraim matters to him. c. And she was right in assuming all that! d. As you listen to Hannah's testimony, you might think, "I would like to pray like that, but I don't have any proof that God actually cares for me." 1) If you are a believer, if you have trusted in Jesus Christ for your standing before God, then you have the ultimate proof right before you. Rom. 8:32 – He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 2) If you are not a believer, then you are right – there is no reason for you to think that God cares for you in a loving way. B. A note about where she was. 1. We sometimes glamorize what we read in the Bible and perhaps we do it here by thinking that Hannah was praying at a quiet corner of a building, maybe kneeling by a pew. 2. She actually was outside the tabernacle complex in Shiloh because she wasn't allowed inside – only Levites. a. The tabernacle was still a tent, but structures had been built around it to house the priestly "staff" – in chpt. 3 we read of Samuel and Eli having rooms by the tabernacle. b. This was a public place where Eli would sit to oversee sacrifices and all that was being done there. c. There may even have been cultic prostitutes around there as well, 2:22. d. The tabernacle did not move to Jerusalem till the 8th year of David's reign (almost 80 years after 1 Sam. 1) and the temple didn't begin to be built for another 35 years after that. C. Hannah's actual prayer, 11. 1. Hannah prays to Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts – first time God is addressed as such in the Bible. a. She knew who her God was. b. Her God, OUR God, is "[t]he God whose universal rule 'encompasses every force or army, heavenly, cosmic or earthly,' the God with the total resources of the universe at his command." Dale Ralph Davis in 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart Is. 44:6 – Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.' "Our hopelessness and our helplessness are no barrier to his work." Dale Ralph Davis in 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart 2. Notice the freedom Hannah enjoys in her prayer and how she describes her praying, 15 – pouring out my soul before the Lord. a. This is not a rookie's prayer. b. This is the prayer of someone who is accustomed to being before the throne of grace. c. This prayer illustrates Paul's teaching in Romans 8. Rom. 8:26-27 – Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. d. This can be the experience of every Christian. 3. The content of Hannah's prayer. a. She prays that the Lord would give her a son so that she could raise him for the Lord. b. So, her prayer for the unborn, pre-conception Samuel was not for glory and fame, but that he would serve God all the days of his life. 1) She makes a vow on his behalf that he will serve the Lord (Nazarite vow – Num 6:1-21). 2) That is part of what parents do when they present their children to be baptized – they are vowing that child to the Lord. D. Her prayers were so intense that Eli thought she was out of her mind, 13-15. 1. Perhaps Eli concluded that she was drunk because it was a common practice of those who came to the festival to abuse of the feasting. 2. Perhaps that's what the women his sons hung out with did. E. Notice how Hannah's demeanor changed completely after she poured her heart to the Lord, 17-18. 1. She received encouragement from Eli (as he tries to get his foot out of his mouth), 17. 2. Yet, she didn't know if God was going to give her a son or not. 3. One thing she did know: God was going to answer her prayer and that answer was coming from a good God who loved her. Heb. 4:15-16 – For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 4. This confidence brought her up from the pit of despair she was in. F. God gave her a son and she followed through on what she had committed to do, 19-20. 1. After Samuel was born, Hannah stayed close to home for at least three years before taking him to Shiloh, 21-23. a. This is how long it usually took for a child to be weaned. b. It is safe to assume that Hannah trained little Samuel in the ways of the Lord during this period of time. 2. But when the time came, she took him to Shiloh to stay there and serve in the tabernacle before the Lord, 24-28. a. What a hard thing to do! 1) To leave your 3-5 year-old only child behind. 2) To let him go and give up any control over him. 3) To entrust him completely to the care of the Lord. b. She was able to do that because he was already the Lord's, 27-28. III. Five Lessons to Parents (Especially to Moms) from Hannah. A. Hannah's dedication of Samuel to God should be every parent's practice. 1. God give us children so that we can be part of preparing them for heaven. 2. Notice that Hannah doesn't really give Samuel a choice – he WILL be the Lord's, 28. B. Our kids' relationship to the Lord should be the driving force behind everything we do in parenting. 1. Not how well they throw, catch, or hit a ball. 2. Not getting them into a good college. 3. Not making them good citizens. 4. Not making sure they love us. 5. Where are you investing? a. Are you training your child and seen her as a loan from heaven? b. Disciplining (not excusing), devotions, church attendance? Eph. 6:4b – … bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. C. At the same time, it is God who will do the work – therefore, we must give them to the Lord. D. Mothers, often the salvation of your kids is accomplished on your knees. "When I was a child there were times, though very few, when my father was away. That meant my mother would lead family worship in the evening. I always half-dreaded that because, after the Scripture was read and we were on our knees, Mom would pray for each of us five boys by name, specifically and in detail, beginning with the oldest down to the caboose (me). I say I half-dreaded this because it was difficult to hear the earnest desires of a mother's soul without tears coming to my eyes…. Naturally, it was not macho for an eight-, ten-, or twelve-year-old lad to shed tears. But it was tough to be tough. Here was a Christian mother, on the basis of what she knew – and didn't know – 'making over' her sons to the Lord. They were hers, but it was more important that they be his – and for that she prayed." Dale Ralph Davis in 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart E. The Gospel with all its promises must permeate our homes as it did Hannah's despite the afflictions she had to go through. 2 Tim. 3:14-15 – But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Acts. 2:36-39 – "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
Hannah, a saint who lived over 3,000 years ago, speaks to us today. She speaks to us today because she served the same God we serve today. Her message to us: Yahweh is a God to us and to our children.
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