HANNAH PRAYS TO THE LORD
1 Samuel 1:1-2:11
Key Verse: 1:10-11
“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. And she made a vow, saying,’ O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’"
The book of 1 Samuel records the story of judges like Eli and Samuel and then kings like Saul and David. First Samuel begins with the birth of Samuel with Hannah’s prayer. Hannah played a significant role for the birth of Samuel as we see in the cases of John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ. God used Hannah’s prayer to bring the great servant of God like Samuel into the world. There are always great women of prayer behind the great servants like Samuel. We cannot think about Samuel with prayer mothers like Hannah. God used Samuel to transform the nation Israel from judgeship to kingship. Samuel was a king maker by anointing Saul and David. God used Samuel to serve the people of God in the difficult time as prophet, priest and judge. Let’s learn the way God worked in the history of Israel. Let’s learn what kinds of people God used in raising kings and priests. I pray that God may use us in our time to raise up many Samuels through our prayers and obedience. May God bless us to learn Hannah’s life of prayer and her devotion to fulfill her vow before the Lord!
PART I. HANNAH PRAYS WITH A VOW (1:1-20)
The history of Samuel here begins as early as even before he was born. Who was Samuel’s father? Verses 1-2 show us the background of the birth of Samuel. His father's name was Elkanah, a Levite. He belonged to the priest family line. This Elkanah lived at Ramah. He had two wives-Hannah and Peninnah. Probably Hannah was the first wife but due to her barrenness he got the second wife Peninnah who produced children. Look at verse 3. “Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD.” Elkanah was a devout man who went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh. He did not miss his duty to worship the Mighty God. In spite of hard situation, he went year after year. Though he was faithful in worshipping God each year, his family environment was not good because there was a big struggle in the family due to Elkannah’s marrying two wives. The family situation was like that of Sarah and Hagar and Leah and Rachel. There were constant struggles between Hannah and Peninnah. These two women had advantages and disadvantages in terms of their relationship with their husband. Peninnah like Leah had an advantage in having many children but did not receive her husband’s love. She suffered a lot due to husband’s lack of love. In the meantime, Hannah like Rachael was childless but she was Elkannah’s Valentine. Elkannah favored Hannah in actions and languages. Verse 5 said, “But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb.” His favoritism created the undesired result. Peninnah, her rival, provoked Hannah to irritate her till she wept and would not eat whenever they went up to the house of the Lord. These kinds of bully and provoking continued to Hannah year after year because Hannah was barren. It was not just one time, two times, three times, but every year. Jealousy flared in her heart towards Hannah because she was loved more by her husband. She despised Hannah and spoke many nasty words because she was barren. She did this more during the worship time at Shiloh because they were more together than the other times. She added more burdens to Hannah. She was like Job’s three friends who came to comfort Job’s misery but ended up blaming him for what he suffered due to his sin. We ought to bear one another's burdens, not add to them. Hannah could not bear the provocation: she wept and did not eat. (7) Her trouble took away her appetite. Unlike Sarah, she did not react to her rival and took everything to herself. Eventually, she brought the matter to God.
How did Elkannah encourage Hannah in this difficult situation? Let’s read verse 8. “Elkanah her husband would say to her, ‘Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?’" He did all he could to encourage Hannah, and to cheer her up under her affliction. Elkanah loved his wife in spite of her barrenness. He did not dump Hannah. Instead, he comforted her by saying, “you are worthy as much as ten sons.” Wow! He loved his wife Hannah as himself. She was so precious to him though she did not produce any son to him. At the same time, Elkanah had gently rebuked Hannah for her sorrow and despair in the presence of the Lord. I think Hannah accepted his rebuke. According to verse 9, she ate and drank. She did not harden herself in sorrow but stood up by faith. What did Hannah do after she ate and drank? Look at verses 10-11. “In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. And she made a vow, saying,’ O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’"
It was a turning point in Hannah’s life. In the past she struggled with her rival or her husband or mostly with herself. She was hard on herself whenever her rival provoked her. This kind of situation went on year after year. It was a hopeless situation. But this time she decided to bring her request to God. She decided to cast her burdens upon the Lord by prayer. It was a leap of faith that she decided to come to the presence of God in her bitterness. What a golden opportunity she had! She was at Shiloh, at the door of the tabernacle, where God had promised to meet his people. She was in the house of prayer. How did she pray? Look at verse 10 again. “In the bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.” Here ‘bitterness’ means in grave pain. Being in grave pain of her soul she prayed. It was not a dry prayer. She wept much and prayed to the Lord. Her prayer was a lively one with her crying. She mingled tears with prayer. In her anguish the prayer came from her deep soul as the tears flowed from her eyes like a river. Prayers and tears are the weapons with which the saints have obtained the most glorious victories. Jesus prayed intensely at Gethesemane. Luke 22:44 says, “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Jesus prayed earnestly when he was in great anguish. Jesus prayed to obey the will of God which meant his death on the cross with earnest heart. God heard his cry and gave him strength to take up the cross of mission to become the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. Of course, we cannot pray like Jesus every day. But we have to pray with sincere hearts not with habit. God hears our prayers mingled with sincere tears. When we come to God, we have to empty our heart with humility and come to him asking his mercy upon our prayers.
What was her prayer topic? Look at verse 11 again. “And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” First, she called God as the mighty one. She acknowledged that everything is possible to God because he is the Mighty God. We come to God in our prayers because he has power to grant our request. There are many things we cannot do it with our human ability like a child-bearing. So she knew that it was God who closed her womb. Now it is God who is able to open her womb. Therefore, she came before God and offered her prayer. Second, she made a solemn vow, or promise that if God would give her a son, she would give him up to God. Her prayer was very specific, “Give me a son.” Many people question why she asked a son eagerly. To a woman, barrenness was regarded as a curse from God. Spiritually speaking, God commanded us to increase in number according to Genesis 1:28. It is necessary to have a lot of children in order to be fruitful. In that sense it was proper for Hannah to pray for a son. When we pray, we pray clearly. We should not pray aimlessly beating the air. We should pray with clear prayer topics. What is your prayer topic this year? My prayer topic is to have the spirit of Christian solider so that I can fight the spiritual battle to win many souls through 5 team meetings. God appointed Landry as the mustard team captain. He said, “Our team needs unity.” M. Sarah Chang prayed for the people of Belize with compassion and vision. She was overwhelmed when God granted her 12 sheep last week. God is the Almighty who created the heavens and the earth. He is the eternal God who is the Alpha and the Omega. He knows all things in our life. He knows our pains and sufferings. We have to kneel down and pray for UMCP students and America. Now Hannah promised before God that the boy would be by birth a Levite, and so devoted to the service of God. She spoke all this so softly that none could hear her. Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard (13.)Her prayer was between her soul and God. That’s reason why she did not pray loudly in this case. She prayed softly.
Eli was now high priest, and judge in Israel; he sat upon a seat in the temple to see what was going on there. The tabernacle is here called the temple, because it was now fixed, and served all the purposes of a temple. There Eli sat to receive prayers and give direction and he observed Hannah at her prayers. By her unusual behavior Eli thought that she was drunk and rebuked her by saying, “How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.” (14) Think about the time of the Judges. Judges 21:25 says, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” There was no moral standard at that time. Everyone acted according to his own desire. Therefore, it was not unusual for Eli to see drunken women in the temple. This was Eli's fault. He did not understand what was going on his sheep Hannah. Drunkards are commonly noisy and turbulent, but this poor woman was silent and composed. His fault was the worse that he was the priest of the Lord. She was rebuked by husband for not eating. Now she was rebuked by Eli for eating and drinking too much. Eli did not understand Hannah’s affliction.
How did Hannah respond to his false charges? Look at verses 15-16. “"Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." She bore Eli’s false charges very graciously. She did not retort the charge. She did not say to him, “Look at your sons and they are so bad. Take care of your sons first.” Hannah expressly denied the charge and speaks to him with all due respect though Eli made a big mistake to a woman of prayer. Eli now encouraged Hannah’s devotions and blessed her. “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” Being high priest as one having authority, Eli blessed her in the name of the Lord.
Hannah was satisfied in her soul after prayer and went her way. Her face was no longer downcast. Her appetite returned again. She was smiling once again. Prayer brings peace in our souls so that we can rejoice in all situations. Prayer drives away all anxieties from our hearts so that we can trust God and obey his will in our daily life. God used our 5:30 AM early morning prayers to support missionary coworkers in the mission front line every day. We cannot do many things this year but we can pray in the early morning with sincere hearts like Hannah. I pray that God may raise up many women of prayers like Hannah for our generation. David and Mary had two daughters. As an only son David needed a son. So he named his second daughter Hannah and then God granted him his first son Samuel. The birth of Samuel was the answer of prayer.
Look at verses 19-20. “Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him." They returned home after worshipping before the Lord last time. Finally, the Lord remembered Hannah as she requested. Then she conceived and bore a son. She called him Samuel saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” Whenever she calls his name, she wants to remember God’s grace upon her life. At the birth of Samuel, God lifted up the burdens of Hannah. Though God seemed to have forgotten Hannah’s sorrows and burdens, he remembered his afflictions and burdens and granted her prayer requests. Hannah gave glory to God by naming her son as Samuel.
PART II HANNAH DEDICATES SAMUEL (21-28)
According to verses 21-23, Hannah took care of Samuel by herself with a lot of prayers until she had weaned him. As a woman of prayer who experienced God’s grace personally, she made a significant spiritual influence to child Samuel. Though children do not know much in their young age, mother’s prayer and faith shape the children’s spiritual character. When Hannah wanted to dedicate Samuel to God, Elkannah did not discourage Hannah, not to give him to God. In Number 30:6-8, a husband would cancel his wife’s vow. Since he was a faithful man, he honored Hannah’s vow. In this way, her decision to give her son to God was confirmed.
After being childless for so long, Hannah might have felt to keep Samuel with her instead of giving him to God. There is a saying goes, “before going to a bathroom is a quiet different from after coming back from the bathroom.” She kept her vow before God. She sacrificed her human desire to keep him to herself. She offered his son to God along with a three-year bull.
Finally, Samuel was weaned and Hannah presented him to Eli. Look at what she said to Eli at the dedication of Samuel in verses 26-28. “and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.” Hannah identified herself to Eli as the same woman who stood beside him praying to the Lord. She shared the answer of her prayer. At the same time I wept a lot but now I am a happy woman. This was the child I prayed for. Here is the living evidence that God has granted by his mercy and grace. She praised God for his faithfulness through the birth of Samuel. Samuel was obtained by prayer, and now she gives him back to God. Whatever we give to God, it is what we have first asked and received from him. All our gifts to him were first his gifts to us. As parents, our children are precious to us. It is easy for us to think that they belong to us. But we must acknowledge that children are God’s gifts and we must raise them up with prayers and the word of God so that they may become servants of God when they grow up. The child Samuel did his part beyond what could have been expected from one of his years. He worshipped the Lord there.
PART III HANNAH’S PRAYER (2:1-11)
In this chapter we have Hannah's song of thanksgiving to God for his favor to her in giving her Samuel. Look at verse 1b. “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.” We have here Hannah's thanksgiving, dictated, not only by the spirit of prayer, but by the spirit of prophecy. She received her prayer request. Her praise is similar to that of Miriam in Exodus 15:21 and Mary in Luke 1:46-55. All three women praised God in their rejoicing. Her thanksgiving is here called a prayer: Hannah prayed; for thanksgiving is an essential part of prayer. Her prayer was mental. Her voice was not heard; but in her thanksgiving she spoke, that all might hear her. The virgin Mary's song has great affinity with this of Hannah according to Luke 1:46. Three things we have in this thanksgiving: (1) Hannah's triumph in God, in his glorious perfections, and the great things he had done for her (1-3). She praised the mighty power of God. He is everlasting and he treats all men equally. He lifts up the poor and opposes the proud. God brings justice to all men.
In conclusion, God used Hannah’s prayer to bring Samuel into the history of Israel in the critical time. God has his sovereign plan for his people but he uses people who come to him with prayers. To serve our time, we need to pray to God with eagerness and humility so that he may grant our prayer request for young leaders like Samuel. I pray that God may raise up many women of prayers like Hannah and young disciples of Jesus like Samuel through our sacrificial life of prayers. Let’s read the key verse 1:10-11.