HANNAH PRAYED FOR SAMUEL - TO BE A PRIEST. 1 Samuel : 1
Hannah was a woman of prayer; but she was miserable, for her rival Peninnah also provoked her severely, because the Lord had closed her womb. Surprised, her devoted husband Elkanah said to her, ’why do you not eat? Why is your heart grieved? As a man, he did not understand womanhood, even his beloved wife, so he enquired, ‘Am I not better than ten sons? ’ Hannah was infertile, suffering from anorexia nervosa, resulting in loss of appetite, suffering hunger; loss of body condition; hormonal insufficiency, low body temperature, all complicating her reproductive loss. This is a complex, spiritual, psychological and physical condition. Hannah’s desperate longing prompted her prayer. Grievous situations produce our most stirring prayers, touching the heart of our God. What a Friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to bear.’
In bitterness of soul and weeping in anguish, Hannah prayed to the Lord. V10 Then she vowed.
Precious promises are sprinkled through God’s word as in psalm 50:10 , Call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.’ Hannah qualified for emergency help. You often do also. Or in the ninety first psalm, ‘He shall call upon Me and I will answer him, I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.’ Hannah would have known the inner strength from this powerful comfort. Our Lord knew deep, soul suffering greater than Hannah’s or our’s when He cried, ’Being in an agony, He cried more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’ Luke 22:44. Sweat fell to earth, but His prayer touched heaven. Choose heaven’s standard in your praying- not earth’s shallow cry.
Note her reverent vow to her Lord, ’ O, if indeed You will look on the affliction of your maid-servant, and remember me, and not forget your maid-servant, Lord of hosts, but give your maid-servant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head,’ His hair style will reveal his dedication to his Lord. Hannah had died to her own self interest for she promised to give this yearned-for life to her Lord for his life span. Three times she affirmed bond-slave devotion to her heavenly Lord. The Holy Spirit included this Scripture to show the intensity of a woman’s cry to her God. God wants reality.
Hannah spoke in her heart. Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. ‘It happened as she continued praying before the Lord. Eli watched her mouth.’ The priest wrongly assumed she was intoxicated. So she explained to him, my Lord I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. David urged us to ‘Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.’ Psalm 62:8 You do not oppress your God when you cry out to Him; He specializes in healing the heart-broken. Like Hannah. David reinforces this truth in Psalm 143:6, When he recalls past days; reviews God’s workmanship; ruminates on and lifts up holy hands
‘I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the works of Your hands; ‘ and then the consoling, ’ I spread out my hands to you, my soul longs for you like a thirsty land. Selah - pause, ponder, accentuate. God delighted in her sensitive cry, while Eli misconstrued.
Believing, purposeful prayer moves not only the heart of our great God but awakens God’s people. When I tell how God provided means for our medicine , food and sustenance for our family while in Java, it stirs the hearts of the hearers. Reminds me how great is our God. The double-barreled effect of searching prayer. Eli as priest responded to Hannah’s prayer, ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.v17 He had heard a woman crying to God for the gift of a son: was positive and prophetic. Hannah’s anorexia process was reversed as she responded, ‘ Let your maid-servant find favour in your sight.’ So the woman went her way - her appetite returned- she ate, and her face was no longer sad. ‘They rose early in the morning to worship before the lord, returning to their home in Ramah.’
As the anorexia nervosa faded, Hannah’s natural desire for her husband was restored, fortified by the certainty that God answers prayer. ‘Elkanah knew Hannah his wife and the Lord remembered her. God the Creator of womanhood as well as manhood, answered her heart prayer. ‘In the process of time Hannah conceived ( and with what joy ) and bore a son, (God’s promise more sure than any ultra-sound in determining sex of the child ). She called his name Samuel, ‘Because I have asked him from the Lord.’ Samuel was God’s servant until his 80 th year, the spiritual investment of a godly mother‘s prayer.
Hanna remained at home while ‘Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. She firmly told him, ‘I will not go until the child is weaned, then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever. ‘ Only let the Lord establish His word. ‘So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. ‘ Hannah taught God’s word, while she etched her simple, earnest praying upon Samuel’s mind.
I recall my dear mother on her knees, praying for her children, especially after the accidental death of my father. I remember my grandmother taking me on her lap with the old family bible and training me. These gentle women taught me to pray. Eighty plus years have passed since they inducted me in family prayer. Mary, mother of the Lord Jesus taught Him , even as Son of God, to pray, though marvellously conceived of the Holy Spirit. Traditional motherhood!
Hannah weaned Samuel, ‘For she took him with her, three bulls, one ephah of flour ( corn ground typified our Lord’s Calvary bruising) and a skin of wine ( exemplified His redeeming blood ) ; and she brought her precious child to the house pf the lord. The child was young. Then her story: ‘O my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.’ With a breaking heart and tears, a mother offered an unspeakable sacrifice,
' I have lent him to the Lord : as long as he lives'.
Hannah’s prayer showed how the Lord’s special gift of Samuel touched her life. Notice the depth of her cry: ‘Hannah prayed and said, ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. ‘ 1 Samuel 2;1
Paul expressed it in Philippians 4:6,’ Be anxious for nothing ( Hannah had known anxiety when denied the pregnancy for years) , but in everything by prayer and supplication ( God identifies with a woman in her heart yearning and thanksgiving ( for this chapter shows the flood of gratitude to the Lord ) , let your requests be made unto God.’ In everything by prayer’ includes all that a man or woman in their intimate lives can lift before our God. No exceptions!
In Hannah’s song of praise, ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord’, she plotted a succession which Mary the mother of our Lord Jesus followed when she cried, My soul magnifies the Lord , and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.’ Luke 1:46 Do you plan a sequence for your succeeding generation? These women focused attention on her Lord as the source of their joy, a constant reminder to us that joyful life flows out to each generation. Paul expressed in Romans 5 that ‘We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation, that is the Atonement.’ v11 Hannah knew the creative, large-heartedness of the Lord in Samuel’s coming; while Paul says our reconciliation is his source of Joy, when the Lord atoned for our sins. through His precious out-poured blood.
Is His atoning cross work your invariable source of thanksgiving to the Lord?
Hannah’s recurring joy in her Lord is reflected in Paul’s word, ‘Their names are written in the book of life, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice.’ Philippians 4:4 Just as rice, sago, yams or bread is our staple diet, so joy must flow through our prayer life. Drudgery will go- joy will flow. Our prayer will be transformed. Peter called such joy inexpressible. (1:1:8 ) ‘Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see him, yet believing you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.’ Peter spoke absorbingly, having seen the Lord during the 3 ½ years of earthly ministry, and then on several occasions when He had made His resurrection body visible. Peter’s unspeakable joy came because HE had borne our sins in His own body on the tree, had begotten us again to a loving hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, had granted us an inheritance undefiled and that does not pass away, reserved in heaven for you. ’vv3,4 Her emphatic stand is ‘I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.’ Hannah knew this indescribable joy. Do you?
Matthew Henry richly commented that Hannah does not commend her darling child Samuel but the God who graciously gave Samuel to her and Elkanah. He points out further the unsullied purity and perfect holiness of the Lord, who has no peers. ‘There is none holy like the Lord, for there is none besides you, nor is there any rock like our God. David emphasizes this in psalm 99:9 ,‘Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy.‘
Isaiah 57;15 enlarges on this special truth, ‘ For thus says the High and Holy One who inhabits eternity whose Name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place’, which tells of our glorious, heavenly home. Hannah knew the unflawed beauty of heaven. It should delight us.
Peter the restored disciple added conviction, ‘Be ye holy, even as I am holy‘. 1Peter 1:16
Hannah contended that no one substituted for the dear Lord. In psalm 73:25, David cried out, ‘Whom have I in heaven but you? There is none on earth I desire beside you. ‘ No challenge will come from heaven where Christ is worshipped; nor from earth for the Lord triumphed over the vile contender in the wilderness, and when men sought to stone Him, and bruised satan’s head on the cross and resurrection.
Isaiah follows the same course in 43:10, ‘that you may know and believe Me, an d understand that I am He, nor shall there be any after Me.’ he continues, ‘I. even I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior.’ Hannah knew how exclusive was her Lord, ‘Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the First and the Last besides Me there is no God. 44:6 Let each woman rejoice that Hannah expressed awesome truths such as these.
V 2 She comments on her strong Lord describing Him as the Rock, an expression which Moses frequently used. As Hannah proved the Lord after her fierce faith battle, so David sang the Lord’s praises in the 18 th psalm, ‘The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress, and my Deliverer, adding ’My God, my Strength, in Whom I will trust. V 2 The psalms validate Hannah in her faith prayer. ’ David cried, ’ O Lord be my strong habitation, to which I may resort continually, You have given the commandment to save me, for you are my Rock and my fortress. 71:3
To Hannah, the Lord was her mountain more majestic than any in her native country.
Her prayer life helped her adore her God. Have you found this so? Try it!
Prayer conferred boldness on Hannah, not surprisingly, for she had come from presence of the Lord, and God’s Spirit had enlightened her. Her words ring true generations afterwards. ‘Talk no more so very proudly, let no arrogance come from your mouth.’ Nebuchadnezzar grossly erred by pride and swaggering conceit. ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty.’ A righteous God judged immediately. ’While the word was still in the king’s mouth( instantaneous judgment ) , a voice fell from heaven, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: your kingdom has departed from you. ‘ We saw how prayer brought the Berlin Wall down after years of defying the law of God.
Hannah understood her Lord more perfectly because of the years, waiting on him for the gift of her son. She had come to know Him, whom to know is life eternal. ‘For the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.’ V3 Thanks be to God I have a deeper grasp of the knowledge of the true God and His infinite attributes after listening to my beloved brethren exegete the eternal Word. David cried out ’Would not God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.’ We cannot pull the wool over our Lord‘s eyes. He knows us through and through- even the most intimate matters. David enlarged on this: ‘Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. Psalm 147: 5
The Hebrews writer expressed it , ‘ The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow , and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart‘. 4:12 Hannah stated ‘He is the God of knowledge‘. The Indian scholar Vishal Mangalwadi, DLL revealed penetrating insights of the ‘Key to a new Reformation’ is the pursuit of knowledge and truth. Surely a grievous dearth weakens the western church. God-willing, with your prayerful support, continuing bible studies will repair this deficiency. We must know our God -and the power of His resurrection.
In her prayer, Hannah stated ‘By Him actions are weighed’, a remarkable revelation by this noble woman. Job cried, ‘Let me be weighed in a just balance, that God may know my integrity.’ 31:6 In her longing to cherish a baby son, the Lord weighed her longings balancing them justly.
Don’t hide anything from the Lord who measures exactly all the deep yearnings of your heart.
Isaiah amplified this principle , ‘the way of the just is uprightness; O Most upright; You weigh the path of the just.’ 26:7 God’s Spirit chose this woman to unravel this truth . He later chose a Prime Minister to expose the emperor Belshazzar, ‘When the inscription on the wall unnerved him, MENE, MENE, TEKEL,UPHARSIN.’ this is the interpretation of each word: ‘God has numbered your kingdom , and finished it. Daniel 5:27 Such solemn truth must be presented to present-day rulers. I particularly consider the tyrant ruler of an African nation, who will not accept that he has been cast off- and fiercely resists such a conclusion. A bumper harvest of truth proceeded from the prayer of a true woman. Should our prayer life be deepened?
Papua New Guinea nationals prize their bow and arrows, delighting to exhibit their skills. The arrows fly like a bullet. Let their bows ( mostly of black ash, elastic, vibrant timber ) be broken, and they are disarmed. Hannah felt like a devastated bow when she failed to conceive over years. Heart-broken. The Spirit of God entrusted a dejected woman with this penetrating truth.
She understood. She prayed, ‘The bows of the mighty man are broken,( shattered ) and those who stumbled are girded with strength‘. v4 I returned in triumph from a visit to missionaries in Papua new Guinea with a black ash bow and fearsome, serrated arrows. ( a heartache to a surgeon.) My secret pride- to be handed to our grand children, My beloved wife saw the danger side of the arrows, which I could not deny, and they were devoured in flames. I forgave her!
God restrung Hannah’s bow: we reap the benefit of her vigorous faith.
Paul wrote, ‘We are heard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; ( gentility of the Lord ) we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed- ‘ and the secret of Paul’s close walk with his Lord came out;’ Always carrying about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus ( unwelcome, unacceptable truth in our generation ) that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body.’ This eternal principle Hannah had grasped; though many of our Lord’s people decline to grasp the nettle ( blessed closeness to HIM ). Take the plunge.
‘Those who stumbled are girded with strength‘ v4 was marvelously fulfilled in her. In His second letter to the Corinthians, Paul enlarged on this theme, ‘My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ 12: 9. Enduring Penninah’s disparaging jabs, Hannah rested in the grace of God. It can be appreciated only when passing through such a valley - it is not theoretical but realistic.
In Hebrews 11, the Westminster Abbey of biblical conquerors, v34, applies to Hannah, ‘Women received their dead raised to life; her lifeless womb gave birth to this celebrated son.’ Others were tortured , not accepting deliverance, that they might attain a better resurrection.’
Rough seas may sink the vessel, but never when the Captain of our salvation is on board. Hannah knew the Lord was always on the bridge, steering the vessel.
Mary’s Magnificat announced, ‘He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away, ’ Luke 1:53, explaining why the underprivileged in the third world rejoice in their great salvation with far less possessions than we, whose multiplied paraphernalia does not satisfy our soul. Our Lord spoke at length to the Pharisees, ‘Who were lovers of money, and heard all these things and derided HIM. Luke 16:13 and especially in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Our Lord showed the rich man in hell, pleading for mercy, imploring that Lazarus would come and dip the tip of his tongue in water to cool his tongue, for he was tormented in this flame. And then the revealing statement, ‘Son, remember in your life-time you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.’ The Lord confirmed Hannah’s prayer. ‘The barren had borne seven children‘; indicative of the extra five children the Sovereign God granted her after surrendering Samuel to her Lord. Her heart was full; her quiver bursting.
‘Those who are full have hired out themselves for bread, and those who are hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven (the perfect bible number ) and she who has many children has become feeble. V5
Our Lord Jesus holds the passport to natural and eternal life. ‘I Am He that lives and was dead; behold I am alive forevermore. Amen ( let it be so!) I have the keys of Hades and of death. ‘ Rev 1:18 Hannah prayed, ‘The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and b rings up‘. v6 Our lord is the Giver and sustainer of all life. This striking truth appears in John5:25,’ The hour is coming and s now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and those who hear shall live. Our lord amplified this with ‘ As Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and nights in the heart of the earth.’
God’s Spirit tutored Hannah in her unique prayer. Scripture is harmonious and integral.
Hannah’s prayer reflected Joseph’s promotion in Egypt. After long years in prison, Pharoah declared, ’ You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne shall I be greater than you,’ Genesis 41:10 Unanticipated promotion.
‘The lord makes poor and makes rich, he b rings low and lifts up.’ V7
Daniel, as Prime Minister, valued this over -ruling of God, ‘That they might seek mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret.’ 2;18 ‘He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s. And he has set the world upon them.’ V8
John’s Revelation supports this, ‘To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.’ 3:21
‘He will guard the feet of His saints. Comforting confidence! But the wicked shall be silent in darkness, for by strength no man shall prevail.v9 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; from heaven he shall thunder against them, the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed‘. V10 John endorses this prayer in his last chapter ( 22:3) ‘There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb
( our Lord Jesus ) shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. Deep solace comes, ‘As they see His face and His name shall be in their forehead, there shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun for the Lord God gives them light. Then the staggering certainly, They ( you and me ) shall reign for ever and ever. We honor the noble woman whose prayer challenged us to pray intelligently with passion and fire. May He b low on the coals of fire.
A God-fearing, praying woman upholds her husband and secures his ministry; while bolstering the life work of her children, for ‘The child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.
Then Elkanah went to his home in Ramah.’ God unleashes power when the godly woman prays according to the will of God. 3000 years later, it is undiminished. Prove it in every crisis.