Mother's Day on 2012

Mother’s Day

2012

“Hannah: Mother of a Champion”

I Samuel 1:1-2

Today is Mother’s Day.

Having said that, I’m aware that sometimes this day can be a bittersweet day for mothers that have lost a child and some children that have lost their mother.

Others of you don’t care much for your mom and you’re a bit turned off by all the syrupy sentiments.

Some of you may have a mother who is very sick right now and you wonder how much longer she’s going to be with you.

Maybe you’re a single dad and you’re hurting for your kids as they struggle to find out why their mother isn’t around very much.

And I know there are women here who would give anything just to have a child.

What I’m going to share today I believe transcends these possibilities and is broad enough to be a blessing to everyone, not just moms who are in a position to enjoy Mother’s Day.

Truth be told, motherhood is not glamorous or easy.

One mother said, "The joy of motherhood is what a woman experiences when all the kids are finally in bed."

A mother talking to an old college friend said, "Before I was married I had 3 theories about raising children. Now I have 3 children and no theories."

Another woman who had three children was asked, "If you had it all to do over again would you have children?" "Yes," she replied, "But not the same ones."

Motherhood is where the untried ideals of youth meet the tough jolt of reality.

Things don’t always go the way moms hope.

Eve, the first mother, watched her first child become a murderer and a fugitive.

Moses’ mother had to give him up for adoption.

Samuel’s mother, Hannah, (who we’ll look at today) released him as a mere child to serve in the temple, and only saw him once a year afterward.

Mothers are interesting.

Not only do they seem to be—at times, ‘superhuman’ but all moms manage to speak the same language.

For instance, you’ve probably heard:

"Don’t be smart with me!" (But I thought you wanted us to be smart?).

Or, "You ARE going to have fun"

* Mothers teach us about…FORESIGHT: "Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you’re in an accident."

* Mothers teach us about LOGIC: "If you break your leg, don’t come running to me"

* Mothers teach us about MATURITY: "Eat your vegetables or you’ll never grow up."

* Mothers teach us about RELIGION: "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."

* Mothers teach us about TIME TRAVEL: "If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

* Mothers teach us about CONTRADICTIONS: "Shut your mouth and eat your dinner!"

* Mothers teach us about CONTORTIONISM: "Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck?"

* Mothers teach us about PERSEVERANCE: "You are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."

* Mothers teach us about GENETICS: "You’re just like your father."

* Mothers teach us about the WEATHER: "It looks like a tornado swept through your room."

* Mothers teach us about the CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

Now, let’s look more closely at a woman named Hannah, the mother of the great prophet Samuel.

When we first meet her in Scripture,

Hannah is a woman of much Sorrow

The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 1:1-8 that Hannah was “miserable,” and “in bitterness of soul.”

Why all this sorrow?

First, Because of the times she lived in.

Hannah lived during the period of the Judges, one of the darkest hours in Israel’s history.

There is no king in Israel as yet.

It is a time of turmoil and confusion.

It is a time when Israel is vulnerable to the Philistines.

It is a time when they are morally depraved.

It is a time when their religion has grown cold.

And it is a time of religious degeneracy and political distress.

With the death of Samson the country was divided and leaderless.

Moral scandals were rampant among the family of the priests.

The nation was weak and impotent.

And the worst of all, chapter 3 verse 1 says, word from the Lord was rare in those days and visions were infrequent.

Even God had nothing to say.

The nation needed a great leader and a great man.

And God needed a great woman to shape that great man.

But Hannah was also very sorrowful because of her family situation.

In fairness we should note that there was a positive side to her family.

As we read in our text, Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah.

He was a faithful spiritual leader of the home.

He was faithful to worship at the tabernacle in Shiloh, traveling there each year to do so.

He loved Hannah.

In these things Elkanah is an example to be followed by husbands everywhere.

Well then, you might be wondering why Hannah would be sorrowful with a husband like Elkanah!

There are many women who would love to have a husband who was faithful in his service to God and who loved his wife.

Well, here’s the flip side: Elkanah had a problem.

He had been influenced by the world around him, had overstepped God’s plan for marriage and had taken a second wife.

God tolerated polygamy in the Old Testament, but it was never intended.

FACT: We learn from Elkanah that the more of the world we allow into our homes; the more we suffer for it spiritually!

Elkanah’s error in judgment affected the relationship he had with Hannah.

Although Elkanah was a spiritual leader, and although he loved Hannah very much ...

Hannah was sorrowful over the fact that he had taken another wife.

The second wife’s name was Peninah and she proved to be a she-devil, a daily vexation, a constant critic of all things Hannah.

And then the biggest reason for her sorrow was the fact that she was barren—Hannah had no children.

Bearing children was hugely important to a marriage relationship and to the fulfillment of a woman in the O.T. culture.

The Bible says that each year Elkanah, Hannah, and Peninah went up to Shiloh to worship God.

In their worship ritual, there were certain sacrifices offered.

A portion of the sacrifice was returned to the offerer.

Together the family would enjoy a sacrificial feast from these leftovers.

Now because Elkanah wanted to assure Hannah that he loved her even though she had borne him no children, he gave her a “double portion” of these leftovers.

This stirred the pot of jealousy with Penninah.

In retaliation she began to taunt Hannah where it hurt the most—over her barrenness.

The Bible says that Penninah became her adversary and “provoked her greatly” to the point that Hannah was “miserable.”

Like a typical man, Elkanah could not understand her sorrow and grief.

He thought that his love and concern for her would be enough.

“Why be downhearted just because you have no children?” he said to Hannah. “You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” (1:8)

The times she lived in, her husband’s polygamy, and barrenness all contributed to Hannah’s sorrow.

Now, I’ve learned long ago that it’s not so much what happens to you as how you respond to what happens to you that matters most.

So let’s consider Hannah’s response to these different adversities:

She could have spiraled into a fit of inconsolable depression, but she did not.

She could have given up on trying to live a godly life and blamed God for her trouble, but she didn’t.

She did not go back to her mother and seek solace and comfort...

She did not seek legal counsel to try to get out of her situation.

She never sought out another relationship for comfort.

She went to the only One who could possibly help her—the living God!

First,

She trusted God with her pain

The Bible records, “Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.” (1:10)

Amplified Bible says, “Hannah was in distress of soul, praying to the Lord and weeping bitterly.”

The Message Bible puts it, “Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried—inconsolably.”

This woman was at her wits end.

She could not envision going another day without some kind of breakthrough.

She poured out her broken heart to the God she believed cared about her.

Rather than allowing her pain to drive her away from God, she let it drive her toward God.

David urges us, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” (Ps.62:8)

Having trusted Him with her pain, she:

Trusted Him with her prayer

“Give your maidservant a son…” (vs.11)

She was not asking for a son in order to gain her husband’s favor; she already had that.

She was not asking for a son to flaunt before Penninah.

She wasn’t asking for a son in order to have a great posterity; as was the normal reason for desiring a son.

She prayed instead, "...give your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life..."

The reason she wants a son is so she might in turn give him back to the Lord for life-long service.

She wants to give to God the most precious gift she can think of: A SON!

After years of barrenness and ridicule, God heard and answered her prayer.

Vs.20 “It came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, meaning “heard by God.”

We see at this juncture that Hannah was a promise-keeper.

She had trusted God with her pain and with her prayer.

Now,

She Trusted God with what she loved

According to custom, Hebrew women nursed their children until they were about three years old.

When she had been with her little boy three full years, she surrendered him to God.

When the family took their annual trip to Shiloh, this time Hannah packed all of Samuel’s belongings.

His clothes, his toys, his little bed…everything.

Walking toward Shiloh holding the love of her heart close and tight, it must have seemed to take forever.

It reminds me of Abraham carrying his only son, Isaac, to Mount Mariah to give him to the Lord as well.

And it reminds me of Jesus Christ carrying His cross up Calvary’s hill to be offered to God for the sins of men.

“For God so loved the world—more than Hannah loved Samuel, and more than Abraham loved Isaac—that He gave His only begotten Son…”

This mother of a champion handed little Samuel to Eli—the same priest that had heard her praying for a son a few years before—and walked away, only to see him once a year after that.

She trusted what she loved to God.

Her faith was richly rewarded!

Samuel became one of the greatest men of God found within the pages of the O.T.

The message of Hannah’s life is:

God will turn pain into gain when we respond as Hannah responded.

Trust God with your pain.

Trust God with your prayers.

Trust God with what you love.