1 Samuel 1:21-28

Complete Dedication is the Proper Response to God’s Providence

Last Sunday, we have seen how God’s providence was at work in the life of Hannah. God provided a son to Hannah. A child that will one day help guide Israel back to God…and appointed the 2 kings of Israel - Saul and David.

Today, we shall continue our study…

What will you do when God provided an answer to your prayer?

What will be your response?

I believe that our study this morning will help us become a better worshipper because this will teach us what should be our proper response when God answers our prayers.

Key verse: 1 Samuel 1:27-28

1 Samuel 1:27–28 NASB95

27 “For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 “So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

to dedicate ⇔ lend v., to set apart something for sacred uses with solemn rites, conceived of as lending something

Dictionary of Bible Themes (8223 dedication)

Dedication. The single-minded devoting of a person, object or action to the honour of God.

Dedication is closely related to Worship -

The Greatest commandment is a command of wholehearted dedication

Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB95

5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Matthew 22:37 NASB95

37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

The Story of Hannah teaches us what is it means to have a heart that is dedicated to the Lord.

I. Dedication is Worship (Giving of Worth)

Hannah acknowledged the grace of God in giving her a child (v.27)

I know that this child will not be with me for a long time - but I will take care of this child because this child is precious to God.

This child is a property of God and I am just a steward.

This gift should be used to honor God.

Extend application: God’s gift to me:

Kids/ family members

job or business

health

To give God his worth means to take care of God’s gifts because they belong to God!

II. Dedication is Costly

(sacrifice of the things you hold dear). It would be very hard for a mother to be away from her child whom she had been praying for a very long time.

Cost of Emotional pain: It is costly because it involves emotional pain. Attachment (3 yrs of being together)

Financial cost: Offering of a young bull, fine flour and wine in larger measure than required.

1 Samuel 1:24–25 NASB95

24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a jug of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and brought the boy to Eli.

Did Hannah offered in bitterness or in joy?

Notice this, this is an offering with Joy rather than with bitterness (chapter 2:1)

What’s the cost of dedicating your life to Jesus?

Example: Personal fame for God’s glory

Apostle Paul - Phil 3:8

Philippians 3:8 NASB95

8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

Fame and Finance - John MacArthur who gave up his pro-football career.

Your time is God’s time.

Your agenda becomes God’s agenda

Your business is God’s business

III. Dedication is Selflessness

It is not about me but God and his purposes (salvation of Israel and of His people)

Hannah was true and faithful to her vow to God.

1 Samuel 1:22 NASB95

22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord and stay there forever.”

I will bring him there - voluntary and selfless act

stay there forever - Hannah did not say, “stay there once a month, or stay there for 1 year and then another year he will stay with us in our home...”

This is a display of wholehearted and complete dedication!

Are you true to your vow?

The reason we fail in our vow is nothing but selfishness!

We think that we can just go against our vow because we feel like it.

The Gospel:

The Gospel is a wonderful display of selfless and costly DEDICATION. Jesus himself is our model of wholehearted dedication.

Jesus acknowledge the worth and the love of the Father and so he selflessly dedicated His life to be the ultimate sacrifice - his blood was the payment, his life was the cost!

Those that whom God had made his sons and daughters were given a new heart - a heart that is now able to selflessly worship, honor, and serve God.

The Gospel calls for denying ones earthly desires and an all-out dedication of life and desires to God.

Romans 12:1 NASB95

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Illustration:

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Dedication, Incomplete

Dedication, Incomplete

Suppose you had a thousand-acre ranch and someone offered to buy it. You agree to sell the land except for one acre right in the center that you want to keep for yourself. In most parts of the country, the law would allow you to have access to that one lone spot by building a road across the surrounding property.

So it is with us as Christians if we make less than a full surrender to God. We can be sure that the devil will build roads to reach any uncommitted area of our life. When this happens, our testimony will be marred and our service will become ineffective.323

Proper Response:

A. Do not hesitate to give to God everything He has given you.

B. Commit to training and teaching your children to know the Lord so that later on they will serve the Lord.

C. Take care of God’s gift so that these God-given gifts maybe used to bless others and to glorify God.