An Unselfish Selfish Desire
Notes
Transcript
An Unselfish Selfish Desire
An Unselfish Selfish Desire
I want to read a story from scripture…
There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Now this man used to go up year by year from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, but to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?” After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.” As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went her way and ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer. They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.” The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and remain there forever; I will offer him as a nazirite for all time.” Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish your word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh, and the child was young. Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the child to Eli. And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
What follows this is a prayer, and we won’t dig into that today.
The story recorded here is fascinating to me.
It is a well known story
For the ladies in the room:
The story is going to resonate because you can identify the anguish of Hannah
For the guys in the room:
The story is a journey to her prayer, which functions a bit like a prophecy…
But it is a journey to getting to a character named Samuel
And Samuel is like a miracle child
He had two wives; the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Now this man used to go up year by year from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.
Perhaps you missed this…but this man, Elkanah, is a bit of a contradiction.
He has two wives
Peninnah (Pearl)
Hannah (Favor)
There are a few conditions in Torah whereby this would be allowed
Yet, he goes up every year to worship and sacrifice to the LORD.
Regardless, he favors Hannah
but to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.
At this point of scripture, you already know this pattern.
A man has a wife he loves
She is not able to get pregnant
Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.
If you are reading this in Hebrew, some things are going to pop out…Let me try and help the translation here…
‘Hannah’s enemy (Peninnah) would grieve her. Also Peninnah would purposely humiliate Hannah because of her grief. Because the LORD closed-up her womb.”
Ladies: This is where most guys shift in their chair.
Even if you hate another guy, to speak about the inability to have children
It shows that Peninnah, who does have children, is jealous because Hannah is favored
Which is the meaning of her name!
Now, did the LORD close her womb?
Maybe, maybe not
From their perspective, the LORD gave or did not not give children
Their concept of pregnancy and birth is tied to agriculture
A male plants the seed
The seed is assumed good
If it does not grow, it is because of the ground (the woman)
So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
Can you imagine?
I am guessing some of you have experienced this.
It is like having to go to a holiday meal with family and others
And you know ‘that’ person is going to be there
And you dread it…
Now, guys, men in the room…there is some big-time wisdom coming your way
Elkanah asks four questions
Remember, he is the one that goes up year after year to sacrifice and worship the LORD
And it is their belief that the LORD, whom Elkanah worships, and sacrifices to, is preventing Hannah from getting pregnant.
Four questions…
Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
How…how does he not know?
A woman, who is kind and caring, knows not to ask this…
And she knows not to try and replace that grief with ‘but you have me, right?’
Guys…don’t do this.
Sometimes life sucks and it is not fixable
I mean, think about what the author is doing…
‘Am I not more to you than ten sons’
Nowhere is the term ‘blessing’ used for a husband or wife in scripture
But, the term blessing is used for children
So, using biblical thinking and language, Elkanah is saying:
‘10 sons (image of completion) are a blessing, but I am more of a blessing than that, right?’
And he asks this after he asks these questions!
Obviously he does not know Hannah (even though she is favored)
Because if he does…then he is just cruel
But we do this too, don’t we?
Where can Hannah turn?
Not Peninnah
Not Elkana
You might be angry at God…
But…
After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
Sometimes there comes a point where you literally have no where to turn.
While I would never advise to make God your avenue of last resort…
She does.
She makes a vow:
She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”
She is asking for a blessing
Eli, the priest, sees her praying at the Tabernacle.
She is silently praying
But her lips are moving
Eli thinks she is drunk and accuses her of being a drunken woman at the door of the Tabernacle!
This day just keeps getting worse!
Here is her answer, and the point of this message today:
But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.”
She has an unselfish, selfish desire.
And now we learn the depth of her anguish
She wants to participate in the work of the LORD by having children
This is rooted in a complaint that happens all over scripture
My enemy continues to be blessed while I languish in poverty!
But for Hannah, her enemy, which scripture descries as Peninnah, is the one receiving a blessing
And she is not.
This is a fair complaint to God.
She puts her ‘vexation’ at the feet of the LORD
And she transfers the responsibility to God
And she makes peace with the outcome
Whichever way it may go
Some of you have already put together the request:
She is asking for herself a son
But she is not wanting a son for herself
To dedicate him to service in the temple, kind of means that he will not participate in the inheritance of his father, which appears to be substantial.
Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish your word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh, and the child was young.
Later, when the child is weaned, she will give him to the LORD
And this is what she says just before she reveals her prayer to the LORD that brought this answer.
"Also, I have inquired of him to the LORD; for all the days that he is [living], he is one who asked of the LORD. And he bowed in worship there before the LORD.”
Remember, she never went to the Tabernacle the whole time she was nursing the child.
I think this means that it is Hannah who is teaching Samuel
She is the one who taught him the traditions.
In fact, she is functioning like a priest for her child
She is interceding for him!
Until he appears before the LORD and he bows in worship
To often we don’t consider the role woman play in scripture
And because of that, we dismiss the power of a praying, faithful, and loyal woman in our life.
Even Peter understood this, who claimed that a husband’s prayers can be hindered when he has not functioned as a proper husband towards her.
I would like to think he was thinking of Hannah when he wrote that.
Never underestimate your voice with the LORD when you are a faithful, prayerful, and loyal woman
Husbands and children:
You and I would be wise to understand this.
It is likely that you wife and mother prays more often than you realize
And you want to be a source of blessing for her in your life
Because she is a source of blessing for you
She may be functioning like your priest!
An Unselfish Selfish Desire
An Unselfish Selfish Desire
