1 Samuel 1

Introduction

Good morning church,

This morning we are beginning our new sermon series Kings and Prophets. Over the next few weeks we are going to be going to be looking at the books of 1 and really love how Paul Evans’ commentary describes the book of Samuel when it says, “The story is laced with high drama, intrigue, theological insight, and mystery. Of course, the book is more than a great literary work. It is also a historical account of both individuals and a nation. More than this, Samuel is also Scripture and was written to teach its reader about God and his workings in the world, both in ancient Israel as well as in the future with the coming of Jesus Christ to fulfill the Davidic promises”. This is what we are going to find and talk about. The book of Samuel is such a fantastic description of human history and so for the next few weeks we are going to have a really exciting look at a number of important stories which may have been written over 2000 years ago but have real and present applications for each of us as we go through our lives.

And I’m super excited to be able to spend the first week with you in this. We are going to look at this morning which is going to provide us with a bit of an introduction to Samuel and I believe there are some incredible insights in this mornings passage which will help to guide how we view the rest of this series and will help to guide your reading of this book.

Before we dive in this morning I want to throw out a question for us to considering. “Are we people that pray?” It might sound like a vague question at the moment so bare with me. Are you and I people who actually spend time in prayer? Do we know what prayer is, do we know the purpose, do we know why we need to pray? Prayer is at its core spending time talking with God. Sharing with him our struggles and worries, hopes and dreams, the good things and the not so good things. And as I thought about this question for myself and considered the time, depth and extent of my prayers I really felt that I fall short. You see as I look out on my week I see that I’m busy doing a lot of stuff and I find that within the busyness I forget to stop and spend time with God.

And so I love our passage this morning because it gives me insight into the life of a prayer warrior, someone who goes through a difficult time and in the midst of it is in prayer and spends time pouring out their souls to God in an incredible way.

So if you can turn with me to which is on page 211 of the bibles in the pews. This is a bit of a long passage but I think the story and message is so important to what we are going to talk about.

“ - There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph* in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

Elkanah and His Family

There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph* in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

3 Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas. 4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children. 5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion* because the Lord had given her no children. 6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle.* Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.

8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”

Hannah’s Prayer for a Son

9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.* 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.*”

12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”

15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Samuel’s Birth and Dedication

19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,* for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.*”

23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.*” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.

24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull* for the sacrifice and a basket* of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. 27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they* worshiped the Lord there.”

Why do we pray?

In the begin of our passage we’re introduced to Samuel’s father, Elkanah who had two wives; Peninnah and Hannah. We are told almost instantly that Hannah is facing a really difficult situation. We are confronted with the news that Hannah was barren, she was not able to have children.

You see in this culture infertility is a big deal, your value as a woman was tied to whether you could have children, this was mainly because of their value; they would be necessary as heirs of your household and they would serve as labor both inside and outside of the house. At this time fertility was associated with a divine blessing and infertility was believed to be a divine curse. Not only did a woman have to go through this but she had to endure this tough belief that for some reason she was cursed. In Hannah’s situation she had to both endure and live through knowing that she couldn’t have kids she as well as being tormented continually by Peninnah about the fact that she had no children.

* 1:5 Or And because he loved Hannah, he would give her a choice portion. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

We are even told in the passage that as often as she visited the house of the Lord, each year, she was provoked and reminded of what she could not have. She was in a tough situation. We even see Elkanah, who clearly loves Hannah, try to console her. And he seems like a typical husband who has good intentions but says the wrong thing (guys I know you’ve been there), he asks whether he is worth more than 10 sons. He clearly isn’t understanding the importance of this to his wife and the pain that she is going through. And you know what that sometimes happens. The people around us may not always understand what is going on inside us. But God does.

* 1:7 Hebrew the house of the Lord; also in 1:24.

Difficult situation

I know Bethany and I can really understand this particular situation. We ourselves are in a similar state where we have infertility issues. And I can remember when we got the news from a doctor that it would be very difficult for us to have children. Hearing this news truly felt like a punch to the gut, I remember feeling numb as I drove back to work. And I remember being in a space where I didn’t know what to do or for a while even how to bring this to God. In my mind I had a situation that I couldn’t fix and I didn’t know what to do at the time.

For you this particular situation might not resonate but there may be something else in your life that is difficult. A situation or an issue that is present in your life that torments you, that is always present in your thoughts always in the back of your mind.

* 1:9 Hebrew the Temple of the Lord.

In thinking about our question for this morning, “Are we people that pray?” I want to encourage you that the first step into developing a rich prayer life is recognizing that we have areas in our life where we need God where we have no answers or have no way of fixing it ourselves, this is an aspect of why we pray. We have this saying that is attributed to the bible but isn’t in the bible, that “God helps those who helps themselves”. That saying is such nonsense and is so against what Scripture tells us about God. What we actually see is that “God comes to the aid of those who truly are in need”. And so we need to identify these situations and recognize that we need God to intervene, to change our circumstances to change our heart. I would encourage you to spend time looking at what is troubling you, what difficult situation you are going through. This is really why we need prayer, when we recognize what we can’t do and recognize that only God can do it.

* 1:11 Some manuscripts add He will drink neither wine nor intoxicants.

* 1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew term for “asked of God” or “heard by God.”

2. How and When to Pray? - Persistence of Hannah’s prayers

In this story we see Hannah’s persistence in prayer. We see that she spends years going to the House of the Lord and I get this sense that each year she brought to God what the desire of her heart was, which was a child. The verse gives us a specific glimpse after many years of praying. We see Hannah’s deep and heart felt prayers to God. She recognizes and brings to God that she has this issue that is plaguing her, that is pulling her down. And so she pours her heart out to God and asks him for a child, and in this particular prayer she promises to give her child to be used by God.

* 1:22 Some manuscripts add I will offer him as a Nazirite for all time.

I don’t know what Hannah’s prayer was like at year one of going to the House of the Lord, but I know what my prayers start out like. At times they are very ‘me’ focused, they usual start out with a “Lord give me”.

* 1:23 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text reads may the Lord keep his promise.

What stands out to me is that likely over many years of making the same request to God I can imagine that Hannah’s prayer has changed and moved as she continued to bring this desire to God and it is really possible that as God was changing her heart towards what she was going through. I can imagine that her prayers turned from “God give me” to “God grant me this and I pray that it be used for your glory”.

* 1:24a As in Dead Sea Scrolls, Greek and Syriac versions; Masoretic Text reads three bulls.

And I say this because this is a similar change that God’s placed in my heart. My prayers and thoughts on us having kids has shifted from “God give me” to right now being God use this for your glory guide us in what your best is for us in this season. And I would imagine if more years go by that God will again change my prayer into something else that I hope is more in line with his heart and where he is guiding us. A quote by Soren Kierkegaard says, “Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays”. Which is so true as we work toward being people that pray.

* 1:24b Hebrew and an ephah [20 quarts or 22 liters].

Another thought that stood out to me in this passage is that while Hannah was praying Eli the priest in the temple thought that she was drunk. You see we have a priest who likely had not experienced this intentional time with God before himself. More likely, sincere, earnest, emotional prayer was uncommon at Shiloh, which caused Eli to incorrectly think that she was drunk. And so Hannah tells him that she is just pouring her heart out to the Lord. She tells him that she is praying out of great anguish and sorrow. She is giving to God her frustrations and struggles, making what is going on with her known to God. And we can see that when she does this her mood and view of this situation changes and she is no longer sad. The focus is placed on God and he now becomes her support and joy.

* 1:28 Hebrew he.

We are reminded in the bible to bring to God what is going on in our lives. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.

“14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.

God hears what is going on when we pray. He is listening and hearing our highs and lows of life.

“6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.”

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.

Folks scripture tells us to tell God what is going on, what we need. Tell him that we can’t do it on our own, that we are in need for him. Billy Graham says it great when he says, “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me’. Such true words.

If we want to be people who pray I encourage you to follow Hannah’s example. Pray for God to change what is going on in your life and as you are persistent in this I believe that God will hear you and he will guide you toward his best for you. And I believe that he will bring you into a place of joy and rejoicing.

In our passage we are encouraged that we need to pray because

3. Result of Hannah’s persistence

We then begin to see the result of Hannah’s persistence in spending time with God. God heard her request after years of praying and he grants her a son, Samuel, which the passage says means “I asked the Lord for him”. And we see that she is faithful to her promise to God and after she weans him she gives Samuel to the Lord to be used. We see through scripture that he is used in an incredible way.

The standout for me in this part of the passage is that Samuel, who God uses to do incredible things in his name, has been sent out into the world with his foundation being prayer, specifically his mothers prayers. His mother was incredibly faithful and persistent in praying for her child and promised that his life would be dedicated to be used for God’s glory.

I love this example in scripture because it provides for me hope that God is working all things out for my good and your good. And this example for me is so important because the result likely wasn’t exactly the result that Hannah was expecting when she first began praying. She was probably desiring to have and raise her own child to be in the family and useful to pass their wealth onto and to help. But God had done and incredible work in her heart for her prayer to be grant her this opportunity to have a child and may he be used by you God. A great example of this change that can take place when we spend time in persistent prayer.

And I want us to also recognize the rejoicing that is happening. Hannah is a woman rejoicing that God provided us with the desires of her heart. When she saw that God did this incredible thing for her she made the connection that God did this for her sake.

I believe that this is an important part of our prayer lives. Remembering that it is God who is working things out for our good. Recognizing that he is faithful to us. How often, and I know I’m guilty of it, you pray about something and that thing happens and your immediate response is that you feel pretty good about yourself, that you’ve done this great thing.

Folks if we believe that God hears us, listens to us, is guiding and directing us, is providing for us. Then he’s the one who desires the glory and praise when things happen in our lives.

And my last point is that we are to be patient. Hannah spent years praying to God before she had Samuel. There is value in being patient and allowing God to work things out in his time. It is fascinating to think about what it would look like if God gave us everything we asked for when we asked for it. I know there are moments in my life when I wanted God to bless me with something and what I didn’t know was that I wasn’t ready for it yet, that God has other plans for me or wanted me to grow in my faith or in my experiences first. Which takes time. That for me is a hard thing to do, but if I trust God that he has my best interest in mind and loves me then I can take a deep breath and wait.

A favorite verse of mine is “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

God’s plans are for our good, to give us a hope and a future. It might not seem like that in the midst of difficult times, but God is working things out for our future. If we want to be people that pray we need to be faithful in what we pray for and how we pray for it. To be regularly talking and conversing with God.

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.

Conclusion

As we conclude I want us to remember that we pray because we need to know our need for God. And we do this all because of his faithfulness to us. He done an incredible work for us already through sending Jesus for us, to bring us salvation that if we believe in him we will spend eternity in heaven.

I want to leave us with a verse from “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace* with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace* with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” God develops this in us. It isn’t something that happens all at once, it is developed over time. This endurance, which builds in us character, with strengthens our hope in our God. Why because he loves and cares for you and me.

Let’s pray.

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.