Hannah

Well, we've been working through some of the women of the Old Testament who demonstrate Faith through their actions in the things that they do and we're going to be taking a look at Hannah today. You'll find her in the first chapter of Samuel interesting when we look at Hannah, you know, have you ever faced issues in your life struggles persecution of any type and wondered You know, where do I go with all of this? And how do we face this? What is the ideal way in his weave take a look at Hannah's life. We see how she dealt with a really huge issue for her and how she stepped forward to handle that and how God turned her life into a blessing for many of because of her faithful love for the Living God. You know, it's it's sometimes hard when we see those difficult things come our way and to learn that the resolution comes through the Living God is so important for each of us. So whether you're a guy or a girl, this is an important message for all of us in terms of how we work through those great issues and and everyone has those issues that come into our lives whether their physical struggles or whether they are a persecution or any other thing that happens to our lives we face those and so we're going to take a look at Hannah and how she faced those issues will eventually read through the whole chapter of 1st Samuel but let's read the first 8 verses and take a look at where she was and how she was facing these issues. It says there was a certain man from Montreal Mafia Mafia from the Hill Country of Ephraim whose name was elkanah Son Of Joy Jerome the son of Ali who the son of tohu the son of Zeus I need for my He had two wives one was called Hannah the other pain Pnina scuse me, Pnina had children, but Hannah had not that's kind of where the issue begins. They desire of every woman in Judah was be able to produce sons and our children in it and she could not and banana could year after year. Okay, so it's not a momentary thing. It's a continual thing year after year. This man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh where hophni and phinehas the two sons of Eli were Priests of the Lord. Whenever the day came for elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of me to his wife and Ina and to all her sons and daughters but to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her and the Lord and closed her womb. And because the Lord and closed her womb arrival kept provoking her in order to irritator this went on year after year whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord arrival provoked her till she wept and would not eat elk and her husband would say to her Hannah. Why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you so downhearted don't I mean more to you than 10 Sons? She probably didn't really get too excited about that one at the time. I'm sure his great love for it, but it is important that he did love her.

Welcome.

She was suffering a grief that. You know is difficult for any woman who wants to have a child to go through it's a struggle and not only did she have that struggle the grief of not having children, but she had a fellow wife who was really bitter towards her and I provoke her to the point where she actually cried so there were relational issues and there were just difficult issues and on top of that it said the Lord kept her from having a child. Wasn't that mean of the Lord? Sometimes we think God is being pretty mean to us. Don't wait. We think he's not treating us fairly. That's not the way life ought to be I shouldn't be persecuted like this. I've been faithful and true following you why am I being persecuted like this, you know and we go through those issues free horrible thing starting off with verse in Lamentations. Remember Lamentations was writ by Jeremih and he's often called the weeping prophet. So it kind of gives you an idea where he might be coming from and he writes these words in Lamentations 3:32 though. He brings grief. God brings grief. He will show compassion. So great is his unfailing love. We need to remember that that God loves each of us and what he is doing even though he allows struggles and grieve and difficulties to come our way. He is loving us and there is an ultimate purpose for what he allows into our lives. And that's where he's going with this whole issue and we'll see in the end. But why it's tough to go through those issues, isn't it? I mean if you've ever faced a problem that just continues on and on you wonder why why? But we need to face it as God calls us to face it in so she is she's going up to worship at the at Shiloh where they worshipped at that time because Jerusalem had not been conquered at this point. There was no temple in Jerusalem. And so they would go to Shiloh to worship. And that's exactly what they did. And that's the most important thing for us to remember when we're going through those Grieves when we're going through the struggles in life. We need to remember To keep the focus on the one who actually can handle those. Who knows what's going on in Our Lives. Who knows what the future holds? And can help us through and that's what she did Psalm 95 verses 6 & 7 says come. Let us Bow Down and Worship. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture the flock under his care. And yes, we are people under God hear it even though it may not seem like it as we're going through those tough times. God is caring for us and is loving us and helping us on the way. So continue to worship Him and watch his hand of mercy and Grace cover you along the way. There was pain there there was tremendous pain. She wanted a child. She wanted a son.

And yet she was provoked by one who got it blessed and had sons and daughters. And she was provoked and there was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was worship the god worship god. There are a number of times mentioned in particularly in the first few books of the Bible and we see one of those events in the life of Sarah Abraham's wife Abraham's wife and she was suffering. She was 75 years old couldn't have a child. Imagine being 75 years old and still wanting a child some of you can probably imagine that most of us what can but that's a difficulty there. She is struggling and so she tells Abram to go ahead and lay with her maid and have a child and she would have a child through her. And so that's what Abram does and here we have this scene. He Abrams slept with Hagar and she conceived and when she was pregnant she get began to despise or mistress, Sarah you no grief. They're trying to accomplish the task in your way. Is not the way to go and that's what Sarah was trying to do. She was trying to take care of that task and the consequences of that that struggle that Sarah was going to still play out today because ishmeal came from Hagar. He is the the father of the Arab Nations the Muslims. Okay, and they look to Abraham as being the father and of course Isaac it comes from the from Sarah and we have that wore that battle that is continued on since that time. Because Sarah I didn't really listen to God and trust that he would provide.

Tough times have to think that our desire to do it our way. I can make such a difference but trust God. But there is compassion there and we see some tremendous compassion by elkanah her husband as he tries to care for his wife that he loves dearly and he wants the best for her. But God has closed up her womb and he's trying to comfort her we have that comparison. Remember we looked at Ruth's last week and we look through all that she went through and her mother-in-law going through a Naomi going through all the struggles of having her son's die and having her lineage stopped and yet now she has this daughter-in-law. Roof, who is now married to Boaz and a son is born. It says he will read speaking of the son. He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you and is better than seven sons has given him birth. He's giving him a child to move along in it and we know the history of that now and God blesses if we will trust it will go through that grief that is there and trust God all the way and allow him to resolve those issues. Continue to keep our faith there. Okay. Well, how do how does she face this Greek? How does she continue on in facing this grief will read that in the next few verses verses 9 through 18. It goes through this process that she goes through. It says once when they had finished eating and drinking and Shiloh Hannah stood up now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the of the Lord's temple in bitterness of Soul Hannah wept much and been to the Lord and she made a vow saying oh Lord Aldi if you will only look upon your servants misery and remember me and not forget your servant but give her a son then I will give him to the ward for all the days of his life and no razor will ever be used on his head. Call promise how many times have you heard people make promises to God when they're in a difficult situation, and don't carry them out. Continue on as she kept on praying the law to the Lord Eli observed her mouth and it been praying in the hard interlift removing butter voice was not heard Eli thought she was drunk and said to her. How long will you keep on getting drunk get rid of your wine? Not so my Lord Hannah replied. I'm a woman who is deeply troubled. I've been I've not been drinking wine or beer. I was pouring out my soul to the Lord do not take your servant for a wicked woman. I've been praying hear out of my great anguish and grief. Eli answered go in peace and may the god of Israel Grant you what you have asked of him. And she said may your servant find favor in your eyes and then she went her way and ate something and her face was no longer downcast. Okay, facing grief face that grief that is in our lives that struggle that we're going through the desire to have something completed its not being completed. What do we do it? Well, she demonstrates that by her willingness to go to God. And they give it to him Psalm. 138:7 says though. I walk in the midst of trouble. You preserve my life you stretch out your hand against the anger of my phone in with your right hand you save me.

You see that's an understanding of God's desire to be with and to protect and to help somebody through the struggles in the grief of their life. But it is only as we come to him and we've keep our focus on him that we find his work. Being completed in our lives. It's not doing the work ourselves. It's really trusting that God will carry us through and help us do that work what she makes the vow. She comes before the Lord and I think that this is why God has been keeping her from having a child as he wants her to come to that point where she is willing to give you think she has over to God. And that's what she felt she vows to actually make him a Nazarite one set aside for the Living God and not just for a certain amount of time. But or his entire life in other words if you give me somebody I'll give it back to you for all time.

That's a huge issue, isn't it? Huge issue number 621 says this is the law of the Nazarite who vows his offering to the Lord in accordance with his separation. In addition to what else he can afford must fulfill The Vow. He is made according to the law of the Nazarite. Okay, will she is making the vow for her son and she feel this vow. Think about that whenever you make a pledge to the Living God, it's a powerful pledge. And that's what she she's making that pledge. Will she be able to do it as she trust in God she will. I will see as we go along. Now. Remember I mentioned earlier when we read the reading this morning about the Schumann, I woman and being able to receive the gift of a son for her life and she enjoyed her son for a while and one day she found her son and he had died. there and she covered him and she went running to the Prophet Elijah. And that we have that connection here. When she reads the man of God of the mountain she took hold of his feet Johannes. He came over to push her away. Gehazi was Elisha's servant. But the man of God said leave her alone. She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and is not told me why okay here where she was God gave her a child and now he's taking that child away and she's gone kneel before Elijah and say help me help me eventually goes to see the Sun and lays upon him and life is resorting to this child. But this lady was trusting in the Living God to do the work just like Nana. It's a desire to serve him but there was a connection made in the beginning think back to that. The connection was made when she desired to honor God by helping this servant of the Living God is Prophet Elijah to have a place to stay and get away from the difficulties and struggles of the life. He was living. Okay, she had a willing heart to serve God won't there's a connection that is made here that maybe you don't understand at first but the connection between Elie and herself. You know Eli is the high priest at the time and he's watching over the people that come and the even though he thinks she's a drunk at first. He recognizes that okay. She is as a real petition and so there is a connection made and sometimes there are connections made in our lives and we don't really understand them and we don't think that much about it. Maybe she didn't really think that much about it except understand that this high priest and ask for peace for her life. Okay, he asked for peace and that is the desire that we have in our lot. We want peace through the circumstances, right? We don't want to go through those difficult struggles. We want peace Romans 15 13 Paul right about this piece and it says may the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with a Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that's what she was doing. She had come to the point where okay, I left it in God's hands. I have the priest blessing upon my life and I can go home and relax and trust that God will do what he desires to do. I have peace in my heart now. And that's where we want to be when we go through those difficulties and the struggles that we face in life. We want that piece and that's where Hannah was she wanted that piece in her life. Now that's before anything happened. Think about that. She gained the piece before she got the blessing will let's see about the blessing. Let's finish off the chapter starting in verse 19. Did early the next morning they arose and worship before the Lord and then went back to their home in drama. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife and the Lord remembered her so in the course. I'm Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel saying because I asked the Lord for him. When the man elkanah went up with his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill is Val and it did not go. She said to her husband after the Boy Is We I will take him and presented before the Lord and He will live there always. Okay, she told him our plan to give up their son to the Lord and then he says do what seems best to you. How can her husband told her stay here until you have weaned him only may the Lord make good his or very often is interpreted your word. So what you said, May the Lord help you carry it out. So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had wind in after he was weaned. She took the boy with her young as he was along with a three-year-old Bull on evil flower and a skin of wine and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh and when they had slaughtered the bull they brought the boy to Eli and she said to him as surely as you live my Lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord for his whole life. He will be given over to the Lord and He Worship the Lord there. Wow. Carried out the plan carried out the plan and that's the blessing. You know. Stay where you're supposed to stay keep worshiping as you're supposed to worship. Keep trusting because God wants to bless you. He really does. He wants to bless you with the things that are of importance for your life, but be looking for that blessing from the Lord not from your own works. But from God's hand look for the blessing. We have as I said in these instances Sarah finally came to that blessing when she was 90 years old had her first child. We have another who desired when Jacob went off to pay ran and gathered together two wives to himself Leah and the Rachel And Leo was very productive. She had six Sons and Rachel was not. She had no Sons. And she mourned and she even gave her maidservant to do Jacob and had two sons by that but finally we get to Genesis 30 verse 22. It says then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb. And that son was Joseph who ultimately went on and save the lives and his father by bringing them to Egypt where there was a bounty of good for them Trust in God trust that he will guide and direct and Lead. There is Joy found there and that's what what Hannah felt she failed Joy because God had blessed her and that Joy let her to carry out the plan. You see when we take joy in what God does for us. We don't have any difficulty and carrying through on the plan that we have. Psalm 51:8 says let me hear joy and gladness let the bones you have crushed rejoice and and I could truly say my bones were crushed I was Sad and grieving and in the anguish because of all of that, but I trusted you and you brought me through you gave me what I desperately wanted and needed.

And then she finally carries it out. She consecrates her son Samuel by bringing him and giving him over to the Lord. Exodus 13 2 says consecrate to me every firstborn male the first Offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me with their man are animal. Sammy was the first Offspring and he was dedicated to the Lord.

Well, did God say that's great. Sarah are the Hannah that's great. You've done it. So, you know, that's your blessing. Well, if you continue to read the story in the next chapter chapter 2 verse 21, we find the God blessed Hannah five more times three sons and two daughters.

You know when you open the womb he truly open the womb. Okay. Samuel was given to serve the Living God and of course he did as we take a look at the Bible. There are two books that are Samuel 1st and 2nd Samuel and he serve the Lord his entire life and even Beyond if we read into the later chapters of 1st Samuel, we see that saw wanted to call Samuel back from the grave and even comes back from their self-serving. The God all is life is says in Judges 13 7, but he said to me you will Samson's mother is saying to her husband you he said to me you will conceive and give birth to a son now then drink no wine or either fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean because the boy will be a Nazarite of God from birth until the day of his death. And that was the same thing with Samuel. He was a Nazarite from his birth until the day of his death. Served a little bit better than Samsung. Because we honor God in everything you did and he served in now the big question for each and every one of us is if we go through those trials and struggles of life and each of us faces those things. Are we going to do it? Are we going to learn the lesson of Anna? Are we going to look to the Living God and trust in him? However long it takes Because sometimes it takes years and years for God to truly come to that point where he is ready to answer it. Why because he knows the best time. God is the only one that can see the future. He's the only one that can take a look at what will happen not only in the next minute but the next year and years ahead and what will come of the situation you're involved in. He knows it all. Can you trust him in every way and that's a cry to each and every one of us that we trust God through all the circumstances of Our Lives? And we humbly bow and leave it in his hands and let him work through that in our lives to bring out the best result possible. Top sometimes because we want to solve the problems of Our Lives. Sometimes does God doesn't give us the opportunity. He says trust me to help you through this. And we need to allow him to work in those situations. I hope it God is touch you a little bit with a life of Hannah today and Involving any of the situations that you find yourself in. You know, we all have needs and desires and the big question is are we willing to truly lay them at his feet and trust that he will bring about his great Glory through those circumstances. I hope it helps you understand that it helps you move forward in this life and honoring the Lord in all that you do. Let's pray. Racist Father in heaven. We thank you for your presence. Father when we yield our lives in your hands and trust you and listen to your commands and be obedient trusting you through the circumstances or lives you do deliver. It may not be our timing but it certainly is yours and your timing is always the best help us to remember this and help us to lean completely upon you through every circumstance for your the great guy. You're the great wisdom.