The Definition of a Faithful Mother

1 Samuel 1:1-28

1. INTRODUCTION

2. BODY

a. Persevering in Struggle (1:1-8)

b. Trusting in God through trials (1:9-18)

c. God’s Faithfulness in response to her faith (1:19-20)

i. One of my favorite things about the OT is that it is so specific. Verse 1 states, There was a certain man from Ramathaimzophim. Interesting to note that this man is from Zophim which matches with 1 Samuel 9:5. He was a man from the land of Zuph where Ramathaim was probably a city. But the significance is in the phrase, there was a certain man.

ii. This is one of the best phrases in the OT. It might not mean much but if we think about it, it is quite significant. This phrase emphasizes the fact that out of all the people on the planet, there are certain people that stick out. It goes to show that in the midst of this vast world, God chooses to work in the lives of some that He chooses. This is a glorious picture of how God saves some and not all. I am sure this is a question that all of us have asked. Why did God give me so much grace? Why did He choose me out of everyone? Well this was no different for Elkanah. Elkanah means God created from Genesis 14:9. When we read verse 2-3, we can see his background. He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Interesting that Peninnah means, the fruitful woman while Hannah means favor or grace. But read verse 2. Peninnah had children and Hannah did not have children.

iii. Barrenness (불임인) in ancient times was the ultimate tragedy for a married woman, since her husband’s hopes and dreams depended on her providing him with a son to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate. This is what probably led to Elkanah taking a second wife, due to her infertility (불임).

iv. Verse 3, Elkanah would go yearly to worship and sacrifice to God in Shiloh. This was a special time for the family to go together and offer sacrifices.

v. Verse 4 When that day came to go to Shiloh and it came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions to only Peninnah and her sons and daughters. I could imagine the pain that Hannah felt during this time.

vi. Verse 5 tells us that Elkanah would give double the portions to Hannah because he loved her more. The key is but the Lord had closed her womb. This is repeated in verse 6. What we see from this statement is that God is in control of all things. Even the things that make our life difficult, God is in control of those things.

vii. We can ask a question, why would God do this to Hannah? More personally, why does God do these things to me? Those are questions I’ve asked myself many times in my life.

viii. If we go by their name meanings, Peninnah was living up to her name. Penninah means pearl while Hannah means grace or favor. By name comparison based upon this situation, God has shown Peninnah favor and not Hannah. In Hannah’s mind, if her name meant grace, she must have asked the question, “How is God showing me favor or grace if I am suffering?”

ix. But one of the many themes in the Bible is God’s faithfulness. God displays our total inability and makes this His starting point. This is what highlights God’s faithfulness. When God’s people are without hope and without resources, it is then, that God stretches out His hand from heaven. In the story of Hannah, this is also the same but her sufferings continue till that fulfilled time.

x. Verse 6 and 7 explain the hardship that Hannah would continue to suffer. Verse 6 states that Peninnah at this point had become her rival. Peninnah would probably provoke Hannah by talking about her barrenness in front of her own children. Verse 7 tells us how frequently this happens. It says every year, Peninnah would go up just as the previous year and would provoke her. She would taunt her and this would cause Hannah to weep and to not eat.

xi. If we think about it through the lens of a Korean drama, the scene would look something like this. The scene would consist of two women with a group of children. Well one day one both women would be in the room with the children and playing. There one of the children would come up to Hannah and ask her, “how come you don’t have any kids Hannah?” Most likely Hannah would smile and say she can’t have children. There, Peninnah would say that she does want children but God won’t let her have kids. The child would then ask, Why mommy? Does God not like Hannah? Peninnah would then respond by saying she does wants children very much. Am I right Hannah? Don’t you wish you had children too? There everyone would look at Hannah and Hannah would most likely start crying and run out.

xii. We could see that this scene probably helps us understand the pain that Hannah was suffering. Then verse 8 gives us some light to better understand. Elkanah sees Hannah weeping and not eating and asks her, “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” This question goes to show the close relationship that Hannah had with Elkanah. Every year, after the yearly service, Hannah would talk with Elkanah and see the pain she was going through. Hannah would be in tears and talk about how hard it is and Elkanah would reassure her that He loved her even if she couldn’t give him any children. And as he comforted her, despite the fact that she would suffer, she would be temporary comfort by her husband and seek to be by his side and not leave him.

b. Trusting in God through trials (1:9-18)

i. Now the setting shifts to one year when Hannah goes up to Shiloh and is done eating and drinking. Verse 9 tells us it was probably after dinner that Eli the priest was by the door infront of the temple of the Lord. And after she had finished eating dinner, it says in verse 10 that Hannah was greatly distressed. Most likely, Peninnah provoked Hannah and caused her to be greatly distressed. She probably ran out of the dinner hall and prayed to God and wept bitterly. This is a beautiful picture of the struggle of the Christian. There are times in our lives where it gets so hard that the only thing we can do is weep bitterly. Psalm 6:8 tells us that the Lord hears our voice in our weeping.

ii. And it was then, when she had nowhere else to turn, that she would turn to God. No comfort could help her. Nothing in this world could make her feel better. If she went to the doctor, the doctor would have told her she has some sort of depression and offered her drugs to console her. But during this time of hardship, it says in the bible that she prayed to the Lord.

iii. Then verse 11 reveals to us what she says in her prayer. If you read verse 11, it gives us one of the best prayers in the Bible. Hannah is theological and also very human. She talks about her pain and asks God not to forget her. What is beautiful about her prayer is that she prays knowing that God cares for her. Although she is nobody before God, she prays knowing that He is listening and He will answer her. It’s interesting to compare her prayer with God’s statement about Israel in Exodus 3:7.

Exodus 3:7 - “The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings.”

“I have heard the affliction of my people” which is similar to her prayer. But it doesn’t end there.

iv. One of my favorite statements in Hannah’s prayer is that she would offer him to Yahweh. I mean when we think about this idea, what is the point of having a child? Have a child so we can offer it to God? But that’s exactly her motivation. Hannah didn’t want blessings and prominence or fame, but rather that the child would belong to Yahweh. What tremendous faith.

v. Verses 12-15 show us an amazing picture of what’s happening. Hannah was praying in verse 12 and Eli was watching her to see if she was actually praying or pretending. But there’s a huge point to be made in verse 12 and verse 15. It says in the English, that she was praying before the Lord. Praying before the Lord emphasizes the prayer in the presence of Yahweh. She was not praying to God, but praying to Him knowing that He was there. Praying to God gives the idea that the person is not there, and we are just praying to Him, but praying before the Lord shows that He is actually there in person. It goes to show that Hannah knew what it meant to be committed and close to God.

vi. Verse 14-18 shows the dialogue between Hannah and Eli. Eli says to Hannah in verse 14, to put away her alcohol because she was praying and her lips were moving but no sound was coming out. Verse 15, Hannah responds by saying, that she is not drunk but has a heavy heart and was pouring her soul out to Yahweh.

vii. The expression pouring out my soul denotes not simply an inward state of one’s heart or mind, but an involvement of the whole being. Hannah’s prayer completely consumes her. The verbal root means “to pour something out of its container into something else.” Here, with this expression, Hannah was pouring out her soul from her person to Yahweh.

viii. What is beautiful is the fact that is that she is able to pray in this way. Hannah says she is not drunk and is praying and her lips are moving but nothing is coming out. Than she says that she is praying with a heavy spirit. She has a lot of pain going on in her life. She is overwhelmed by her situation. But through her prayer, we see the boldness of her faith. She enters God’s presence with boldness knowing that God will answer. It is almost like Jacob when he says that he will not leave until God blesses him.

ix. Then verse 17 and 18 are interesting. Eli responds by saying, Go in peace which shows the completion of the prayer. Eli gives her a blessing and says, May the God of Israel grant you your prayer. Verse 18, Hannah responds by going her way and eating and look at this phrase, and her face was no longer sad. She knew with confidence that God had listened to her prayer. Through the statement of Eli, she knew God had heard her cry. This caused her to be able to eat and gave her a peace where she was no longer sad but joyful.

c. God’s Faithfulness in response to her faith (1:19-20)

i. Verse 19 begins with Elkanah and Hannah going early in the morning to worship God. Then it reveals the faithfulness of God. God remembered Hannah’s prayer and the time to fulfill her prayer had come to pass.

ii. Verse 20 tells us that she names the boy Samuel because Hannah had asked the Lord. The name Samuel actually means God has heard. So by her naming the boy Samuel, she was saying that this boy is the name of God because the boy was asked and given by the Lord. His existence displays God’s presence.

iii. But if we look deeper into this text, we see the graciousness of God. Many people will say this is why we should pray. If we want something from God, we should pray and ask God for it. But let’s think about Hannah’s situation. Did she pray because she wanted a kid so she could keep him? No. Rather, she prayed for God to show her His faithfulness. She prayed and said to God, if you give me a child, I will give Him back to you. Show me that you are true. Show me that you can prove everything and everyone wrong. Hannah did not want a child because she was bitter about Peninnah and her children. Hannah wanted a child to know that God would not pass her by. I can imagine the many days and nights where she would ask like the Psalmist, Psalm 77:4-9. Hannah probably cried because her only trust was in God and even her faith was wavering. She had nothing else. God was all she had. She wanted to know that God was listening and if He was, she wanted to dedicate this child back to Him.

iv. I am reminded of the woman in Mark 5:26 about the woman who was bleeding and she spent all her life’s savings to become better and instead of becoming better, she became worse. She was a woman in a lot of pain and suffering because she was desperate. And in her desperate position, God came by. God answered her prayers. This is the same thing that God did for Hannah.

v. What we learn from this is, that God gives us trials to cause us to remember and ask God to show Himself to us. Our trials should never cause us to ask God to just give us what we want. It should cause us to want God more. Trials are meant to grow our faith. If trials are causing us to grow further from God, it’s because we don’t want Him. We just want Him to give us what we want.

vi. This is the lesson that Hannah teaches us. If it was just about getting what we want, she would have never offered Samuel to God. She would have kept Samuel. But the fact that she is able to give up Samuel is because she wanted to know God. She wanted to know that He cares and is listening. When we live this way, we will see the faithfulness of God. If we love God more than what we want, God will reveal His faithfulness to us.

3. CONCLUSION