Hannah, a worshipper
So Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord”(1 Samuel 1:20).
Hannah’s prayer was answered. God remembered Hannah and she bore a son, whom she called Samuel. Names in the Bible are very instructive and Samuel means “Heard by God”, a simple testimony to what God had done. In our own marriage we got to a point where we did not think we would have children. Like many other couples we had thought we would have children without any difficulty. Happily, in God’s grace and time, He gave us a daughter. We called her Anna Sarah, and because our surname began with “K”, her initials were “ASK”. She is a constant reminder to us of God’s ability to meet our deepest desires if it is His will.
It is interesting that Hannah, like Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist in Luke 1:60, took the lead in giving the child his name. Both Hannah and Elizabeth had key roles in the spiritual development of their children. In 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul reminds Timothy of the spiritual influence of Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. The influence of a godly mother on the spiritual welfare of her children cannot be over emphasised. It should not be allowed to be minimised by the pressures of living in today’s world.
But Hannah did have to sacrifice. The time came when she had to give up her child to God as she promised. It is wonderful to see the way in which Elkanah supports her in what must have been a most testing time in her life. There must have been the temptation to keep Samuel and to spiritualise the vow she made. Elkanah supported his wife in that he recognised the need for the child to be nursed at such an early age, but also gently reminds Hannah, “Only let the LORD establish His word” (v. 23). Like Hannah, Elkanah had learned from the experiences God had taken them through. He was no longer insensitive to his wife’s needs, but supported her in the sacrifice she was about to make. She did not return to the house of God alone, but with her loving husband by her side. They worshipped as a family and brought their child to Eli. This act of utter faith in God is very powerful. Samuel was to be left in the care of Eli, a man who had failed God so seriously and the head of a corrupt priesthood. Yet Hannah trusts God to keep and to bless her son. Christian parents need the same kind of faith when the time comes for their children to face a world where there are so many spiritual, moral and physical dangers. This is the time when we need to pray and act constantly for the good of our children, now out of our immediate care. Parents never cease to have a responsibility for the welfare of their children.
Hannah’s experience with God led her and Elkanah to worship God. They had learned, through deep distress allowed by God, that He was a sovereign and loving God. He had led them to the bitter waters of Marah and changed them into sweet waters (Exodus 15:22-27). They would never have known the richness of God’s blessing without knowing what it was to walk with Him thorough all the pain and distress of the experiences He had allowed. In the same way, in the bitter experiences which we have as believers, our Marahs if you like, are transformed when Christ’s love and grace are applied to such circumstances. The influence of this godly woman affected the life of her husband, of Eli, of her son Samuel, and ultimately, through Samuel, resulted in the blessing of the nation of Israel. Never let us underestimate the value of one person’s experience with God, nor fail to see how God can use bitter experiences to lead us into marvellous blessing. “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Our God has not changed!
