The Power of Obedience
1st Samuel Chapter 1
In the first chapter of 1st Samuel, we see tremendous obedience from Hannah. She makes a sacrificial vow to the Lord after being barren for many years. She promises to give her first son to the Lord all the days of his life. The Lord honored her prayer. This obedience produced a great man of God that changed the nation of Israel and history!
Obedience is powerful!
1,2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah a sure source of conflict.
3 Elkanah was diligent in his worship and sacrifices to the Lord. We see the first mention of Eli and his two sons the priests, Hophni, and Phinehas. As we will soon see, they were disobedient, sinful young men. They paid a very high price for their ways.
4,5 Elkanah gave portions for the sacrifice to Peninnah and her children. He gave Hannah double portions because of his love for her. She was barren because the Lord had closed her womb.
6 Because the Lord closed her womb, her rival provoked her bitterly. Hannah getting a double portion from her husband did not help the situation. Elkanah choosing to have two wives created this rivalry. Peninnah's attitude and actions did not help.
7 This happened year after year as they all went to the temple in Shiloh which was north of Jerusalem. This is the city where the Lord God was worshiped before Jerusalem. Hannah wept and would not eat as she endured the abuse and the shame of being barren. It was a burden and looked down upon in that culture. Our words are very powerful too. Notice that Peninnah is not mentioned anymore in the Bible. Hannah is still an example for all of us today.
8 Elkanah tried to console her but Hannah and her longing for a child was her heart's desire.
9 Then Hannah rose! Finally, after all the years of abuse and shame, she took her burdens to the Lord. Don't wait too long to take your burdens to the Lord. He longs to help carry them for you. He can handle it! Matthew 11:28-30.
10 Greatly distressed, prayed, and wept bitterly. Years of frustration. Burdens, tears, and prayers always get the Lord's attention and touch His heart. They draw the Holy Spirit too.
11 A vow to the Lord. Hannah asks the Lord to look at her, remember her, and to give her a son. A bold prayer. Hebrews 4:16. The Lord soon responded and Hannah kept her sacrificial promise. A note of warning, be careful what you promise the Lord. You better follow through with it! We may forget but the Lord does not. A razor shall never come on his head. This goes back to the Nazarite vow in Numbers 6:1-5. This is a decision that a person makes to dedicate and set themselves apart from God. In Judges 13:3-5 the angel of the Lord made this decision for Samson's mother. Hannah made this decision for Samuel. Have you made a decision to set yourself apart from the Lord Jesus?
12,13,14 As Hannah continued to pray, Eli the priest thought she was drunk. Since Eli's sons were priests, these things may have been happening in the house of the Lord.
15 Hannah replied that she was oppressed in spirit. So she poured out her soul before the Lord. Oh let us be real before the Lord! We don't always need to be strong in His presence. He knows what you are going through. He knows your heart. Cry out to your God. We need to pour out our soul before the Lord in thankfulness and worship too. Rejoice in the Lord! He is good. Praise Him!
16 Drunkenness is still worthless. Do you have great concern and provocation? You are not alone. The Lord and the Holy Spirit are waiting to hear from you.
17,18 By her being real and her faith, she gained favor with the Lord and the priest. Let your faith be an example for your brothers and sisters and family. She ate again and her face was no longer sad. Something happened here! The burden and reproach and the tears were gone. She took it to the Lord. She poured out her soul before Him. I am sure Hannah was smiling. She knew in her heart that the Lord heard her pleas. Do you have a great burden? Are you being provoked and ridiculed? Are you oppressed in spirit? TAKE IT TO THE LORD, HE IS THERE AND HE WILL NEVER REFUSE YOU!
19 Early in the morning they worshipped the Lord. This is the way to start our days. The Lord remembered her and her cries. Now it was time for Him to move. He was going to reward Hannah's obedience and begin to address Eli and his son's disobedience.
20 Hannah gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel because she asked him of the Lord as Samuel means, heard of God. Imagine Hannah's joy at having not just a child, but a son. Imagine how thankful she was towards the Lord for hearing and answering her prayers. Do you think her faith in God increased? Yes! Do you think Elkanah was happy for her? Yes!
21 Elkanah went to Shiloh to sacrifice and pay his vow. I believe he would have thanked the Lord for his new son. God is good!
22 Hannah stayed at home with Samuel until he was weaned. This would have been 2 to 3 years. Then she was going to bring him, that he may appear to the Lord and stay there forever! What amazing obedience to God. How bittersweet to give up her son after all the tears, provocations, and answered prayers. This must have been so very difficult to do. It was her son Samuel that told King Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice.1st Samuel 15:22. I'm sure Samuel learned this from his mother as a young boy. She was living proof.
23 Elkanah agrees with Hannah that she could stay home till the child was weaned. May the Lord confirm His word. There is not a lot of agreement on this statement. I believe this meant that Samuel would grow up and bring the Word of the Lord to the people, thereby confirming it.
24 Hannah remains good to her word and brings Samuel to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although he was still young. Those two or three years must have seemed very short but very precious to her.
25 They made the sacrifice for Samuel and then presented him to Eli.
26,27 Hannah testifies to Eli that the Lord has given her the petition that she prayed for. Why? She made a vow and poured out her soul before the Lord! Do want to have a testimony from the Lord? Call upon Him!
28 The Lord gave Hannah her petition that she asked of Him, so she dedicated him to the Lord for as long as he lived. Great sacrifice and great obedience to the Lord.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Are you provoking or irritating anyone in your life?
How do you respond to this type of treatment?
Do you take your burdens to the Lord? Have you poured out your soul to Him?
Do you have a testimony of an answered petition from the Lord?
Are you greatly distressed by the things of this world or what you are going through in your life? If you have never called upon Jesus, now is the time to do so. Pour out your soul to Him today! He is longing to be your Savior and Lord and give you a testimony of His answering your petition.
In the first chapter of 1st Samuel, we see tremendous obedience from Hannah. She makes a sacrificial vow to the Lord after being barren for many years. She promises to give her first son to the Lord all the days of his life. The Lord honored her prayer. This obedience produced a great man of God that changed the nation of Israel and history!
Obedience is powerful!
1,2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah a sure source of conflict.
3 Elkanah was diligent in his worship and sacrifices to the Lord. We see the first mention of Eli and his two sons the priests, Hophni, and Phinehas. As we will soon see, they were disobedient, sinful young men. They paid a very high price for their ways.
4,5 Elkanah gave portions for the sacrifice to Peninnah and her children. He gave Hannah double portions because of his love for her. She was barren because the Lord had closed her womb.
6 Because the Lord closed her womb, her rival provoked her bitterly. Hannah getting a double portion from her husband did not help the situation. Elkanah choosing to have two wives created this rivalry. Peninnah's attitude and actions did not help.
7 This happened year after year as they all went to the temple in Shiloh which was north of Jerusalem. This is the city where the Lord God was worshiped before Jerusalem. Hannah wept and would not eat as she endured the abuse and the shame of being barren. It was a burden and looked down upon in that culture. Our words are very powerful too. Notice that Peninnah is not mentioned anymore in the Bible. Hannah is still an example for all of us today.
8 Elkanah tried to console her but Hannah and her longing for a child was her heart's desire.
9 Then Hannah rose! Finally, after all the years of abuse and shame, she took her burdens to the Lord. Don't wait too long to take your burdens to the Lord. He longs to help carry them for you. He can handle it! Matthew 11:28-30.
10 Greatly distressed, prayed, and wept bitterly. Years of frustration. Burdens, tears, and prayers always get the Lord's attention and touch His heart. They draw the Holy Spirit too.
11 A vow to the Lord. Hannah asks the Lord to look at her, remember her, and to give her a son. A bold prayer. Hebrews 4:16. The Lord soon responded and Hannah kept her sacrificial promise. A note of warning, be careful what you promise the Lord. You better follow through with it! We may forget but the Lord does not. A razor shall never come on his head. This goes back to the Nazarite vow in Numbers 6:1-5. This is a decision that a person makes to dedicate and set themselves apart from God. In Judges 13:3-5 the angel of the Lord made this decision for Samson's mother. Hannah made this decision for Samuel. Have you made a decision to set yourself apart from the Lord Jesus?
12,13,14 As Hannah continued to pray, Eli the priest thought she was drunk. Since Eli's sons were priests, these things may have been happening in the house of the Lord.
15 Hannah replied that she was oppressed in spirit. So she poured out her soul before the Lord. Oh let us be real before the Lord! We don't always need to be strong in His presence. He knows what you are going through. He knows your heart. Cry out to your God. We need to pour out our soul before the Lord in thankfulness and worship too. Rejoice in the Lord! He is good. Praise Him!
16 Drunkenness is still worthless. Do you have great concern and provocation? You are not alone. The Lord and the Holy Spirit are waiting to hear from you.
17,18 By her being real and her faith, she gained favor with the Lord and the priest. Let your faith be an example for your brothers and sisters and family. She ate again and her face was no longer sad. Something happened here! The burden and reproach and the tears were gone. She took it to the Lord. She poured out her soul before Him. I am sure Hannah was smiling. She knew in her heart that the Lord heard her pleas. Do you have a great burden? Are you being provoked and ridiculed? Are you oppressed in spirit? TAKE IT TO THE LORD, HE IS THERE AND HE WILL NEVER REFUSE YOU!
19 Early in the morning they worshipped the Lord. This is the way to start our days. The Lord remembered her and her cries. Now it was time for Him to move. He was going to reward Hannah's obedience and begin to address Eli and his son's disobedience.
20 Hannah gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel because she asked him of the Lord as Samuel means, heard of God. Imagine Hannah's joy at having not just a child, but a son. Imagine how thankful she was towards the Lord for hearing and answering her prayers. Do you think her faith in God increased? Yes! Do you think Elkanah was happy for her? Yes!
21 Elkanah went to Shiloh to sacrifice and pay his vow. I believe he would have thanked the Lord for his new son. God is good!
22 Hannah stayed at home with Samuel until he was weaned. This would have been 2 to 3 years. Then she was going to bring him, that he may appear to the Lord and stay there forever! What amazing obedience to God. How bittersweet to give up her son after all the tears, provocations, and answered prayers. This must have been so very difficult to do. It was her son Samuel that told King Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice.1st Samuel 15:22. I'm sure Samuel learned this from his mother as a young boy. She was living proof.
23 Elkanah agrees with Hannah that she could stay home till the child was weaned. May the Lord confirm His word. There is not a lot of agreement on this statement. I believe this meant that Samuel would grow up and bring the Word of the Lord to the people, thereby confirming it.
24 Hannah remains good to her word and brings Samuel to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although he was still young. Those two or three years must have seemed very short but very precious to her.
25 They made the sacrifice for Samuel and then presented him to Eli.
26,27 Hannah testifies to Eli that the Lord has given her the petition that she prayed for. Why? She made a vow and poured out her soul before the Lord! Do want to have a testimony from the Lord? Call upon Him!
28 The Lord gave Hannah her petition that she asked of Him, so she dedicated him to the Lord for as long as he lived. Great sacrifice and great obedience to the Lord.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Are you provoking or irritating anyone in your life?
How do you respond to this type of treatment?
Do you take your burdens to the Lord? Have you poured out your soul to Him?
Do you have a testimony of an answered petition from the Lord?
Are you greatly distressed by the things of this world or what you are going through in your life? If you have never called upon Jesus, now is the time to do so. Pour out your soul to Him today! He is longing to be your Savior and Lord and give you a testimony of His answering your petition.
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