Hannah

She Prayed for a Child, and the LORD Heard Her Prayer

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

In chapter one of First Samuel we find a woman who is the a wife of a man named Elkanah.  One wife has children; and Hannah has so far been without a child, but so yearns for a son from God. She has prayed, and vowed to the LORD, that when the child is weaned she will give him to the LORD.

Now she has conceived, and has a son she named Samuel.  When Samuel is weaned she takes him to Eli, and to God, with sacrifices according to the word of God, and leaves Samuel, at that time a small boy, with Eli who has some wicked sons who are priests; whom Eli knows are wicked, yet does nothing about it.

After Hannah leaves her son she prays another prayer,

And Hannah prayed, and said,

“My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in Thy salvation.  There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside Thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
“Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.  The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
“The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and He hath set the world upon them.  He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
“The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.”

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah shows a great heart of praise and worship to the LORD for the blessings which God has given her.  She recognizes Him as being supreme in power.  He is the One who brings death, and the  One who gives life.

He breaks His adversaries, and He judges the end of the earth.  He also exalts the one His anointed king.

O, may we as followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, be always faithful to pray for more of God’s children to come to Him.  Then when they come to Him may we continue to pray and served the Lord.  Amen.

Setting Things Up For A King

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So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, “O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.”  1 Samuel 1:9-11
And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.  Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the LORD.”
1 Samuel 1:19-29

First Samuel is seen, as is Ruth, of still being in the time of the Judges of Israel. The man Samuel being the last of the Judges.

In chapter one of First Samuel we have a man with two wives, Peninnah who had given birth to children, and the other was Hannah who had no children. Peninnah was mean and spoke harshly, and cruelly to Hannah, because she was without child. Hannah wanted a child, and preferably a son. Well, when they made their annual trip to Shiloh where the tabernacle, with the Ark of the covenant is, while there she was so grieved of not having a child that she would eat anything, and Elkanah saw her grief, and spoke with trying to get her to eat, but failed to do so.

Hannah had left the place of the meal, and went toward the tabernacle, and was near where Eli sat at the gate. She may not have even noticed Eli sitting there since she was grieving so terribly. Anyway she prayed the prayer that is above.

She asked the LORD specifically for a male child, and she made a vow to the LORD, that if He would bless her with a man child she would give him back to the LORD. I personally believe that every Christian mother and father ought to give their children to the LORD who is Most High, and knows how to deal with children. Going on now, God hears Hannah’s prayer and gives her a son who she gives the name Samuel. After Samuel is weaned she takes him to Eli, and gives him to the LORD, under the care of Eli.

Eli is a priest with whom the LORD God is not pleased, but God is doing a work preparing Samuel for bringing a king to provide leadership for the LORD’S people.

Hannah was God’s chosen vessel for giving birth to a man child who would grow to be a prophet and judge in Israel. Who would also be used to bring in the first king of Israel.

God, the LORD is still working in today’s world. Through the birth of a child, the broken heart of a woman desiring to have a child whether a son or a daughter. Through the deliverance of a man or woman from drugs, alcohol, smoking or just getting off the streets, and into a home to live. God is still calling people to Himself.

Today, no matter where you are physically, emotionally, or spiritually can you hear God calling you? Calling you, first of all to come to Him believing in His Son Jesus Christ, and His work of redemption by dying on a cross for the sins of the world, that He was buried, and that He rose from the tomb, and walked out alive to many witnesses. Calling you also to a place to serve Him, and to give your heart and life completely to Him.

If you hear Him calling you to Himself fall on your knees before Him, call on His name in repentance and faith in Him, and He will give you eternal life with Him.

Day 18 – God in the Box

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

We have some Christian leaders today saying to us, that God is bound to answer our prayers, answer our demands, and so forth; maybe not in so strong a fashion but many times in more subtle ways.  One thing we need to realize as Children of our GOD is that God is obligated to us in no fashion.  God is obligated to Himself, and His Word.

In my reading this morning (1 Samuel 1 – 14) I read of the dark sins of the sons of Eli, and the faith of a woman named Hannah.  Hannah is actually the first mentioned in the historical account of the last Judge of Israel.  Hannah received from God the son she requested, and she kept her word with God, giving Samuel to the LORD all his days.

The Ark of the covenant was given to give the people of Israel the assurance that God was in their midst.  The tribes, as they journeyed through the wilderness were arranged so that the tabernacle was in the midst of the camps.  When they arrive in the promised land the tabernacle is set up in Shiloh, and there is where all the offerings are to be made.

The people however had began to think of the Ark as the source of all their need.  As long as the Ark was with them, then, they could live anyway they chose, do anything they liked, give God worship on the Sabbath day, and the Ark would always be their power and means of escape and deliverance from their enemies.  That is not any more clearly seen than in chapter 4,

“And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, ‘Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.'”  1 Samuel 4:3 (KJV)

The Philistines are destroying them in battle.  They call for the Ark to be brought into their camp; and they are about to learn a very hard and fast lesson.  At the end of this battle the two sons of Eli – Hophni and Phineas – are killed, the army of Israel is defeated and the Ark of God is taken (4:10-11).

What God desires of His people is to know that He is with them wherever we are.  We do not need a box, a set of beads, an idol.  For those who have called on the name of the Father through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross we have the abiding presence of God within us.  Yet, I know that there are certainly times we do not feel His presence.  We have His assurance that He will never leave us nor forsake us.  There are times, however, that we do stray from Him.

The problem with Israel at that time was they were engulfed in rebellion.  Their spiritual leadership was defying the commandments of God.  God had sent messengers to Eli to correct his sons, yet the abominations continued.  Thus, the penalty was death, and the capture of the Ark of God.

O, how miserable a lot we can be when we think we can live as we please; in rebellion against God; and think that we can still have power with Him.  That is probably the greatest weakness of the present generation of God’s people in Christ.  We model the world “to try and win the world”; rather than model Christ and let His Spirit convict and convince the world of His love, mercy and grace.

When Saul had been chosen as king of Israel, and anointed as king by Samuel we hear these words,

“And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.” 10:7

Samuel had given Saul some signs; events and people he would meet on his return journey home.  That is when he tells him these words.  He is telling Saul “Do whatever comes to heart and mind” and for this reason: “For God is with you”.  The Spirit of God came upon Saul and he prophesied.  We are not told what he preached, but he preached the Word of God for sure.

When we are right with God walking in His Spirit we will do what comes from God to please God.  The Spirit of God will not do anything that goes against God, His character, or His Word.  We do not have God in a box; however, the Christian has Christ within to do what ever the Spirit of the Lord leads us to do.  And that will be to honor and glorify God

-Tim A. Blankenship