In my last several posts in Judges, we saw how there was no king in Israel, and that everyone did that which was right in their own eyes. This produced a spiritual and moral decline that eventually led to a civil war in the nation. This civil war and the events that followed appeared to produce genuine repentance in the nation, but it was short-lived, for after it was all over, everyone went back to business as usual (Judges 21:25). They had had a history of looking to man to solve their problems, and unfortunately, this would carry into 1 Samuel and throughout much of their history. Samuel would be the last judge to rule over the nation. It is not recorded that he worked any mighty miracles, but he would be known for his superior character and his faithfulness to accurately speak the word of the Lord.
The book of 1 Samuel starts out by introducing us to a man named Elkanah. Apparently, he was also a Levite from the hill country of Ephraim, in a place called Ramah, about five miles north of Jerusalem on the border of Ephraim and Benjamin. He had two wives: the one was Hannah, meaning grace or favored, and the other was Peninnah, meaning pearl or ruby. However, as we will see, Peninnah was no gem. Peninnah bore children to Elkanah, but Hannah was barren. A Levite was not permitted to have more than one wife, so he was following the worldly practice of the day. We do not know for sure why, but it was common for a man to marry a second wife if the first was barren.
They would go up yearly to worship the Lord in Shiloh, and we are told that at this point the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord were there. We are told this detail, because it will be relevant a bit later. When Elkanah would make his offering, he would give a portion to Peninnah and to each of her children, but to Hannah he would give a double portion because he loved her, even though the Lord had closed her womb. This is an indicator that Elkanah was a man of character, for if he were in the marriage for himself, he would have loved her only for what she could give him. It is interesting, because we see barrenness (especially then) as a bad thing, but the Lord is the one who did it. This appears in other places in Scripture as well: both Sarah and Rebekah were barren, and God opened Leah’s womb and left Rachel barren when He saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than her. In each case, it was part of God’s sovereign plan. However, in that time, although not biblically founded, was seen as a sign of God’s judgment and even grounds for divorce. So, you can understand why Hannah would be bothered by this.
Well, to make matters worse, Peninnah would rub it in that she had children and Hannah did not. So, there was a conflict between the two wives. This is what we see every time when the Scriptures highlight a family where polygamy is involved, there are always problems. This tension became so great that Hannah wept and did not want to eat. Finally, her husband asked her “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” I don’t know if these questions were incredibly helpful for Hannah, but sometimes we husbands just want to help and don’t know exactly what to say. However, this problem was bigger than either one of their abilities to solve. At times the Lord will allow us to be in these situations in order to remind us that it is Him whom we really need.
After they had finished eating and drinking, Hannah arose and went to the tabernacle to pray. Here we see another good example of what to do when we are distressed over something; we need to go to the Lord in prayer. It states that she was in bitterness of soul and wept in anguish as she prayed. In this prayer, she made a vow, stating, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” She asked the Lord to look on her affliction and remember her by giving her a male son, and if He did she was vowing to give him to the Lord all the days of his life as a Nazarite, someone specially devoted to God (See Numbers 6:1-21). Well, this is what the Lord was waiting for. She desperately wanted a son, but what she didn’t know is that the Lord wanted a prophet for a nation. Hannah wanted a child, but the Lord wanted a man who would faithfully judge His people and speak His words regardless of the outcome. You see, what looked like a bitter situation to Hannah, was an opportunity for the Lord to richly bless not only her, but the entire nation of Israel. She had no idea what the Lord was about to do. Sometimes, we too can find ourselves in a similar situation to Hannah’s: we want something from the Lord that may even be biblical and right, but the Lord causes us to wait. If so, we need to remember the Lord sees the big picture, and ultimately has our best interest (as well as the best interest of others) in mind. In speaking of trials that we suffer, the apostle Paul wrote, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” And, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:28, 32) Our job is simply to trust Him, for He loves us and is faithful. The greater the trial and the longer the wait, the greater the deliverance and reward often are. This causes us to draw near to the Lord, rely closely on Him, and be all the more grateful when we receive an answer.
Well, Eli was sitting by the doorpost of the tabernacle, and saw Hannah praying. Her lips were moving but she was praying silently in her heart. He, supposing her to be drunk, rebuked her, stating, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” It is when we are at our worst when the unwarranted attacks sometimes come. Hannah did not become offended, nor did she allow the attack on her character to go unanswered. She responded, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.” Eli answered her, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” Hannah took this on faith, went away and ate, and was no longer sad. In the morning, they worshiped before the Lord and then returned to their home in Ramah.
It states that Elkanah knew his wife, and that the Lord remembered her. whenever we see the Scriptures state that God remembered someone, it is not that He forgot about them, but that He is getting ready to act on their behalf. The Lord fulfilled His promise given to her by Eli that her prayer would be answered, for she conceived and bore a son. She called his name Samuel, stating, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” When it came time for the family to go make their yearly sacrifice to the Lord, Hannah stayed home. She told her husband she would keep her son until he was weaned, and then she would take him to the tabernacle to remain there forever. He responded that this was fine, as long as she honored her vow, “Only let the Lord establish His word.” It certainly would have been tempting for either one of them to back out of this commitment, but Elkanah as the spiritual head of his home was guiding his wife to do the right thing. As we will see, she will keep her end of the bargain as well.
After Samuel was weaned, they went up to the house of the Lord with three bulls, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. They sacrificed one of the bulls and brought the boy to Eli. It states Samuel was young, probably around three years old. Hannah reminded Eli how she was the woman who stood by him praying. She told him she had prayed for a son, and the Lord had given her her request. Because of this, she was lending him to the Lord as long as he lives. This was the first baby dedication recorded in the Bible. Using the principle of first mention, we see there is no record of Samuel being saved at this point. This was merely his parents honoring their commitment to the Lord concerning him. A person cannot be saved off their parents’ good intentions, but must make a personal decision to follow Jesus Christ.
They worshiped before the Lord there, and Hannah prayed a prayer:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. “The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble. “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.”
What a marvelous prayer of praise and thanksgiving! It is interesting, for Mary the soon-to-be mother of Jesus prayed a similar prayer when she was visiting her cousin Elizabeth:
“My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
Wow! This would have been an incredibly difficult thing to do. This shows the integrity and character that Elkanah and Hannah had to give up their own son in order to keep a vow she had made. In this, Samuel was a type of Christ. She was promised a son, but the son was lent to the Lord. Mary was promised a Son, but He too belonged to the Lord. She would have to give Him up to the will of His Father, to minister and die on a cross for the sins of mankind.
Samuel ministered to the Lord as a child, and wore a linen ephod (a priestly garment). His mother would visit him each year, bringing him a new robe to wear. Each time they would come up to sacrifice, Eli would bless them, saying, “The Lord give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the Lord.” Again, it states that the Lord remembered Hannah, and she bore three more sons and two daughters. Isn’t the Lord good. He gave her even more than she asked for. In the meantime, Samuel grew as he ministered before the Lord. In the next post we will get a closer look at Eli and the evil of his sons. As we do, we will see how it was even more incredible that Elkanah and Hannah would give up their son to live and minister there.
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