Havasu Christian Church
April 7, 2024
Series in 1st Samuel.
I Samuel 1:1-20
“Starting off with a bang!”
INTRO: If you read very much, you will have gotten hold of a book that just didn’t catch your interest. It may have had good cover art, and the premise might have been intriguing. But then you began to read…. And it just didn’t catch your attention.
I’ve read whole books, hoping that the author would be a better writer by the end of the book. Typically, I’ve been disappointed. Sometimes, it may be a book that’s been touted as a great work. But it just doesn’t do anything for you.
This can even happen with books of the Bible.
Leviticus 1:1-2 Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock.
Numbers 1:1-3 Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ households, according t
o the number of names, every male, head by head from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
Great books, but not the most exciting beginnings.
So, we’re beginning a series in the book of First Samuel. How’s he going to start it?
With DRAMA!
The period of the Judges is coming to a close. Eli, as High Priest, is functioning as the Judge of Israel. He is ruling as God’s representative…. But he isn’t doing a very good job of it.
I’m sure there are lots of problems, but chief among them is in Eli’s own family. He hasn’t been the parent he should have been, and his sons are totally out of control. They are using their position as the sons of the High Priest in a number of immoral ways.
Add to this, the plight of a woman who hasn’t had any children, while her husband’s other wife, her “rival” has had several. What a way to start a book!
1 Samuel 1:1–20 Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2 He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD there. 4 When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters;
5 but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had closed her womb. 6 Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. 7 It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat. 8 Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” 9 Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 10 She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 11 She made a vow and said, “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 son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” 12 Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth. 13 As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. 14 Then Eli said to her, “How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.” 15 But Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16 “Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.” 17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him.” 18 She said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 19 Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20 It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the LORD.”
- Hannah had problems!
- She couldn’t have a baby.
- Some of us here can sympathize, because we’ve been through the same difficulty.
- My parents tried to have children for years, and finally adopted me, then my sister.
- In those days, being childless was considered a dreadful situation.
- Some even considered it a judgement on you from God!
- The statement “The Lord had closed her womb” may have led to that assumption.
- However, God “closing her womb” would seem to me more of a way to fulfill His plan for her child.
- If Samuel had been born without the troubles his mother had, he would never have been brought to serve in the Tabernacle.
- Hannah had an “rival.”
- Whether Peninnah was a second wife or a first one, there was a rivalry between them.
- Peninnah had multiple children, boys and girls. Hannah did not.
- Peninnah “bitterly provoked” Hannah about the situation, particularly when they went to worship at the Tabernacle.
- Hannah had a clueless husband.
- He had two wives.
- One wife is trouble enough for any man. 😉
- Elkanah makes it painfully obvious which wife is his favorite.
- It’s like he’s purposely causing trouble in his own house!
- His efforts to “cheer Hannah up” are pretty lame!
- “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
- Would this cheer anyone up?
- This is a yearly event!
- “It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD.”
- “Look at all my children Hannah. Don’t you wish you at least had one or two?”
- Hannah takes her problems to the Lord!
- She’s already at the Tabernacle.
- She is crying and praying. Pouring out her heart.
- She doesn’t have any answers to her problems.
- She cannot make herself capable of becoming pregnant.
- She can’t make her husband any less clueless.
- She can’t make the other wife suddenly be her biggest fan.
- But Hannah knows that God CAN fix things!
- Hannah makes a vow to God.
- “give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD.”
- Perhaps there is something to learn here about making promises.
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.
James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
- Eli, the High Priest, notices her.
- It would probably have been difficult not to.
- Hannah’s mouth is moving, but no words are coming out.
- In those days, “silent prayer” wasn’t a thing.
- Eli jumps to the wrong conclusion!
- Open mouth, insert foot, chew vigorously!
- He assumes that she’s drunk and calls her out about it.
- I hope at least that Eli was sorry and embarrassed when he found out that she was “oppressed in spirit” rather than drunk.
- God answers Hannah’s prayer.
- God speaks through Eli.
- Eli is the High Priest. His statement carries authority.
- Even though he says “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him.” God honors this as if it is His own promise!
- Hannah is comforted.
- Hannah has a son.
- Hannah fulfills her promise to God.
- Not right away.
- Eli would have been hard pressed to care for a newborn.
- Besides, Hannah wants to spend some time with her son before she gives him up.
- Samuel is probably somewhere between 2 and 4 years old.
- God gives Hannah 3 more boys and 2 girls after this.
Conclusion: What can we learn from all of this?
- Sometimes, there is a reason for our problems.
- It isn’t always that I’ve done something dumb and I’m paying for the mistake.
- Sometimes, my problems are there to help fulfill God’s plans.
- If not for Hannah’s problems, we never would have heard of Samuel. He would have been another unknown person in Israel.
- Instead, He wound up being the High Priest.
- He was the one who anointed both Saul and David to be King.
- God takes Hannah’s tragedy and turns it into something wonderful!
- Cruel people will at times be a part of your life.
- There may be nothing you can do about them.
- Take them to God!
- There may be clueless people in your life.
- Love them anyway. Give them a break. They probably really don’t have a clue.
- At some point, someone will misjudge you.
- Love them anyway. Give them a chance to figure out their mistake.
- Keep your word.
- To everyone.
- Especially to God!
- TRUST GOD!
- In everything
- For everything.
- Even when things don’t go the way you think they should, KNOW that He’s got this!
Romans 8:26-28 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
- God knows that we aren’t able to pray as we should.
- The Holy Spirit living inside of us speaks up on our behalf, even when we don’t know what to say or ask for.
- God knows exactly what to do about those prayers…. And He will do what is best!
- When you trust God, you’ll look back and see where he took care of you.
- We’ve all heard or read the poem “Footprints in the sand.” A very meaningful poem to many. But someone decided to add another line. Right after “Where you see one set of footprints is where I carried you.” Comes the alternative ending, where God points off in the distance and says, “Now, THAT long groove is where I DRAGGED you, kicking and screaming.”
- Even when we struggle, God will take us where we need to be!
