Rejoicing in the LORD
This post is part of my 1 Samuel series.
On this post we continue form where we left off on my post A Mother’s Prayer. We pick up the story in 1 Samuel 1:21 with Elkanah, Hannah’s husband, and all his house going up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow.
In this story we find the best model of vow fulfillment in the entire Old Testament. Both Hannah and Elkanah make a promise to God and fulfill them. Elkanah is also faithful in that though he could have nullified his wife’s vow (Numbers 30:10-15) he affirmed Hannah’s right to make commitments to God as well. Don’t overlook the fact that this meant Elkanah had to give up his firstborn son from his beloved wife. It is beautiful when family members can encourage one another in their faithfulness towards God. Some have even compared Elkanah’s sacrifice to that of Abraham who was willing to give up Isaac (Genesis 22) and to the suffering that Jacob experienced with the “death” of Joseph (Genesis 37:34-35; 42:4, 36-38; 44:22-34). Being a parent is not for the faint of heart. It is incredibly challenging to be a parent, even Bible heroes struggled with it.
Let’s pick up the story with 1 Samuel 1:21
21 Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever.”
23 So Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord establish His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
- 1 Samuel 1:21-23 NKJV
To the average western reader of this text it is shocking that a recently weaned child would be separated from his mother, but we believe that mothers during that time period nursed their children for much longer periods of time. Think about it, many people did not have access to fresh water. Often times a little bit of alcohol would have to be added to the water as a way of killing bacteria, and understandably parents would want to avoid having their child either drink alcohol or water with live bacteria. Ultimately we don’t know how old Samuel was, some argue he might have been three at the youngest. (Bergen, Robert D. The New American Commentary. Broadman & Holman, 1996. p72)
Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.
- 1 Samuel 1:24-28 NKJV
Hannah is portrayed in the biblical text as actively fulfilling her vow to the Lord. Though according to the Torah every firstborn male child belonged to the Lord (Exodus 13:2,13; Numbers 3:47; 8:16-17; 18:15-16), Hannah decided to dedicate Samuel to the Lord in permanent service. Notice how Hannah is doing all the key actions except for the slaughtering of the bull, this is because women were not permitted to perform these actions. Other than that however, Hannah is very much actively involved in all that happens.
Let us focus on Hannah’s explanation for her behavior, for her sizable offering and incredible personal sacrifice.
“I prayed for this boy, and the LORD granted me the request I asked of him.”
- 1 Samuel 1:27 ISV
Such a simple explanation. Because it is simple is it not?
How often we pray to God, then we get what we prayed for, and we think that somehow it was a coincidence, or that we finally did it by our own efforts, and we never praise God for it. Maybe the reason we don’t rejoice more often is because we are not praying attention to how God has been answering our prayers.
Think about it. How many times have you prayed for God to keep your family safe from COVID-19? How many times have you thanked God for keeping your family safe?
How many times have you prayed for God to provide for your family? How many times have you praised His name and thanked Him for providing for you? How often do we give credit to our own efforts, our skill, our knowledge, our abilities, and leave God out, even though we prayed to Him in our moments of fear and uncertainties?
How many of us pray to God when the wind picks up and the lighting strikes and the thunder crashes and the rain pours, but we get busy after the storm and never whisper a thank you. Never sing a song of praise, never share our testimony?
We see tragedy and wonder where God was, but when we experience peace and health and life we take Him for granted.
I imagine it was not easy for Hannah to give up the son the had prayed for for so long. I cannot imagine what it must be like, even after spending all these weeks trying to work while my kids and dog make all kinds of noise. Maybe I sometimes wished for some peace and quiet, but I cannot imagine just dropping off my son or my daughter and walking away. But, Hannah was dedicating her son to the Lord and her loss was Israel’s gain, and that was enough for that faithful mother.
And Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in the Lord.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.2 “No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.3 “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.4 “The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5 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.6 “The Lord kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and lifts up.
8 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.
9 He will guard the feet of His saints,
But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.“For by strength no man shall prevail.
10 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.”
- 1 Samuel 2:1-10 NKJV
These are Hannah’s last recorded words and her longest quotation (112 words). Hannah’s words provide a triumphant climax to this story’s portrayal of her incredible faith. Hannah’s prayer is also considered to be a deliberate literary compliment to David’s prayer recorded in 2 Samuel 22. (Bergen, Robert D. The New American Commentary. Broadman & Holman, 1996. p75)
Hannah’s prayer is considered by many scholars to be one of the earliest examples of Israelite poetry. Her song beautifully and eloquently affirms the core concepts of Israelite faith, the Lord is the great judge and overseer of human destinies and a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). It is also worth highlighting how Hannah’s prayer emphasizes the Lords exaltation of those devalued by others, since this is a major theme not only in the life of Samuel but also of David and the nation of Israel.
In Hannah’s prayer, notice how she does not delight in herself, but rather in God. The LORD is the source of her son and her happy circumstances. She gives God all the glory. We first witness Hannah praying in silence, her lips move but no one can hear her words. Now her prayer was apparently uttered in a public forum where others could hear and ponder what she was saying.
Finally Samuel’s parents leave and he remains ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest.
