1 Samuel 1

1 Samuel 1

The story of Samuel begins with another man and his two wives. We have seen a similar situation play out with Abraham and Jacob. Like their stories, there was one woman who was favored over the other and that woman was unable to have a child. Like both Sarah and Rachel, God had closed their wombs for a reason. He was going to use their pregnancies for extraordinary purposes. Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the man God had chosen to inherit the promise He had made to Abraham. Rachel gave birth to Joseph, the man God had chosen to use to protect the beginnings of the nation Israel as He fulfilled His promise to Abraham in making him a great nation. Now, in the book of Samuel, Elkanah has two wives as well, and he prefers Hannah over Peninnah. Like the two examples mentioned above, Hannah was unable to have children.


Hannah was distressed because she could not have a son, much less a child. To make matters worse, Peninnah provoked her, making fun of her situation. Elkanah was aware of the situation but knew that there was nothing he could do. He tried to comfort her, but he found that it was not enough. Hannah knew that there was something she could do about the situation, and that was prayer. Hannah earnestly prayed to God for a son, and in that prayer she promised that if He would answer her prayers then should would give the child to Him to serve Him. Hannah was so adamant about having a child, that she was even willing make a sacrifice by giving the child back to God.

While she was weeping and praying at the temple, the priest, Eli, took notice. Thinking she was drunk, Eli went up to her and advised her to put away whatever it was she was drinking. She assured him that she was not drunk; instead, she had been praying. Seeing her dedication, Eli told her that God had indeed heard her prayers and would answer them. Hannah went away happy knowing that God would keep His promises. The next morning she woke up worshipping God, excited about her future. Then, in time, God did uphold his end of the deal, blessing Elkanah and Hannah with a son.

The next year, Elkanah prepared to go back to Eli for their yearly sacrifice, but Hannah stayed behind saying that she needed to make sure that Samuel was weaned. Once she had done so, she promised that she would make the trip and present Samuel to God. Once Samuel was 3, Hannah made that trip, upholding her end of the deal that she made with God. She had promised God that she would give the child over to Him if He blessed her with a son, and she made sure that she did not break her promise. She then explained the situation to Eli, reminding him of who she was. Afterwards, she left Samuel with Eli to serve the Lord for the rest of his life.

We all have dreams and desires in life. We all encounter disappointment when life does not go as we hope. We probably all make deals with God at some point, promising that we will do something or give up something if He would just answer our prayers. What we should ask ourselves is do we really intend to uphold our end of the bargain, and are we truly praying for His will to be done? Furthermore, if and when our desires become reality, do we go back to God and thank Him for what He has done for us or do we go on about our lives ignoring the fact that God is the one in control? Hannah not only intended on keeping her promise to God, but she also began worshipping God for what He was about to do even before it came true. After receiving word that God had heard her prayers and would do as she said, she began worshipping Him immediately. Then, after the child was born she thanked God for His blessings. We are great at asking God to help us out in life (giving Him prayer requests), but we must also learn to praise Him for what He does in our lives.

Matt