History
Hannah was an
ordinary person who was about to become extraordinary. She lived at the end of
the period of the Judges in Israel. Hannah was barren. The Bible says that God
had closed her womb (1Samuel 1:6). This is very important, because as we read
through the Bible we find this also said of other women who were going to
produce important men who would be used mightily of God. Some of them were
Sarai, Rachel, Samson’s mother who is referred to only as ‘the women’ or
Manoah’s wife, and Elizabeth. She was in very good company. It was important to
have children and to be a mother, so there was the possibility of being the
mother or ancestor of the Messiah who was to come. A promise they all looked
towards.
There
were cultural pressure on women to bear children. A woman was valued for her chastity
before marriage, and her ability to reproduce after marriage.[1] It was their
responsibility to produce sons for their own sake as well as the husbands. The
eldest son would care for his mother upon the death of his father. The eldest
son would have a double inheritance of the family wealth, and he would inherit
the position of head of the household. The eldest carried a lot of
responsibility. It was important to have children to help with the family
business, and with household chore, and even to fight in defense of the family
and its properties.
“Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah why do you weep? Why do
you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you then ten
sons?” (1 Samuel 1:8).
Polygamy was very common at that time. It
could be difficult on the women. It was not a concern for Elkanah that Hannah
had no children, because Penininah had sons and daughters. Failure to have
children was a disaster for a family. It was an agrarian culture, and they were
needed not only to maintain the work, but to carry on the family name, so they
could maintain their position in the tribal allotments. Without an heir this
would be lost to them. In fact, if a woman was barren it was considered her
fault, and could be grounds for divorce. It was a serious situation which may
be the reason Elkanah had two wives assuming Hannah was his first wife which is
not specified. [2]
The
issues that had arisen between Hannah and Penininah were not uncommon. We see
similar situations between Sarai, and the maid that bear children for her. Penininah
never missed an opportunity to remind Hannah that she was the one who had
produced heirs for Elkanah. Her constant taunting had brought Hannah to the
depths of despair and hopelessness while Elkanah gave her a double portion of
everything to try to encourage her. She knew that her only hope was in God. The
reason that Hannah appears to be mentioned in Scripture is because of her
barrenness and God’s resolution of the issue.[3] Her son would be the last
judge of Israel, Samuel.
Elkanah
was a Levite as we see in 1 Chronicles 6:26, 34 where his sons are listed and
his linage given. The Israelite males were required to make three pilgrimages a
year to Jerusalem. They did not have to take their families, but could. We see
that Elkanah took his family with him. Every year as they went up Penininah
would provoke Hannah. They would go to Shiloh which was about twenty miles
north of Jerusalem. It was the religious center in the eleventh century
although it is thought that 1 Samuel was written in the sixth century being
completed in the eighth century B.C.
This
was a hard time. The priesthood was corrupt:
“In
that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his
house from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to judge his
house for the iniquity which he knew, for his sons brought a curse upon
themselves, and he did not rebuke them” (1 Samuel 3: 12&13).
The people had no respect
for them, because they caused the people to sin. It was in this environment
that Hannah comes to Shiloh with her family to worship God. She went to the
temple where Eli was sitting at the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord
where he judged the people.
Hannah’s Prayer of Supplication with
a Vow (1 Samuel 1:10-11)
10.
And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. 11.
Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the
affliction of Your handmaid 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.”
There
are times in life when we stand helpless before God with our distress. The
situation
seems hopeless, and we know that without God’s
intervention the situation is not going to better
itself. “Jesus prayed with loud crying and tears and
experienced heart-wrenching grief and
sorrow.”[4] He was our example, and we
are to follow his example. He showed us how to pray.
We fall on our face and weep without words to express
our desperation. “In the same way
the Spirit helps our weakness, for we do not know how
to pray as we should, but the Spirit
Himself intercedes for us with groaning’s to deep for
words” (Romans 8:26). Hannah had come
to this point. Her only hope was in God. “True prayer,
in the prophetic or biblical sense, bursts
through all forms and techniques.”[5] This was a prayer from a
heart in anguish. It was a prayer of
supplication. It was a request made for help.
“Biblical prayer is crying to God out of the depths;
it is the pouring out of the soul before God.”[6] Hannah was pouring out her
distress to the God of
Israel. The all-powerful and all loving God. “It is by
prayer that we make contact with God. It is
likewise through prayer that God communicates to us.”[7] Hannah was reaching out
and touching
the heart of God. God had a plan for Hannah’s life,
and that plan was about to be fulfilled.
She
was going to take her prayer a step further with a vow to God. Before she goes
into
the vow she refers to herself as His handmaid and
maidservant. These two words are expressions
of humility. They are used to show respect by
depreciating oneself. These words were commonly
used when speaking to a prophet or a kings someone in
authority. She is recognizing God’s
authority over her life. She approaches Him with
humility much as we should do as we come
before God.
The Levites
were usually in service to God from 25 to 50 years old (Numbers 4:3; 4:24-
26). Hannah was going to go way beyond that and vow
lifelong service for her son. She would
give him back to God for service for all of his life.
No razor would touch his head. This was the
vow of a Nazarite. The Nazarite vow was usually for
only a short, designate period of time, but
not in the case of Samuel and Samson. They were
Nazarites from birth to death. They could not
drink wine or any strong drink, cut their hair, or
touch dead bodies. This was the vow that
Hannah made to God, and she was as good as her word. A
vow was considered a solemn promise
to God. The interesting thing about Samuel was that as
Hannah’s first born he would already
have belonged to God. I was unable to find any
information on this. He would not have been
Elkanah’s first born, so I am unsure whether he would
have qualified as a first born.
Breaking a vow could
bring dire consequences. It was a serious matter to make a vow,
and even more serious to break that vow. We see Jesus
dealing with this issue in Matthew 5:34-
37. He says, “But I tell you do not swear an oath at
all, either by heaven for it is God’s throne; or
by the earth for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem,
for it is the city of the Great King. Do not
swear by your head, because you cannot make even one
hair white or black; All you need to say
is yes or no, anything beyond this comes from the evil
one.”
Eli
saw Hannah’s mouth moving and assumed she was drunken. She explained to him
that she had poured out her soul to the Lord. Eli told
her, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel
grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”
Hannah went her way, and she ate and
smiled. There was no more sadness. She knew in her
inner most being that her prayer was as
good as answered. Philippians 4: 6-7 tells us, “Be
anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
request be made known to God; and the
peace of God which surpasses all understanding , will
guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus.”
Hannah’s Prayer of Thanksgiving and
Praise (1 Samuel 2:1-11)
1. And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart
rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. 2. 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. 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 whom stumble are girded with strength. 5. Those whom are full
have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even
the barren has born 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 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 kings, And exalt the horn of His anointed.” 11.
Then Elkanah went to his house in Ramah. But the child ministered to the Lord
before Eli the priest.
The
next prayer we see Hannah praying is a prayer of Thanksgiving and Praise. A son
was born, and as Hannah had vowed they took him up to the house of the Lord in
Shiloh where they sacrificed to the Lord, and left Samuel there with Eli. He
would be lent to the Lord for as long as he lived. Hannah praised God for His
answer. This is a thing that must never be forgotten. Our praises should flow
from us, because God is worthy of all praise and glory.
Hannah
begins her prayer by expressing the rejoicing of her heart. “We have here Hannah’s thanksgiving, dictated
not only by the Spirit of prayer, but by the spirit of prophesy.” [8]
When the word horn is used it is referring to power. She can hold her head high
and smile at her enemies. She has her strength from God who answered her prayer
and is her salvation. She recognizes and speaks of Gods holiness. There is none
like God. He is infinite and above all, and yet he hears and answers our
prayers. Hannah encourages humility, because it is only God who has all knowledge,
and who weighs our actions, and our thoughts, and words. “since God is eternal,
He can be and continue forever to be the one save home for his time-driven
children.”[9]
Like Hannah we realize that we are finite. We cannot always understand why we
have to wait. What is the purpose, but through our trust in God we wait
patiently before him knowing that his time is best. God supplied Hannah’s need
at the appropriate time. Samuel was born to fulfill his purpose before God.
Hannah
mentions military power, wealth, and children as Gods way of changing
circumstances. God raises up the humble and brings down those who are proud.
Mary also mentions this in her prayer in Luke 1: 46-55. God has power even over
death and the grave. He lifts up those he will, and brings down those he will.
He created all things. God is there for those who call on his name and humble
themselves. We must always remember that , “…worthy was the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and wisdom and riches and might and honor and glory and
blessing…To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor
and glory and dominion forever and ever”… ( Revelations 5:12-13b).
Conclusion
Prayer
is an amazing gift that God has given us. So often we forget the power that
prayer gives us with God. Like Hannah we may cry out in supplication out of our
distress, and then glorify God for the answer to our prayer, but we must never
forget that prayer is the way to God’s heart. It is our communication with Him.
I chat with Him as I go through the day. He is a friend that is closer than a
brother. I use the word chat because it is a conversation more than a prayer.
It is wonderful when God gives us little love taps as we go through our day.
That is what I call those special little moments that happen that make us
smile. “Begin to cultivate the skill of praying in every situation, and you
will discover that prayer spiritualizes all aspects of your life.”[10]
Bibliography
Bloesch,
D.G. “Prayer”. Walter A. Elwell. Evangelical
Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001.
Boa,
Kenneth. Conformed to His Image. Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2001.
Henry,
Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary. Peabody,
Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishing Company, 1991.
NKJV
Study Bible. “Bible Times and Culture Notes”. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas
Nelson, Inc. 2007.
Storms, Sam. Signs
of the Spirit. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2007.
Strong
in Faith. “Women and Men Who Overcame Fertility in the Bible”. 2007.
Stronginfaith.org/article.php?page=37
Tozer,
A.W. The Knowledge of the Holy. New York: Harper One, 1961.
[1]
Strong in Faith. “Women and Men who Overcame Infertility in the Bible”. 2007.
Stronginfaith.org/article.php?page=37
[2] NKJV Study Bible.
“Bible Times and Culture Notes”. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.,
2007, 543.
[3] Strong in Faith.
“Women and Men Who Overcame Infertility in the Bible”. 2007.
Stronginfaith.org/article.php?page=37
[4] Sam Storms. Signs of the Spirit. Wheaton, Illinois:
Crossway, 2007, 51.
[5] D. G. Bloesch.
“Prayer”. Walter E. Elwell. Evangelical
Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001, 947.
[6] Ibid., 947.
[7] Ibid., 946.
[8] Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry’s Commentary. Vol. 2.
Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishing Company, 1991, 222.
[9] A.W. Tozer. The Knowledge of the Holy. New York:
HarperOne, 1961, 40.
[10] Kenneth Boa. Conformed to His Image. Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Zondervan, 2001, 216.
