Hannah, the Mother After God's Own Heart
1 Samuel 1:1-18 introduces us to a woman who can be a role model for many of us, especially for those who are mothers. Let us read a number of verses from this chapter.
1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
1 Samuel 1:1-18 (NIV)
The praying woman
We can read many stories in the Bible about men who prayed. Important men, like Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Daniel, and many others prayed for God's help, prayed to thank and praise Him. They have a conversation like they have with a friend whom they trust and like to include in the affairs of their daily lives.
There are also many stories in which we can see how women walked with God. One of those stories is that of Hannah, Samuel’s mother.
The story tells us that Hannah was barren. Because of that, she was being tormented, and she turns to the Only One who can help her. She prayed, she cried, and she promised God that she would give Him back the son whom she was asking for. Even when the priest accused her of being drunk, she did not give up and explained to him that she had come to the Lord because of the pain and sorrow in her heart.
Even though Eli, the priest, did not know what Hannah had been praying for, he was enabled by God to let her know that God had heard her prayers. The Lord would give her what she had been asking for. And ever since that moment, she was no longer downcast. So much faith!
Hannah was a woman who prayed. She did not only pray with words, but with her entire being. God answered her. If our prayers are inspired by God, and according to His will, then He will listen to them.
The woman who gave
We keep reading, starting from verse 19 till 28. Some verses are displayed below.
19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”
24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
1 Samuel 1:19-20, 24-28 (NIV)
When Hannah bore a son a while later, she had not forgotten how that came to be. She glorified God for answering her prayer. We can draw this conclusion, because of the name she gives her child, since Samuel means “because I asked the Lord for him”.
Neither did she forget what she had promised the Lord. It couldn’t have been easy, but she took the child to the temple and gave him to God, even though he was still very young.
Her giving was not half-hearted, but it was complete. She could have said: “I will pray with him every day and I will teach him everything about God's Word. He is allowed to become priest later, if he wants.” But that is not what she did. She took him to the temple, away from her own home completely.
Her gift was not temporary; rather, it was forever. She had already told her husband: “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always” (verse 22). And later she said the same to the priest (verse 28). It was almost like she needed to tell herself, as well.
If we want to give something to God, it has to be complete and forever. That is not an easy task. We may remind ourselves and others of this task. That will help.
The woman who cared
We will now read some final verses.
18 But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. 21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
1 Samuel 2:18-21 (NIV)
Hannah visited her boy once a year. She went on this trip to the temple every year, to offer the annual sacrifice. During the previous years, Hannah made new clothes for him. She must have thought a lot about him. How tall would he be? Does he have friends? What would he be learning about? And, of course, it can be well assumed that she prayed a lot for him.
Hannah kept taking care of her son, even though she had given him to the Lord. This can also happen in our lives as well.
God wants us to hand Him all the things that are precious to us. Yes, mothers, that is not easy (it isn’t easy for fathers either), but if we still do this and trust Him completely, then He will return to us the care for our children. We may pray for them (which is so important!) and take care of them.
