Speaker: Jess Gough
Scripture: 1Samuel 1-20
Have we ever encountered the experience of
trying to help, but not really helping? For example, a toddler trying to help a
baby sister by check on the baby but waking her up instead. Lovely, but
probably makes things busier.
In the beginning we see the pedigree of
Elkanah’s prestigious line. We see Elkanah faithfully fulfilling his duties to
God and his two wives. Infertility in the context of the Ancient Near East:
Hannah’s primary role as a wife was to have children, but she couldn’t do that,
so she was devastated. Could this be why Elkanah got Peninnah?
Judges 21:25: “Everyone did as what they
saw fit.”
The description of Eli raises a serious
question about the capability of Israel’s religious leaders. A leader who’s
unable to distinguish between someone who’s praying and pouring their souls out
to the Lord vs a drunken person? A leader who goes straight to accusation (calling
Hannah drunk) before investigation the situation further (which was not being
very helpful)? This assumption might reflect how Eli is already used to seeing/
the way the people of Israel usually behaves. Even Eli’s sons were scoundrels.
1Samuel 1:10: “Hannah prayed to the Lord,
weeping bitterly.”
Do we need to put on our perfect masks?
Laments: praying to God in our pain and desperation. Hannah’s prayer may sound
like bargaining though. In the OT, to ask God to remember is to look back at
His promises that He will take action. It’s about what God had already done,
and reaching out to a God who’s faithful.
Luke 1:46-48: “My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble
state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed...”
We can be certain the One who we call on is
the One who cares. To be seen and heard by our faithful God is a blessing, a
cause for us to lift up our eyes.
1Samuel 1:20: Regarding the name Samuel, “Because
I asked for him.” The Hebrew pronunciation Samuel sounds like “heard” by God,
even though it doesn’t mean “heard”. (Actually this topic is under some debate. The
Hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el) could mean either “name of God”
(Shem El) or “God has heard” (Sh'ma El).
God uses an impossible birth to mark that
He is doing something significant in Israel! (Think about barren women like Sarah
giving birth to Isaac, Rachel giving birth to Joseph, Manoah’s wife giving
birth to Samson, and Moses surviving the great infanticide, etc). In
dedicating her child to the Lord for his entire life, Hannah is given the
opportunity to play a part in this great thing God is doing.
And when the virgin gives birth to a son (plus Jesus
surviving the infanticide commanded by Herod), that is the most
miraculous event in history! God is doing something big in this world, and just
like Hannah, we are given a role to play in that.
Note: blue font=extra things I’ve added in.
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