Hannah - A Woman of Faith – Part One
1 Samuel 1:1-2:10
The Old Testament contains many role models for us today.... Great men like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, and Daniel. Great women like Sarah, Hannah, Ruth, and Esther. A wonderful role model for women of faith today is that of Hannah.... The mother of Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of Israel whose story is told in the first two chapters of 1 Samuel
From just a simple reading of the material in these two chapters we can glean several lessons from “Hannah - A Woman Of Faith”. For example, as we read 1 Sam 1:1-8, we learn that women of faith endure real problems. Hannah’s problems were twofold. Her womb was closed by the Lord - 1 Sam 1:1-5 “There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb.” Thus she suffered ridicule and provoking by her rival - 1 Sam 1:6-8 “And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?"’
What can we learn from Hannah? Women of faith are not without problems in this life. The righteous often suffer (remember Job). Sarah likewise suffered ridicule from her handmaiden Hagar - Gen 16:3-5 “So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!"’ We should not let others deter our trust in the Lord. Hannah could have used her misfortune and mistreatment as an excuse. Yet year after year Hannah continued to worship the Lord - 1 Sam 1:7 “So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.” Women of faith have problems just like other women. What distinguishes them as women of faith is what they do when faced with their problems, as we glean from reading 1 Sam 1:9-18...
Women of faith extend vibrant prayers. Hannah’s prayer was with the bitterness of soul; with weeping in anguish - 1 Sam 1:10 “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.” She offers of a solemn vow - 1 Sam 1:11 “And she vowed a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head."’ Her prayer was with persistence - 1 Sam 1:12 “As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth.” She prayed with her heart - 1 Sam 1:13 “Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.” She prayed with all her soul - 1 Sam 1:15-16 “But Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation."’ Hannah prayed with faith in God's promise - 1 Sam 1:18 “And she said, "Let your servant find favor in your eyes." Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”
What can we learn from Hannah? Pray fervently - she put her soul into her prayers - Co 4:2a “Continue steadfastly in prayer,”. Pray persistently - she continued steadfastly in prayers - Co 4:2b “being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Pray faithfully - she believed that God would answer her prayers - 1 Jn 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
Women of faith believe in the efficacy of prayer. God takes notice of such faith (2 Chr 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars."’), so we should not be surprised to see as we continue reading (1 Sam 1:19-20) that women of faith experience God’s provisions. Hannah received her provision when the Lord remembered her - 1 Sam 1:19 “They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.” The Lord gave her a son, whom she named Samuel (“heard of God”) - 1 Sam 1:20 “And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked for him from the LORD."’
What can we learn from Hannah that will help us today? God may sometimes give us what we want. It must be according to His will - 1 Jn 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” We must abide in His words - Jn 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Selfish prayers will not be answered as we wish - Ja 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” God will always provide what we need. It may not be what we want or expect, but it will meet our needs, and be for our good - Mt 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”; Ro 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
In Hannah’s case, she received that for which she asked. But she had made a vow, and as we read on (1 Sam 1:21-28), we see that women of faith excel at keeping promises. In Hannah’s case she planned to keep her promise - 1 Sam 1:22 “But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the LORD and dwell there forever."’ She carried out what she promised - 1 Sam 1:24-27 “And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. And the child was young. Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. And she said, "Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him.” She worshipped the Lord - 1 Sam 1:28 “Therefore I have lent him to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.”
We will continue the lesson in a second part looking at what we can learn from Hannah and her keeping her promise.
1 Samuel 1:1-2:10
The Old Testament contains many role models for us today.... Great men like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, and Daniel. Great women like Sarah, Hannah, Ruth, and Esther. A wonderful role model for women of faith today is that of Hannah.... The mother of Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of Israel whose story is told in the first two chapters of 1 Samuel
From just a simple reading of the material in these two chapters we can glean several lessons from “Hannah - A Woman Of Faith”. For example, as we read 1 Sam 1:1-8, we learn that women of faith endure real problems. Hannah’s problems were twofold. Her womb was closed by the Lord - 1 Sam 1:1-5 “There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb.” Thus she suffered ridicule and provoking by her rival - 1 Sam 1:6-8 “And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?"’
What can we learn from Hannah? Women of faith are not without problems in this life. The righteous often suffer (remember Job). Sarah likewise suffered ridicule from her handmaiden Hagar - Gen 16:3-5 “So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!"’ We should not let others deter our trust in the Lord. Hannah could have used her misfortune and mistreatment as an excuse. Yet year after year Hannah continued to worship the Lord - 1 Sam 1:7 “So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.” Women of faith have problems just like other women. What distinguishes them as women of faith is what they do when faced with their problems, as we glean from reading 1 Sam 1:9-18...
Women of faith extend vibrant prayers. Hannah’s prayer was with the bitterness of soul; with weeping in anguish - 1 Sam 1:10 “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.” She offers of a solemn vow - 1 Sam 1:11 “And she vowed a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head."’ Her prayer was with persistence - 1 Sam 1:12 “As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth.” She prayed with her heart - 1 Sam 1:13 “Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.” She prayed with all her soul - 1 Sam 1:15-16 “But Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation."’ Hannah prayed with faith in God's promise - 1 Sam 1:18 “And she said, "Let your servant find favor in your eyes." Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”
What can we learn from Hannah? Pray fervently - she put her soul into her prayers - Co 4:2a “Continue steadfastly in prayer,”. Pray persistently - she continued steadfastly in prayers - Co 4:2b “being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Pray faithfully - she believed that God would answer her prayers - 1 Jn 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
Women of faith believe in the efficacy of prayer. God takes notice of such faith (2 Chr 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars."’), so we should not be surprised to see as we continue reading (1 Sam 1:19-20) that women of faith experience God’s provisions. Hannah received her provision when the Lord remembered her - 1 Sam 1:19 “They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.” The Lord gave her a son, whom she named Samuel (“heard of God”) - 1 Sam 1:20 “And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked for him from the LORD."’
What can we learn from Hannah that will help us today? God may sometimes give us what we want. It must be according to His will - 1 Jn 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” We must abide in His words - Jn 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Selfish prayers will not be answered as we wish - Ja 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” God will always provide what we need. It may not be what we want or expect, but it will meet our needs, and be for our good - Mt 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”; Ro 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
In Hannah’s case, she received that for which she asked. But she had made a vow, and as we read on (1 Sam 1:21-28), we see that women of faith excel at keeping promises. In Hannah’s case she planned to keep her promise - 1 Sam 1:22 “But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the LORD and dwell there forever."’ She carried out what she promised - 1 Sam 1:24-27 “And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. And the child was young. Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. And she said, "Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him.” She worshipped the Lord - 1 Sam 1:28 “Therefore I have lent him to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.”
We will continue the lesson in a second part looking at what we can learn from Hannah and her keeping her promise.
