One of the great women of the Old Testament who stands out for her
devotion to God is Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel.
Not being able to bear children is a difficult cross to bear for many
women in any age but it was especially so for Hannah. She was barren in a time
when ‘it was a great reproach to a woman among the Jews’(Clarke, Bible
Commentary, 2:207). So many women must have suffered a sense of
worthlessness at such a time because of this trial. No fertility treatments, no
IVF….
It was considered a woman brought great honour to her husband by
giving him children, especially sons. At an age when women had little else by
which to distinguish themselves, child bearing was of utmost importance.
Hannah's suffering from her condition was made even more difficult by the
second wife of her husband, Peninnah, who tormented her and made her miserable
by 'ostentatious exhibition of her children' because Hannah was favoured by
their husband (Old Testament Student Manual Book 1, p 267). So many questions
about this situation but we won’t go there…..
As the family went up to Shiloh to the annual festival to offer
sacrifices at the tabernacle, Hannah took matters into her own hands. She knew
there was only one place to go and only one God who could possibly know the
state of her heart and who could alleviate her suffering. In her unwavering
faith she made a covenant with the Lord that if He would give her a son she
would bring him up as a Nazarite and dedicate the child to God’s service for
the duration of his life (1 Sam 1:11).
This was an amazing act of selflessness. That she was a woman with
great faith and love for God is clearly seen by her praise of Him following
Samuel’s birth (1 Sam 2:1-10).
Hannah did bear a son and she called his name Samuel, meaning in
Hebrew 'heard of God' (Keil and Delitzch, Commentary, 2:2:25). This name served
as a reminder to both Hannah and Samuel of the special circumstances and
commitments relating to his birth (Old Testament Student Manual Book 1, p.
268).
When Samuel was weaned at 3 years of age as was the custom, Hannah
honoured her promise to God and brought him to the priest Eli to live and serve
in the sanctuary for the remainder of his life. One cannot imagine how Hannah,
who longed for a child, had the fortitude to hand him over to live with an old
man and replace the carefree days of his childhood with service in the
tabernacle, seeing him only once a year (1 Sam 2:20). But she had cause for
another concern. Eli was not only an old man but he had failed in his parental
responsibilities with his two sons who caused all of Israel to sin because of
their immorality and bad example as priests (1 Sam 2:13-36).
So bad was the situation that ‘a man of God’ was sent to Eli to
pronounce the Lord’s curse upon his house because he took no action to correct
the abomination in his family and the tabernacle. It seemed by this failure
that Eli honoured his sons above the Lord (2:27,29). This is in stark contrast
to Hannah who had only 3 years with Samuel and trained him to honour and serve
God as a child better than the adults around him (1 Sam 2:18).
The God of Israel knew how Hannah would feel giving up her son
into someone else’s care and He did not leave her heart empty. He filled it to
the brim and rewarded her for keeping her word. Hannah went on to bear three
more sons and two daughters. What does this tell us about the God we worship? No
sacrifice we offer is overlooked by Him….
I had a memory from my pre-earth life once. I was sitting with the
Saviour and He was saying to me: “I will save you and I will make up for
everything.” Indeed……
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Hannah and Samuel by Elspeth C. Young)
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