A WOMAN OF DEVOTION

 

 

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)

YOUR PURPOSE - ODE TO ABINADI

 

If you have ever wondered what your purpose in life is, then the story of Abinadi is the story for you.  When Abinadi first came on the scene preaching repentance in 148 B.C., he escaped King Noah’s edict of execution only to resurface two years later to go from a frypan into the fire.  And not any fire. Being burnt at stake would have been more merciful than what he suffered. Abinadi was scorched to death by flames of faggots that were used to poke and sear his skin until death (Mosiah 17:13,14). This practice of torture and death by fire was practiced widely among native American cultures. 

 

This is what will forever be recorded in the annals of history about this man:  His unwavering testimony of Christ. When questioned by the priests of Noah, Abinadi recited Isaiah 53 in its perfection and entirety. I am sure he didn’t carry scriptures around and most certainly didn’t have them handy when handcuffed standing in front of his accusers. How many of us could memorise Isaiah, recite it word for word and then explain it? This is chapter 53: “….surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows….he was wounded for our transgressions…he was oppressed and afflicted….”. It is about Messiah’s humiliation and sufferings. But there is something else very interesting about Chapter 53. Abinadi quoted that Christ would, because of His death, divide His eternal reward ‘with the strong’ (Mosiah 14:12).  Well, you can’t get stronger than Abinadi who knew he was going to meet his death but who wouldn’t abstain from finishing his message. Take note why: “I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved.” (Mosiah 13:9). Never a more poignant statement has been made…..in the end, all that mattered is that he fulfilled his purpose. 

 

Another amazing thing about Abinadi…..he focused on delivering his message, he did not fixate on the success thereof….so he went to his death believing he fulfilled his purpose without any results, but there was a convert….Alma, then Alma the Younger, then Helaman, then his son Nephi, then 3^rd Nephi…and we all know what these men achieved. 

 

In your journey of self-discovery, be not afraid to step into deeper waters to discover what your true purpose in life is, and do not be worried about obvious results. Only be concerned with God’s approbation. Find the Abinadi in you and do not be afraid of the flames…..

 

 

ODE TO ABINADI:

How beautiful were your feet

As you published peace

And were numbered amongst His seed

Of the faithful and the believing;

As you so valiantly accepted His call

To bring Him as an offering

To the proud and the unbelieving.

You stood without flinching

As the flames licked your body

And defiant spirit without yielding.

With courage you proclaimed His Sonship

And His godly might;

With righteous devotion

You earned entrance to His holy heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art by Briana Shawcroft)

IN THE ARMS OF THE SHEPHERD

"Some years ago, it was my privilege to visit the country of Morocco as part of an official United States government delegation. As part of that visit, we were invited to travel some distance into the desert to visit some ruins. Five large black limousines moved across the beautiful Moroccan countryside at considerable speed. I was riding in the third limousine, which had lagged some distance behind the second. As we topped the brow of a hill, we noticed that the limousine in front of us had pulled off to the side of the road. As we drew nearer, I sensed that an accident had occurred and suggested to my driver that we stop. The scene before us has remained with me for these many years. 

An old shepherd, in the long, flowing robes of the Saviour's day, was standing near the limousine in conversation with the driver. Nearly, I noted a small flock of sheep numbering not more than fifteen or twenty. An accident had occurred. The king's vehicle had struck and injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd. The driver of the vehicle was explaining to him the law of the land. Because the king's vehicle had injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd, he was now entitled to one hundred times its value at maturity. However, under the same law, the injured sheep must be slain and the meat divided among the people. My interpreter hastily added, "But the old shepherd will not accept the money. They never do". Startled, I asked him why. And he added, "Because of the love he has for each of his sheep". It was then that I noticed the old shepherd reach down, lift the injured lamb in his arms, and place it in a large pouch on the front of his robe. He kept stroking its head, repeating the same word over and over again. When I asked the meaning of the word, I was informed, "Oh, he is calling it by name. All of his sheep have a name, for he is their shepherd, and the good shepherds know each one of their sheep by name."  

It was as my driver predicted. The money was refused, and the old shepherd with his small flock of sheep, with the injured one tucked safely in the pouch on his robe, disappeared into the beautiful deserts of Morocco. As we continued our journey toward the ruins, my interpreter shared with me more of the traditions and practices of the shepherds of that land. Each evening at sundown, for example, the shepherds bring their small flocks of sheep to a common enclosure where they are secured against the wolves that roam the deserts of Morocco. A single shepherd then is employed to guard the gate until morning. Then the shepherds come to the enclosure one by one, enter therein, and call forth their sheep - by name. The sheep will not hearken unto the voice of a stranger but will leave the enclosure only in the care of their true shepherd, confident and secure because the shepherd knows their names and they know his voice." (John R. Lasater, "Shepherds of Israel", Ensign, May 1988, p 74)


"....I know my sheep, and they are numbered" (3 Nephi 18:31)

As Judah was carried away into Babylonian captivity, the prophet Ezekiel was taken with them. As Jeremiah administered to the court at Jerusalem prior to the dispersion, Ezekiel was called to administer to the exiles. He was instructed by the Lord to lay the blame for Judah's dispersion at the door of its' leaders - the royal government, the priesthood and the teachers. These were shepherds entrusted with the sheep of the fold lacking any characteristics of a good shepherd (Ezekiel 34:2). Their energies were spent on enriching themselves and indulging their appetites, caring little for the sheep in their care. They were the total opposite of what the Saviour is like as a shepherd who guards His flock with tenderness and care. The Saviour lamented over dispersed house of Israel making obvious his love for those He calls His own: "The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them" (Ezekiel 34:4-6).

The Saviour reiterates throughout the scriptures that He is the good shepherd and we are His sheep. Most people in our modern society have never seen a shepherd so the metaphor of this relationship is somewhat lost. Jesus, however, knew about shepherds and the care and love and protection which they bestow on their sheep. I am sure as He encountered shepherds on the plains of Judea during his mortal life this metaphor was born in the caverns of His heart. He saw Himself as the shepherd who would heal the sick, bind those who are broken, gather those who are driven away and find those which are lost. His love would know no bounds, his mercy no restraint, his compassion no denial. He would be the protector of the vulnerable and the weak, he would be the master shepherd who would never forsake His sheep. From the depth of this commitment came the unfathomable sacrifice for His beloved sheep: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)

"Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out....and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered." (Ezekiel 34:11-12)

The greatest witness of the Saviour's commitment to shepherd his sheep is taking place today through the gathering of scattered Israel. The value that is placed on each soul is evident in the great work performed daily through the under-shepherds who are His true disciples, the members of His Church who are willing to seek out that which is lost. We have been commissioned to emulate the Master Shepherd in His great work 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses 1:39). We are to be as committed and as tenacious and as caring as the Saviour as we undertake this important work for not one soul can be overlooked or lost: "The personal nature of the Lord's ministry as the Master Shepherd should be the pattern for all who shepherd the flocks of Israel. The depths of His love, His willingness to give freely of Himself, His undeviating loyalty and devotion to the cause shared so completely with His Father, and His constant attention to the needs of the one stand as hallmarks of the true shepherd's calling" (John R. Lasatar, 'Shepherds of Israel, Ensign, May 1988).

We need not be concerned about the rate of our success as the Lord's under-shepherds for He has promised that His sheep will hear His voice. From all corners of the earth, from every mountain and steep hill, from every rock and wherever they are scattered they will hear His call and they will follow.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)