Give it All Up to God

1 Samuel 1:1-2:11

(The Original Lesson was edited into two lessons because of length and focus)

Everything we have was given to us by the Lord. So, it does not belong to us exclusively. It has been entrusted to us. So, we should be good stewards of what He’s given to us and give everything up to Him in prayer and dedication.

Hannah’s Disgrace – 1 Samuel 1:1-8

Elkanah was a Levite, from the Kohathite clan, who lived in the land of Ephraim in a little village town named Ramah that was about five miles north of Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 6:22-27). He had two wives, which was not ideal but often happened if the first wife was unable to have children. Because it says that Elkanah loved Hannah so much, but Penninah was the only one who had children, it is assumed that Hannah was his first wife and he only married Penninah to carry on his name.

The Tabernacle was in Shiloh during their time, and all the people were required to gather and make sacrifices three times a year (Joshua 18:1; Leviticus 23). Elkanah always brought his entire family and Penninah would use that time to rub in Hannah’s face that she had given Elkanah children when Hannah had not been able. Elkanah felt sorry for Hannah and always gave her the best pieces of meat. Some versions say that he gave her double portions which indicates that she got twice as much as Penninah and her children. But the phrase literally means “two noses” and since the head was considered the most favored part of the animal, it indicates that she got the choicest pieces and not that one woman received double that of her counterpart with all of her children.

But none of this mattered to Hannah. She was too sick about her situation to eat anyway. This upset Elkanah too because he loved Hannah and did not like seeing her sad. He wished she could be satisfied with his love for her and not feel like she was lacking, but there was nothing he could do to make her happy. All she wanted was a child, and no man had the power to give her that if the Lord was preventing it. The Bible continues to remind us that God is in charge of conception. He alone creates life. We are just participants in His plan (Genesis 30:1-2).

Praying for a Son - 1 Samuel 1:9-18

Hannah was so upset that she went to the Tabernacle to pray. In tears, she asked the Lord for a son, promising that if God would give her one, she would dedicate his life to the Lord. Even though she only mentioned not ever cutting his hair, the implication is that she was setting him aside as a Nazarite for life. Samson is the only other person in their day that was dedicated to God for his whole life. But in Samson’s case, God told his parents to set him aside for God’s purposes from the time he was born (Judges 13). In this case, Hannah was offering her son to the Lord freely. She knew that if she was able to have a child, it would be because of God. So, if He was willing to give one to her, she must have felt like she should be willing to give him back to the Lord for His purposes.

The high priest at the time was a Levite from the clan of Ithamar named Eli. He saw Hannah praying, but because she was praying silently, yet he could see her mouth moving, he thought she was drunk. So, he approached her and rebuked her for drinking too much wine and making a spectacle of herself in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. This too must have hurt Hannah because she not only explained herself quickly, but she obviously did not want Eli to think of her as a worthless woman. This word literally means “daughter of Satan.” She had been pouring her heart out to the Lord, begging him for a son, yet the priest thought she was evil. This was something she needed to correct right away.

Once Eli understood that she was deeply distraught and not drunk, his words changed from rebuke to encouragement. He told her to leave in peace, trusting in the Lord for a son. Hannah was so relieved that the high priest understood and was on her side, but it’s also clear that she also felt the peace of God. She was able to leave her situation in God’s hands and enjoy the rest of her time in Shiloh.