Today’s Word – 1 Samuel 1:21-28

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

We see in these verses that the time has come again for Elkanah to go to Shiloh with his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord; but this time Hannah did not go.  She said to her husband that she would stay home and wean Samuel and then take him to be presented before the Lord.  Elkanah did not protest and told her, “Do what seems best to you.”

After he was weaned, Hannah took Samuel with her, along with a sacrifice, to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.  After the sacrifice, Hannah took Samuel to Eli and reminded him of who she was, what she had asked God for, and what God had granted to her.  In order to keep her vow, she gave Samuel to the Lord and left him there to worship.

In those times, a child was usually weaned at the age of 3.  So, Samuel was believed to be about 3 years old when Hannah took him to Shiloh.  What I find amazing about this is that she had 3 years to change her mind – to back out on her promise – but she did not.  She did not allow what I’m sure was a tremendous bond between mother and child to keep her from fulfilling her promise to the Lord.  I think this shows that Hannah was not only a woman of integrity, but also selfless.  I believe that she trusted the Lord and knew that Samuel would be taken care of even better than she could if she allowed God’s purpose for his life to be fulfilled.

How many of us could do this?  Do we have that much faith and belief in the promises of God?  Would we begin to offer up something else in place of what we initially promised?

When I pray for my son, I ask God to show me the role that I’m to play in helping him fulfill the purpose that God has for his life.  It’s about God’s plan for him, not mine.  As parents (aunts, uncles, godparents, grandparents), we have to provide guidance, but we need to be sure to seek God’s will and purpose.  Often that means getting ourselves out of God’s way even if, really especially if, His plan is different than ours.  Although we may not take a child and leave them at the temple as Hannah did, we need to remember that God has only lent our children to us to care for.  They truly belong to Him.

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The other thing that I found fascinating about this passage was Elkanah’s trust in Hannah’s decision.  At a time when a woman was considered less than a man, he deferred to his wife.  I believe that he could do this because he was a man of God and believed and knew that she was a woman of God.  He bore witness to God’s granting of Hannah’s prayer, manifested by Samuel’s birth.  He knew that God had answered her prayer and must have known the difficulty she must have felt in letting go.  I believe this shows they were evenly yoked.  Often difficulties surface because the commitment to God is not the same or the understanding and walk with Him is different.  I think it’s important to have God’s presence in a marriage for all reasons, but especially during difficult decisions and circumstances.  Then it becomes not a question of who is right or wrong, but what is pleasing to God.  And it’s not easy because egos (the flesh) get in the way.

I think Hannah and Elkanah were true role models of what it looks like to die to self and allow God to be not just your savior, but the Lord of your life – trusting Him with each and every aspect of life even when it doesn’t look like you want it to.  By doing this, they produced and provided a child that would do great things, fulfilling a portion of God’s purpose and plan.

Are you willing to do what God asks of you and what you’ve promised Him to fulfill His purpose for your life; for your child’s life?  Do you trust that God knows best and wants only the best for His children?  Allow Him to be Lord over your life, relinquishing every area to Him, knowing that what He has in store is far greater than anything you could ever imagine or hope for.

Be Blessed,

Kee