Happy Mother’s Day. There is a South African proverb which says, “The hand which rocks the cradle rules the nation and its destiny.” Mothers are truly primary influencers in shaping the characters of their children.
The desire to have children but not be able to may be one of the greatest heartaches a woman can experience—that inborn desire to nurture and love a young life. It grips your heart to see the tears of a woman who wants to be a mother so badly.
This is the situation with Hannah and Elkanah. They’ve tried and tried but she has not gotten pregnant. Deeply hurt Hannah cries out to God:
1 Samuel 1:10 - 11 10In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. 11And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
Hannah was weeping because of her inability to conceive. This went on year after year. Elkanah tried to console her, “Don’t I mean more to you than 10 sons?” (v. 8). But nothing could remove the ache from her heart.
Every year they went to Shiloh to sacrifice to God. At the Temple Hannah prayed to get pregnant. On this occasion she was praying silently, but her lips were moving. Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk.
That wasn’t it at all. She was in great emotional pain because she wanted to be a mother, and in her pain she cried out to God. God’s not a bad place to go to when you’re in pain.
She made a vow to God. If God would allow her to become pregnant with a son, she would give her son to the Lord for all the days of his life.
We must remember that our children are a gift to us on loan from God. To dedicate ourselves to raising them, to the best we can, to be godly adults, is a gift we give back to God.
God places in our hands a young son or daughter to shape, mold, and guide. But there’s one problem: There’s no owner’s manual. So we make many mistakes. We’ve got to follow Hannah’s example—go to God. What does His Word, the Bible say about husbands and wives, families, children and moms and dads? Maybe we do have a how-to manual!
But Hannah went beyond what was expected. She promised to literally give her son to God. And to demonstrate the depth of her commitment, she committed her boy to a Nazarite vow—all the days of his life a razor would never be used on his head.
The amazing thing is the extreme promise Hannah made. She and Elkanah had tried, but she had not been able to become pregnant. Yet so confident was Hannah in God that she made her vow. Look what happens next:
1 Samuel 1:19 - 20 19Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.”
In the normal course of life, through normal husband and wife relations, Hannah conceived and gave birth to Samuel. For the next several years she kept Samuel at home, enjoying her son and teaching him, until he was weaned. Then she brought the boy to Eli, the priest. Here is how 1 Samuel 1:26-28 describes the encounter:
1 Samuel 1:26 - 28 26and she said to him, “As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 27I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there.
Hannah had no doubts whatsoever that her pregnancy was not a coincident—that she had just finally gotten pregnant after trying one more time. No, she knew Samuel was God’s answer to her prayer—he was a miracle baby.
Hebrew children were usually weaned much later than is common in much of the world today. A child was rarely weaned before the age of 3, and could have been well over 5 before being fully weaned.
During this time Hannah was giving him spiritual training. She taught him that he was special, an answer from God. From the time he was first able to start understanding, she told him he had been dedicated to God.
How could a mother do this—just give her son to the church? There was more than self-interest involved. Yes, Hannah desperately wanted a child of her own, but it is also obvious that she is a deeply spiritual woman.
She really loved God; she understood His goodness; and she truly appreciated His good gifts in life to her. She had a good husband who loved her and tried to console her. She had a good home. God was good!
I think that Hannah’s deepest desire was not simply to have a child, but to be able to dedicate a child to God’s service. She longed for a son so that she would be able to do just that.
Hannah didn’t see it as terrible sacrifice to allow Samuel to be brought up in the Temple. It was a great joy in spite of the accompanying pain. Parents of missionaries understand both the joy and the pain.
Look at the amazing last sentence of verse 28. And he worshiped the Lord there. This is not talking about Eli the priest, but it is young Samuel who knows how to worship God. Hannah taught him right.
When raising children, more is caught than taught. Children are like sponges and will soak up everything around them. It is vitally important that parents are good Christian examples to their children.
Samuel saw Hannah at worship. He saw her pray. And he heard her teach. It made a deep and lasting impression on his young mind.
Hannah was able to give Samuel to God because she was committed to God. We see her secret in 1 Samuel 2:1 – 2, Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 2 “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
Hannah has just given her son to God and she is rejoicing. She rejoices in the Lord and His salvation. Her horn, which is a symbol of power, is the Lord and her rock is God. Hannah exalts the power and might of the Lord. These words are a reflection of her heart.
Do you remember the story Jesus told of the two men who built homes, one upon the sand and one upon the rock. You know how the story goes, the storm destroyed the house on the sand, but the house on the rock stood strong.
Jesus told that story to lead us to build our life on the firm foundation of the rock, which is Jesus Christ. Hannah built her life on the rock. She knew there was no firmer foundation.
She trusted God completely. Her trust made it possible to make the vow to give her child to God? She was so committed to the ways of God she was able to literally give her son to serve God all the days of his life?
Hannah’s personal relationship with God fueled her trust, her commitment to Him, and ruled her entire life.
Can you do the same as Hannah? Of course you can when you have the same kind of loving and trusting relationship with God.