Our mother for today is one of my favorites of the Bible. She was from a devout family yet a family with problems. Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah, a man with social standing, financially well off, sincere in most aspects of his religious life and most of all he loved Hannah dearly. They lived in the hill country and life was good. But there was a problem. They could not have children. This barrenness on the part of Hannah caused Elkanah to seek a second wife. He married Peninnah just to have offspring for his lineage. The great Alexander Whyte says this about Elkanah, “He’d have been perfect except for this one hard spot in his life.” Who was Peninnah? The Bible does not share an overabundance of detail but from what we see on the pages of those few verses it seems as if she is a cruel, mouthy woman. The bible calls her Hannah’s adversary. She made Hannah’s life miserable with mockery and it was continual (I Samuel 1:6-7). Peninnah was a baby factory while Hannah was barren. Elkanah did his best to give her everything a woman could want. He gives her a double portion of goods and material blessings, but he could not give her a baby and that she wished for more than anything.

Each year Elkanah would take his family to Shiloh, the place where the Tabernacle resided. They would spend several days worshipping and socializing with friends they had not seen in many months. The latest news about the family would be shared with those acquaintances. It seemed as if nothing ever changed for Hannah. She received ridicule from Peninnah, and the same old song and dance when friends asked, “How are you doing?” Let me mention three things about Hannah, the mother who kept her promise in this blog.

  1. Hannah has a problem. Remember, God gave it to her for her good and for his purpose. Read I Samuel 1:1-10. There is not one of us that does not have problems. Some seem greater than others but God has allowed these to invade our lives. They are ultimately for our good and his glory. Each time the Lord solves one of these problems it is as if we get to see God deliver us again and again. It is almost like mini-salvations. We are saved only once but with each deliverance (answer to prayer) God shows himself mighty. He delivers daily even when we do not at first recognize the deliverance. Our 7th President and Military hero, Andrew Jackson, wrote, “The memory of my mother and her teachings were the only capital I had to start life with; and on that capital I have made my way.” President Jackson had many problems which he overcame. Hannah was an overcomer in the midst of burdens, specifically barrenness.
  2. Hannah took her problem to the Lord. Read 1:11-17. Do you see in this passage an assumption? She assumed that the Lord was going to listen to her. I think her assumption was right. She was not living in open sin and she had a tender heart toward the things of God. The Lord is more loving than any parent and we all know how deep a love godly parents have toward their children. God delighted in hearing her prayer. He delights in hearing our prayers when we come with respect, living lives that seek to honor the Lord. 1:11 tells us that she vowed a vow. She promised the Lord if he would give her a son she would give him back in service at the Tabernacle. Is there a doubt that Hannah got her answer? Not in my reading of her story. She is heart gladdened and decides it is time to eat. A final thought about bringing her problem to the Lord is this. Eli, the High Priest, thought she was drunk. Do not let criticism stop you from seeking the Lord. Once she received her answer she knew things were looking up.
  3. God’s answers should make us glad. Hannah and Elkanah no doubt talked about what had happened at the door of the Tabernacle. Their home life resumed with one big exception. She conceived and nine months later Samuel was born. His name means “asked of God.” She is so elated that she writes a song. It is found in 2:1-10. She becomes a conduit through which the nation of Israel would be blessed over and over. There is an old South African proverb which says, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Samuel was the first in a line of prophets when we think of OT prophets. He was a priest and a king maker as well. He lived a holy life when Eli’s older boys were immoral many times over. Samuel was solid as a rock. By the age of twelve he was already wearing a linen ephod. He along with Moses are considered to be the two greatest intercessors for the nation of Israel.

In closing let me say that Hannah fulfilled her vow. She kept her promise. Read 1:24-28. She brought her son to the Tabernacle when he was small to begin helping the High Priest, Eli. She was generous in her giving to the Lord’s work. She gave three times over what she was required to bring. She was blessed by watching her son assist and sometimes lead in the worship at the Tabernacle during those yearly treks to Shiloh. What promises have you made to the Lord? Have you consecrated yourself and your children to the Lord? Have you kept your promises? May God use each of us as conduits to bless others. May others know our word, our promises, have weight because we keep them.