Hurrah for Hannah

You’ve read Judges – right? OK – No King – everyone doing their own thing.  This is not God’s plan.  Things are not as they should be.  Rejection and rebellion, faithlessness and futility are the order of the day.  Except in the hill country of Ephraim in the house of Elkanah.

Here we have a peek at what scripture calls, “the remnant.”  The remnant refers to those who remain faithful to the faith of Abraham, who trust in God’s promises, who submit to Him exclusively.  From the descriptions, Elkanah and Hannah would be numbered among these.

Hannah has a problem and in her day it was a big problem.  She is not able to bear a child.  In her day this was a source of criticism and no little shame.  Not only does she bare the cultural stigma but in her own house her sister-wife (?) taunts and belittles her mercilessly.

Elkanah does what he can to mitigate the pain and shame but none the less Hannah suffers.   So, when once in Shiloh for worship Hannah pours out her heart to God.

1 Sam. 1:10-12 impressed me for a couple of reasons.

First, God wants us to understand the intensity of her distress.  She wept bitterly.  Bitterly indicates a state of mourning.  She’s not just crying about being childless, it goes deeper and is more painful.

What I wonder is how long did she wait before she prayed such a prayer?  Was she, like many of us, trying to figure it out on her own?  Was she buying into the cultural view that she was barren because she was bad?  Regardless, she waited until her grief and pain poured out of her in a mighty flood.

Second, she makes a promise.  If God will give her a son she will give that son to God.  Not only that but she will dedicate the son as a Nazarite.  A Nazarite?  This was typically a man who vowed to drink no wine and not cut his hair for a specific term.  It is also interesting that the purity requirements for the Nazarite agree with the requirements of a serving Priest.  However a Nazarite vow was usually of a determined duration, it came to an end.  In this case Hannah vows that this desired son shall uphold this Nazarite vow for life.

Thirdly, having made her request Hannah continues in prayer.  I would suppose that she didn’t continue repeating her request but that she prayed about other things on her mind and heart.

She is confronted by Eli who thinks she is drunk.  But she explains what she is about without specifics and receives a blessing/encouragement from Eli.

Then we read:

“Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

Does this mean all was well?  Certainly not.  The circumstances were the same – as was the pain and ridicule.  However it may be that Hannah knew she had done all that could be done and so, trusting in God’s providence she was able to live with hope even in the midst of her sorrow.

Going to God with our petitions and requests never means that the answer will be the one we desire.  But it does mean that we have done the mightiest thing we could ever do by placing the issue in the hands of the One who can provide us with what is best.  I’m sure Hannah knew and we must accept that God’s answer to prayer, though not our preference, is always the best answer to prayer. 

One extra point.  

In verse 11 Hannah asks God to “remember” her.  Later in verse 19 we see that the Lord “remembered” her.  In both verses it is the same word; zâkar  zaw-kar'.

We would typically think she was asking God to un-forget her (as though He could forget anyone or anything).  But the word also carries the idea of “marking” someone or something and the idea of “bringing someone or something to the forefront of one’s mind.”  Also, when the term is used in reference to God action is not far off.  “He remembered…” is more often than not the introduction to God’s action.

Verse 20 states:  “And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son.”  That “due time,” is God’s due time.  It is not simply “after a while.”  They had to wait until His time, the best time – actually the only time.

I don’t know what you’ll take away from this but I am amazed at the finger of God in it all.  From Hannah’s need for a son to His future need for a Prophet God was at work.  There is a convergence of our need and His need in all this.  I leave this portion more confident about trusting His plan for this evening, tomorrow and all times to come.  His plan (and there is only one) is utterly complete and has always been so.  Yeah, we’re just along for the ride – but what a ride.

Father, help me “remember” that You have done all that needs to be done even if it is not needed yet.  Help me trust Your “due time.”  Calm my fidgets and my fears as I look for Your hand in all things.