Today we will be studying about Samuel the prophet. Samuel was born in a time when the children of Israel were apostate. They had fallen back into wickedness and idolatry. The book of Judges ends this way.

• Judges 21:25
  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
• People were doing what they wanted, they were worshipping what they wanted to worship. Every idol and foreign god out there was on their list except the true God which had lead them into the promised land. People had departed from being faithful to God.

Let’s have a look at the background of the birth of Samuel.

• 1 Samuel 1:1-2
  1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: 2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
• Elkanah, had two wives – Peninnah and Hannah. Hannah was the mother of Samuel, but at the beginning she could not have any children. And in those days if you could not have children it was looked on as almost a curse from God.
• However, Elkanah tried his best as a husband to show how much he still loved her.
• 1 Samuel 1:3-5
  3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. 4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: 5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.
• Elkanah would give a worthy portion to Hannah. He loved her very much and he himself was sad to see her to sad because she could not have children.
• But that was not all. What else made her sad?
  • 1 Samuel 1:6-7
    6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
  • Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, also mocked her and made fun of her because she could not have any children.
• This brought great distress on her. She must have been wondering what was wrong with her, and why the Lord had allowed this to happen to her.
• Elkanah would do his best to console his wife.
  • 1 Samuel 1:8
    Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
  • When I read this verse, it sounds like Elkanah just does not understand the distress of his wife. He’s the typical man. He’s doing his best, but it’s not helping. He just does not know how to help her.

In her distress, what does Hannah do?

• 1 Samuel 1:9-10
  9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
• Hannah learnt to bring her bitterness to God. Though she could not have a child, it did not make her bitter against God. Her life was bitter, but not her attitude towards God. She did not let the circumstances that she was going through affect her devotion and love to God. She would bring it to God in prayer.
• How often have we gone through difficult circumstances in life that push us away from God rather than closer to Him? Many times we become angry at God, who is the innocent party, rather than bring our distress to Him.
• When things don’t go the way that you intended or planned, do you find yourself getting angry at God? Do you decide then to skip church or skip devotion because of it? Do we become unfaithful because God did not answer our prayer or give us what we desired? Maybe we are tempted to think in our minds, what is the use anyways, God does not hear?
• So often, when Satan brings in trials and temptations into our lives, we become worse rather than better. We backslide, we fall away from God, rather than clinging tighter to Him.
• But this was not the case with Hannah. Even though she was going through such a big trial and bitter circumstance in life, she learnt to bring her complaint, her distress, to God. She had learnt to pray even when she did not feel like praying. The comfort of her husband was of no avail. However, instead of turning to the arm of flesh, she ran to God.

What was Hannah’s prayer?

• 1 Samuel 1:11
  And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
• She made a vow, a promise, to God. If He could grant her the desires of her heart, she would give this son to the Lord. It was her last desperate plea. She was willing to do anything and promise anything – so long as God would grant her a son.

Whilst Hannah is praying, Eli the priest is sitting on the side seeing her pray.

• 1 Samuel 1:12-14
  12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. 13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
• Hannah was praying silently. Only her lips were moving and it must have looked like she was drunk!
• What a sad situation. The priest thought that someone had come into the temple drunk. It must have been a common occurrence at that point since the children of Israel were largely unfaithful to God. Holy things were lightly regarded.
• Upon hearing that Hannah was actually praying to God, Eli’s heart is touched. How does he respond?
• 1 Samuel 1:17
  Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

By and by, God answers the petition of Hannah. She is able to get pregnant and give birth to a baby boy.

• 1 Samuel 1:21-22
  21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. 22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.
• Elkanah is about to go up again for the yearly sacrifice. But Hannah says she will not go. She will only go once the child is weaned.
• Nowadays babies are weaned after 1 year because mothers wants to go back to work, or for other various reasons. However, in those days, a child would be weaned at around the age of 3 or even up to 5 years old.
• This means that Hannah would not go up to Jerusalem for the sacrifice for up to 5 years!
• Now if you were looking at this situation from the outside, what would you be thinking of Hannah?
  • We would be thinking that she is trying to get out of her vow that she made to God, right?
  • Before this, she could not have a child. And who knows when God might give her another one. This was the only son she had had up to this point!
  • So maybe now she’s rethinking that promise she made to God. After all, she was really down and depressed when she was praying that prayer. And when we are desperate, sometimes we say things we don’t mean right?
• I think if we were all in Hannah’s situation, we might have felt like that. But let’s keep reading.
• 1 Samuel 1:23
  And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
  • Elkanah sounds supportive. But look at what he says at the very end before he leaves to go and sacrifice. He says, “Only the LORD establish His word.”
  • What did he mean by that? Well let’s have a look at another translation of that verse.
  • New Living Translation
    “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the LORD help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.
• Elkanah was careful to remind her of the promise that she had made to the Lord and to follow through with it. God had done His part in opening her womb and giving her a son. Now she needed to be faithful to her part.
• So often it is easy for us to make promises in the heat of the moment – or at least that is how we feel. Sometimes when we look back at some promises we make, we feel that maybe we were too rash. And so we back out of those promises thinking we were being too extreme. We see such a situation in the Bible.
• Acts 5:1-3
  1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
  • Ananias and Sapphira sold their land, intending to give the money that came from that sale to the Lord’s work.
  • However, after selling the land and having the money in hand, they decided to change their mind. I guess looking at the amount they had in their hands made them rethink their commitment. As a result, they kept part of the money and then brought the rest to Peter saying that they had sold it at a different price. They lied to Peter. But Peter said they actually lied to God!
  • Because of this, they both perished!
• This is how serious God holds our word and our promises. It’s not that we should never make any promises. But if God blesses us, we ought to hold up our end of the bargain as well.
• So Elkanah, he is careful to remind Hannah of her commitment. Would she be faithful and really dedicate this son, her only son, to the Lord fully to serve Him all his life?

1 Samuel 1:24-28
24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. 25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. 27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

• Hannah was faithful to the vow that she made to the Lord. She would bring Samuel at a young age to dedicate him to God and then leave him there at the temple to serve God. He was young, probably around the age of 5.
• Whatever age he was, he was a young boy serving God in the temple with the high priest Eli.
• Hannah must have trained him well to be so brave and to serve God at such a young age. She knew that she was going to leave him at the temple after he was weaned and so she only had a short amount of time to impress upon him the right principles of truth and integrity. She knew that God had answered her prayer and given this child to her for a purpose, not just to gratify her desires for having a child, but she saw beyond that that God’s purpose was much greater. He was to be a great blessing in the service of God to the whole nation of Israel.
• Often when God works miracles in our lives, we like to lay stake to all of those blessings to take it for ourselves. We often fail to see that God wants to make us a greater blessing to everyone around us.
  • God blesses us with health so that we can serve Him more with energy and zeal. He doesn’t give it so that we can be a better athlete of the world and win competitions.
  • God blesses us with wisdom so that we can write more books to glorify His Name, or use that intellect to plan for His work of bringing the gospel to the whole world. He doesn’t give it to us so that we can make a name for ourselves by being a world renown lecturer or New York’s best-selling author.
  • God blesses us with wealth so that we can help the needy, advance His kingdom, and support those that are in the gospel work. He doesn’t give it so that that can buy expensive cars and houses and live in luxury while waiting for Jesus to come.
• You see, Hannah realized the blessing of God in answering her prayer and the desire of her heart. She made a vow, a promise, to God that she would dedicate that blessing to Him. Too often we don’t dedicate our blessings to God. We don’t think about God when we are asking for God to bless us with money or wisdom or whatever it is that we ask. And as a result, we hoard it selfishly for our own purposes and for our own benefit. The world is no better off with the blessing that God gave to us.

After Hannah leaves Samuel there at the temple, she is grateful for this blessing and she praises God! Even though she has to sacrifice now to leave her beloved, prayed-for son behind, she is not grumbling or second-guessing God, but her lips are full of praise to God.

• 1 Samuel 2:1-2
  1 And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 2 There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
• She never wavered from her promise as she recognized that God was so faithful and merciful to her. And even then, she was full of praise and thanksgiving, focusing on God’s provision rather than on the sacrifice she had to make now to leave her son behind to serve in the temple.

1 Samuel 2:11
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

• So Samuel was left behind to serve.
• 1 Samuel 2:18-19
  18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
• Samuel was dressed with a linen ephod. This is not the priests clothing, but it is rather a garment that was worn by inferior priests and Levites. Even people of prominence would wear it too.
  • 2 Samuel 6:14
    And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
  • King David wore a linen ephod and he certainly wasn’t a Levite or a priest. But yet it was perfectly fine for him to wear that while he was bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem.
• However, the significance of Samuel wearing this clothing showed that he was certainly being groomed for a more important position in the Sanctuary services.
• Hannah not only offered her son to God, but she would also come every year bringing a little coat. Her son was continually on her mind. And in the same way, we are always on God’s mind and upon His heart. God continually watches over all of us. He didn’t just give Jesus to die for us once for our sins but even now continues to meet our needs.

1 Samuel 2:20-21
20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home. 21 And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

• As a result of Hannah being true to her commitment and promise, the Lord, through Eli, blessed their home even more and Hannah was able to have more children!
• Samuel continued to grow up before the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 2:26
  And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.
• Samuel grew to be in favour with both God and man. He was faithful to the Lord and He blessed him much. And that blessing overflowed to the nation of Israel. He would be in favour with them as well. He would have a good influence over them.
• You must remember that this was during those days where there was no king and everyone was doing what they thought was right in their own eyes. Samuel was growing up in the midst of a wicked nation. But it was evident that God was with him. All because of a faithful mother who prayed and who stayed true to her promise. This resulted in one of the greatest blessings to the whole nation of Israel.

God is no less particular today about us keeping our vows.

Deuteronomy 23:21-22
21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. 22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

Matthew 5:37
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Let us make sure that we are true to what we have promised to God. From the smallest of prayers to prayers that we have prayed in desperation, who knows what blessing that will amount to to the whole world. Maybe there is something that we have asked of God and He has answered but we have not given all the glory back to Him. Let’s be quick to make sure we use those blessings in the right way. May we be found faithful today!