Okay, you can turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel 1. 1 Samuel 1. Last week we introduced the book, indicated that the time frame specifically takes place probably around 1105 B.C. to 971 B.C., and those particular dates are the birth of Samuel and the death of David. And so this is what we have in 1 and 2 Samuel. So, specifically, looking at chapter 1 tonight, what we have in chapters 1 to 7 is the focus upon the prophet from God's grace, specifically Samuel.
Chapter 1, verse 1 to chapter 3, verse 21, tell the early history of Samuel. And here in chapter 1, specifically, we have the birth of Samuel. So I'll just pick up reading in verse 1. Now there was a certain man of Ramethane, Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim.
His name was Elkanah, the son of Jeraham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuth, an Ephraimite. And he had two wives. The name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Penanah. Penanah had children, but Hannah had no children.
This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also, the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah, his wife, and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah, he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. and her rival also provoked her severely to make her miserable because the Lord had closed her womb.
So it was year by year when she went up to the house of the Lord that she provoked her, therefore she wept and did not eat. Then Elkanah, her husband, said to her, Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved?
Am I not better to you than ten sons? So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli, the priest, was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.
And she made a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant, and remember me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head. And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.
So Eli said to her, how long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you. But Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of him. And she said, let your maidservant find favor in your sight. So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah, his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son. and called his name Samuel, saying, because I have asked for him from the Lord. Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow.
But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, not until the child is weaned. Then I will take him that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever. So Kana, her husband, said to her, do what seems best to you. Wait until you have weaned him.
Only let the Lord establish his word. And the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her with three bowls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.
Then they slaughtered a bull and brought the child to Eli. And she said, oh my Lord, as your soul lives, my Lord, I am the woman who stood by you here praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of him. Therefore, I also have lent him to the Lord.
As long as he lives, he shall be lent to the Lord." So they worship the Lord there. Amen.
Introduction
So as I've already mentioned, the birth of Samuel is the key point in this particular chapter. Samura says that the birth of Samuel in chapter 1 inaugurated a decisive period like the birth of Moses recorded in Exodus 1 and 2 or of Jesus in Luke 1 and 2. A new era, the era of the monarchy, was brought about by the birth of the king-maker. Now when we speak of Samuel as king-maker, we're not suggesting that he did this in his own strength and in his own will.
God the Lord raised up Saul and then David. He uses Samuel, of course, to anoint these men to their particular office. But this is a new era in Israel's history. They come out of the period of the judges.
This is a book of transition into the monarchy where Israel now has a king. And remember that having a king is not necessarily evil or wicked. Deuteronomy 17 spoke to the eventuality that Israel would have kings. Deuteronomy 17 specified how that king was supposed to function when he took office in Israel.
In 1 Samuel chapter 8, when Samuel is upset with the people for having asked for a king, and then God says, basically, don't be upset, they've not rejected you, they've rejected me. It was they were looking at the kingdom or they were looking at monarchy and trusting in it rather than in God and rather than seeing it as a means by which God would rule over them. So monarchy in and of itself is not evil. Monarchy is not a bad thing.
Israel was always going to move to this era of monarchy. And that's what we have here in 1 Samuel.
Outline and Context
So three broad sections in 1 Samuel. I'm not sure we'll get to it all tonight, but certainly we will give it an attempt. First, the family of Elkanah in verses 1 to 8. Secondly, the vow of Hannah in verses 9 to 18.
And then thirdly, the birth of Samuel in verses 19 to 28. So we'll just run through the passage, make some observations, and then some application along the way. Certainly, the way that Hannah responds to these tragedies or these trials in her life is a great model. She goes to the throne of grace.
She's a woman of prayer. We studied that on Sunday night in Paul's prayer for Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, verses 3 to 7. Well, here's a snapshot of another person at the throne of grace, and I think what Hannah has to teach us here in this passage is very beneficial.
The Family of Elkanah
But let's look first at the family of Elkanah.
Elkanah's Identity and Wives
Verse 1, his identity is specified. He is from Ramathem, Zophim of the mountains of Ephraim. His father was Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuth and Ephraimite. And then it introduces us to the two wives.
Now certainly Hannah is the most important in the chapter Pantinat serves as somewhat of a foil. Now certainly polygamy is condemned in the Bible. This was not God's intention, but it was something that came about so God regulated it in the old covenant law. There are certain things that happen in a post-fall world that are not legitimate, but because they take place, God sets regulation or laws in place so as to protect the innocent.
For instance, divorce. In an unfallen world, there'd never be divorce. But in a fallen world, there are times and seasons and occasions where divorce occurs. So God regulates or God puts laws into place in order to protect innocent parties.
Slavery is another thing. When God created the earth in terms of his revealed will, it was not the case that men enslave others. But after the fall, slavery is a reality. So the law speaks to slavery.
It legislates and regulates so that persons can be protected. There are several laws like that that take place. Polygamy was certainly practiced in the Old Testament. And while it's not what God had purposed and intended, it nevertheless was done in Israel.
So we need to just understand that. Probably, Hannah was his first wife. And because Hannah was barren, he took Peninnah as his second wife. And she was as fertile as a rabbit, as far as we can tell in this particular instance.
I don't know if she was quite that fertile, but she was certainly very fertile and very much with children. So that's sort of the setup here.
Barrenness and the Sovereign Hand of God
And that Elkanah has two wives indicates something of his moderate wealth. He certainly couldn't have supported two wives on, you know, the bare minimum. As well, the barrenness of Hannah jumps out in this passage over and over and over again. And if you've read your Bible at all, you'll know that this isn't the first time that God uses a barren woman to do something amazing.
All the way back in Genesis, we have Sarah, we have Rebecca. Rebecca was probably barren for 20 years of marriage. We have Rachel in Judges 13, in the period of the judges. We have Manoah's wife.
She was barren. The Lord opened her womb. And then as well in Ruth. Remember when Ruth initially marries Naomi's son, there's a period of 10 years there in Moab where she doesn't have any children whatsoever.
It's only after coming back to Bethlehem, Ephrathah, when she marries Boaz that she then gives birth. So barren women are a theme, or barren women do come to the pages of scripture often because it shows God's power, it shows God's glory, it shows his majesty. Elizabeth is another one when we get to the Gospel according to Luke. Same sort of a motif there.
We have a barren woman that God comes to and God blesses and gives fruit or gives in a child that does something very particular, something very spectacular. So what we have here is ordinary things, ordinary events, barrenness is not out of the ordinary, that does happen. but God does extraordinary things through it. John Gill says that God did this to Hannah to put her upon praying for one, praying for a child, and that the birth of Samuel might be the more remarkable. So the barren woman motif is used often in scripture.
And again, it's a manifestation of the power and the majesty and the glory, and as well, the sovereignty of God most high. Davis makes this perceptive comment. Barren women seem to be God's instruments in raising up key figures in the history of redemption, whether the promised seed, Isaac, the father of Israel, Jacob, saviors or preservers of Israel, Joseph, Samson, Samuel, or the forerunner of the great King John the Baptist. And then he develops this whole idea of God's power manifested in weakness.
God's power and glory demonstrated through those things that we would never, ever expect. He says, this matter goes beyond the particular situations of biblical barren women. We are facing one of the principles of Yahweh's modus operandi. When his people are without strength, without resources, without hope, without human gimmicks, then he loves to stretch forth his hand from heaven.
Once we see where God often begins, we will understand how we may be encouraged It's a very perceptive statement there, in the midst of weakness. And in Israel's history at this particular time, it's dark. The period of the judges, as long as the judges were in charge, they did exercise some good restraint over the people in Israel. But by and large, you wouldn't look at the period of the judges and say that Israel as a whole flourished.
Israel as a whole just thrived. They did great. They were wonderful. Righteousness prevailed in the land.
Godliness prevailed in the land. When we get to 1 Samuel chapter 4, we find something that had never occurred in Israel's history up to this point. The Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant. I mean, these are a dark, bleak season and time in Israel's history.
So what does God do? He raises up Samuel from a barren woman to communicate the reality that as dark and as bleak and as helpless as the situation may appear to be, that does not diminish the strength, the capacity, the power or the ability of our living God. This is why you really need to be in the Old Testament. Not to suggest that the New Testament doesn't have any hint of this, but the Old Testament is filled with story after story after story that shows the sufficiency of God in the midst of great trial, and in the midst of great sorrow, and in the midst of great difficulty.
So what we have is that common motif replayed here with reference to Hannah.
Elkanah's Yearly Worship at Shiloh
Notice, specifically his worship in chapter 1 verses 3 to 7, the yearly sacrifice. This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh. This is about 20 miles north of Jerusalem. Now as we proceed in the monarchy, It is David who will centralize Jerusalem as both political capital and as religious capital.
This is where David's throne will be. It's a very key location. If you look at the map, Jerusalem makes a lot of sense because it's right about in the middle with reference to the whole of Israel there. But it's not till later that Jerusalem becomes central in terms of politics and religion.
And so Shiloh was the place where the people of God would worship. We see that in Joshua 21. We see that as well in this book up until the point, as I said. that the movement is made to Jerusalem as a more central place. So when we see this, Elkanah is a religious man.
Elkanah is a pious Jew. Elkanah wants to go and worship the Lord. So he goes to Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.
This is some foreshadowing. Hofne and Phineas are going to make an appearance in chapter 2 in a big way. And I think already what the author is doing is showing us a bit of contrast between the godly line or the godly family of Samuel versus, or in antithesis to, the ungodly family of Eli. So it's just mentioned incidentally so that when we get to chapter 2 and we learn more about these two particular fellows, we'll remember that they are the priests of the Lord serving there in Shiloh.
And then verse 4, and whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, He would give portions to Peninnah, his wife, and to all her sons and daughters. This was common. When you took your sacrifice, you made your sacrifice. The priest got a portion, but the worshipper as well got a portion.
And so what we learn is that Elkanah took some of that. He gives it to Peninnah. She then gives it to her children. But
Elkanah's Love and Peninnah's Provocation
notice what verse 5 says. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah. To Hannah he gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah." Now, there is a different reading in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. In what's called the Septuagint, it says that he gave her a single portion, yet he loved Hannah.
I think I favor what's called the Masoretic text in this particular instance. I think the emphasis is particularly on this reality. that he loved Hannah, he valued, he prized her, so he gave her a double portion. I think that helps us understand something of Peninnah's attitude toward Hannah as well. I mean, she is a vindictive, unkind... you know, terrible woman, to provoke Hannah for not having children.
I mean, it's bad enough to be under the frowning providence of God, but then to have a panana provoke you and frustrate you and irritate you and bring you to the point of tears is simply unthinkable. So more than likely, verse 5, as the New King James translated, is accurate. He loved her and he gave her a double portion. Ben and I would see that and certainly would not be happy about it.
When we look at Abraham's situation with Sarah and Hagar, there was some problems after Hagar came on the scene and after Hagar gave Abraham a son. Certainly two women don't want to share one man. I mean, Gil says this was his punishment for having been a polygamist. He had these issues and these problems in his own household.
We see Elkanah's affection for Hannah. He would give a double portion for he loved Hannah. Then the provocation by Peninnah. Notice what the text tells us.
This is terrible. And it's all over. The fingerprint of God's sovereignty is all over. It keeps telling us, the Lord closed her womb.
The Lord closed her womb. The Lord closed her womb. And certainly Peninnah would have known that as well. Verse 6, and her rival also provoked her severely to make her miserable because the Lord had closed her womb.
So it was year by year when she went up to the house of the Lord that she provoked her. Therefore, she wept and did not eat." If you happen to have that Dale Davis commentary on this section, read the one page that he does on this section. He basically says that it was probably like this, Peninnah and her children walking to Shiloh with Elkanah and with Hannah. The children of Pananoth say, why doesn't Miss Hannah have any children?
Did you read this? Why doesn't Miss Hannah have any children? Well, because she's a disappointment to her husband. Her husband wants children, but she won't give him any.
I mean, just ripping him down. Now, he's definitely reading into it, but when we look at this particular section, she provoked her severely. That's terrible. That's just wicked.
That's evil. I mean, if somebody falls under the crowning providence of God, the last thing they need is for you to come and take them. They need you to come and encourage them. They need you to come and help them and to pray for them and to pray with them and to remember them and to be kind to them.
But that's not what we have in Panana. We have that she provoked her severely to make her miserable because the Lord had closed her womb. So it was year by year, probably Hannah looked at at this coming walk to Shiloh with dread. I can avoid Pananah during the daily routines, but when we walk that road to Shiloh, she continues to nag me and she continues to put in my face that I'm a barren woman.
All Hannah wants is to produce Not just a child. She has specificity at the throne of grace. She wants a son. And it is very intriguing that in her vow concerning this particular son, she employs the Nazarite vow.
No razor shall touch his head. If we're right that 17 to 21 in the book of Judges comes actually before the installation of Othniel, the most recent judge would have been Samson. Now Eli technically served as a judge of sorts, but not in the vein of a Samson, a Gideon, and a Japheth. So what is she saying in this?
She is, I think, shining the light upon what a great man Samson was. Samson was a great judge. Samson was a great leader. God, if you give me a son, I'm going to dedicate him to you in the same sort of a manner that Samson was dedicated and devoted to the Lord for servants.
Another means by which we can affirm that Samson isn't the big bumbling galoot that everybody thinks he is, governed by his passions and his desires. Godly Hannah seems to at least have or gives a hat tip to the reality that Judge Samson was a Nazirite, perhaps my son could follow in his particular train. So notice, she provokes her. We get then to verse 8, excuse me, verse 8.
Then Elkanah, her husband, said to her, Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?
It's the answer. Well, no, you're not. You're my husband. I want a son.
Right? There's a different bond, a different connection. There's a different relation. It's not the same sort of love.
The love that a parent has for a child is different than a love that the parent has for the other parent. It's just a different thing, especially when Paninas is picking on Hannah all the time about being barren. Again, barrenness was an evidence or an indicator of something wrong in a person's life in this particular situation. So Akana offers her this sympathy, but it's inadequate.
So look at what we have. We have a nagging provoking, mocking, terrible person in Panama. We have a sympathetic, loving, kind-hearted, but unable to help husband. Where does Hannah go?
She goes to God. When she goes to God, there happens to be a suspicious priest as well that thinks she's drunk because she's mouthing at the time of the prayer. You see, what is the author showing us? Her help does not come in men. does not come through the agency of man.
The Vow of Hannah
That brings us to verses 9 to 18, the vow.
Hannah's Bitterness and Prayer
Notice verse 9, So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. It's beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful. The reality was that she knew experientially the frowning providence of God. She could stand with us on any Lord's Day and sing number 21, God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. She could affirm the reality that there are frowning providences.
She knew of a truth that these things were part of her life, but as well, that reality pressed her to God. This seems to me to be a very important thing in the Christian life. It's not the case that we never face trial. It's not the case that we never face hardship.
It's not the case that we never face difficulty. It's that those things ought to press us to God. You see, it's not the case that those things should drive us away from God. They should press us to God.
You'll see the psalmist, for instance, specifically the psalms ascribed to Asaph. He pours out his complaint to God. He pours out his heart to God. You see, if he complained to men, he poured out his heart to men about God, that would be wrong.
But God is not against us coming to Him and laying hold of Him and pouring out our hearts to Him very specifically, and that is precisely what she is doing here. She has faced the cruelty of Peninnah, the inadequate sympathy of Elkanah, she will face the suspicion of Eli, but she has found the listening ear of God Most High. You see, this isn't just a story about the birth of Samuel. It is an encouragement to each of us that this God is our God.
This God is the one that we can go to in prayer. Look at the text. And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. If these things overtake us, then we ought to go likewise to the throne of grace.
Hannah, as a godly woman, would have known what God did with Israel in terms of the exodus from Egypt. She would have known what God the Lord said to Moses. God said, I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So you see Hannah in the prayer closet says, if he knows the sorrows of Israel and he delivers them from Egypt, then perhaps he'll hear my sorrows and deliver me from this barrenness.
She goes to God with earnestness. Psalm 6 verses 8 and 9, depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. You see, if ever there's an argument for you as a downcast brother or sister to pray, it is 1 Samuel 1, verse 10. When you have bitter hearts, when you have trials and sorrows, the answer isn't to go complain to everybody else.
The answer isn't to go seek solace in the arms of a penina. The answer isn't to go out and argue against the sovereignty of God. The answer is to submit, therefore, to God. Notice as well Psalm 142 verses 1 and 2.
I cry out to the Lord with my voice. With my voice to the Lord I make supplication. I pour out my complaint before him. I declare before him my trouble.
You see, troubles come, and they should push us to God. Always be suspicious. If when difficulties hit, you do not respond in prayer. You see, this is the key here, one key, one of the many keys on the ring of the Christian.
We need to make sure that when we fall under these frowning providences, we don't murmur against God, we don't revile God, we don't call into question God's sovereignty, we don't say, why does God do these things to a great guy like me? Rather, we come to the Lord and we pour out our hearts beforehand. The mockery of men may be a reality. The inadequate help of those closest may be a reality.
But so is a God who hears the prayers of his people and undertakes on their behalf." I mean, who would have thought, right? Hannah going to Shiloh in the midst of this particular situation would be the mother of the kingmaker. Who would have thought, any of these other ladies that we've already cited in the books of Genesis and in Judges and then in Luke's Gospel, who would have thought that Elizabeth would have given birth to John the Baptist? None of us.
You see, God works through weakness, God works through things that look otherwise to us. 1 Peter 5.7, we are told, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Here's a quote from Davis. Raj, you've already read this, I apologize. He says, now there is a myth circulating around the church that often goes like this.
I hope this myth doesn't circulate around our church. Anyways, this is what he says. Believers in the Old Testament period didn't have the freedom and personal approach in prayer that we do. Their worship consisted of a very external, formal, cut and dried, sacrificial procedure in which ritual killed off any spontaneity or intense spirituality.
I just think that anybody who reads Psalms could never say that. But Davis has rubbed shoulders in a lot of places, and there does seem to be at least a non-sympathetic approach to Old Testament religion. But having said that, this idea, this myth, here's what he says. Hannah would say, that is hogwash.
True, Hannah is still in 1 Samuel 1 and not in Hebrews 4. But once you see Hannah in prayer, how can you doubt that she has found the same throne of grace and knows something of the same boldness with its occupant? Christians then should allow Hannah to be our schoolmistress to lead us to Christ, to instruct us in communion with God. Many Christians need to realize that Yahweh our God allows us to do this, to pour our griefs and sobs and perplexities at his feet.
Our Lord can handle our tears. It won't make him nervous or ill at ease if you unload your distress at his feet. I mean, just think about it. You've got a friend, a family member, somebody that you know and love, and they just lose it.
They start sobbing hysterically. They've got some issue in their life, and you give them a hug, but you kind of don't know what to say. I don't know how to relieve this. I don't know what to do.
I'll pat you on the back and I'll speak some comforting words and I'll pray with you and I'll pray for you. There might be a bit of that trepidation that we have toward others, but God doesn't treat us that way. God welcomes his suffering saints to the throne of grace. This is the point of the passage that Davis refers to in Hebrews chapter 4.
What does the apostle tell us seeing that? That we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. We don't have one who cannot.
What's the implication? We have one who can. He sympathizes. He knows our frame.
He pities us. He knows that we're but dust. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throat of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Now probably your experience is similar to mine.
The most earnest prayer that you've ever offered up has been in seasons of trial and sorrow and grief and distress. It's typically the way it is, and that's God's doing. God sends these things. God brings these things.
God chastens, or God brings these frowning providences, not to chase us away, not to crush us under his hand, not to bring despair and gloom, but to draw us nigh unto him so that he can comfort us, so that he can fix us, so that he can help us, and so that he can set us upon our path again. His purposes in these things are wondrous and glorious and that is precisely what is happening here in Shiloh with reference to Hannah and her crying out to the Lord for a sign.
The Nazirite Vow and Its Significance
Notice the specific vow, verse 11. Then she made a vow and said, O Lord of hosts. Interesting, she uses the covenant name throughout. the covenant name of God Most High throughout. Eli refers to the Lord, verse 17, as the God of Israel.
I'm not suggesting Eli was, you know, the worst guy in the world, but there does seem to be something of a contrast being set up in this particular section. I think it serves as good backdrop for what we find in chapters 2 and 3. She made a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head. You see, that's...
True prayer. She cries out to God. She says, I'm an afflicted being, and I cry to you, Lord God, to meet me, to visit me, and to relieve me of this affliction. That's earnestness at the throne of grace.
And the vow specifically is to give him to the Lord all the days of his life. And no razor shall come upon his head. Now
Eli's Misunderstanding and Benediction
note the interaction between Eli and Hannah. The interaction between Eli and Hannah. Eli misunderstands this whole thing, verses 12 to 14. And it happened as she continued praying before the Lord that Eli watched her mouth.
Now Hannah spoke in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, how long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you.
That's just really intriguing, based on what we later find out about Eli. I mean, what do Eli's sons do in their service to the Lord? They steal sacrificial meat and they lay with women outside the tabernacle. So where is he in terms of those men and their infractions?
Eli dropped the ball in terms of fathering his own sons. And here he thinks that this woman, this godly woman who has poured out her heart before the Lord is drunk. Hannah responds, no, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. She essentially says, I'm not drunk with wine or intoxicating drink.
I am drunk with sorrow and bitterness and affliction. It is because of that that I pray thus. It is because of that that I cry to Yahweh. It is because of that I am in this place opening my soul to the Lord God Most High.
Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now. This woman wants God to answer her prayers. This woman doesn't care what Eli thinks in terms of how she looks, other than to correct the fact that she is not a drunkard, but rather she is a seeker after God. Eli is corrected, he understands, and he pronounces a benediction upon her.
But it's interesting. Look at verses 15 and 16 again. She says, I have poured out my soul before the Lord. The Psalter picks up this sort of thing as well.
In Psalm 102.1, if you look at it in the New King James, it'll be the subscription. That's verse one in the Hebrew Bible. But in Psalm 102.1, it says, a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord. That's not the best title for a psalm.
I don't know what is. Listen to what he says, a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord. You see, the Bible never lies to us and says everything's going to be peachy green. Everything's going to be rosy.
Everything's going to be bluebirds. Everything's going to be happiness. Everything's going to be health. Everything's going to be five, six, seven, eight kids.
Everything's going to be minivans. Everything's going to be a steady paycheck. Everything's going to be lake homes in the summertime. It never lies to us that way.
When we read Psalm 102, we enter in. We say, wait a minute. This psalmist had a prayer of the afflicted when he was overwhelmed and he poured out his complaint before the Lord. That happens to me.
Those kinds of things are true of me. And what can I do? I can pour out my soul before the Lord God Almighty. Psalm 116, verses 1 and 2.
I don't think we ever say I love the Lord because of a specific. We say we love the Lord and that's good. Well, I guess we do. We love the Lord because he's God.
We love the Lord because he's good. We love the Lord because he's merciful. We love the Lord because he's kind. Look at what the psalmist says.
I love the Lord because he heard my voice and my supplication. I love the personal pronouns that the Bible employs as well. What does Paul say? Galatians 2.20, the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
At this conference we were recently at, Carl Truman gave a bit of an illustration concerning Martin Luther. And he mentioned how Martin Luther had said somewhere, I looked it up, I couldn't find it because my lack of Googleness. But I'm sure it's out there somewhere. I didn't ask Carl Truman where it was.
But Luther said, you know, the Pope and I both believe that Jesus is the Son of God. The Pope and I both believe that Jesus came into this world. The Pope and I both believe that Jesus was born of a virgin. The Pope and I both believe that Jesus suffered, he died, and he rose again on the third day.
But the Pope doesn't believe he did that for me. Luther said he did it for me. That experiential, that realization, that faith in him, and that's what we have underscored in both the Old and the New Testaments. The life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
Psalm 116, 1 and 2. I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Has anybody ever asked you, why do you love God? Because he hears my prayer.
Because he listens to me. Because he delivers me from my trials. Because he's always there with me. I love him for that.
That is an aspect of his being. That is an attribute or a description of who he is that I can sink my teeth into. I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications, because he has inclined his ear to me. Therefore, I will call upon him as long as I live." Reminded of a statement by C.H.
Spurgeon. Spurgeon says, we ought to pray as men and women who have tried and proven their God. As men and women who have tried and proven their God. Well, certainly he could get that from this.
Because He has inclined His ear to me, I have tried, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. I have proven it, and I am going to continue to bring my petitions and my supplications and my afflictions and my heartaches to this good God. Eli then pronounces benediction upon her, verse 17, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him. And she said, Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.
So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. You see, that benediction, that good word spoken by Eli was used by the Lord. You see, previously, she didn't want to eat. Previously, she was struck with grief.
She was so sorrowful, she didn't want to engage in those sorts of things in her life. Eli pronounces this good word upon her. May the God, or Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition, which you have asked of Him. She then says, let your maidservant find favor in your sight.
She goes away, she eats, and her face was no longer sad. As I said, we're going to stop there. We'll pick up the birth and Hannah's prayer, God willing, next Wednesday night.
Application
But just a couple of things by way of conclusion. First, the sovereignty of God in the midst of a dark period in redemptive history. Again, what we have coming out of the book of Judges and what we have going into 1 Samuel chapter 4 indicates these are bleak and dark times. I just wanted to read this quote from Samora.
He says, it was surely one of the darkest times of Israel's history when Samuel was called to be a prophet of the Lord. See, we gotta read that way. We gotta ask the question. We gotta say what's going on.
We gotta say what's happening. Who's around Israel? What kind of oppression are they facing? What's going on within Israel?
Are they doing well religiously? Are they doing well politically? What is the situation that is facing them? So he says, it was surely one of the darkest times of Israel's history when Samuel was called to be a prophet of the Lord.
This teaches us that regardless of how desperate the situation looks outwardly, God is certainly preparing his chosen individuals in order to fulfill his plan and purpose according to his sovereign will and gracious concern for his people. You see, in the midst of this darkness, God is working. In the midst of this darkness, God is raising up his king, his kingmaker specifically. If you look for just a moment at 1 Kings chapter 17, 1 Kings chapter 17, this is another illustration.
In dark days in Israel's history, we see God nevertheless bring help and bring deliverance. There is no announcement in chapter 17, verse 1. There is no genealogy. There's Elijah the Tishbite.
He could have just parachuted in from heaven. He just, boom, there he is. That's how he comes on the page of scripture. And Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead said to Ahab, as the Lord God of Israel lives, look at this, before whom I stand, What a way to describe your life as a believer.
I always stand before God, whether I'm prophesying, whether I'm preparing macaroni and cheese, whether I'm going to the store, whether I'm burping my baby, I stand before the Lord. There shall not be dew nor rain these years except at my word. There's a man by the name of Wallace who made this statement concerning Elijah's arrival on the scene. He says, whenever evil flourishes, it is always a superficial flourish.
For at the height of the triumph of evil, God will be there, ready with his man and his movement and his plans to ensure that his own cause will never fail. The same is true in 1 Samuel 1, through barrenness, Through weakness, through provocation, through sadness and sorrow and grief and despair, God raises up Samuel to do an amazing task in Israel's history.
God's People Suffer Frowning Providences
Secondly, we cannot leave this chapter without acknowledging the reality that God's people suffer. God's people face trials, God's people face difficulties, God's people face frowning providences. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is unique if God's people don't experience them a lot in their lives. I'm not going to say you've got to go out and experience 15 trials or difficulties tomorrow, but think about it.
You're a Christian man or woman living in a world that is in opposition to God Most High. 2 Timothy 3.12 ought to be in play at least some parts in your life. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. So you've got the world, you've got the devil, you've got the flesh, and then you have a chastening father. Hebrews chapter 12, the Lord God chastens his children.
In other words, that is a demonstration that we are truly children. If we are not chastened, if we are not under frowning providences from time to time, then the scripture says that we are illegitimate. We need to face that reality that the bulk, not the bulk much, I can't quantify it, 80% of your life is going to be miserable. I'm not going to say that because that's just not the case, but there is going to be trial and difficulty and problems in the Christian life.
It's just a part of it. The passage we're going to look at on Sunday in Matthew 16, that demand of discipleship, how does Jesus describe following it? He doesn't describe it as sitting in your car with the air conditioning on. He describes it in terms of carrying your cross.
So certainly trials and difficulties are part and parcel of the Christian life and these frowning providences. You know, we may never be able to successfully explain why it is that these things happen. There are things that happen to God's people that are truly perplexing. Things that happen to God's people that truly cause us to stand amazed.
And yet we know that whatever my God ordains is right. and that of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. He does all things well, Romans 8.28. He does it for his own purpose. He does it for the good of those who love him, to those who are the called according to his purpose.
Prayer as the Appointed Response
And thirdly, the most blessed response that the people of God who face trials can undertake or to apply is prayer. Go to the Lord. Now, I'm not saying don't go to church. I'm not saying don't read your Bible.
I'm not saying, you know, use the means that God's ordained. But prayer, brethren, afflictions, trials, sorrows, and difficulties ought to cause us to be a prayerful people. More helpful than reading A.W. Pink or D.A.
Carson on Paul's prayers is getting a bit of trial and affliction to send us to our God.
Closing Prayer
Well, let us pray. Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for your majesty and your strength and your power demonstrated through weakness. As well, Father, we thank you for this godly example of Hannah, the way that she poured out her soul before a prayer hearing God. We thank you as well that you heard and that you remembered and that you granted this petition.
God, may these things encourage us to pray. May these things encourage us to have that confidence in you that the Bible calls for us to have. There's so much, so much of an abundance of evidence in the scriptures for how trustworthy and how faithful you are. Grant us an increase in faith in our own lives and for those in our church, God, that are going through trials and difficulties.
May they be a prayerful people. May these things be of help and benefit to them in their own scripture reading as well. And we pray these things through Christ our Lord. Amen.