Hannah's Hope
Hannah's Hope
1Samuel 1:1-2:21 May 13, 2001
Reference: Adapted from Footsteps of Faith: Lessons from the Lives of Great Men and Women of the Bible by John F. MacArthur, Crossway Books, 1998.
Introduction:
Studying the life of Hannah yields great scriptural detail concerning a faithful mother. Hannah first appears in 1Samuel 1, toward the end of a difficult period of the judges in Israel. That was a time of moral and religious degeneracy and political confusion and distress. With the death of Samson, Israel was leaderless and vulnerable to her enemies, the Philistines. The nation needed a great leader and a great man, and God needed a great woman to shape that man. Samuel was the man, and Hannah was the godly mother who, with God's help, influenced his character.
Hannah had three right relationships in her life that made her a godly wife and mother.
Big Question: How can a mother find hope for her children?
Big Idea: A mother can find hope for her children by having right relationships.
I. A mother must have a right relationship with her husband.
A. A mother must worship with her husband.
1Sam 1:3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD.
Hannah had a devout, God-fearing husband, which always makes any believing mother's responsibility for bringing up her children "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" so much easier and more effective.
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
(Ephesians 6:4 NIVUS)
Hannah knew she needed a husband who would provide spiritual leadership and would be an example of godliness through family worship.
B. A mother must have a loving relationship with her husband.
1Sam. 1:4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb.
As the one who really had his heart and whom he loved, Hannah received a double portion from Elkanah for the family feast. His gesture was far more than an emotional response; it was a love of kindness, thoughtfulness, sacrifice, and honor.
C. A mother must have a sympathetic relationship with her husband.
1Sam. 1:6 And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.
7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.
8 Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?"
Hannah was truly blessed by her husband's response. Elkanah knew of the conflict between Hannah and Peninnah, that it was deliberately intensified by Peninnah, and that it was a deeply painful and difficult situation for Hannah. But he had a sympathetic heart and thoughtfully read Hannah's feelings. That enabled his shared feelings and reassured her of his deep love.
II. A mother must have a right relationship with God.
A. A mother must be a woman of prayer.
Hannah slipped into God's sanctuary and poured out her heart to him in honest, open prayer.
1Sam. 1:9 ¶ Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s temple.
10 In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD.
11 And 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."
Constant, persevering faith was the distinctive virtue of her praying. Thus Hannah exemplified the spirit of all true prayer warriors; she stayed with it and did not quit.
B. A mother must be a woman of patient faith.
Hannah cast her heartfelt burden on God and refused to remain frustrated.
1Sam. 1:18 She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
That demonstrates genuine, patient faith. Believers with faith like Hannah's will cast their heaviest burdens on God and will patiently go on with their lives, not allowing their deepest concerns to keep them sad.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
(1 Peter 5:6-7 NIVUS)
C. A mother must be a woman of praise.
When God answered Hannah's prayer and gave her a son, her thankful soul responded with a pure, unbroken stream of praise. Her words, recorded for us, are a masterpiece of what genuine praise ought to include.
1Sam. 2:1 ¶ 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.
3 "Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.
4 "The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 "The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; upon them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. "It is not by strength that one prevails;
10 those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed."
III. A mother must have a right relationship in her home.
The third major character quality of a mother of hope that Hannah possessed was a faithfulness to her responsibilities at home. That involved a dedication to the new son God had given her.
1Sam. 1:19 ¶ Early 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.
20 So 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."
21 When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow,
22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always."
23 "Do what seems best to you," Elkanah her husband told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
Hannah was committed to staying at home to rear her son and to instruct him in the truths of God, preparing him for the time when she and her husband would give him to the Lord's service in the temple. Thus she was not only devoted to her child's welfare in the home, but she also wanted to dedicate him to God, just as she had promised.
Hannah never really let go of her responsibility to Samuel, and she was always faithful in her relationships with Elkanah and the Lord, and God honored that.
1Sam. 2:18 But Samuel was ministering before the LORD— a boy wearing a linen ephod.
19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
Conclusion:
The hope for society rests on the next generation, and what that next generation will be like depends a great deal on the present actions of godly mothers. Hannah is certainly a role model of godly motherhood and an excellent example of one who walked in the footsteps of faith and hope. And those footsteps centered around her right relationships with her husband, her God, and in her home. Let us keep a godly perspective on motherhood. In Hannah's hope is our own. Let us honor our mothers today and always, so that they will know their hope was not in vain.
Big Question: How can a mother find hope for her children?
Big Idea: A mother can find hope for her children by having right relationships.
I. A mother must have a right relationship with her husband.
A. A mother must worship with her husband.
B. A mother must have a loving relationship with her husband.
C. A mother must have a sympathetic relationship with her husband.
II. A mother must have a right relationship with God.
A. A mother must be a woman of prayer.
B. A mother must be a woman of patient faith.
C. A mother must be a woman of praise.
III. A mother must have a right relationship in her home.