Focus Chapters:
- 1 Samuel 1:9-28
- 1 Samuel 2-3
- 1 Samuel 4:1-11
Standout Verse(s):
1 Samuel 1:10-11, 19-20, 26-28, 2:20-21 NLT
Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.
The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
“Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord. And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
Observation (s):
- Hannah desperately desired a son. She appealed, in anguish, to the Lord. The Lord granted her request.
Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.
The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
- Hannah made a great personal sacrifice when she honored her vow. She dedicated Samuel, the person she had desired the most to God, once he was weaned.
I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.
- After Hannah dedicated Samuel to God, the Lord blessed her with 5 more children.
And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
Application:
Have you ever yearned for something desperately? What if God gave you your heart’s desire and then told you that you had to return it, would you give it up? For most of us, that would be a hard choice, with us eventually choosing to hang on to it or the releasing option coming in at a close first. In fact, many of us would posit that it would perhaps have been better to have never received our heart’s desire at all.
This is the choice that Hannah was faced with. She desperately desired a child. She made a vow to God, promising to dedicate her blessing to Him, if He blessed her with a son. Lo and behold, God delivered and Samuel was born! With the child now in her arms, Hannah did not hesitate about keeping her promise. As soon as Samuel was old enough, she returned him to God. Then an amazing thing occurred! God did not leave her empty-handed! In due course, He rewarded her faithful sacrifice by blessing her with five more children. She was blessed five-fold!
Oftentimes, God asks us to release what He had given us initially because He has a bigger blessing in store. He multiples His blessings through our sacrifice. Are you busy holding on to the little that God has given you? Did you make a promise to sacrifice that little in a cause to Him? It is time for you to release. God is waiting to bless you multi-fold.
