Godly Father And Mother

A Godly Father and Mother

Selected Scriptures from 1 & 2 Samuel

The Setting

In our English Bibles, the Book of 1 Samuel follows the Book of Ruth. In the Hebrew Old Testament manuscripts, 1 Samuel immediately follows the Book of Judges. And so it is in the Hebrew Bible that the last words to be written before our text in 1 Samuel are these:

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

1. Hannah and Elkanah¡¦s Relationship (vv 5-7)

But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. [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.

„Ð The book starts off with Samuel¡¦s godly parents, his father Elkanah who is a worshipper of God. Verse 3, 21 tells us that he made it a point to go to Shiloh every year to worship God and offer sacrifices to God.

„Ð We also know from verse 5 that he was a great husband. What made him great is he was mindful what Hannah was going through for being barren. Elkanah assures her of his love by giving her a double portion of the meat which has been sacrificed. He makes sincere efforts to compensate for her barrenness, reminding her of what she means to him and what he intends to be for her (1:8). Paul tells us in Ephes 5:25 Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church¡Xa love marked by giving, not getting.

Barreness: Being barren in the Old Testament was demeaning (somewhat humiliating). The culture believed that it was a curse from God because according to Deut 7 having children was a blessing from the Lord.

„Ð Furthermore, Elkanah¡¦s other wife who continues to provoked her, not just once a year, but three times a year because that was the requirement for Israelite men. She reminds me of Job¡¦s wife who said

Job 2:9-10 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." [10] But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Here it tells us that Peninah provoked her until she wept and no longer could participate in the festivity. In Eph 5 Paul instructs parents not to provoked their children to wrath. Here it tells us the result of being provoked is wrath or anger, but Hannah instead of being angry she turned to God for prayer.

Philip. 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

2. The Prayer Life of Hannah (vv10-28)

At this period of history the tabernacle was at Shiloh about 15 miles north of Ramah. Elkanah regularly attended the festivals with his wives. Let me give you 4 examples from her prayer life.

A. Her Prayer Life was Intense and Focused (v10, 2:1-3)In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.

„Ð The Hebrew translates this as an outpouring of the soul to God. When was the last time you poured out this kind of prayer to God. I believed that when we are going through trials, our prayer is not so casual, it¡¦s more desperate not distracted. Hannah prayed with desperation, she reaches back all the way from her soul. She was relentless and would not stop praying until God answered her. 3x a year in the Temple and 4 hours a daily. This is the true meaning of praying without ceasing.

Illustration: Martin Luther & William Carey

„Ð In Luke 22:44 ¡V Luke tells us that Chris was in agony. Then his sweat became like great drops of blood. In medical terms this is called ¡§hematidrosis¡¨ the effusion of blood in ones perspiration caused by extreme anguish and physical strain. He was so distress that it brought him to the threshold of death.

B.Her Prayer Life came with a Vow (v11)

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."

„Ð How many of us here, includes a vow in our daily prayers. Hannah vowed (pledged) before God Almighty ¡V the Lord of Hosts. She acknowledge God for who He really is ¡§Almighty.¡¨