Our Mother’s Day message for this morning is entitled, “Hannah: A Mother’s Sacrifice.” Mother’s know how to make sacrifices, for they will go to great lengths, even at cost to their own well-being, to make their children happy. In the account we will see this morning we will witness a mother’s love for God and for her son. Her love for God was so great that she would sacrifice something very dear to her, and her love for her son was so immense that she would release her hold on his life so that he could go on to have the Lord’s best.
This is the account of a mother’s sacrifice, and as we look at her sacrifice I am hoping we can gain some insight and encouragement that can be applied to Christian mothers today as they make sacrifices for both God and family. Mother’s, this message is also a tribute to the many sacrifices you have made, and I hope you will believe that you did not make them in vain. Your children and your God appreciate all you have done, and your children are better individuals because of your love; and also, the Lord’s kingdom has been advancing because of your dedication to the church. As you have freely given, may you freely receive and be blessed by God!
Hannah Dreamed of Having a Son (vv. 1-2)
1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
Here we are introduced to the star of our message – Hannah. We read here that Hannah had no children, for she was barren up to this point in her life. In this day and time it was an emotionally straining situation to be infertile. A woman felt obligated to provide her husband with children, especially a son, for a father desired a son to help him with the work, to carry on the family business, and especially to keep the family name. Children provided a woman with a sense of self-worth, and were part of her identity.
The bottom line is that children were very important, and they are still important today. From what we will see in the Scripture, Hannah dreamed of having a son for her husband. Hannah was barren, but her name provides us with some insight into a change coming in her future. The name Hannah means “grace.”(1) The word grace means “a free gift,” and Hannah was about to receive and give away a very special gift.
Hannah Made a Vow to God (vv. 8-11)
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?” 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. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. 11 Then 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.”
Right here Hannah and her husband were at the yearly Passover feast, and we read that she was weeping. In verses 3-7 we learn the reason why she was crying. Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, was provoking her and ridiculing her for not having children. And how did Elkanah respond? He responded the way many husbands do – he made it about himself – saying she should feel privileged just to have him as a husband, for he was better than ten sons. Of course he loved Hannah, for we read this back in verse 5, but he seemed like he didn’t quite understand how she felt inside.
When Hannah saw that she could not relate her feelings to her husband she turned to the Lord, which is where we should all go when we are in anguish or have feelings that just seem inexpressible to any human being. When we need someone to go to Jesus will be there to lean on, for He is our closest friend (John 15:13-15). In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told, “Cast all your care on Him, for He cares for you.” So mothers, what are your cares this morning? I am sure you have a lot of them. Remember to cast your cares on the Lord.
When Hannah turned to the Lord she brought before Him her deepest dream and greatest desire, which was to bear a son. Mother’s, what is your greatest dream? Is it a dream for your children? Perhaps you want to see them go to college, get a great job, marry the right person, be president, or serve the Lord. Maybe it’s a dream for yourself. As a mother, you may have sacrificed your own dream for your children and your family. Perhaps your dream is something that the Lord has placed on your heart to serve and glorify Him in a particular ministry. Bring all your dreams and desires to the Lord, for the Lord is concerned about your dreams!
Psalm 20:4 says, “May He grant you according to your heart’s desire and fulfill all your purpose.” Moms, the Lord knows your heart’s desire. Hannah’s desire was to have a son, so what is yours? As long as we make sure we do not place our dream above God and idolize it, then the Lord will honor our heart’s desire. You see, Hannah wanted her dream so badly that she was willing to give that dream up to God if He would bring it to pass, revealing that God was first. She declared, “If You will . . . give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (v. 11) – so we see that she would choose to give away her dream once she received it.
Hannah made a vow to God. Warren Wiersbe tells us, “Hannah did not ‘bargain’ with the Lord; rather, she proved her spirituality by willingly offering God her best – her firstborn son.”(2) What is significant about a vow? In The New Bible Dictionary we read, “A vow is as sacredly binding as an oath. Therefore, a vow should not be made hastily; for the person vowing . . . then enters into ‘the sphere of the offering’ and is released only when the sacrifice is made.”(3)
For example, Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 tells us, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed – better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?”
Hannah was obligated to perform what she vowed, which was the Nazarite vow; a vow of consecration of her firstborn to God’s service. Hannah’s willingness to vow in such a way was a vote confidence that the Lord would be faithful to bring her dream to pass. Mom’s do you want a dream so badly that you are willing to vow or promise to use that dream for God’s glory and for service in His kingdom?
Believe it or not, it’s been done before. I have a friend who was born two months premature, and weighed 2 lbs. 2 oz. This is dangerous today, but back in the 1970’s he wasn’t supposed to live. His mother prayed to the Lord and told Him that if He would allow her son to live that she would dedicate him to God’s service. Today he is a youth and music minister, and has been serving the Lord in ministry since he was in college.
The doctors told my own mother not to have any more children, but she wanted to have a son for my dad. She told the Lord that if He would give her a son that she would dedicate him to God’s service, and she prayed that he would be a preacher. Well, mom and dad tried for another child and the Lord gave them a son! When I was nineteen years old and I surrendered to the call to ministry, my mother told me about her prayers, and as you can see I am now a pastor!
If you are willing to surrender your dreams to God, then He will honor that and make your dreams come to pass! Remember, though, when you make a promise or vow to surrender something to God then you must be willing to let it go when the time comes.
Hannah Sacrificed Her Dream to God (vv. 20-25)
20 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.” 21 Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 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.” 23 So Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord establish His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. 24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, 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. 25 Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli.
In verse 20 we see that the Lord gave Hannah her heart’s desire and she conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, which means “asked of God” or “heard of God,” revealing that God hears us and is faithful whenever we surrender to Him.
How many of you here today can say that God is faithful? How many of you have ever had a dream to come true for you? Can you let it go? Have you ever had dream for your children? For many mothers, their children become their life and so they pour their time, energy, and heart into their children. Sometimes they even attempt to relive their life through them. Mothers, are you willing to let your children go if the Lord asks you? Hannah did.
It will be a lot easier to sacrifice your dreams, or to give your children to God’s service, if the Lord is your life. If your joy in life is based totally on your kids or on your dreams, then it will be difficult to let go. If your joy and hope is founded in the Lord then you will more readily release your hold to God. In Psalm 37:4 we are admonished, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” We must make sure that the Lord is first in our lives, and that we delight in Him. When we do He will give us our heart’s desire, but more importantly He will be our greatest desire.
We read here that when the following year’s Passover rolled around, that Hannah did not go up and offer sacrifices, and she did not immediately pay her vow. She took time to wean Samuel before she gave him over to the Lord’s service, and we do not find anywhere where the Lord was displeased with Hannah’s decision. Warren Wiersbe tells us that “Jewish women weaned their children at about the age of three; at that time Hannah took Samuel to Eli and fulfilled her vow to the Lord.”(4)
Hannah was given her dream of a son, and she was allowed to enjoy that dream for a while. God is not some lofty kill-joy looking to take away the things that give us pleasure. The Lord loves us and He will often provide us with a weaning period for our dreams; a time where we nurture, care for, and enjoy the gifts that God has granted us. If we are allowed to take joy in the gifts that God has entrusted to us, we will be better stewards of these gifts, so that when the time comes to turn them over they will be our very best offering, or our first fruits as God desires. If the Lord allows you the opportunity to enjoy your dream, whatever it is, will you turn it over to Him as your first fruit offering? Will you give Him your very best? Hannah did.
After Samuel was weaned, Hannah sacrificed him as an offering to the Lord to be used in God’s service, and because God was first in her life it was an act of worship. She not only presented what she vowed, but she gave above and beyond, and offered the Lord other gifts – three bulls, flour, and wine. Of course these are the prescribed items that should accompany a vow as described in Numbers 15:8-10.
What I want to point out is that Hannah gave, and she gave, and she gave, which is typical of many moms – they just keep on giving. One thing that is unmistakable is how a mother will give to her children and her family. We can see a mother’s giving in the example of a virtuous woman in Proverbs 31:10-31.
A mother will sacrifice her own needs or wants so her children can have what they want. For example, a mother might wear the same old clothes for many years so her children can have new ones. I believe that mothers know how to give, and from the way women give to the church of their time and energy to keep the church’s ministry going, it’s no doubt that women know how to give to God as well. Let’s make sure we honor our mothers for their giving; and mothers, always remember to keep giving to God, and He will honor your sacrifice.
Hannah Simply Worshipped the Lord (vv. 26-28)
26 And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.
As soon as Hannah gave her son Samuel to Eli the priest, we read, “So they worshipped the Lord there” (v. 28). Once again Hannah demonstrated that her joy and hope was founded in God, for she rose above any heartache she might have experienced to worship and focus on God.
Mother’s, I am sure that you experience many heartaches in life. Perhaps your husband walked out on you and left you as a single mom to raise the kids alone. Maybe you are a stay-at-home-mom, and you and your husband are trying live off of one income and you are having financial difficulties. Maybe your teenagers are living rebelliously, or perhaps you have a child getting ready to leave the nest. When troubles surround you the best thing you can do is worship the Lord.
We read in Philippians 4:8-9, “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things . . . and the God of peace will be with you.” In focusing on God and on His blessings, and by focusing on the good things you will be distracted from your troubles. However, we don’t worship God just for a distraction; we worship Him because He is worthy. When you sacrifice your dreams to God, also be sure to bring Him the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:14).
Time of Reflection
Hannah’s name means “grace” and grace means “a free gift.” Hannah was given the gift of a son when she was formerly barren, but then she willingly gave her son back to God as a gift to Him, out of her love and devotion to the Lord; and Hannah’s gift to God was a huge sacrifice.
Similar to Hannah, God gave up His Son as a sacrifice and as a gift, and He gave that gift to us – the gift of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 6:23 tells us, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The word for gift is the word grace (charis) in the Greek. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Do you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life? Will you accept the free gift and sacrifice of God’s Son given for you – the gift of eternal life?
NOTES
(1) “Hannah,” The New Bible Dictionary (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House, 1962), taken from Logos 2.1E on CD-ROM.
(2) Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books), taken from Logos 2.1E on CD-ROM.
(3) “Vow,” The New Bible Dictionary (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House, 1962), taken from Logos 2.1E on CD-ROM.
(4) Wiersbe, taken from Logos 2.1E on CD-ROM.
