Great Prayers of the Old Testament
Part 7: Prayer when Life Is Unfair
1 Samuel 1:1-20
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared October 29, 2024)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to 1 Samuel 1 to see a great prayer when life was unfair. Chuck Swindoll tells us that the events "in 1 Samuel took place over a period of about 110 years, stretching from the closing days of the judges, when the prophet Samuel was born through the anointing of young King David about a thousand years before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ." Swindoll noted that the Book of 1 Samuel is so important because it records a critical period of Israel's history when God's people transformed from a loosely connected group of 12 tribes into a unified nation under the rule of a king. (1)
*The desperate wife praying in our Scripture today was a godly woman named Hannah. And she desperately wanted to be a mother. But life had been unfair to Hannah. That's why she was praying in these verses, and Hannah's story has some great lessons for us today. Let's begin by reading vs. 1-20.
MESSAGE:
*Not being able to have a baby when you want one is a terrible thing for a couple to go through, especially for the wife. We probably all know some people who have been there. And that's where Hannah was in this Scripture. But she was a good and godly woman. And Hannah's story gives us some great lessons for when life is unfair.
1. FIRST: WE MUST BEWARE OF THE BITTERNESS TRAP.
*We could wish that life was fair. But it simply is not fair. This is not Heaven, and Hannah was having a terrible time in vs. 1-10. First of all, she had a physical problem. Verse 2 tells us that Hannah had no children. And twice in today's Scripture, both in vs. 5 and in vs. 6, the Bible tells us that the LORD had closed her womb.
*Now there is no way that we can fully understand things like that, but we know that God has a good reason for everything He does. And perhaps there wouldn't have been a Samuel at the end of chapter 1, without the problem we see at the beginning of chapter 1.
*Hannah had a physical problem, but she also had a family problem. And the problem was the other wife, Peninnah. This other wife was a triple source of misery in Hannah's life. In vs. 4-5, Peninnah was envious of the double portion Elkanah gave to Hannah. Also in vs. 5, Peninnah was jealous of Elkanah's love for Hannah. And in vs. 6, Peninnah was proud of her own motherhood, so she rubbed Hannah's infertility in her face. Peninnah was mean and hateful to Hannah. Verse 6 tells us that Peninnah "provoked (Hannah) severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb."
*Peninnah was terribly cruel to Hannah, and it wasn't just a one-time thing. Verse 7 tells us, "So it was, year by year, when (Hannah) went up to the house of the Lord, that (Peninnah) provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat."
*Hanna had a big problem in her family. Her husband Elkanah tried to help. In vs. 5, he loved her and gave her a double portion, but Elkanah's love wasn't enough to solve the problem.
*Hannah had a family problem, but on top of that, she was falsely accused of sin. This happened in vs. 10-16, as Hannah poured out her soul to God in silent prayer:
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.''
12. And it happened, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli watched her mouth.
13. Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.
14. So Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!''
15. And 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.
16. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.''
*Hannah was pouring out her soul to God in silent prayer, but Eli the priest thought she was drunk. This part of the story reminds us that we must not be part of the problem. Of course, some people are just plain mean, like Peninnah in this story. And God forbid we should be like her: Proud and selfish, taking credit for the things that were hers only by the grace of God.
*Rather, may God help us to be problem solvers like Hannah's husband, Elkanah. He couldn't make Hannah's problem go away, but at least he was trying.
*And then there was Eli the priest, a leader of God's people. Hannah was doing exactly the right thing, but Eli thought she was drunk. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. And Eli's jumping to conclusions should warn us not to do the same thing.
*Most of us have a little bit of Eli in us, but just like Eli, we don't have the whole story. I started to say that 9 times out of 10, or 99 times out of 100 we don't have the whole story. But the truth is that we never have the whole story, because we can't see into the future.
*Eli probably didn't know anything about what Hannah had been going through. He didn't even know that she was praying! And he surely didn't know how God was going to answer her prayer. Eli didn't know that the son Hannah prayed for would in just a few years come to live and serve the LORD with Eli in the tabernacle. Eli also didn't know that one night God would call Samuel by name. And he did not know that Samuel would grow up to be one of the greatest prophets who ever lived.
*We don't want to be like Eli in this Scripture. We don't want to be people who make bad situations worse. So, we have to be careful about jumping to conclusions, be careful about making false assumptions, and be careful about judging other people, especially when we realize that the church is not a showcase for trophy Christians. God's Church is a hospital for hurting people. It's a family to help as many people as we can. It's a lighthouse to shine the good news of Jesus Christ, and an army to serve the living God.
*Life is not fair. But we don't want to make it worse. God help us to do all we can to make things better! But even at its best, life will still have bitter times. In vs. 10, Hannah "was in bitterness of soul, and wept in anguish."
*How do we handle bitterness? This is an important question. Rick Warren has some good advice for us. It's from an interview he gave after his wife, Kay, was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. And here's part of what Rick said to help us avoid the bitterness trap:
*"Life is a series of problems. Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
*This past year has been the greatest year of my life, but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys. You go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth.
*I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track. And at all times you have both something good, and something bad in your life.
*No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
*You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is 'my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
*We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay, or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, and drawn her closer to Him and to people." (2)
2. WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN LIFE'S NOT FAIR? -- WE MUST BEWARE OF THE BITTERNESS TRAP, AND TAKE OUR TROUBLES TO THE LORD.
*This is exactly what Hannah did, so please look at her prayer again in vs. 10-11:
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.''
*Then in vs. 12 "she continued praying before the Lord, and I like what Hannah said in vs. 15 when she was explaining herself to Eli. Hannah said, "I have poured out my soul before the Lord."
*How do we handle bitterness? We can trap it inside, or take it out on the people around us. But the best thing we can do is take it to the Lord! Like Hannah, pour out your heart to God. Learn the power of passionate prayer.
*Passionate prayer always makes a difference. It can change the situation, and it will certainly change our hearts! God's Word shows this truth in vs. 15-18, where:
15. . . 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.
16. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.''
17. Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.''
18. 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.
*Well, Hannah's prayer hadn't been answered yet. But because she took her troubles to the LORD, she went from having a "sorrowful spirit" to being "no longer sad." So take your troubles to the Lord! Our passionate prayers can change the situation, and even when our prayers don't change the situation, they can change us.
*Adrian Rogers was the beloved pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee for 33 years. And God blessed his ministry in an amazing way. During Dr. Rogers' ministry, that church grew from 9,000 to 29,000 members!
*Adrian Rogers was greatly blessed, but he also knew times of great sorrow. About 30 years ago, a friend of mine was visiting that church and heard Dr. Rogers tell of his sorrow. It was when he was much younger. Dr. Rogers and his wife lost a baby to SIDS. Like Hannah, they were both in great anguish.
*They lived near a football field at the time and Dr. Rogers went out under the stars to pray. Then and there he decided to refuse bitterness, and to submit himself to God. As he poured out his heart to God on that empty football field, Dr. Rogers wanted to show his submission to God. He wanted to bow down as low as he could possibly go, so he actually dug a little hole and buried his face as he continued to cry out to God. And there on that football field, God began to lift the burden of his bitter heart.
*Life will bring bitter times, but don't stay bitter. Especially don't stay bitter at the Lord. And the best way out of our bitterness is to take it to the Lord.
3. WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN LIFE'S NOT FAIR? -- WE MUST TAKE OUR TROUBLES TO THE LORD. AND WE MUST GIVE OUR BEST TO GOD.
*That's what Hannah did in vs. 11. She promised to give her best to God: 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.''
*Here Hannah saw herself as a servant of the Lord, and she promised to give her best to God. "God, if you will give me this son..." (The thing she wanted most in the world.) "God, if you give me this son, I will give him to you." And she did!
*As soon as Samuel was weaned, they took him to the tabernacle. And vs. 26-28 tell us that Hannah said this to Eli:
26. . . "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.
*When the Bible says, Hannah "lent" her son to the Lord, it's not like we think of lending something for a while. No. She was lending Samuel to the Lord for all of her son's time in this world. Hannah realized that her son, and all children are a gift from the Lord. And she gave her son back to the Lord in a special way. But all of our children should be dedicated to Him.
*And we should always give God our best! -- Because every good thing we have has come from Him. James 1:17 tells us that every good thing we have has come from God. He is very generous in His giving. And the best place to see this truth is on the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
*John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God gave Hannah a son, and a thousand years later, God gave us His Son to die on the cross for our sins!
*God gave His best for us. And it is most proper for us to give our best to Him. Give Him your family, your finances, and your future. Give Jesus your heart. Give Him your life. Give Him your all. Give God your best in every area of your life, even when life's not fair.
4. WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN LIFE'S NOT FAIR? -- WE MUST GIVE OUR BEST TO GOD. AND WE MUST RELY ON GOD TO REMEMBER US.
*God will remember us! Back in vs. 11 Hannah prayed, "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.''
*Then in vs. 17-20:
17. . . Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.''
18. 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.
19. 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.
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.''
*God remembered Hannah, and He will remember us, if we will call on Him! Luke's Gospel gives us another great story of God remembering those who call on Him. Most of us know that Jesus died on the cross between two thieves, and one of those thieves got saved on the cross. That saved thief was saved by God's grace when he put his faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Luke 23:39-43 gives this report:
39. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.''
40. But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
41. And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.''
42. Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.''
43. And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.''
*What strong faith he had! -- That request was based on faith that Jesus was bigger than the cross, and even bigger than death. There Jesus was, still hanging on the cross, not risen from the dead. The stone had not been rolled away.
*But the saved thief believed that Jesus would live and reign forever. He trusted that the Lord could save him. And when he heard the Lord's answer in Luke 23:43, the saved thief trusted that Jesus would save him. That's because "Jesus said to him, 'Surely, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'''
*This thief trusted in the Lord's merciful grace. This kind of trust in Jesus will take you to Heaven, and it is the only thing that will get you to Heaven. As D. L. Moody once said: "The thief had nails through both hands, so that he could not work his way to Heaven. He had a nail through each foot, so that he could not run errands for the Lord. He could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation. Yet Jesus offered the thief God's gift of eternal life, and he took it! Christ saved him, and took him into Paradise." (3)
CONCLUSION:
*And why? -- Because this thief trusted in the Lord's merciful grace. Have you done that? Are you willing to put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ? Call on the Lord to save you now as we go back to God in prayer. And keep trusting in the Lord, even when life is unfair. God will surely remember you too.
(1) Adapted from "First Samuel" by Chuck Swindoll - INSIGHT FOR LIVING - Copyright ©? 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. - Listen to Chuck Swindoll's overview of First Samuel in his audio message from the Classic series "God's Masterwork". - https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-historical-books/first-samuel
(2) Adapted from interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren - received by email, original source unknown.
(3) D. L. Moody, "Day by Day with D. L Moody," Moody Press - Source: Sermonillustrations.com
