Two days after Pearl Harbor, a man named Bob Feller enlisted in the US Navy and served with distinction in the Pacific against the Japanese. But it wasn’t in the navy that Bob Feller became famous. Bob attained fame as a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, and for 18 seasons he struck out some of the most powerful hitters of the day - Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig. Because of the phenomenal speed of his pitches, he was nicknamed "Rapid Robert", "Bullet Bob", and "The Heater from Van Meter".
In 1940, to advertise the speed of Feller’s pitches, the Commissioner of Baseball hired a sports film analyst to film a contest between Feller and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle (you can still find it on YouTube). It was called - the "100 mph" speed trial. Feller was required to hit a target 12 inches in diameter from a distance of 60 feet 6 inches (the distance from the Pitching mound to Home Plate). The motorcycle had a 10-foot head start, and passed Feller going 86 mph, and yet, in spite of that, Feller's pitch reached the target several feet ahead of the bike. And the pitch was calculated to have reached a speed of as much as 104 mph.
When Bob Feller was 9 years old, his teacher asked him to write an essay about an oak tree, and this what he wrote: “An oak tree can be cut down and sawed into boards. You can make baseball bats out of them. You can also make home plates out of the boards. You can make bleachers out of the boards so people can watch baseball games.” In other words, at the age of nine, Bob Feller was a boy who was DEDICATED to playing baseball. And in today’s text we read about another boy who was DEDICATED to being a man of God from his birth.
“In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked for him from the LORD."… she said to her husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the LORD and dwell there forever." I Samuel 1:20-22
When Samuel reached the age of about 2 or 3 years old (when he was weaned) Hannah was going to take him to the Tabernacle and she was going to leave him there. She was never going to take him home again. From that day on her son Samuel would belong to God and would live the rest of his life at the Tabernacle.
Now, the question is: why would Hannah do that? Well, she was BARREN. She couldn’t get pregnant and she’d gotten to the point where she was desperate. She was willing to do anything to have a child! And one of the most powerful things she did… was pray.
“She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” I Samuel 1:10-11
(PAUSE) One of the most interesting statements in Hannah’s story was this: “The LORD had closed her womb.” I Samuel 1:5
Now, there are people who struggle with that statement. I read an online sermon by preacher who implied that God really hadn’t closed up Hannah’s womb. The preacher said it was just one of those comments people make when they don’t know the CAUSE of a tragedy or a natural disaster. In fact you’ll hear it on the news when a tornado sweeps thru a town. They’ll say that the tornado was an… “act of God”. Now no one really thinks God caused the tornado…. but that’s just what people say. And this preacher really didn’t think God caused Hannah’s womb to be closed. He believed that this was simply something people said when a woman couldn’t have a child. (GOD CLOSED HER WOMB).
And yet, Hannah didn’t say that God had closed her womb.” And her husband “Elkanah didn’t say…” that God had closed her womb. And the “people didn’t say…” that God closed up her womb. The BIBLE simply says “God closed up her womb.”
And it wasn’t a common saying in Israel to declare “God closed up a woman’s womb.” In fact, there’s only ONE OTHER TIME in the Bible that that term shows up. It happened way back in the book of Genesis. In the days of Abraham the King of Gerar had a nasty habit of killing men so that he could gain their wives for his harem. Apparently Abraham’s wife Sarah was very desirable. And since Abraham had no desire to be killed by the king, he passed Sarah off as his sister. Sure enough - Abimelech took her into his harem. But before the King could take her to his bed, God appeared to him in a dream and explained the situation. God said that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, and that Abraham was His prophet, and that if the King ever touched Sarah – he was a dead man.
This dream appropriately frightened the King so that he returned Sarah to Abraham and pled for Abraham pray for him. Then we read: “… Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his slave girls so they could have children again, for the LORD had CLOSED UP EVERY WOMB in Abimelech’s household because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.” Genesis 20:17-18
(PAUSE) And so… God closed up Hannah’s womb. Was God punishing Hannah? Did God hate her or something? Oh, I don’t think so. There’s nothing in this story to tell us that she was wicked or evil in any way. In fact, Hannah was a godly woman who is in trouble (her heart was breaking) and she was praying with all of her heart that God would help her. That’s NOT the kind of person God punishes
2 Chronicles 16:9 says “…the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” That was Hannah.
God wasn’t punishing her. God’s eyes had ranged throughout the earth to find a woman just like her. And His eyes focused on her because He knew Hannah would be the woman that He could mold into one of the most influential and significant mothers in Scripture.
Now, this is what happened: Back in that day - Israel was a nation in crisis. Judges 17:6 tells us: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” Everybody did what they felt like doing… and it was not a pretty sight. The whole nation was corrupt. Even Eli the priest and his sons weren’t all that nice a people. God needed to bring about a change. He needed to raise up a hero who could lead His people to righteousness. He needed a man who could step up and do what needed to be done. He needed someone who could be a judge, a prophet, and a priest. And - in order to train up that kind of leader for Israel - God was going to need the help of a very special kind of mother. And that’s where Hannah came in. Hannah was going to be – not only a special mother – but a Godly mother. Hannah was the kind of woman that God could count on (and work through) to train the man he needed to shape His nation Israel.
But 1st He had to bring her to the point where she’d be desperate enough to do what God wanted done.
You know, God sometimes uses our pain to guide us to do something He wants us to do. C.S. Lewis once said that: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
In her pain, Hannah had come to a decision: If God will give her a son she says: “… I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life…” 1 Samuel 1:11
Now, every first-born son belonged to God anyway (that’s what it said in the Law). In Exodus 13:2 God told His people: "Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal." So Hannah’s first born son would have belonged to God from his birth. BUT, like all Israelites, she and her husband would ORDINARILY have redeemed that child. Numbers 18:16 said: “When (your son is) a month old, you must redeem him at the redemption price set at five shekels of silver…”
But what Hannah was vowing here was this: “God, if you give me a son, I’ll let YOU keep him. I WON’T redeem him back.” In her mind … she had already decided that if God gave her a son she’d give him to the priests at the Tabernacle to raise and he would serve God by helping people to worship.
Now, where do you suppose she got that idea? Well, I’m convinced God put that thought her heart. And because she came to that point in her life where she was willing to give her son to God, God rewarded her in some powerful ways: Not only does she get pregnant right away, but Hannah bears several MORE children. In 1 Samuel 2:21 we’re told that “the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters..."
But even more significant than that… she was the mother of Samuel! Samuel was one of the greatest men in the Old Testament. He was the last of the judges and the first of a long line of prophets. He was such a righteous man that he guided the people out of their immorality, and back to obedience to God and His law. And he was so highly regarded by God that not only are there 2 books in the Bible that bear his name, but a couple of times God compares SAMUEL’S righteousness to that of Moses. In Jeremiah 15:1 God condemns the sins of the nation of Judah, and He declares: "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.” Samuel was such a great man that he was equal to Moses in God’s eyes. AND THAT WAS HANNAH’S BOY!
Now, she had 3 more sons and 2 more daughters - but I bet you don’t know THEIR names. Samuel gives Hannah BRAGGING rights. She’s like the mother who pulls a picture out of her wallet and says “And this is my son the Doctor/Lawyer”. This is my son who made it big! And this all happened because Hannah was a Godly woman who prayed.
Now when God tells us stories like this, there’s something He wants US to learn. And what God wants you to learn… is this: If you want your family to make you proud - be like Hannah. If you want your family to make a difference in this world - be like Hannah. If you want your family to grow up to be truly great – be like Hannah.
But how do you do that? How do you become like Hannah? Well, first you take your prayer time seriously. Pray intensely… believing God listens your prayers. Pray with tears. Pray because it matters to you that God listened to your prayers. Pray because you BELIEVE God can and will work for you. PRAY LIKE HANNAH - Be like her!
2ndly – give your family to God. Don’t place anything above God in your family.
I read this meme online that said “PARENTS, one day your family is going to kneel at the feet of Jesus. And when that happens, the accomplishments of this world will mean nothing. How well your kids did in sports; How good their grades were in school; What degrees they’ve earned in college; How much money they made in their jobs; None of that will matter in the final judgment. When that happens, the only questions you’ll ask of yourself that day are these: What did I do to prepare them for that? And what did I do to encourage them to love Jesus?
BE LIKE HANNAH – prepare your family for God
CLOSE: I read the true story of a Christian mother in California. She explained that her 3 year old son was making it hard for her to do her housework. He seemed to be right behind her wherever she went and whenever she stopped to do something and turned back around, she would trip over him.
Several times she patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied. “Wouldn’t you like to play on the swing set?” she’d ask. But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, “Oh, that’s all right, Mommy. I’d rather be in here with you.” Then he continued to bounce happily along behind her.
After stepping on his toes for the 5th time, she began to lose her patience and insisted that he go outside and play with the other children. Then she asked him why he was acting this way, and he looked up at her with sweet green eyes and said, “Well, Mommy, in Primary my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. But I can’t see him, so I’m walking in yours.” (Davida Dalton “Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul”)
INVITATION
