HANNAH: A MOTHER WITH VISION
By
JERRY FALWELL
Hannah was a mother who properly prepared for her children, and you can learn life-changing lessons from her. This morning I am going to speak of five things that Hannah did:
1. Hannah prayed to have a child.
2. Hannah prayed for her child’s spirituality.
3. Hannah promised her child to God.
4. Hannah prepared her children to serve God.
5. Hannah praised God for her children.
In a day when Planned Parenthood makes the wrong plans for the unborn, let’s look at Hannah who makes the right plans for the unborn. Would to God that every future mother in the world followed the example of Hannah.
A. HANNAH PRAYED TO HAVE A CHILD.
“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:10-20).
1. Children: the greatest gift.
In a day when many women are choosing to abort children, or not have them; children can give the greatest happiness in your life. I say the greatest happiness, but sometimes we have to laugh through our tears.
Angie, eight years old, wrote: “Mother, I am going to make dinner for you on Mother’s Day. It is going to be a surprise. P.S. I hope you like pizza and popcorn.”
Robert wrote, “I got a snake for you for Mother’s Day. I hope you like the snake better than the turtle I got you last year.”
Ellen wrote, “Dear Mother, I wish Mother’s Day wasn’t always on Sunday. It would be better if it were on Monday so we wouldn’t have to go to school.”
Little Diane wrote: “I hope you like the flowers I got you for Mother’s Day. I picked them myself when Mrs. Smith wasn’t looking.”
And here’s a note from Carolyn: “Dear Mother, Here are two aspirins. Have a happy Mother’s Day.”
2. Five ways to make mother special.
a. Tell Mom you love her, and hug her.
b. Show your love in a tangible way with flowers, a gift, and don’t forget the card.
c. Take her out on Mother’s Day, but also do it at least once a week every week of the year.
d. Treat mom special as though she were going to die tomorrow. We usually act as though our mothers were going to live forever. But it isn’t true. The way you treat your mother, is probably the way your children will treat you.
e. Pray for your mother every day. Your prayers can make her a better mom, and make you a better family member.
3. Hannah prayed and fasted for a child.
Her prayers were so intense that Eli, the old priest, thought she was drunk. When God answered her prayers, she called her son, “Samuel,” which means “to ask.”
B. HANNAH PRAYED FOR HER CHILDREN’S SPIRITUALITY.
1. Before birth, she dedicated her child to God.
“She vowed a vow, and said, “O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me . . . but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11).
Today, we dedicated children to God here at Thomas Road Baptist Church. We don’t dedicate children to get them saved or to make them spiritual. When we dedicate the children to God, we’re asking for God to build a “hedge” around them to keep them safe and prepare their hearts to accept Christ when they reach the age of accountability. Actually, we are also dedicating the parents to raise the children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
2. After the birth, notice how important it was to actually dedicate the child to God.
“She took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.
And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.
And she said . . . For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:24-28).
3. The greatness of Samuel reflects in the greatness of his mother, Hannah.
a. He led Israel in its first great revival.
b. He drove the Philistines back into their territory.
c. He re-established worship of Jehovah.
d. He set up the Kingdom of Israel.
e. He anointed David.
f. He wrote 1 Samuel.
C. HANNAH PROMISED HER CHILD TO GOD.
1. Before Samuel was born, Hannah promised to give the child to God.
“I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11). Many mothers make a promise to God concerning her children when small, but forget when the children get older. But not Hannah!
2. Hannah dedicated her son to serve in the Tabernacle.
Listen to the words of Hannah in the New Living Bible, “Now I am giving him to the LORD, and he will belong to the LORD his whole life” (1 Samuel 1:28, NLT).
3. What happened to Samuel?
Samuel was submissive to God and served the Lord with dedication. Again, the New Living Bible says, “Now Samuel, though only a boy, was the LORD’s helper” (1 Samuel 2:18, NLT). Meanwhile Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord, (1 Samuel 2:26).
4. What causes spiritual rebellion in the child?
a. Conflict between parents. A recent study of teenagers on drugs reveals that the number one reason for beginning and continuing on drugs was the constant conflict they saw between their parents.
b. Lack of proper discipline. “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). The word train means to “direct, control or make the child do right.” Discipline is not child abuse, and it is not beating a child. Discipline is making the child do the right thing in the right way.
c. Repeated criticism of the child. When either parent constantly criticizes the child, belittles them, and destroys their ego; children rebel against their parents and ultimately against the authority of God that should be exercised through the parents.
d. Giving children things, rather than love. When I was small, the average child had two or three toys in a room. Now most children’s rooms are so cluttered with toys that parents have bought them, you can’t walk from one side of the room to the other. I am not saying to buy children less toys, I am saying give them more love than toys.
e. Children reflect their parents’ spirituality. A recent study showed that insecure parents produce insecure children. And in the same way, non-spiritual parents produce non-spiritual children. And could we say that rebellious parents also produce rebellious children?
D. HANNAH PREPARED HER CHILDREN TO SERVE GOD.
1. She kept Samuel at home.
When the child was small, Hannah didn’t even go up to the Tabernacle for the yearly sacrifice. “But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever” (1 Samuel 1:22).
So what did Hannah do when she didn’t go to church? She cared for Samuel, loved him and made sure the baby boy was pointed toward God. “So she stayed home and nursed the baby” (1 Samuel 1:23, NLT).
2. She not only prepared for her child, she prepared her child to live.
After Hannah dedicated her son to temple service, she went up each year to see him. “Now Samuel, though only a boy, was the LORD’s helper. He wore a linen tunic just like that of a priest. Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice” (1 Samuel 2:18-19, NLT).
3. When God blesses, He blesses abundantly.
“Although Hannah never heard the New Testament promise, she experienced its fullness. Paul promised in Ephesians 3:20 that God is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Hannah had only prayed for one boy, and God gave him to her. Now listen to what else happened to Hannah when she came up to bring a tunic to her young son, Samuel. “Before they (Elkanah and Hannah) 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 gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD” (1 Samuel 2:20-21, NLT). Hannah had seven children. According to the verse I just read, Hannah had five children, plus Samuel, making six. But listen to the prayer that she makes in the great psalm that reflects her prayer: “The barren woman now has seven children; but the woman with many children will have no more” (1 Samuel 2:5, NLT).
Apparently, one more child was born after this chapter was written. Hannah had seven children. What happened to the other wife that was persecuting and mocking Hannah? She stopped having children. God blessed Hannah and judged Peninnah, the other wife.
E. HANNAH PRAISED GOD FOR HER CHILDREN.
1. Hannah’s prayer became one of the first psalms.
Long before the book of psalms was written, there were very few psalms available, i.e., , a few by Moses. But here Hannah breaks out into a psalm that’s included in Scripture.
“My heart rejoices in the LORD!
Oh, how the LORD has blessed me!
Now I have an answer for my enemies,
as I delight in your deliverance.
No one is holy like the LORD!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:1-2, NLT).
2. Hannah changed the course of history through her son Samuel.
I’ve already told you all the great things that Samuel has done. Where would the Kingdom be without Hannah, the godly mother?
God’s Helpers
God could not be in every place
With loving hands to help erase
The teardrops from each baby’s face,
And so He thought of mother.
He could not send us here alone
And leave us to a fate unknown
Without providing for His own
The outstretched arms of mother.
God could not watch us night and day
And kneel beside our crib to pray,
Or kiss our little aches away;
And so he sent us mother.
And when our childhood days began
He simply could not take command,
That’s why He placed our tiny hand
Securely into mother’s.
The days of youth slipped quickly by,
Life’s sun rose higher in the sky,
Full grown were we, yet ever nigh
To love us still, was mother
And when life’s span of years shall end,
I know that God will gladly send,
To welcome home her child again,
That ever-faithful mother.
- George W. Wiseman
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Contact us and ask for a copy of The How To Book or use The How To Book Online (Falwell.com). It is a booklet that will answer many of the questions you are sure to have about living the Christian life. And when you contact us, tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.
