Mother’s Day, May 9, 2004
A Mother’s Love
I Samuel 1:4-18; 26-28
Introduction: The family into which Samuel the prophet was born was a devout family. His father, Elkanah, went up to the tabernacle at Shiloh to offer sacrifices and to worship God year after year. Elkanah was called a country Levite--more of a lay person--who was not required to do this but he did make the trips up there to offer sacrifices. Hannah also went along but women were not required to go even if the men were. They were people who set a good example before their family and neighbors even though they did not have a perfect family. At this particular time in the land it was not the popular thing to serve God. There was a general neglect of religion in the nation. I Samuel 3:1 says "there was no open vision--meaning the Word of the Lord was rare." People had really not much interest in God--although there was the worship of other gods.
Elkanah had two wives. This caused some division in the family. Penninnah had children but Hannah didn’t and she gave Hannah a rough time about this. In those days it was a disgrace if women didn’t have children. This could be why that Elkanah had married a second wife in order to have children.
This is the setting in which this story took place. What does it say to us on Mother’s Day? There are two main things about Hannah and these are important today:
1. Consistent--Hannah was CONSISTENT in seeking the Lord for her need year after year. She prayed, but she didn’t get an answer right away. Does she give up and say, "Oh, well, I guess the Lord doesn’t want me to have any children?" Verse 7 says she "wept and did not eat" when she went up to the house of the Lord that year. Verse 10 says in "bitterness of soul she prayed unto the Lord and wept sore."
Verse 15 said she said, "I have poured out my soul before the Lord." And in this prayer she was very specific about what she wanted:
1. She prayed for a son
2. she made a vow that had two parts to it. She did not have to do this:
a. She would lend him back to the Lord for as long as he lived.
This was not for just a short apprenticeship.
b. The Nazarite Vow--His very childhood would be sacred--devoted to the service of God and set apart for this service by the way he dressed, what he ate, and how his hair was cut.
This prayer came from our heart. She poured out her prayer.
Her husband said, "if this is what you want to do, it is OK with me." She had his full support in this.
But the question is this? Would she be able to keep this vow? Did she realize the full impace of this vow?
How many times do we pray and say, "God if you will do this for me, then I will do...?" We bargain with God, but then when He answers we go on our merry way and forget all about our vow.
Hannah had shown a previous consistency in her life year after year. It wasn’t just an empty promise. She didn’t have things go perfect for her--Penninnah taunted her and even Eli at the temple thought she had been drinking. Her consistency was shown even in trying circumstances. Finally she was able to get Eli to undertand, and he said, "Go in peace and may the Lord grant you your request."
She had committed her case to the Lord, and she was no longer sad. She believed that God would either give her her request or if not, make her content.
When we are praying about something we need to pray earnestly and consistently as Hannah did and then commit the entire thing to God. Her day by day, year by year CONSISTENT lifestyle probably was a key factor in helping her to do this.
Is your lifestyle one of consistency before your family, your children, and your grandchildren? Do they know that they can count on you to be living the life when they need you to pray for them? Grandmothers when your grandchildren say, "I am having a tough time this week, Can you pray?" Do you have to say, "Well, I’m really not in touch with the Lord right now. I don’t know what to say. Maybe you could call a prayer group and see if they can pray for you."
No, we want to be living CONSISTENT lives like Hannah who had a relationship with God. Verse 10 says she "prayed TO the Lord." She knew what to say--mothers and grandmothers--know how to pray for your children and grandchildren and all other children you are coming in contact with. Extend your CONSISTENT Christian lifestyle out to other children as well--nieces and nephews, neighbor children, etc.
2. Committed to Keeping Her Vow--When God answered her prayer, that opened up a whole new set of problems. She named this baby Samuel--asked of the Lord and now she was going to have to give him up in a short time. Some research says it was when he was around 3 years old. Others say 8-10 years. She probably had some second thoughts by that time after she had bonded with him. The Lord had answered and now she had the son she wanted so desparately for years. Now Penninnah could taunt her. She was a mother too. She had status in the eyes of people around her. She wasn’t inferior to any other woman and besides she might not have any more children. The Lord didn’t ask her to make this vow in the first place so was it really all that important?
No, this woman who was very consistent in her lifestyle was very committed to her vow. In verse 22 she said, "I won’t go up this year with you but when the child is weaned I will take him to the tabernacle and then leave him there to serve the Lord AS LONG AS HE LIVES."
How do you think she felt? I think it was probably not as easy to keep this vow as she may have thought. Samuel was not going up there for a short apprenticeship. He was dedicated to the Lord’s service. She was lending him to the Lord FOR AS LONG AS HE LIVED. Could she do it when the time came? When he went there he would be educated along with the children of the priests. He would serve in the temple.
Samuel was a very intelligent boy. He learned quickly. He was probably the smartest little kid in the neighborhood. He probably came up with all kinds of cute things he said and did. Will she let him go?
STORY: There was a little boy who wanted to surprize his grandmother who was visiting one morning and he brought her a cup of coffee. He had made it himself and was so proud. He anxiously waited to her her verdict on the quality of the coffee.
The grandmother had never in her life tasted such a bad cup of coffee. It was absolutely awful but she forced it down to the last sip. Then she noticed three of those little green army guys in the bottom of the cup.
She asked him, "Why would three little green army guys be in the bottom of my cup?"
He answered, "You know, Grandma, it’s like on TV, THE BEST PART OF WAKING UP IS SOLDIERS IN YOUR CUP.’
Hannah might have had some humerous stories to tell about little Samuel. Would she--Could she let him go?
Elkanah said, "OK, do as you feel you should do." What did she say?
She said, "For this child I prayed and I have lent him to the Lord for AS LONG AS HE LIVES. She was not going to recall him. I think hat commitment to her vow shows a Mother’s love.
Can you think of times when you made vows but were not all that committed to keeping them? When parents are asked at the baptism of their children, "Will you raise this child in the faith"--is that vow taken as a long term commitment? Sometimes it is and sometimes it is not. Hannah didn’t know how the Lord would answer future prayers for her. All she knew was that she was faithful to keeping this vow. She kept in touch with Samuel as he grew and visited him. She brought him a little coat. Her Mother’s love continued throughout his lifetime perhaps in a different way than it would have if he had been living at home. Scripture says that Samuel grew and was in favor with the Lord and with men." I Samuel 2:26. Luke 2:52 said the same thing about Jesus--he grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. It is said that Samuel ministered to the Lord and he served in a variety of ways there and things went will for him. Psalm 92:13 says, "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our Lord."
Because of this Mother’s love to this child the Lord was able to fulfill his plan and purpose in Samuel’s life.
Then Eli said to her, "The Lord give thee more children for the loan that is lent to the Lord." Scripture says that the Lord gave her three more sons and two daughters.
CONCLUSION: All of us need these two characteristics in our life. Not just Mothers and Grandmothers. Be a CONSISTENT Christian who serves the Lord day in and day out like Hannah did. Consistent in front of your children and grandchildren or any other children who are in your care. In spite of the chaotic society in which we live, they will be able to see your stability and consistency.
When you make a vow to the Lord, be COMMITTED to cary it out whether it proves to be an easy thing or a very difficult thing. God honored Hannah’s commitment.
At this Mother’s Day, let your desire be to make God a priority in your life that children will know that your lifestyle is first of all one of serving the Lord--that He is a priority in your life.
Shall we Pray:
