Serving God When Others Ask Why Series

Sermon Brief

Date Written: July 19, 2013

Date Preached: July 28, 2013

Where Preached: OPBC (AM)

Sermon Details:

Series Title: A Series in 1 Samuel

Sermon Title: Praising God When Others Ask Why?!

Sermon Text: 1 Sam 1:24-2:11 [HCSB]

Introduction:

In our passage of Scripture this morning we see the conclusion of the story we started 2 weeks ago… it’s a story about a woman who reached out to God in a heart breaking prayer… seeking God’s intervention into her life!

God answers her prayer, and we find Hannah is a woman of her word and after she weans her son as a child she brings him to the temple in Shiloh and ‘gives’ him to God for service in the temple…

This was an act of obedience and faithfulness that many don’t understand… an act that most in this world would stand back and ask ‘why?’ – ‘why would you do that?’ OR ‘why would God let that happen?’

This morning I want us to see the obedience of Hannah, the faithfulness of Hannah and finally the JOY and CONTENTMENT of Hannah… all of these things came about in Hannah’s life when those around her were asking “WHY?”

First we can see that Hannah had made a vow to God that if He would give her a son that she would give her son BACK to God for service in the temple when he was ready…

God had answered her prayer and the time for Samuel to begin his service in the temple was fast approaching, and I am SURE that there were MANY people who knew Hannah and how much she had prayed FOR this son to be born… that were asking the question, “WHY?”

The first thing we see in Hannah’s response to them is

Obedience when the world asks “why?” – v.24-25

24When she had weaned him, she took him with her to Shiloh, as well as a three-year-old bull, half a bushel of flour, and a jar of wine. Though the boy was still young, she took him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh.25Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli.

We can only imagine what Hannah’s friends were thinking and asking her… After all, she had been childless for so many years.

She had suffered so much mocking and ridicule by so many other people. She had cried herself to sleep so many nights… ALL because she did NOT have a child… ALL because she did NOT have a son!

And YET now she intent on completing her vow to God in taking her son, who has barely weaned from her breast and she is giving him to God to serve out the rest of his life as God’s servant in the temple!

I can imagine her friends and family saying, “Hannah! Why are you doing this? Why are you giving up your son to God? Why is God asking this of you?”

The fact of the matter is that the world never sees God’s plan as those who are IN God’s plan see it! The world always paints a grim picture of God and His plan!

They ALWAYS seem to see God as ‘taking’ something from away them… OR what God has NOT given TO them in this life! They cannot see what God has done.

BUT in this situation and story we know Hannah saw her situation very differently than those around her must have seen it!

Hannah’s saw God’s blessing upon her life and she wanted to honor God’s blessing by completing her vow to God in bringing Samuel to the temple to serve.

Hannah had known God’s blessing BUT another thing Hannah understood was that obedience was and is God’s first priority! It is the first priority for anyone who follows God.

Hannah had made a vow to God and it was a vow she had to keep! Hannah believed that God had answered her prayer and NOW she was going to honor God by completing her vow…

I believe that today in the church and in our society, we find far too MANY believers who do NOT stick with their vow to God!

It could be something as simple as a vow to God during our prayer life! OR it could be something as far fetched as a rash vow to God in our time of desperation!

I mean, have you ever prayed something like, “God if you will get me thru this…or get me out of this… I will (fill in the blank)”

When we make a vow to God, we must understand that it is a sacred promise! A sacred promise that God is going to hold us accountable to complete!

A modern day example of these sort of vows we can look to the ‘vows’ we offer up in our traditional marriage ceremony.