HANNAH: A MOTHER’S FAITH

   “Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD.” — 1 Samuel 1:10.

Over the last few weeks on Friday, we have been looking at little-known characters in the Bible that we might, wrongly perhaps, skip over as not being particularly important. But some of these often-overlooked characters can be significant in other ways, showing us and teaching us something important through their lives, what happened to them, and how other people engaged with them. They were ordinary people who had cast long shadows of godly influence. One was Hannah.

Hannah is not a major Bible storyline. She wasn’t known as a popular or visible leader. She wasn’t a sought-after Old Testament leader and judge like Deborah. She didn’t catch the eye of a King, rise up in courage, and save a nation like Esther. She didn’t have a book in the Bible named after her like Ruth. But what she did have was inner strength and trust in God. We can learn from her faith.

Hannah was married to Elkanah. He had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. They lived in a remote part of Israel and made their home in the mountains of Ephraim (1 Samuel 1:1-2). The Bible makes it clear that Elkanah loved Hannah, although she was childless. One of the most important roles of a woman in those days was her ability to bear children. Despite Hannah’s deep desire to bear children, it may have seemed to her that she may never have children. Living in a time where so much emphasis was placed on a woman’s ability to have children, she must have felt very discouraged. Yet, in her discouragement, she continued to pray. She did not let her circumstances keep her from pleading and praying to God.

In the first Book of Samuel, we learn that Hannah cried out to God while she was in the temple, weeping in anguish. Eli, a priest was watching her. He thought she was drunk. He reprimanded her, telling her to throw away her wine. Hannah answered Eli, telling him that she wasn’t drunk, rather she was a “praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” (1 Samuel  1:16).

She explained she was “pouring out her soul before the Lord” (vs. 15). Eli tells her “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” (vs. 17). God heard her request. Hannah told God that if He were to give her a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord. You would think that after waiting so long and desperately wanting a child, Hannah most likely wanted to keep her son. Not knowing if she would ever have another, a great temptation may have been to go back on her promise to the Lord and not give him away. This was not the case. Hannah gave her son, Samuel, to the Lord.

Hannah could have given up at any time and declared it was just too unfair and hard. But she didn’t. And we can’t either.

Discussion Questions:

1. What did Hannah’s prayer reveal about her understanding of: a. God’s character b. God’s power c. God’s relationship with people?
2. What had Hannah sacrificed? What had she gained? What can we learn from Hannah’s relationship with God?