OASIS – Spring 2024 – May 14-15, 2024 - HANNAH
“Remember Me” – 1 Samuel 1-2
The Samuel narratives (1 and 2 Samuel) tell the account of Samuel, Saul, and David.
• 1 Samuel begins with the birth narrative of Samuel to his mother Hannah.
• Interesting note: The Samuel and Samson (Judges 13) narratives begin almost the same way, yet the integrity and character of Samuel and Samson could not be more different. Both involve Nazirite vows being made prior to birth
1 Samuel 1:1-2: “There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.”
• See maps for location of Ramathaim and Ephraim. Also notice Shiloh (v. 3). Ramathaim is thought to be about 5 miles/8 km northwest of modern Jerusalem.
• Lots of speculation about the Ramathaim (or Ramah) of 1 Samuel 1. This name means “the heights of the views.” Some of the theories of this community from 1100 BC and actual location includes the following:
o Ramallah: de facto headquarters of the Palestinian Authority today.
o Mizpah: traditional tomb site of Samuel.
o Arimathea: Home of Joseph the Pharisee who buried Jesus.
1 Samuel 1:3-8: “3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb 6 Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
• This family is committed to the RITUAL of WORSHIP and SACRIFICE
o Three times a year every Israelite male was required to appear before the Lord at the central sanctuary (Exodus 23:14-19; Exodus 34:23; and Deuteronomy 16:16-17)
o The Lord Almighty: Traditionally translated “the Lord of hosts,” this is the first time in Old Testament that God is designated with this title. The terms “hosts” can refer to (1) human armies (Exodus 7:4, Psalms 44:9); or (2) celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 2:1, Deuteronomy 4:19, Isaiah 40:26); or (3) heavenly creatures such as angels (Joshua 5:14, 1 Kings 22:19, Psalm 148:2).
o Shiloh: a town in Ephraim between Bethel (10 miles northeast of Bethel) and Shechem where the central sanctuary and the ark of the covenant were located (according to Joshua 18:1) until the events of 1 Samuel 4.
• Polygamy is all over the Old Testament, but it is NEVER portrayed as the ideal reality for either women or men.
• The CRUELNESS of Peninnah toward “her rival” Hannah is not unique in scripture, but is hurtful, nonetheless.
• Simply put, Hannah is suffering from a BROKEN HEART.
• Elkanah is your TYPICAL man. He just doesn’t get it! “Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” Nope!
1 Samuel 1:9-11: “9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s house 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly 11 And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
• “In her deep anguish” and “weeping bitterly” describe the spiritual and emotional state of Hannah. Not a stretch to say Hannah was “poor in Spirit.”
• Hannah, in the midst of her broken heart and troubled spirit, makes a radical VOW to the Lord. Four parts of her request:
o Remember me
o Give me a SON.
o I will give my SON back to the LORD for all the days of his life.
o No RAZOR will ever be used on his head. (Nazarite vow)
• The Nazirite Vow is described in detail in Numbers 6, although a lifetime vow is not typical according to the text.
o Comes from the Hebrew root word NAZIR, which is usually translated “consecrated” or “separated.”
o The requirements of those taking a Nazirite vow include abstaining from wine and other fermented drink, including vinegar made from wine. They also cannot eat grapes or raisins or anything that comes from the grapevine. They must not allow a razor to be used on their head and they must stay away from dead bodies
o The summary statement of the vow is in Numbers 6:21: “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD in accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite.”
1 Samuel 1:12-18: 12 As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.” 15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” 17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
• GT confession: This text convicted me that I have been in error multiple times when calling our church to worship and praying a prayer like this: “Lord, help to cast aside any burden or struggle or distraction we have brought with us today and focus solely on our time of worship.” Hannah teaches us to not cast aside our burdens and struggles but instead to bring them with us before the LORD!
• Hannah brought her deepest burden to the LORD in prayer and worship, so much so that Eli the Priest thought she was under the influence of wine.
• “Wicked”: Dt. 13:13 speaks to wicked men among the people who lead others astray to worship other gods. Might have been common during this dark time.
• Eli the priest does NOT say your request WILL become reality, but instead asks the God of Israel to GRANT her request.
• “May your servant find favor in your eyes”: A beautiful declaration by Hannah, the angel Gabriel uses this same language to calm and comfort a young virgin in Luke 1:30: “Don’t be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.”
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Samuel 1:19-20: 19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.”
• Following Hannah’s encounter with Eli, her rhythm does NOT change! She and her husband remain committed to WORSHIP.
Names matter:
- Hannah means GRACE or FAVOR.
- Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for HEARD of GOD.
- “In the course of time”: We don’t know how much time elapsed before the Lord answered her prayer. Samuel will be the first of six children (three boys and two girls) Hannah will have with Elkanah. (1 Samuel 2:21)
- “The Lord remembered her”: Not a common phrase in the O.T., but one that puts Hannah alongside Noah, Abraham, and Rachel.
1 Samuel 1:21-28: 21 When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always.” 23 “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his word.” So, the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
• “Weaned”: It was customary in the East to nurse children for three years or longer (2 Maccabees 7:27 in the Apocrypha speaks to this).
Hannah resisted the possible temptation to renege on her vow to the Lord.
Hannah wasn’t the only one that made a vow to the Lord!
Do you wonder the mindset of Hannah during these precious first years of Samuel’s life, as she treasured her son and yet realized her relationship would change dramatically?
1 Samuel 1:24-28: 24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD 27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there.
• “A three-year old bull”: some ancient manuscripts have “with three bulls.”
• “Ephah of flour”: 22 liters or 3/5 bushel.
• A more appropriate explanation of Hannah to Eli might have been, “I’m the woman you accused of being drunk.” Hannah refuses bitterness or even sarcasm and soberly declares to Eli her gift of Samuel to the Lord’s service.
• Samuel will go on to become one the greatest (and undervalued IMO) heroes of the faith in the Hebrew Scriptures. He will be a bridge between the horrific period of the Judges and the establishment of the Monarchy. Samuel will function as PROPHET, PRIEST, and JUDGE of Israel.
• The final word from Hannah in this narrative is a song of worship, simply known as Hannah’s Prayer. It is sometimes referred to as The Magnificat of the Old Testament.
1 Samuel 2:1-10: “Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance 2 “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
3 “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed
4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. 5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 “The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. 7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; 10 those who oppose the LORD will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth
“He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” Lessons from the account of Samuel’s birth to the once-barren Hannah:
• The KEY phrase in the narrative is the cry of Hannah to the LORD to REMEMBER her.
Question: How does the Lord remember us in our life journey?
#1: The Lord REMEMBERS us when our hearts are BROKEN.
• “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in the spirit.” Psalm 34:18
• “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
#2: The Lord REMEMBERS us when we PRAY our prayers.
• Hezekiah’s fervent prayer in 1 Kings 20 (which resulted in 15 more years of life) vs. my fervent prayer on January 18, 2010 (that only gave my father 15 more minutes of life). For quite some time I pondered this question: “why did God show up for King Hezekiah and not for me?”
• We want to be FORMULA Christians, especially when it comes to the prayers of our hearts! We would like something along the lines of:
A + B + C = I get what I want from the Lord.
#3: The Lord REMEMBERS us AFTER our prayers have been prayed.
• Hannah lived a BLESSED (hesed) life after fulfilling her vow to the Lord!
#4: The Lord REMEMBERS us even when we DON’T remember Him!
• Luke 15:20: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
Oasis May 21/22: Samuel the boy hears from the Lord, 1 Samuel 3, and Greg’s visit to the Museum of the Bible last month in Washington D.C.
REMINDER: Evening Oasis concludes for the summer after the May 22 study.
This summer in Main Auditorium: The Samuel narratives. This Sunday: 1 Samuel 16 and the anointing of David to become the 2nd King of Israel.