ESOCS Devotional 2 February 2024 – Hannah’s Heart For God
MEMORY VERSE: “But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever.”1 Samuel 1:22
TEXT: 1 SAMUEL 1:21-END
And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.
22 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.
23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the Lord establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
24 And when she had weaned him, 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.
25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.
26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord.
27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
28 Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.
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The story of 1 Samuel took place during the time of the Judges. The theme of the day was “Each man did what was right in his own eyes.” One of the great lessons of this book is the same lesson we saw in Ruth and Boaz; you get to choose your own way. You don’t have to be like everyone else. If everyone else turns their back on God, you can be different, you can choose to follow God wholeheartedly. God always has a remnant.
Motherhood is a special privilege and a sacred duty. Think about the role a mother plays in the nurture and development of a child. What a great gift it is to become a mother or a father; but what a great responsibility!
I don’t know about you, but I am overwhelmed by being a father. It is an amazing honour to be given a precious young life to shape, mould, and direct. Unfortunately, I did not receive an owner’s manual with the birth of my son, and I make too many mistakes. I need someone more qualified than me to help me with this process, and Hannah points us to who that is.
Hannah gives her son to God literally, and she points us toward doing the same. Hannah promised her future son to God as a priest. To demonstrate the depth of her commitment, she committed her son with a Nazarite vow. According to Jewish tradition, Levite priests served until the age of 50. Likewise, a Nazarite vow lasted for a limited time. But Hannah made a commitment that reached far beyond either one. Her vow was for all the days of his life.
I find it amazing that Hannah would make such an extreme promise for a son she did not have. Now, here is the difficult question: Mom, how much do you trust God? Do you trust Him enough to give Him your children? If not, the next question is, why not? Hannah trusted God completely with her son, and you can too.
- What commitment have you made before God on behalf of your children?
- Lord, grant me the wisdom to hand everything I possess in life to your divine care.
Further Reading: Haggai 2:1-9; Romans 12:1-5; Hebrews 10:1-10
ESOCS Devotional 2 February 2024
