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The kings & the King: A Study of 1 Samuel These study notes are produced to coordinate with the weekly teaching series “The kings & the King: A Study of 1 Samuel” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffcgrow.com.

FIRST FAMILY CHURCH

The kings & the King: A Study of 1 Samuel

Week 1 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11 The Intersection

“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.”–1 Samuel 1:10

And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord.

I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

–1 Samuel 2:1

“The most dangerous hurts in our lives are the hurts that justifiably lead to bitterness. These kinds of hurts can drown out God’s grace and the joy of our own salvation. The road to peace and joy during these bumpy times in life starts when we surrender our sense of need to focus our heart’s desire upon the Lord. When all our heart desires is Him, He will give us the desires of our heart.” This week we begin a study that will carry us through the book of 1 Samuel. This is a

time of great transition for the nation of Israel. We get to watch as the nation goes through a major paradigm shift. Samuel, the judge, prophet, and priest, is the man God uses to lead Israel through this transition.

As the book begins, Israel is in the midst of a dark time. You can drop your finger just about anywhere in the book of Judges and you will see the kind of depravity and disintegration that is tearing Israel apart. Spiritually, Israel is weak and anemic. There have been periods of revival and hope, but these are often soon forgotten as Israel returns to her sinful ways. The phrase that summarizes this period of time in Israel is found in Judges 17:6–“ In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

This is where we find ourselves as 1 Samuel begins. It’s a dark time. As the narrative begins, we are introduced to two families–one, the family of Elkinah, is a devout, deeply religious family that worships the Lord faithfully, yet were bigamist who conformed to the morals of their day. The other, the family of Eli the high priest, is an evil family that

The kings & the King: A Study of 1 Samuel Page 39 These study notes are produced to coordinate with the weekly teaching series “The kings & the King: A Study of 1 Samuel” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffcgrow.com.

preys upon the people of the Lord and uses their position as pastor/shepherds at the temple of the Lord to satisfy their own lusts and pleasures.

We titled this week’s lesson “The Intersection,” because the Bible presents us with one of those incomprehensible conflicts where the sovereign will of God appears to bring trial and pain into the lives of God’s people. In this case, it is the inability of Hannah, one of Elkanah’s wives, to get pregnant and have a child. To make matters worse, Elkanah has two wives, and his other wife, Peninnah, not only has several children with Elkanah, but she uses her blessing to antagonize and ridicule Hannah to the point that Hannah is so bitterly depressed that she struggles to eat. I told you, this is a dark time.

Yet, Hannah doesn’t let her depression and bitterness rule her. She does what many of us should do, but often fail to do. She takes her pain, her bitterness, her depression to the Lord in prayer. As our teaching team studied this last part of 1 Samuel chapter 1, we concluded that in her prayer, Hannah did ask of the Lord that He would bless her with a son, but the joy and peace that she experiences is not because she is promised a son, but because she has finally surrendered her need for a child to the Lord. Psalm 37:4 tells us that we are to delight ourselves in the Lord, and when we do, he will give us the desires of our heart. We often turn this statement around so that we interpret it as “when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us whatever we want.” That’s not what it says. Psalm 37:4 teaches us that when all our heart desires is the Lord Himself, He will fill our heart with Himself.

This is what I think we see happen in the life of Hannah. In her bitterness and depression, she surrendered her desire for a child to the Lord and replaced it with a desire for the Lord. In Samuel 2, we see Hannah express this in her prayer of praise:

My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. That is “The Intersection,” when our desires intersect with God’s sovereignty, and

we submit ourselves to His sovereign leading in our life, we experience true joy and peace, even in the midst of great trials.

May the Lord bless you and lead you this week as you study and meditate on this truth from His word.


1 Samuel 1

Chapter Summary:

Contents: The vow of Hannah and the birth of Samuel. Characters: God, Eli, Elkhanah, Hannah, Samuel, Peninnah. Conclusion: Prayer is heart’s ease to a gracious soul. If we seek on the basis of God’s glory (v. 11) we shall be confident that we do not seek in vain. Prayer smoothes the countenance (v. 18). Key Word: Bitterness, v. 10. Strong Verses: 17, 27, 28. Striking Facts: True prayer may only be offered on the grounds of the sacrifice (v. 3). By Christ’s offering, not only is atonement made for sin, but the audience and acceptance of our prayers is obtained for us. In all our supplications, we must have an eye to the Great Sacrifice.5

Hannah: A Godly Mother

The Family of Elkanah

1] Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

a certain man This verse resembles the introduction to the birth of Samson in Judg. 13:2. The strong comparison highlights similarities between Samson and Samuel: Both men were judges over Israel, fighters of the Philistines, and lifelong Nazirites.6

This area, otherwise known simply as Ramah (“the height”), was in the hill country about 25 miles? north of Jerusalem. Ramah was Samuel’s birthplace [vv. 19-20], residence [7:17], and burial place [25:1]. (Perhaps, according to Eusebius, it is also to be identified with Arimathea, the home of Joseph of Arimathea of New Testament times.)

See article on Ramah of Benjamin.

Elkanah’s description as an Ephraimite could appear troublesome since Samuel served as a priest, an office reserved exclusively for Levites. However, Elkanah was a

5 Keith Brooks, Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the Old Testament (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 57.

6 John MacArthur Jr., ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 377.

The kings & the King: A Study of 1 Samuel 1 These study notes are produced to coordinate with the weekly teaching series “The kings & the King: A Study of 1 Samuel” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this series are available at www.ffcgrow.com.

direct descendant of Levi (1 Chr 6:33-38) and was therefore qualified to function in a priestly capacity. He was a Levite by lineage but an Ephraimite by residence.

Ephraimite. First Chronicles 6:27 identifies Elkanah as a member of the Kohathite branch of the tribe of Levi. The Levites lived among the other tribes (Josh. 21:20–22). Ephraim was the tribal area where this Levite lived.7

2] And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Although polygamy was not God’s intention for mankind (Gen. 2:24), it was tolerated, but never endorsed in Israel (see Deut. 21:15–17). Elkanah probably married Peninnah because Hannah was barren. Hannah. Meaning “grace,” she was probably Elkanah’s first wife. Peninnah. Meaning “ruby,” she was Elkanah’s second wife and the first bearer of his children. John MacArthur Jr., ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 377.

The wives of the man. "He had two wives" (I Samuel 1:2). This fact testifies to the degradation of that day which was in the latter days of the judges. Two wives breed trouble (as our text notes later) be it in polygamy or divorce and remarriage. Hannah was probably Elkanah's first wife, and then because of Hannah's barrenness, he married Peninnah.8

Hannah is a unique name in English, in that it can be spelled frontwards or backwards and still be the same.

3] This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

All Israelite men were required to attend 3 annual feasts at the central sanctuary (Deut. 16:1–17). Elkanah regularly attended these festivals with his wives. The festival referred to here was probably the Feast of Tabernacles (Sept./Oct.) because of the feasting mentioned in 1:9.

the Lord of hosts. This is the first OT occurrence of “hosts” being added to the divine name. “Hosts” can refer to human armies (Ex. 7:4), celestial bodies (Deut. 4:19), or heavenly creatures (Josh. 5:14). This title emphasizes the Lord as sovereign over all of the powers in heaven and on earth, especially over the armies of Israel.

Shiloh. Located about 20 mi. N of Jerusalem in Ephraim, the tabernacle and ark of the covenant resided here (Josh. 18:1; Judg. 18:31).

7 Ibid. 8 John G. Butler, Analytical Bible Expositor – Joshua to 2 Samuel, (Clinton, Iowa: LBC Publications,

2010), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 415.


Eli. Meaning “exalted is the Lord.” He was the High-Priest at Shiloh.

Hophni and Phinehas. Each of Eli’s two priestly sons had an Egyptian name: Hophni (“tadpole”) and Phinehas (“nubian”).9

###

This verse disturbed me for a long time. Why in the world did Samuel have to tell us that the sons of Eli were at the tabernacle? Later on we will find out. Going to worship God at the tabernacle was not all that you might suppose it to be. Actually it was a dangerous place to be, because these sons of Eli were "sons of Belial," or sons of the devil, if you please.

Some churches are the worst places you can be in and the most dangerous places for you. I have heard people say concerning the Upper Room, "How wonderful to have been there with Jesus!" Would it have been? Do you know who was in the Upper Room? Satan! He was not invited, but he was there. The record tells us that Satan entered into Judas. The Upper Room was the most dangerous place to be in Jerusalem that night. So, going to worship God had its difficulties in Samuel's day. Evil was present there in the persons of Eli's sons. It is interesting that this is mentioned at this juncture in 1 Samuel.10

4] And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.

A peace offering since the worshipers ate a portion of the offering (see Lev. 7:11–18). 11

5] But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb.

According to Deut 7:13-14, having children was a sign of God’s blessing. Conversely the Israelites considered the inability to bear children as a curse.

Hannah’s barrenness was the result of divine providence like Sarah’s (Gen. 16:2) and Rachel’s (Gen. 30:2).

The childlessness of the mother. "Hannah had no children... the Lord had shut up her womb" (I Samuel 2:2, 5). This condition was Hannah's great burden. First, the painfulness of childlessness. In Bible days, children were considered a great blessing from God (Psalm 127:3-5), and to be childless was a great reproach for a woman (Luke 1:24, 25). As we will see shortly, it was the cause of the contempt

9 MacArthur, 377. 10 J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983),

WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Chapter 1". 11 MacArthur, 377.


experienced by Hannah from Peninnah. Second, the partners in childlessness. Many great women in the Bible experienced childlessness for an extended period of time. Sarah, Isaac's mother; Rachel, Joseph's mother; and Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother; along with Hannah, Samuel's mother, all had been barren a long time before they bore their famous sons. The character of their famous sons says quality is better than quantity.12

6] And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb.

Elkanah was a godly man but he had a divided home, and his favorite wife, Hannah (“grace”), carried a constant burden of sorrow because of her barrenness and because of the persecution of the other wife. Like many of us, Hannah was sure that she had the right to be bitter...Watch out for those “justified” hurts! They are the most dangerous of all! 1 In Hannah’s case her childlessness was a double burden. “Her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her” (v. 6).

Year after year when Elkanah took his family to Shiloh to worship at the tabernacle there, Hannah met her family and friends—still childless. There her constant pain peaked, and she could hardly bear her fate. The Bible says that she was bitter. We can understand why Hannah felt bitter: she was denied something she wanted desperately. Hannah’s childlessness had at least two tragic effects. First, it colored her whole outlook on life. She wept often, and would not eat. She was “down- hearted.” And in her prayer to God, Hannah spoke of her condition as “misery.” How tragic when we are so burdened that we’re unable to experience the simple joys that enrich our lives.

The other wife was an adversary. provoked her. Lit. “to thunder against” her; see 2:10 for the same word.

###

The contempt for the mother. Hannah had an "adversary" (I Samuel 1:6) who made life miserable for Hannah. First, the source of the contempt. Peninnah was the source of the contempt. Peninnah's name is not mentioned as the "adversary" but it is obvious she was the provoker. She was the kind that could not experience blessing (in her case the blessing of children) without becoming proud and insolent. Second, the stimulating of the contempt. "Her adversary... provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb" (I Samuel 1:6). The reason for the contempt was Hannah's barrenness. That emphasizes the pain a childless woman experienced. Third, the season of the contempt. "When she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her" (I Samuel 1:7). Worship was a time when Hannah would be more vulnerable to attack, because the adversary would mock her faith in God because Hannah was barren. Satan thrives in mocking where saints are

12 Butler, 416.


suffering. He mocks their faith, for he would make them think that because they have faith, they ought to prosper in the world. God have mercy on those who especially disrupt and disturb the worship of others by provocative action.13

7] So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.

The Law required all adult Hebrew males to appear at the tabernacle or temple of the LORD for the three major religious festivals of the year (Ex 23:14-17).

Hannah's Vow

8] Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

your heart grieved. The idiom used reflects anger, not sadness (see Deut. 15:10

for the same idiom). 14

Hannah’s depression was so great that she could not even recognize evidences of the grace of God. Hannah had no child, but she had a husband who loved her and who was sympathetic. We can sense Elkanah’s love in his words encouraging Hannah to eat: “Don’t I mean more to you than 10 sons?”

So often when we feel bitter and downcast we too are unable to sense, in the good gifts God has given us, evidences of His love and grace. Hannah’s perspective was so totally colored by her personal tragedy that she could not sense the beauty, the good, or grace with which God infuses every believer’s life.

###

The chiding for the mourning. "Why weepest thou?... why eatest thou not?... why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?" (I Samuel 1:8). Her mourning received a rebuke from her husband, Elkanah. It was not a very comforting act. And claiming to be better than ten sons was not true. "The husband really is not better than ten sons, for the joy of motherhood is quite distinct from that of conjugal affection, and especially to a Hebrew woman, who had special hopes [of bearing the Messiah] from which she was cut off by barrenness" (R. Payne Smith in The Pulpit Commentary).15

13 Butler, 416. 14 MacArthur, 377. 15 Butler, 417.


9] So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord.

NKVJ = tabernacle. KJV = temple. hekal, “palace; temple.” [Vines] The world “temple” in 1:9 simply means “a large public building” and does not refer to Solomon’s temple which had not yet been built; it refers here to the Tabernacle.

Hekal with the meaning “temple” is generally clarified in the context by two markers that follow. The first marker is the addition “of the Lord”: “And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel” (Ezra 3:10). The second marker is a form of the word qodesh, “holy”: “O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps” (Ps. 79:1). Sometimes the definite article suffices to identify the “temple in Jerusalem”: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple” (Isa. 6:1), especially in a section dealing with the “temple” (Ezek. 41). 16

The mention of sleeping quarters (3:2, 3) and doors (3:15) implies that at this time the tabernacle was part of a larger, more permanent building complex.

10] And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.

Hannah was a woman of prayer, so it is no surprise to find her son Samuel a great man of prayer. So burdened was her heart that Hannah left the feast without eating and went to the tabernacle to pray.

In her bitterness, Hannah took two vital steps. First, she took her bitterness to God. And second, in prayer she began to reorder priorities. Hannah made a commitment to dedicate the son she prayed for to the Lord. She no longer wanted a child just for herself. She began to look beyond her own needs, and to envision the good that meeting her need might do for others.

11] Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”

Hannah did not “bargain” with the Lord; rather, she proved her spiritu- ality by willingly offering God her best—her firstborn son. Verse 21 suggests that her husband agreed with the vow; see also Num 30:6–16. This dedication of her son was

16 W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 258.


a commitment to the Nazirite vow, described in Num 6:1-8. It was the same vow undertaken by the parents of Samson whom they dedicated to the LORD under nearly identical circumstances (Judg 13:2-5).

A married woman’s vow could be confirmed or nullified by her husband according to Num. 30:6–15.

all the days of his life. A contrast to the normal Nazirite vow, which was only for a specified period of time (see Num. 6:4, 5, 8).

no razor. Though not specified as such in this chapter, the Nazirite vow is certainly presupposed. The nonshaving of the hair on one’s head is one of the 3 requirements of the vow (Num. 6:5). This expression was used elsewhere only of the Nazirite Samson (Judg. 13:5; 16:17).17

"Give unto thine handmaid a man child" (I Samuel 1:11). So many of our prayers miscarry because they are aimed at no special goal. "We launch them aimlessly in the air, and wonder that they achieve nothing" (F. B. Meyer).18

12] And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth.

Hannah’s prayer was a desperate one, so heartfelt that her lips moved, even though she was praying in her heart.

13] Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.

The high priest at the time, Eli, thought she was drunk and rebuked her. Public prayer in Israel was usually audible. However, Hannah was praying silently, leaving Eli to surmise that she was drunk.

14] So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!”

Eli, the High Priest, certainly judged Hannah severely (Mt 7:1–5), especially considering that his own sons were “sons of Belial [Satan]” (see 2:12).

Eli was the high priest, and he saw this distraught woman come to the tabernacle and pray. He watched her mouth, saw her lips move, but could not hear any sound. Neither, apparently, could he read her lips. Notice his reaction, which is an insight into the conditions of that day. The sons of Eli drank and caroused there. Eli knew it but had shut his eyes to it -- he was an indulgent father. When Hannah prayed with such zeal in her heart, Eli thought she was drunk. Do you know why?

17 MacArthur, 377. 18 Butler, 418.


Others who were drunk had come to the house of the Lord. This place of worship wasn't really the best place to come in that day. 19

15] But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.

16] Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

17] Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”

When she explained that she was praying out her anguish and grief, Eli blessed her and Hannah went away with a strange assurance. We read that she ate, and “her face was no longer downcast” (v. 18).

18] And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

That prayer of Hannah’s was answered: she conceived and bore a child whom she named Samuel. A child who would grow up to become one of the Bible’s most significant characters.

The praying ended with peace in Hannah's heart.

• The encouragement for the peace. "Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition" (I Samuel 1:17). Eli's statement helped to encourage Hannah after she had prayed.

• The expression of peace. "Her countenance was no more sad" (I Samuel 1:18). Not only was her heart at peace, but her very expression showed the change, too.

• The eating in the peace. "Did eat" (I Samuel 1:18). Her appetite came back. This proves the genuineness of the peace.

• The extent of the peace. "No more sad" (I Samuel 1:18). The peace was not temporary but lasting.

• The exalting in the peace. "Rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord" (I Samuel 1:19). The character of her peace is evident in her exalting the Lord in worship.20

19 McGee. 20 Butler, 419-420.


Samuel is Born and Dedicated

19] Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.

Hannah's Surrender

God answered Hannah’s prayers and sent a son, so she named him Samuel, “asked of the Lord.” Jewish women weaned their children at about the age of three; at that time Hannah took Samuel to Eli and fulfilled her vow to the Lord.

The three bullocks were probably for the sin offering, burnt offering, and special offering for the Nazarite vow; see Num 15:8.

“For this child I prayed.” What a testimony from a godly mother! See 2 Tim 1:5. If we had more parents like Elkanah and Hannah, we would have more godly people like Samuel. “Lent” means “given”; Samuel belonged to the Lord for the rest of his life.

"Ramah" (I Samuel 1:19). The town is called by its long name "Ramathaim-zophim" in I Samuel 1:1. This town is believed to be Arimathea, of the New Testament—the town of Joseph of Arimathea who helped to care for the burial of the body of Jesus after the crucifixion. It is the town where Samuel died and was buried (I Samuel 25:1; 28:3), it is the town where the elders of Israel told Samuel they wanted a king to reign over them and where Saul was anointed king (I Samuel 8:4, 5, 10:1). 21

20] So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.”

Though the name technically means “his name is God” or something similar, Hannah may, by assonance, have understood the name to mean “asked of God.” She had “asked” (sha’el) God for a son, and He had “heard” (shama`) her. “Samuel,” then, would be associated with Shemuw’ el, “heard of God,” because she had asked the Lord for him.

###As I have said previously, this book of 1 Samuel opens with the cry of a godly

woman. While the people are crying for a king, Hannah is crying out for a child. God builds the throne on a woman's cry. When a woman takes her exalted place, God builds her a throne.

21 Butler, 420.


What a contrast that is to our contemporary society. For the past few months we have heard nothing on the news but abortion, abortion, abortion. Here is Hannah who wants a child, and some women today do not want their children. Of course there are times when abortion is essential for the mother's life or even for the sake of the child, but that should be determined by expert, scientific consultation. However, the issue today is that people want to sin, but they do not want to pay the consequences for their sin. My position is that when people sin they should bear the fruit of their sin. If a child is conceived, that child should be born and should be the responsibility of those who brought him into the world. People are trying hard to get away from the fruit of sin. We need to understand this principle: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7). We are living in a day of abortion. Hannah lived in a day when she wanted a son, and she dedicated that son unto the Lord. On her cry, God built a kingdom. What a tremendous tribute and wonderful monument to this woman's cry!22

21] Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow.

22] 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.”

When Samuel was weaned, which according to custom would have been about age three (Cf. 2 Maccabees 7:27), he was taken to Shiloh and presented to Eli. Hannah told how she prayed for this child, and now he was given to the Lord for lifetime service.

23] So Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord establish His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

24] Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.

According to Num. 15:8–10, a bull, flour, and wine were to be sacrificed in fulfillment of a vow. Hannah brought all 3 in larger measure than required. An ephah was about .75 bu.

25] Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli.

26] And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman

22 McGee, Chapter 1.


who stood by you here, praying to the Lord.

27] For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.

28] Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.

While Elkanah was worshiping (1:28), his wife was praying and praising God. Hannah certainly exemplifies a godly mother, for she put God first, she believed in prayer, she kept her vows, and she gave God all the glory. It must have been painful for Hannah to leave Samuel. But Hannah’s prayer, recorded in Chapter 2, is a prayer of pure joy.

Ramah

Ramah ray’muh with the definite article attached [except Neh. 11:33, Jer. 31:15], meaning “the height” or “the hill”). A fairly common geographical name given to several towns in ancient Israel; these were usually situated on some lofty perch.


(3) In Benjamin (Josh. 18:25). The evidence for the identification of this town is some of the most conclusive for any site in Israel. It is clearly to be located close to Bethel (Jdg. 4:5), the modern Beitin, on the ancient trunk road leading N from Bethlehem and passing to the W of Jerusalem (19:13). Josephus (Ant. 8.12.3 §303–6), in discussing the events of 1 Ki. 15:16–17, places the town, which he calls Ar[a]mathōn), forty stades (c. 5 Rom. mi., or 4.6 Eng. mi) from Jerusalem; whereas Eusebius and Jerome put it at 6 Rom. mi. N of the Holy City (Onomasticon, 144.15–16; 145.13–14). Robinson noted that the name is preserved at the modern village of er-Ram, which is 5.5 mi. N of Jerusalem.

The prophetess Deborah exercised her authority as a judge in Israel at a place between Bethel and Ramah (Jdg. 4:5). Instead of turning in to spend the night at Gibeah, the Levite from the hill country of Ephraim could have gone on a little way further to Ramah (19:13). In addition to standing on the NS highway, er-Ram is also within striking distance of the E-W road from Jerusalem via Gibeon and the descent of Beth Horon to Gezer. During the monarchy, the hostile act of Baasha consisted in the establishment of a strong point at Ramah that could effectively block traffic to and from Jerusalem along this vital route (1 Ki. 15:17; 2 Chr. 16:1). In retaliation, Asa persuaded the Syrians to attack Israel from the N; by thus relieving pressure on the front with Judah, he was able to dismantle the fortification at Ramah and to use the building blocks for constructing two new forts of his own at Geba and Mizpah.

Thus the boundary between Judah and Israel was fixed at a line dissecting the former tribal inheritance of Benjamin in half (1 Ki. 15:17–22; 2 Chr. 16:2–6). The partition of Benjamin in this manner is reminiscent of the division reflected in Josh. 18:21–28, where Ramah belongs to the southernmost district. A brief oracle by Hosea against Gibeah, Ramah, and Beth Aven is apparently directed at Benjamin, perhaps with particular reference to this “Judahite” half of the tribe (Hos. 5:8). When one column of Sennacherib’s army was evidently storming southward from Samaria toward Jerusalem, Ramah stood in the direct line of the Assyrian advance (Isa. 10:29). Jeremiah describes Ramah as the scene of Rachel’s weeping for her children (Jer. 31:15; cf. Matt. 2:18 [KJV, “Rama”]).

Some of Ramah’s former residents were among the postexilic returnees (Ezra 2:26; Neh. 7:30; called “Kirama” [KJV, “Cirama”] in 1 Esd. 2:26). The town is also mentioned in the list of settlements (11:33), which largely pertained to places outside of the Yehud province; therefore, it might be supposed that Ramah was one of those towns in which some portion of the population had maintained a foothold during the time when the main body of Judeans were in exile. (See further Robinson, Biblical Researches, 1:576; H. Vincent in RB 16 [1907]: 410–12; W. F. Albright in AASOR 4 [1924]: 134–40; Z. Kallai-Kleimann in VT 8 [1958]: 134–60.)

It is most likely that Ramah of Benjamin was the birthplace of Samuel the prophet. The home of Elkanah and Hannah is called hārāmātayim ṣôpîm (1 Sam. 1:1), but the Hebrew construction is somewhat awkward. Since Elkanah was a descendant of Zuph, a Levite of the Kohathites (1 Chr. 6:35) settled in N Benjamin (1 Sam. 9:5; cf. Josh. 21:5; 1 Chr. 6:22–26, 35, 66–70), it would appear that the correct understanding of the name in 1 Sam. 1:1 is “Ramathaim of the Zuphite(s).” The -aim sufformative is probably to be understood as a locative rather than a simple dual suffix (cf. Gittaim et al.). All of the other references to Samuel’s home town (except 1 Sam. 25:1 and 28:3) happen to have the


locative sufformative -â resulting in the form hārāmātâ; the Septuagint renders this name Armathaim, or Armathem, even inserting it in 1 Sam. 1:3 after “his city.”

The identity of Ramathaim Zophim with Ramah is confirmed by a comparison of 1 Sam. 1:1 with 1:19 and 2:11. Although Samuel was born there, he grew up at Shiloh but returned to his home when the latter was abandoned as the religious center of Israel. At Ramah he made his headquarters, and from there he went on his annual circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah (1 Sam. 7:15–17). The elders of Israel came to him at Ramah when making their request for a king (1 Sam. 8:4). It was doubtless at Ramah in “the land of Zuph” that Saul first encountered Samuel and was secretly anointed king (1 Sam. 9:5–10:10). The probable association of Rachel’s tomb with Ramah in Benjamin (Jer. 31:15; Matt. 2:18; cf. Gen. 35:16–20) suits the description of Saul’s homeward journey (1 Sam. 10:2–5, 10). Samuel continued to dwell at Ramah even after he had severed his relations with Saul (15:34; 16:13). Here David sought refuge from Saul, whose attempts to have the renegade prince arrested were brought to naught (19:18–24). This passage also confirms the existence of a place called Naioth at Ramah (19:19, 22–23; 20:1), which probably represented a quarter or settlement, in this case inhabited by a band of prophets. Finally, Ramah became the last resting place of the prophet Samuel (25:1; 28:3).

Noteworthy for the identification with Ramah of Benjamin is the fact that Josephus refers to Samuel’s home as Armatha (Ant. 6.3.3 §35 et al., with minor spelling variations), whereas he uses Armathōn in the only other context where he refers to Ramah (Ant. 8.12.3 §303–6; cf. above). These forms have led to the identification by Eusebius (Onom. 32.21–23) of Ramathaim with the NT Arimathea, which he located at Remphis (modern Rentis in the district of Diospolis-Lod; cf. Onom. 144.27–29). Eusebius did not make the connection between Ramah of Benjamin and Ramathaim-Arimathea; instead he equated the latter with the Arumah (Rouma, ibid.) of Jdg. 9:41 (lxx Arima [Codex Alexandrinus], Arēma). Whether Arimathea is to be placed at Rentis or not, Arumah is most likely Khirbet el-ʿOrmah (5 mi. SE of Shechem).

Nevertheless, Eusebius’s association of Ramathaim and Arimathea with Rentis is strengthened by the fact that a municipal district lying between Lydda (Lod) and Aphairema had the name Ramathain (Jos. Ant. 13.4.9 §127, where the mss have such variants as Ramatha and Armathaim; 1 Macc. 11:34 reads Rathamin, but with the important variants Ramathaim and Ramathem). Thus it seems certain that a town called Haramatha (im) did exist at Rentis; the NT Arimathea may have been here (the late Medieval Christian tradition placing it at Ramleh is, of course, quite absurd, since the latter was only founded in A.D. 716 by Khaliph Suleiman; the name is derived from Arab. raml, “sand”), but the OT references to Samuel’s home point rather to a site in the hill country N of Jerusalem, that is, to an identification with Ramah of Benjamin. (See further S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel [1913], 1–4; H. W. Wiener in JPOS 7 [1927]: 109–11; F. M. Abel, Géographie de la Palestine [1938], 2:428–29.)


This minaret tower in the modern village of er-Ram identifies the ancient site of

Ramah of Benjamin, the prophet Samuel’s hometown.23

1 Samuel 2

Chapter Summary

Contents: Hannah’s prophetic prayer. Evil sons of Eli. Samuel in the tabernacle. The warning to Eli. Characters: God, Hannah, Eli, Samuel, Hophni, Phinehas, Elkanah, a prophet. Conclusion: Nothing is more provoking to God than the profanation of sacred things and men serving their lusts with the offerings of the Lord. Those who allow and countenance their children in an evil way by not using their authority to restrain and punish them, involve themselves in their guilt and may be expected to be cast off from God’s service. Key Word: Evil sons, v. 23. Strong Verses: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 30. Striking Facts: v. 35. This had its full accomplishment in the priesthood of Christ, that faithful High Priest raised up of God when the Levitical priesthood was cast aside, who in all things did His Father’s mind, and for whom God builds a sure house, built on a rock so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.24

23 Moisés Silva and Merrill Chapin Tenney, The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Q-Z (Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation, 2009), 39–41.

24 Keith Brooks, Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the Old Testament (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 57.


Hannah’s Prayer In contrast to the prayer that came from her bitterness (1:10), Hannah prayed from

joy in these verses. The prominent idea in Hannah’s prayer is that the Lord is a righteous judge. He had brought down the proud (Peninnah) and exalted the humble (Hannah). The prayer has four sections: 1) Hannah prays to the Lord for His salvation (vv. 1, 2); 2) Hannah warned the proud of the Lord’s humbling (vv. 3–8d); 3) Hannah affirmed the Lord’s faithful care for His saints (vv. 8e–9b); 4) Hannah petitioned the Lord to judge the world and to prosper His anointed king (vv. 10d–e). This prayer has a number of striking verbal similarities with David’s song of 2 Sam. 22:2–51: “horn” (2:1; 22:3), “rock” (2:2; 22:2, 3), salvation/deliverance (2:1, 2; 22:2, 3), grave/Sheol (2:6; 22:6), “thunder” (2:10; 22:14), “king” (2:10; 22:51), and “anointed” (2:10; 22:51). 25

1] And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2] “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.

3 “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.

proudly…arrogance. The majestic and powerful God humbles all those who vaunt themselves against Him. The idea of God’s humbling of the very proud is shown throughout 1, 2 Samuel, toward Peninnah, Eli’s sons, the Philistines, Goliath, Saul, Nabal, Absalom, Shimei, Sheba, and even David.26

4] “The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength.

Seven contrasts are found in these 4 verses: 1) mighty and weak; 2) full and hungry; 3) barren and fertile; 4) dead and alive; 5) sick and well; 6) poor and rich; and 7) humbled and exalted.27

5] Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble.

Hannah eventually had five other children (v. 21), but the expression “seven children” here symbolizes the full granting of her desire for a son.

25 MacArthur, 378. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid, 379.


6] “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.

Perhaps even more significant, it is a prayer that shows a deep awareness of who God is. Hannah acknowledged God as holy (v. 2), as One who knows and weighs human deeds (v. 3). Hannah saw Him as the One who satisfies the needy (v. 5), who is Master of life and death, of poverty and wealth (v. 6). Her sense of the power and glory of God is summed up beautifully in these verses:

7] The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.

8] He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He has set the world upon them.

9] He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail.

10] The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.”

“King”!? This is a premonarchical prophecy! “Anointed” = Meshiach.

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. The Lord will impose His righteous rule upon all the nations and peoples (see Is. 2:2–4). His king. Moses had already predicted the coming of a king who would exercise God’s rule over all the nations of the earth (Gen. 49:8–12; Num. 24:7–9, 17–19). It was this future, victorious king whom Hannah anticipated and Saul and David prefigured. His anointed. Previously in the OT, both the tabernacle and its utensils along with the priests (Aaron and his sons) had been anointed with oil. This pictured their consecrated and holy status before the Lord (Ex. 30:26–30). In Samuel, first Saul (10:1), and then David (16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4; 5:3) were anointed as they were inaugurated for the kingship. From this point in the OT, it is usually the king who is referred as “the anointed (of the Lord)” (12:3; 24:6; 26:9, 11, 16; 2 Sam. 1:14, 16; 19:21). The kings of Israel, particularly David, foreshadowed the Lord’s ultimate anointed king. The English word “Messiah” represents the Heb. word used here meaning “anointed.” Thus, this ultimate King who would rule over the nations of the earth, came to be referred to as “the Messiah,” as here and 2:35; cf. 2 Sam. 22:51.28

What a tremendous reorientation! The same Hannah who was so bitter and downcast that she could not even sense God’s grace now saw the Lord clearly. In

28 MacArthur, 379.


fact, she was able to praise God in a situation which some might expect would throw her back into despair—the loss of the very child she had prayed for!

What was so different? Hannah now was able to look beyond herself and her own needs. She could sense God’s love now, and trust Him. And she could sense the future that God had for this first child she loved so deeply. Because Hannah truly had given her son to the Lord, she trusted God to care for him and to give him a fulfilling life.

We have many models of prayer in the O.T. Among the greatest are: Gen 18:16–33; Ex 32:11–14; Num 14:11–19; 2 Sam 7:18–29; 12:13–23; 1 Kgs 8:22–53; 2 Kgs 19:14–19; 2 Chr 20:6–12; and Ezra 9:5–15.

[Compare this passage with Mary’s song in Luke 1:46–55. In both cases, the women praise God for His victory and for honoring the prayers of the humble. Note the two names of Christ in 2:10—“His King” and “His Anointed” (Messiah, Christ)—for Hannah’s burden was for the glory of the Lord among His people.]

11] Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.

The story of Hannah and Elkanah concludes with a single paragraph. Each year the two returned to the tabernacle to worship, bringing Samuel new clothes. But they did not come alone. God had opened Hannah’s womb, and she bore three additional sons and two daughters. What a wonderful reminder. It is impossible for us to outgive God.

As for Samuel, the boy ministered before the Lord and was cared for by Eli the priest.


How To Raise Godly Children By Adrian Rogers

Main Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 1 Be finding please in God's Word, 1 Samuel 1. Today, we're talking on this subject.

How to raise godly children. How to raise godly kids if you prefer. Sometimes you speak to a woman and you might say to her in the course of the

conversation. "And what do you do?" And, she may say, "Oh, I'm just a mother. I'm just a homemaker, that's all." What an understatement. Just a mother. Just a homemaker.

I want to stay without any stutter, without any stammer, without any equivocation, without any apology, without hesitation and without any exaggeration, the most powerful class of people on this earth are mothers. I mean that with all of my heart. That is not a sentimental thought. That's not just a thought for mother's day. Well, it has been said, the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. The man may be the head of the home, the mother is the heart of the home.

Now, in first Samuel 1, we're going to meet a mother who's name was Hannah. And, today if your name is Ann or Annie, you're named after this woman and your honored to be named after her because the name Hannah means gracious, and what a gracious woman she was. In my estimation, Hannah was a maximum mom. But it wasn't easy for her to be a maximum mom because she did not live in ideal circumstances, and you don't have to be in an ideal circumstance to be a maximum mother. As a matter of fact, Hannah lived in time when polygamy was permitted and it was tolerated at least in that day, and she was one of two wives. The other wife had two children. She had no children and she was heartbroken and on top of that she was ridiculed and taunted by the other woman that was her adversary. She prayed and God gave her children and the first child God gave her was a man named Samuel who became one of the greatest prophets in all of Israel. And, in the story of Hannah and in her prayer and in her ministry to that boy, I want you to see today some principles. These are some principles that I want to give to every mother here and for that matter to all of us, how to raise godly children. Now these principles come right out of the Word of God.

Now, there's several things I want you to notice about Hannah. the first thing I want you to notice about Hannah is her motherly instinct and the power of priority, the power of priority. Look if you will in verse 2, the last part of verse 2. Hannah had no children. Then look in verse 10, and she was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord and wept sorely. That is, she was heartbroken. Why was she heartbroken?

Because she didn't have a baby and she wanted a baby. Right away I want you to see the instinct that God put in her heart and the priority

that was there and the power of that priority. There is something drastically wrong in America today, when we are raising a generation of ladies who have no desires to be mothers. The Bible says in Psalms 127, little children are the heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. The Bible declares in Psalm 128:3, speak ye of a man who is blessed. The Bible says, and thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine


house, thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

Do you have God's priority for your priority or do you say well, my priority is to exercise my talents, my gifts, I want to be somebody in today's world. There is something basically wrong in America when we have to look upon children as burdens rather than blessings. Say amen. It is true. There is something basically wrong. I'm going to tell you something else. There is something drastically wrong when little babies are killed in their mother's wombs. Drastically wrong. You see, the safest place on this earth ought to be the mother's womb, but many times it is the most dangerous.

My heart goes out to those ladies who want to have children and cannot have them. Those who are not blessed with the ability to bear children, but oh those who are married and do not have children for selfish reasons or for other reasons, I feel sorry for you, you are missing a blessing. You say, children to day, they cost so much. They're so much time. They're so much trouble. Children will make a rich man poor. Oh, no. They make a poor man rich. The rich man can't take his money to heaven, I'm taking all my children to heaven.

Now, friend, listen to me. Listen to me. I want you to see first of all her instinct, her instinct and the power of priority. Her motherly instinct was to have a child and she said, oh God, oh God, give me a baby. Now, here's the second thing I want you to see. Not only her motherly instinct but I want you to see her motherly intercession and the power of prayer, the power of prayer. Look if you will in verse 10. And, she was in bitterness of the Lord. She was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord an wept sorely.

Do you know when you began to raise godly children, before they're born and before they're conceived. That's when you begin to raise godly children. Before she had conceived, she's down on her knees praying. And, her prayer was one of desperation. And, she prayed and said, oh, God I want you to give to me a baby. God answered her prayer. Samuel was born because of her prayer.

I was thinking of all the children who've been born in the Bible we read about, who were born an answer to prayer, born of women who here to for could not have had children. Sarah, waited until ninety years of age to have a baby as a result of prayer and faith, she gave birth to a child. His name was Isaac who blessed the world.

Rachel. I have a granddaughter named Rachel. Rachel prayed and said, Oh, God give me children or I die, and God heard her prayer and her son was Joseph who delivered the nation of Israel. Minoah's wife was barren, but touched by faith and the hand of God, she conceived, brought forth a son who's name was Samson, who was a might judge in Israel. Ruth was not only childless but she was a widow. But she prayed and God enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son who was Obed. And, Obed was the grandfather of King David and is the line and the lineage of the Savior because he prayed. Elizabeth was a woman stricken in years, a woman who'd not had a child and Elizabeth prayed and God gave Elizabeth a child. And, the name of that child was John, John the Baptist and Jesus said of that child, there was not a greater born of woman than John the Baptist, born because the mother said, oh God, I want a child.

And, here in the Old Testament is Hannah. Hannah praying and asking God saying, oh God please, please God, give me a child. Samuel was born who was a great prophet in


Israel, perhaps the most well-known person between Moses and David was the little boy who was born.

Oh, I tell you something friend. We need more children who are born in answer to prayer. That was a good place for an amen.

We need more people who are born in answer to prayer and again I want to come back to the tragedy of abortion. When there are mothers who are praying and asking God for children, the others are taking the blessing of the Lord and putting God's blessing to death. We're praying, God why don't you give us a cure for cancer? God, isn't there some answer to the AIDS problem? Oh, God what are we going to do about the problem of this thing or that thing in our world today. God, why don't you send us an answer? Maybe God might say, I did send you an answer. I gave you a child and that child had the answer to that problem and you killed that child in its mothers womb.

Oh, God why don't you send us a prophet? Why don't you send somebody to lead the nation? God did send a prophet and his name was Samuel.

Now, there's a third thing I want you to see. Not only do I want you to see her motherly instincts and the power of priority. And, not only do I want you to see her motherly intercession and the power of prayer, but I want you to see her motherly intention and the power of purpose. Why did she want a child? Look in verse 11. And, she bowed a vow and said, Oh Lord of hosts, if Thou will indeed look on the infliction of Thy handmaid and remember me and not forget Thy handmaid but will give unto Thy handmaid an child, then I will give Him unto the Lord all the days of my life and there shall no raiser come upon his head.

Now, what was her purpose? She said, Oh, God, I want a child and I want that child to glorify you.

Now, here's the principle. The principle is clear, that we should see every child as a gift from God and therefore as a gift to be given back to God. Hannah said, God, if you'll give me this baby, Lord I'll give him back to you and I'll give him back to you to be a Nazarite. That's what she meant when she said, no razor shall come upon his head.

In Numbers 6:5. Here's what is the vow of a Nazarite. All the days of the vow of his separation shall no razor come upon his head until the days fulfilled in which he separateth himself unto the Lord.

Now, what that meant was simply this, she was saying, oh, God, if you will give me a boy, I will give that boy back to you and evidently that prayer had been put in her heart because God answered the prayer. And, remember the prayer that gets to heaven is the prayer that starts in heaven. She was praying and God the Holy Spirit prompted her to pray this particular prayer.

Do you know why many mothers are failing to raise godly children? They do not have the power of purpose. What is your purpose for your child? What do you want for your child? Mothers, what is the prayer for your child. Is it for health, success, popularity, fame, wealth? Is that what you pray for your child? Do you think that if your son, that brilliant boy of yours were to become a minister, it'd be a waste of time? Or a missionary who would bury his life over seas somewhere where no one would ever hear of him? Do you think that perhaps would be a tragic waste? Maybe that's the reason that God is not


hearing your prayer. Maybe you don't have a priority. Maybe, you don't have a purpose for your child.

Do you think perhaps, if Hannah had prayed, oh God, give me a baby, but Lord I just want him to have a life of ease and luxury. I want him to be well-known and I want to bask in the sunlight of his fame. Do you think that prayer would have been answered? James says in James 4, we ask and receive not because we ask amiss that we might consume it upon our lust. Do you remember that scripture that I read to you a few moments ago in Psalm 127 that says, the fruit of the womb is God's reward. That Psalm goes on to say, as arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of one's youth. What are arrows for? Arrows are to be shot at the enemy and every child that God gives you is to be an arrow shot against Satan's kingdom. That's what Hannah was praying for.

What are you ambitions for your children? Do you know what my ambition for my children is? I can give it to you from the Word of God, from 3 John 1:4, I have no greater joy than to know my children walk in the truth. That's it. I have no greater joy. I've been married to a precious mother and I saw that talbot there of the midnight oil and I thought of the godly, gracious lady that I'm married to. And, folks I have seen that scene played so many times. I cannot tell you the times when I would awaken in the morning, early in the morning, to find my darling precious wife out on her knees praying for her children, interceding. Joyce and I, almost every day of our lives, sit at the breakfast table and join our hands together and pray, and pray for our children. I don't remember ever that we've asked God to make the wealthy. I don't remember ever that we've asked God to make them successful. I don't remember ever that we've asked God to make them famous, but I can tell you that we have prayed that they would be used of God, that they would walk in the truth and I know that's what Hannah wanted. Hannah said, God if you'll give me a child, if you'll give me a child, God, he will be used for you.

I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in the truth. I don't care whether they're well-known or not know. I don't care whether they're rich or in poverty. I'd rather them have enough, I'd rather them be healthy, of course I had, but my great joy, my great desire for my children and that of my precious wife is that they walk in the truth.

I love that song that says this. Give of thy sons to bear the message glorious. Give of thy wealth to speak them on their way. Pour out your souls for them in prayer victorious and all thou spendest, Jesus will repay. Amen.

Here's a fourth thing I want you to see about Hannah. I want you to see not only her intention, but I want you to see her intensity and the power of persistence. Do you think that she just uttered one little prayer and that was it? Begin reading in verse 12, and it came to pass as she continued praying. Underscore that. As she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth, that is, he took notice. Her lips were moving. And, Hannah she spake in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Here's Hannah, she's praying and her mouth is moving but you can't hear the words coming out. Therefore Eli thought that she'd be drunk, and Eli said unto her, how long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee. And, Hannah answered and said, no, my Lord, I'm a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have


poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thy handmaid to be a daughter Belial for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hither to. And, Eli answered and said, go in peace and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

Here was a woman who prayed with such intensity that old Eli thought she was drunk. Eli thought that perhaps she had been lingering at wine and but what she was doing was praying and praying and praying and praying and pouring out her soul to Almighty God.

I said I'm going to talk to you about how to rear godly children. There's no decision you can make in this service or any service. There no facts that you can get.

There are no techniques that you can assimilate that will take the place of persistence, the power of persistence. There will be times where you think you've lost it. There will be times when you think it's over, you've failed, that is unless you're Bob Sorrell and you've got a sweet little one little sweet daughter. Poor Bob. Poor benighted soul. He doesn't know anything. He had one precious little girl, LeAnn, sweet as honey, most of that's because of Buna not Bob, but anyway. I tell you what, you'd have to know some of these creatures from another world that God gave us. And, I can remember back when we were raising our two eldest, back in the sixties, it was like riding a bucking bronco. I mean everything was pulling at them. That's when the Beetles were coming along and all of these outward influences. And, oh, day after day, line upon line, precept upon precept, prayer upon prayer, chastisement upon chastisement, love upon love, it had to be done, day in and day out and day in and day out and day in and day out.

And, here is Hannah persisting in prayer. And, if you will read this chapter, not only did she pray here, but you read as you continue to read in chapter 2. Boy, when you read the prayer of Hannah in chapter 2, I want to tell you this woman was a might woman in prayer. If I had a need and Hannah was around after reading that prayer again in chapter 2, I would say, dear Hannah, if you could just pray for me, I wish you would just pray for me. Hannah knew how to wait on God.

Isaiah 40:31, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Psalm 37:7, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Psalm 27:14, wait on the Lord and be of good courage. Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord and he heard me. Jeremiah 29:12. Then shall ye call upon me and ye shall go and pray unto me and I will harken unto you and ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all of your heart.

Ephesians 6:18, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. Luke eighteen one, and he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. Here was a woman. Here was a woman who got hold of God and she would not let go.

Now, you say, Pastor Rogers, I don't have a baby. If I prayed like Hannah prayed, would you guarantee that God would give me a baby? No. I can't guarantee that. That may not be God's plan for you. That may not be God's plan for you. And, if it's not God's plan then you must pray until you know the will of God, but in persistent prayer, God's will is found and God's will is done. God had a special plan for precious Hannah, but that plan I am convinced would have never have come to pass had she not prayed and gotten hold of God.


And, so you see her motherly instincts and the power of priority. You see, my friend, her motherly intercession and the power of prayer. You see her motherly intention and the power of purpose. You see her motherly intensity and power persistency as she is praying and praying and does not stop. There's no cheap way, there's no easy way, there's no lazy way to raise godly kids. That's a fact. It is well worth it.

Now, here's the last thing I want you to see. I want you to see her motherly influence and the power of persuasion. The power of persuasion. Look if you will in chapter 1:21 and the man Eltana and all his house went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow 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 forever. It's very obvious Hannah had some priorities and out of that priority was this, I'm going to stay with this child in these formative years because, well begun is half done.

You know, a father has an influence on a child, but the mother makes the deepest impression on a child especially in that child's infancy and here was a woman who changed the course of history, literally, changed the course of history. Look over if you will in chapter 3 and look in verse 19, and Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and he let none of his words fall to the ground and all Israel from Dan even to Bathsheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.

Well, where did this begin? Well, it began in the heart of this mother. She stayed with him, she rocked him, she loved him, she sang to him. Look if you will in 2:18, but Samuel ministered before the Lord being a child, girded with a linen coat moreover his mother made him a little coat and brought it to him from year to year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

Not only did she teach him at her knee, not only did she visit him and teach him when he was there with Eli but she did little deeds of love and kindness for him. She sowed little coats and garments for him and brought them to him. All of these things were in her heart and in her mind as she's trying to influence this child for the Lord.

I look at my own children and I say what influence did my sermons have and to tell you the truth, I don't think a whole lot. I think they enjoyed my sermons, but I really believe that the greatest influence in the life of my children is the life that Joyce and I've lived before them. And, I would tighten the focus a little bit more and I would say the greatest influence on the life of the children has been the influence of their godly mother. I believe. I'm not that's not just rhetoric to sound good. And, I think of men whose lives have been influenced by their mother.

I think of the former Pastor of this church, Dr. Robert G. Lee. And, I think of the many times he made reference to his godly mother and the influence that she had on him. I think of the great Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln said all that I am and all that I ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. I've had the privilege to sit down face to face with the past President of the United States, talk with him and pray with him. George Bush looked me in the eye and told me what his godly mother meant to him and then with deep conviction said, if she's not in heaven, no one is in heaven.

I think of Augustine, the great theologian, whose mother Monica prayed for him and prayed him into the kingdom. I think of John Wesley. I think of Charles Wesley.


What an influence the world owes to the Wesley, the founders of Methodism, but the biographer said it was not John and Charles but it was Suzanna their mother who was the mother of Methodism.

Thank God for Dr. Billy Graham, but Dr. Billy Graham said this and I quote, speaking of his mother, she was one of the most beautiful women I've ever known and she instilled in me a love for the Bible even when it didn't seem to interest me. She began to read to my brothers and sisters from devotionals and many times I thought them extremely boring although the testimony of my mother's life helped mold and taught me how to live. The testimony of her last days gave me insight in how to die.

Let me tell you another story however. A certain boy's mother was a very dominating person. She's a very selfish person. She displayed no affection for anyone. She'd been married three times. Her second husband divorced her. The problem was abuse. She was abusing him. The child never knew any love and he never knew any discipline. That mother said to that child, "don't call me when I'm at work. I don't want you pestering me." Now, the boy had a good IQ but he dropped out of high school. He joined the marines but he felled in the marines and got a dishonorable discharge. He had no skills. He had not been helped. He'd not been encouraged by a mother. There wasn't anything he could do seemingly. He couldn't even get a drivers' license. He traveled to a foreign country and met a woman over there and married that woman.

After a while, she got sick of him and left him. He begged her to come back. About the only thing he knew how to do was shoot a rifle. One day, he decided he would use that talent. November the twenty-second nineteen sixty three from a book storage building in Dallas, Texas, Lee Harvey Oswald shot the President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. And, maybe at last, he got the attention that he'd wanted since his child. He got the attention that he'd wanted since a child.

What is the power of a godly mother. Now, listen very carefully and I'm finished. Listen carefully. There five things I pray the Holy Spirit will burn into your heart. Mothers listen. Listen. Here they are. The power of priority. The power of prayer. The power of purpose. The power of persistence and the power of persuasion. All of those are the power of a mother that make a mother an incredibly powerful mother.

Let's bow our heads in prayer. Heads are bowed and eyes are closed. If you're a mother right now, would you begin to pray that God would get things in focus? If you are not a mother, but you're a girl and looking forward to marriage, would you pray that God would get your priorities right and that you would see the things that really count. If you're a mother or a father, you've got children that have failed, would you ask God to give you a fresh start and give you wisdom as to how to restore the years the locust have eaten? You say, Pastor, if my children have done wrong, does it mean definitely that I've failed? No. No. Even the most godly mother, even the most godly father, is not guaranteed godly children.

You must have a desire for you children and a goal for yourself. Your desire for your children is that they be godly children. Your goal is that you be a godly parent.

If you are not a Christian, if you're not saved, in order to do the things that we've talked about, you need Jesus in your heart and in your life and I want to pray for you.


Father, I pray now that you would bless these who're making decisions, who are making priorities, for saying God forgive me where I failed and give me a fresh start and Lord God, I pray for those today who need Jesus, who've not been saved that today they might come to know Him as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus holy name. Amen.

This sermon from the Adrian Rogers Legacy Library © 2010 Rogers Family Trust. Used by permission.29

29 Adrian Rogers, The Adrian Rogers Legacy Collection – Sermons, (North Palm Beach, FL: Adrian Rogers Foundation, 2011), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "How To Raise Godly Children".

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