Thesis: Hannah’s vow to the Lord
Two things I wish to accomplish in this post:
First, to comment on reaching the book of 1st Samuel in my Bible reading plan. This is my fifth attempt at reading through the entire Bible in one year. This is now the third time that I have made it this far in Scripture. Last year, when I was going through the first sections of Scripture, I was also fighting against discouraging voices telling me that I was going to fail to read all the way through this time, “just like I had done the previous two times.” But with God’s help, I kept pushing through, not just through the books of the Torah as known by practitioners of the Jewish faith, but also the next two books that followed, the books of Joshua and Judges. (This is where I had completely fallen off before.) So when I had broken through to the beginning of 1st Samuel, that’s when I knew that this habit was going to stick. It is at this point in Scripture that I realize that I’m no longer anywhere close to the early parts of God’s story of Him and His people. I suspect that one of the lies that I had quickly fallen into previously was that reading through the entire Bible was “too hard” or “too much.” And certainly, while reading through Genesis, or Exodus, or even Deuteronomy, it can certainly feel that way! After all, at that point there are still many more books and chapters to get through, and many more characters to read about, including their births, actions, and deaths, etc. Trying to soak in and memorize all those details in one read-through would be way too daunting! That is why, this time around, I’m reading in such a manner as to not obsess over the details nearly as much, and instead try to focus on what jumps out to me. (Of course, it does help to have read through it last year with a Bible teacher providing daily recaps to help me know what to focus on!)
Second, to share an example of believing God for something, again, not because of our faith; but because in response to a fervent prayer and request, including in this case a vow, a word—a promise, even—was received from the Lord. Below is what Jesus told His disciples regarding faith and believing for things:
“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”Mark 11:22-24 NKJV
Hannah, at the beginning of the book of 1st Samuel, made a similar prayer request and acted in the same manner of faith. She also made a vow, something that God has made clear is extremely important to follow through upon doing so:
“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.””I Samuel 1:11 NKJV
Hannah got confirmation that her prayer will be answered. The below passage is her response to Eli (who was the temple priest at the time) who had accused her of being drunk when in reality she had been praying silently and with tears the words from the above passage:
“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. “Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.” Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” 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.”I Samuel 1:15-18 NKJV
Hannah rejoiced not because the answer to her prayer had yet manifested but because it was promised. She then worshiped God and took the necessary steps of faith in order to do her part in making the promise happen:
“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.”I Samuel 1:19 NKJV
Then the promise materialized:
“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.””I Samuel 1:20 NKJV
And her son Samuel was indeed dedicated to the Lord:
“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. Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, “O my Lord! As your soul lives, my Lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 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.”I Samuel 1:24-28 NKJV
- So, Hannah had a fervent prayer request borne out of a place of deep pain.
- She also had faith in God, to believe that He would honor her request if she had found favor with Him.
- She made a vow, I believe because even though she had not yet received that confirmation, she knew that if He were to indeed favor her, her request would be granted. From that place of faith she made a vow because she loved Him.
- Upon receiving by word of that confirmation, she rejoiced and worshiped Him, and then committed her part in the request to bring forth that promised son.
- Ultimately after Samuel was born she fulfilled her initial vow, that she would dedicate her son to God. Samuel ended up serving Him all the days of his life.
I think this is a huge stumbling block for a lot of people, professing believers of Jesus as well as non-believers, this kind of thinking (and not just faith). I’ve been guilty of falling short on developing this type of mentality. Not only so, but I’ve even bristled at it when this idea was presented to me. I’ve been blessed to be at a church that regularly preaches on the importance of faith and not “expecting proof” (my words for it) of God moving or providing. Given my life story and a plethora of unanswered prayers, including prayers that I thought were good (some of which have indeed been confirmed Biblically as such), developing this muscle of “believe it before you see it” has been full of not just difficulties but outright failures, oftentimes taking many many many reoccurrences of failure and consequence (often including loss) before I begin to be able to learn whatever it was that God was trying to teach me. (That’s still going on even now, I’m sorry to say.)
That’s why the truth of God’s faithfulness is so good. Our salvation is not counted on anything that we might do rightly, specifically on our own strength, but rather on Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross. We need His faithfulness and His forgiveness to cover what we cannot cover ourselves.
“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”II Timothy 2:11-13 NKJV
Postscript: God continued to bless Hannah even after she gave birth to Samuel and dedicated him to the Lord:
18 But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The Lord give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the Lord.” Then they would go to their own home. 21 And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:18-21, NKJV
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