Skip to main content

Thine handmaid

1 Samuel 1:11
"11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."

We are studying Hannah in the first chapter of the book of First Samuel. She was a young wife, married to Elkanah, who had another wife named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. This situation weighed heavy on Hannah. The other wife would ridicule Hannah for not having children. This made Hannah ANGRY and STRESSED. This motivated Hannah to PRAYER.

Every year this faithful family made a pilgrimage to Shiloh to worship GOD and offer sacrifices. On these trips Hannah is taking the opportunity to pray to GOD at the tabernacle. She caught the eye of the priest Eli, probably her strong crying was inescapable. She would have been bitter and fervent in her prayers punctuated by strong crying and tears!

In today's verses we read some of what Hannah prayed; "And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of THINE HANDMAID, and remember me, and not forget THINE HANDMAID, but wilt give unto THINE HANDMAID a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head." It is NOT uncommon for a person to make promises to GOD in their hour of desperation. It is remarkable that Hannah's will is aligned with GOD'S plan! Her will must have been tempered by MANY hours of prayer. Like Kind David, she had a firm grasp on her own shortcomings and the holiness of GOD. She knows she is a servant to the one true GOD and wants to do her part to advance the Kingdom of God in her world. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

to be taller

Matthew 6:27 "27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" Jesus has questions... Beginning our study this week with "Why Do You Worry?" Questions have always been a cornerstone of education, used to assess students’ knowledge, promote comprehension, and stimulate critical thinking. Well-crafted questions lead to new insights, generate discussion, and promote the comprehensive exploration of the subject. It makes sense that GOD would use questions VERY effectively. In yesterday's verses, Jesus asked "Are you not MUCH BETTER than birds?" His questions do not end there. In today's verse we read another one, "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" This is a sentence our culture needs to learn. No anxiety, no thinking, no wanting will alter our bodily height, or any other condition of our life that is fixed by God’s laws. We often wish things were different than they are, but our "wo...
Post a Comment
Read more

we also...

Romans 6:3&4 "3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." In our studies we are striving to understand God’s love and care. God's unconditional love for His followers, appreciating that we are part of GOD’S family! God is with us from cradle to grave. His divine presence is always giving us purpose and guidance. One of the most important milestones in the life of a Christian is baptism. When we are baptized, an indelible mark is made on our soul. This mark signifies a permanent transformation and dedication of the individual to God. The act of Baptism involves water and the invocation of the Holy Trinity. This ritual is seen as a symbolic washing away of original sin and a new birth into the life of Christ. Baptism is a foundational s...
Post a Comment
Read more

in roads

Acts 2:7&8 "7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" The Holy Ghost is the only way this happens. They were very surprised to be hundreds and, some cases, thousands of miles from "home" and hearing their language spoken! It was astonishing! Appreciate that these devout Jewish people whose families had been carried away from Israel generations before. Taken in captivity by armies that invaded and conquered Israel. (A little like Joseph was taken captive to Egypt. All by God's plan to save the Israelites during a time of famine.) Over the years, these Jewish "captives" would adopt the language and some of the customs of their captors. However, they remained Jewish. By the time of the events recorded in the book of Acts, they made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover and the Feast of Weeks. They just happe...
Post a Comment
Read more