"And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 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 rasor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth... And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hanna his wife, and the LORD remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hanna had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD. And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. But Hanna 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. 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. 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. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 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. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 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.
1 Sam. 1:10-12; 18-2810And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. 11And 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. 12And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. (1 Samuel 1:10‑12).
Poor Eli, aged and infirm-perhaps not only in body but infirm in soul, too frail to discern the spirit of this needy, praying woman. So he rebukes her as being a drunkard. She maintains her innocence.
One admires the reality and purpose of heart of this dear woman, Hannah, in this chapter. She was "in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD and wept sore." There is much of that in this world today. We do not have to be very old nor be long in this world to find out more or less bitterness of soul and weeping. It is a matter of common comment that a child comes into this world, not with a laugh, but with a cry. That is typical of the world since sin came in. Many things that start out fine and promising turn out to be bitterness of soul in the end.
This may sound like a rather somber subject upon which to speak to young people, but I suppose that I am speaking not only to those who know and have confessed the Lord, but to those who, in some measure, have already experienced the truth of what I am telling you.
Hannah knew where to take the burden. She knew where to go to unload what was pressing upon her soul. That is a grand thing to find out, is it not? I often think of that in connection with those who know the Lord. Have you who are believers ever stopped to think what it would mean if you did not know the Lord Jesus, and knew nothing about prayer-if you knew nothing about the privilege of getting down on your knees and weeping out your burden into the ear of Christ? It is hard for you to realize what it would mean to have a heart heavy with grief and sorrow and have no outlet for it-to have no one to whom you could go to unload that great burden! Well, friends, that is where the unsaved are. They try all sorts of ways to forget their sorrows; they speak of drowning their sorrow, but they cannot get rid of it.
Here was a woman who had a deep burden on her soul. She went to the right place with that burden, and told it out into the ear of the One who was willing to hear, and bear, and to deliver. Unlike some of us, she did not go away from that little prayer meeting still carrying the burden. She did not go back home a sad and burdened woman, still sighing deeply beneath the load. No! She went back a woman vastly relieved, and enjoying the sense in her soul that she had been heard. See how it reads (verse 18): "So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad." That is the reality of "casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you." That is prayer in its reality—actually, truly unloading the burden and going away with the "consolations of Christ."
We have that same privilege-and what a privilege it is! That is one of those rare things that pertain to us as God's children. That is one of the things that marks us off from the world. The world has no such privileges; it has nowhere to get rid of its burden. We have-we have the privilege of coming into God's very presence and telling all to Him; then of going away with the consciousness that He has heard and in His own time and way will give the answer. Hannah went away light-hearted and glad, because she had the confidence that God had heard.
That woman made a request that she had a right to make. It was quite legitimate and proper that she should have a man child. That was the desire of every true wife in Israel. She asked what was both proper, fitting and in season.
Now, in verse 20 we read that Hannah received her request. What use is she going to make of it? She asked the Lord for something, and He has given it to her. What is she going to do with it? Is that not a question that should come home to every one of us who professes the Name of the Lord? Perhaps we have made requests; perhaps we have had desires, and have laid them before Him, and He has in some measure granted us these desires. Now, what use are going to make of the answer? This dear woman, when she gets this son, says, "I am not going to keep him for my own selfish enjoyments; I am going to present him to the Lord. The Lord has been good and gracious to me, and now I want to give back of what He has given to me."
Sometimes young people seem to congratulate themselves upon the possession of certain endowments and advantages of one kind and another. Some may feel that they come from good families; some may feel that they are in homes where there is wealth; some may feel that they have attained superior standards of education, or are perhaps endowed with superior capacity. There are various things concerning which we may congratulate ourselves. The question is, if God has given you these qualities, what use are you making of them? This woman said: "I am not going to keep dear Samuel all for myself, but I am going to take him to the Lord. I want him to be lent to the Lord all his days." That was a grand sacrifice. That was better than those three bullocks, the ephah of flour and the bottle of wine which they took with them on their journey to Shiloh. She took the dearest object of her heart and dedicated that son to the Lord.
Now, just a word there: Perhaps there are some here who are parents. This mother said in verse 22, "Then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide forever." The burden of this mother was that her son might appear before the Lord. Sometimes we read of a person making his debut; perhaps it is some great singer making his first appearance at such and such an opera; or, in other lines of achievement, he or she made their first appearance. What is sought is public display before the world. Little Samuel made his appearance here, but it was based upon the faith of a godly mother, and she was satisfied that Samuel should make his first appearance before the Lord. Those of us who are parents, may we search our hearts with that Scripture! Are we satisfied to have our children make their appearance before the Lord, or do we lust for something of the world for them-place or position? How many a parent seems to have learned as to his own life the lesson of death with Christ as to this world; but, 0, how the flame of ambition flares up when it is a question of their children. It was not so with Hannah. She said, "I want him to make his appearance before the Lord forever." It is beautiful, is it not?
As we read on in the life of Samuel we find that he quite fell in accord with his mother's wishes. And, when he arrived at the years of responsibility, or at the time in his life when he could take a stand for the Lord, he was satisfied just to go on in a quiet way as a servant, as his parents had desired for him.
You young believers, I suppose you have godly parents who have consecrated you to the Lord. They have done for you what Elkanah and Hannah did for Samuel when they brought him to Shiloh; they slew a bullock and brought the child to the priest. They recognized in that typical act of slaying the bullock that there was no standing for that boy before God, save on the ground of the death of Christ. You have been brought to God by your parents. They may not have necessarily used any symbolic act to express their consecration of you to the Lord; be that as it may, one way or another, the fact is that every Christian parent going on in communion with the Lord has consecrated his children to the Lord. Now, what is going to be the response in your life and walk to that parental consecration? Will you rebel against it, or gladly submit and go on in that happy path of having been lent to the Lord forever? It was so with Samuel-he was lent to the Lord forever. What a beautiful history is that of young Samuel.
I believe that I am speaking to many "Samuels" here his afternoon. What does the name Samuel mean? "Asked of the Lord." When I say that I am speaking to many Samuels. I do not mean that in your case there was a burden of heart for a man child, as was the case of Samuel; but what I mean is, if you are the Lord's, and the child of godly parents, you are a Samuel; because, long before you knew the Lord-long before you ever formed the Name of Jesus on your lips-your parents were crying to the Lord for your precious soul. You were asked of the Lord-your parents were pleading with the Lord that you might be a child of God, and that you would early yield your life and heart to Christ. Little do you realize how many times father and mother have been on their knees for you, praying and perhaps even weeping over you, when they saw the possibilities that were ahead of you in a world they had found to be evil. So they consecrated you to the Lord; you are a "Samuel." You have been given to the Lord.
In the next chapter we have the growth of this dear young soul. Verse 18: "But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, and girded with a linen ephod." Was that not a happy service! You do not have to wait until you become a man or woman to serve the Lord. You may start that blessed service in very tender years, though perhaps the character of it will not be such as it will be when you get your growth. You will not stand on the street and preach the gospel-you will not fill a formal position of that kind; but in so many ways you can serve the Lord even as a child! Samuel's service to the Lord was characterized by being girded with a linen ephod. That young boy's service to the Lord was characterized by a personal righteousness-separation from evil. What a privilege in an age like this to live a life of service, girded with a linen ephod!
The poor ungodly world around us knows nothing of this. It is utterly foreign to it. The spirit of the world today is well expressed in a great flaring poster I saw recently: "Why be good?" The very question itself insinuates the answer: "There is no use being good." That is the spirit of the world. But, dear young Christian, if you are girded as was Samuel with a linen ephod, what a different life it will be for you. Practical, personal righteousness, in separation from everything that is evil. What a privilege to live a life like that in a sinful, godless age such as we find ourselves in. Your parents are throwing about you every possible hedge of protection they can, and are shielding you just as far as it is in their power; but you cannot always stay behind that. There is coming a time when you will have to assume responsibility for yourself. Will you continue in this path of separation from the world? What a privilege if you can do as Samuel did!
"Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year." (Verses 18, 19.)
Now young people, I speak to those who are still under authority, sometimes we get the feeling that we are quite self-sufficient. That is quite characteristic of adolescent years, but I trust that none of those to whom I am speaking will ever reach the age in your experience as young people when you will think your father and mother cannot give you a little helpful advice. I hope you have not reached the place when you consider your spiritual judgment superior to that of father or mother. Samuel's mother made him a little coat, and each year took it up and presented it to him. I suppose it would have to be a little larger from year to year. So the advice and counsel you receive will be of a broadening and enlarging character as you grow more mature. But little Samuel did not cast off the coat and say, "Mother, I do not like the looks of that coat; they do not wear them that way now; that is two years behind the times." No, he just received it from year to year. And, as he thrust his arms into it, he saw in each stitch the experience of love and care of that godly mother; and with what pride and satisfaction he wore that coat throughout the coming year. That speaks of the fatherly and motherly counsel of godly and praying parents. May you not get beyond this!
We get quite consistent growth in verse 26: "And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the LORD, and also with men." That is quite a healthy Christian life-steady, quiet growth. When I was in Minneapolis this summer, I saw widely advertised a fourteen-year-old evangelist, who was said to be "the world's greatest child evangelist." I learned from the testimony of others that thousands were going to hear this girl preach the gospel. I could not wish anything like that for you, because I believe that is abnormal. That kind of growth is not Christian growth at all; it is a kind of mushroom growth. I would rather hear what that woman has to say at twenty-four, than at fourteen. What we want is that development of Christian character in keeping with Scripture. Go on learning from day to day what you have in Christ-growing up into the knowledge of Him as we have in the Word of God.
Further, in chapter 3, we have another experience in the life of young Samuel. Verses 19-21: "And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh; for the LO R D revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD." Sometimes we find young people growing in worldly prosperity-in business. Perhaps they are able to write bigger checks, and drive finer automobiles; they are growing, but we cannot add the first of the verse, "And the Lord was with him." Growth in fellowship and companionship with the Lord Himself is what we desire for you. The result of that was, "And did let none of his words fall to the ground." In other words, he was building day by day, steadily and solidly, that which would stand. "The Lord... did let none of his words fall to the ground." The only way I know to do that is to go on building according to the specifications laid down in this grand Book of God's plans.
Dear young souls, if you are building your lives according to the specifications laid down in the precious Word of God, you are building for eternity, and not building that which is to be torn down and go into ashes in that coming day when everything will be tested. If you are building in accordance with the precious Word of God, you are building that which will abide.
There is much of what is called the wisdom of this world. One of the characteristics of it is this: No sooner is one thing established than something else comes along and sweeps it away. Then we have what is called, "the latest theory." I was struck with that recently while in Rochester, Minnesota. I was speaking to a certain doctor of some standing there about a technical book on a certain subject, and the advisability of securing a copy of that book. He said, "You know the trouble is, by the time you get that book, it may be out of date." I thought, What an admission on the part of one who occupied a position of learning in this world.
But here is Samuel, and he is living such a life that, "The Lord... did let none of his words fall to the ground." It has that enduring character of God Himself. A life lived in communion with God is a life that goes on and on.
"He that doeth the will of God abideth forever" (1 John 2:1717And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:17)). Oh the privilege of living a life like that! I know if we could just simply and with confidence accept that for our own pathway, what sorrow we would be saved-what unhappy reaping we would be spared! We know it is the truth. It is here in the Word, and it is for you and for me.
In closing, I want to leave with you a clause from verse 30 of chapter 2: "Them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."
Dear young Christians, I wish that you could take that verse and nail it over the lintel and door posts of your life. "Them that honor me I will honor." Seize hold of it! Grasp it while you are young. Cling to it through life and see it return to you in that coming day.