Friday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 1:21-28
21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.”
23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.
24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. 27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.”
23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.
24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. 27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
Commentary:
1:24 Either a three-year-old bull or “three bulls” (ESV footnote). In either case Elkanah apparently was a prosperous man who was able to afford an expensive offering of a bull or bulls and large amounts of grain and wine. Three bulls would correspond to the priestly regulations, which specify that together with each bull sacrificed, three-tenths of an ephah of grain should be offered (Num. 15:9; 28:12, 20, 28). With three bulls, one would expect an offering of nine-tenths of an ephah, just a little less than the one ephah that Hannah offered. The skin (or “jar”) may have held as much as 6 gallons (22 l) of wine. The reference to the child anticipates references to “the boy” (the Hb. word in both cases is na‘ar) in 1 Sam. 2:11.
1:25 the bull. See note on v. 24.
1:26 As you live, or “as your soul lives,” is a common form of oath (2 Sam. 11:11; 14:19), as is the phrase “as the LORD lives” (see 1 Sam. 14:39; 26:16; Jer. 16:14–15). The two were often combined (1 Sam. 20:3; 25:26; 2 Kings 2:2).
1:27 And the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him repeats almost verbatim Eli’s blessing in v. 17. Joyously, Hannah points to this child as the answer to her prayer. The words “petition” (here and v. 17), “asked” (v. 20), and “lent” (v. 28 twice) are all from the verbal root sha’al, so a wordplay may be intended.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 492–493.
1:25 the bull. See note on v. 24.
1:26 As you live, or “as your soul lives,” is a common form of oath (2 Sam. 11:11; 14:19), as is the phrase “as the LORD lives” (see 1 Sam. 14:39; 26:16; Jer. 16:14–15). The two were often combined (1 Sam. 20:3; 25:26; 2 Kings 2:2).
1:27 And the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him repeats almost verbatim Eli’s blessing in v. 17. Joyously, Hannah points to this child as the answer to her prayer. The words “petition” (here and v. 17), “asked” (v. 20), and “lent” (v. 28 twice) are all from the verbal root sha’al, so a wordplay may be intended.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 492–493.
Questions:
After years of praying for a son, Hannah finally held Samuel in her arms. It would have been easy to forget the promise she had made to God. After all, Samuel was the answer to her deepest longing. Surely God would understand if she kept him close. But Hannah did exactly what she said she would do. She brought Samuel to the Tabernacle and dedicated him to the Lord.
Hannah's greatest gift became her greatest offering. That kind of surrender was the result of everything God had been teaching Hannah along the way. In the waiting, she learned to trust God's sovereignty. In her sorrow, she learned to pour out her heart in prayer. In the misunderstanding, she learned to rest in God's approval. And before her circumstances changed, she learned to worship.
Now her faith was put to the test. Would she love the gift more than the Giver? Hannah's answer was clear. Samuel belonged to God before he ever belonged to her.
This story points us to an even greater gift. Unlike Hannah, who willingly returned her son to the Lord's service, God the Father willingly gave His only Son so that we could be forgiven and brought into His family. Every blessing we enjoy ultimately points us back to the One who gave us His greatest treasure. Everything we have belongs to God already. Our greatest act of worship is simply placing it back into His hands.
Hannah's greatest gift became her greatest offering. That kind of surrender was the result of everything God had been teaching Hannah along the way. In the waiting, she learned to trust God's sovereignty. In her sorrow, she learned to pour out her heart in prayer. In the misunderstanding, she learned to rest in God's approval. And before her circumstances changed, she learned to worship.
Now her faith was put to the test. Would she love the gift more than the Giver? Hannah's answer was clear. Samuel belonged to God before he ever belonged to her.
This story points us to an even greater gift. Unlike Hannah, who willingly returned her son to the Lord's service, God the Father willingly gave His only Son so that we could be forgiven and brought into His family. Every blessing we enjoy ultimately points us back to the One who gave us His greatest treasure. Everything we have belongs to God already. Our greatest act of worship is simply placing it back into His hands.
- If God removed one of the greatest blessings in your life tomorrow, would you still believe He is good? What does your answer reveal about who or what you treasure most?
- Hannah gave Samuel back to God because she knew he ultimately belonged to the Lord. How does the gospel remind us that everything we have, including our own lives, belongs to God? How does the Father giving His own Son change the way we understand sacrifice, surrender, and trust?
- What are you gripping so tightly that you would struggle to obey God if He asked you to let it go? What is one way you can hold that blessing with open hands?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the ways you've held too tightly to God's gifts instead of trusting the One who gave them.
- Thank God for every good gift He has placed in your life, and especially for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live with open hands, joyfully surrendering every blessing to God's purposes.
- Praise God as the generous Father who gave His greatest treasure to redeem you and is worthy of your wholehearted trust and worship.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
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