Verse 1, There was a certain (definite) man : The book begins with a certain man, living at a certain time in Israel.

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1 1 Sermon Outline January 6, 2013 Real Life, Real Drama, Real Faith Read 1Samuel 1:1-28; 2:1-2 Verse 1, There was a certain (definite) man : The book begins with a certain man, living at a certain time in Israel. At this strategic time and place, God begins His plan as He almost always does - with a person, a man or a woman He will use. God could accomplish His work all by Himself, or by using angels, or by any number of other means, but His normal way of working is to find a certain man/woman and work through them. At this strategic time, January 2013, God begins His plan for this new year, with you. He could accomplish His work all by Himself, or by using angels, or by any number of other means, but He chose YOU. The certain man mentioned in verse one, whose name was Elkanah, had two wives. Polygamy was a fact of life in that whole part of the ancient world. However, the Bible never puts polygamy in a favorable light; strife and conflict always characterize polygamous families in the Bible. Hannah was probably his first wife but because she could not have children, he married Peninnah. Every year, when Elkanah brought his family to the tabernacle for sacrifice, he would eat a ceremonial meal at the tabernacle with his family, giving portions to his wives and their children. He showed his favor and love to Hannah by giving her a double portion. Remember Jacob, Leah and Rachel. Leah had the kids, but Jacob loved Rachel. Yet, because of the conflict between the two wives, Hannah could not enjoy this display of love and favor from Elkanah: therefore she wept and did not eat. How many of you know that it is possible for problems at home to make your time at the house of God miserable? There is Hannah, at the house of the Lord, with a full, blessed, double portion in front of her, and she can't enjoy it at all!

2 2 Barrenness in ancient times was the ultimate tragedy for a married woman, since her husband's hopes and dreams depended on her providing him with a son to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate. Even though things were hard, God was still in charge. Verse 8, Hannah, why are you weeping? Don t I mean more to you than ten sons? Notice, she did not answer him, LOL. In Elkanah's response to Hannah's sorrow, we see that he really does love her; yet he is somewhat insensitive to her. He did not recognize that she had needs that he could not fulfill (such as the desire to be a mother). But at the same time, because of Hannah s great desire to have children, she was missing what was right in front of her. Sometimes we can want something so badly, that we can miss the blessings that God has for us right now. I have come across single people who desperately want to marry; married people wishing they were single; women that want children; others who can t wait for their kids to grow up and get out; want more money; less work; retire early; angry if they are forced to retire and the list goes on. Hannah was in bitterness of soul and great anguish; yet she did the right thing: 1. She joined her husband and ate & drank, even though she did not feel like it. She was in the house of the Lord and she chose to submit (self-denial) and do what was right before God. Often we don t feel like worshipping God because of our situation. In spite of it we ought to submit and do what is right, God will show us compassion. 2. She prayed Hannah took those bitter and anguished feelings to God honestly in prayer. Hannah had many problems: Her husband s heart was divided. Her home, instead of being a place of refuge from trials, was a place of trials. Her hope to have a child had been crushed.

3 3 Yet in all those things, Hannah did the right things: she wept, she prayed, and she committed the whole situation to the Lord. She did not blame her husband or his other wife, like Sarah did with Abraham and Hagar. Hannah felt attacked by her rival, and so called on the Lord of Mighty Armies to be her protector! She made a vow: Hannah promises her son to the work of the Lord. She showed her devotion to the Lord. If God gives to us, we will devote it to his honour and cheerfully use it in his service. Certainly, this was not the first time Hannah had prayed for a child. But perhaps this was the first time she prayed, truly giving the child to the Lord - not just in her heart, but in this vow as well. Prayers and tears are the saints' best weapons. But Hannah - just as many of us - would not resort to these best weapons until bitterness and anguish forced her. Verse 14, How long will you be drunk? Of course, Eli misunderstands Hannah here. I have poured out my soul before the LORD: This is exactly what Hannah needed to do. Instead of keeping the bitterness of soul and the anguish in her heart, she poured it out of her soul before the Lord. Don't hold it in; pour it out before the Lord! The bitterness and anguish is like an acid that will eat up your insides, unless you pour it out before the Lord. Verse 17, Eli answered, Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him. Verse 18 is a key verse! Her face was no longer downcast (sad) What happened? What made the difference? She had by prayer committed her case to God and left it with him, and now she was no more perplexed about it. She had prayed for herself, and Eli had prayed for her; and she believed that God would either give her the mercy she had prayed for or make up the want of it to her some other way. The change in Hannah's countenance shows that she received the promise with faith, something necessary if we want to inherit the promises of God.

4 4 Hebrews 6:12, Imitate those who through faith & patience inherit what has been promised. Hannah shows us how we can regain the joy of fellowship in the house of the Lord again: by pouring out our heart before the Lord and by, receiving His word with faith. Verse 20, In the course of time or in the process of time: It didn't happen right away. Hannah had reason enough to be discouraged, but when the promise of God came, she did not lose faith in the promise, even when it took some time. She is a great example of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. I want you to notice that once Hannah committed her request to God, she was released from her bitterness and we never hear about her rival again!! Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, and named him Samuel. She stayed home with him until he was weaned. After she had weaned him, she took him up with her to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. How difficult this must have been! Samuel is believed to have been about 3 years old. Verse 28, And now I give him to the Lord. I am reminded of the song we sing, He gives and takes away (x2), my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your Name. 1Sam.2:1-2, Then Hannah prayed and said: My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord; I smile at my enemies; there is none holy like the Lord. Q. How did she do that? With full confidence that God will ultimately bring good out of whatever happens to her and to Samuel (Rom.8:28). 1Sam.2:19, Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. And each year, Eli would bless Elkanah & Hannah & ask the Lord to bless them with children to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.

5 5 1Sam. 2: 21, And the Lord was gracious to Hannah: He certainly was! She conceived and gave birth to 3 sons and 2 daughters! God will never be a debtor to anyone. Hannah could never say to the Lord, "I gave you my son, but what did you give me?" Because God gave her much! 1Sam.3:19, The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. And Samuel s word came to all Israel. The story began with Real Life and Real Drama, real people; real conflict; strife, tears, & disappointment. I. Hannah Had Her Dreams Shattered Life was not what she expected; she got married and hoped to have kids. Instead she was one of two wives, her husband s affections were divided; she was taunted every day by the other woman; she was embarrassed; became bitter; she cried a lot. Perhaps you can identify with Hannah or with her husband. His home was like a lot of other homes. Conflict, strife, fighting, unfulfilled dreams. Yes, he brought a lot of it on himself but he still wanted to do what was right, every year he went up to worship the Lord & sacrifice. II. Hannah Dared to Dream Again Hannah didn t give up on prayer. She continued to pray and dared to dream again. It is often said that When all else fails, then pray. Hannah would say, Pray first, before everything else fails. Do you need to dare to dream again? Pray pour out you heart to God until you receive an answer. Make a vow - an agreement with God. If He gives, you will give back. Believe - that it is done and in due time you will see your answer. I recently came across a true story that happened during the Holocaust. Solomon Rosenberg, his wife and their two sons were arrested and placed in a concentration camp. The rules were simple. As long as they did their work, they were permitted to live. When they became too weak to work, they would be exterminated.

6 6 Rosenberg watched as his own father and mother were marched off to their deaths and he knew that his youngest son David would be next because he had always been a frail child. Every evening Rosenberg came back into the barracks after his hours of hard labor and searched for the faces of his family. When he found them they would huddle together, embrace one another and thank God for another day of life. One day he came back and didn t see those familiar faces. He finally discovered his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner sobbing and praying. Josh, tell me it s not true. Joshua turned to his dad and said, It s true. Today David was not strong enough to do his work and so they took him away. Mr. Rosenberg then asked, But where is your mother? Joshua could barely speak and finally uttered, When they came for David, he was afraid and cried and so mom took his hand and went with him. Pause That s the kind of love that Hannah had for Samuel. She was willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her son. She loved him so much that she was willing to forgo a mother s greatest joy, that of bringing up her son and having him around her. She was committed to do whatever it took for him to reach his godly potential. Pause That s the kind of love Jesus has for you. He was willing to sacrifice himself for your sake. He loved you so much He was willing to forgo the glories of heaven and come to earth as a humble servant. He was committed to give His life so that you could reach your potential and inherit everlasting life with Him. The difference between these stories is that Jesus took our place and went to the cross alone. Communion