AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY S WOMEN Judges 21:25 1 Samuel 1-2:9 Children s letters to their mothers: Angie, 8 years old, wrote: "Dear Mother, I m going to make dinner for you on Mother s Day. It s going to be a surprise. P.S. I hope you like pizza and popcorn." Robert: "I got you a turtle for Mother s Day. I hope you like the turtle better than the snake I got you last year." Eileen said: "Dear Mother, I wish Mother s Day wasn t always on Sunday. It would be better if it were on Monday so we wouldn t have to go to school." Little Diane wrote: "I hope you like the flowers I got you for Mother s Day. I picked them myself when Mr. Smith wasn t looking." Carol: "Dear Mother, here are two aspirins. Have a happy Mother s Day!" A MOTHER S LOVE Research published in Psychological Science states that mother s have a strong influence on whether or not their children have strong consciences. whether they instinctively choose between right and wrong. whether they are selfish and prone toward cheating or if they share with others and play by the rules of life
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 2 of 13 You may have already turned to 1 Samuel but... Judges 21:25 25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25 25 At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing. As we look at the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, we ll see 5 Defining Traits of a Woman of Faith. 1. A WOMAN OF FAITH HAS REAL PROBLEMS vv.1-8 1 Samuel 1:1-7 1 There once was a man who lived in Ramath whose name was Elkanah. 2 He had two wives. The first was Hannah; the second was Peninnah. Peninnah had children; Hannah did not. 3 Every year this man went from his hometown up to Shiloh to worship and offer a sacrifice to God-of-the-Angel-Armies. Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, served as the priests of God there. 4 When Elkanah sacrificed, he passed helpings from the sacrificial meal around to his wife Peninnah and all her children, 5 but he always gave an especially generous helping to Hannah because he loved her so much, and because God had not given her children. 6 But her rival wife taunted her cruelly, rubbing it in and never letting her forget that God had not given her children.
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 3 of 13 7 This went on year after year. Every time she went to the sanctuary of God she could expect to be taunted. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no appetite. A barren womb was considered a curse. She was socially disgraced and emotionally depressed. Women of faith who battled barrenness: Sarah (Abraham s wife), Rebekah (Isaac s wife), Rachel (Jacob s wife), Ruth (Boaz s wife), and Elizabeth (John the Baptist s mother). Many times childless women in scripture are righteous women, while many of those who easily conceived children were often wicked women out of the will of God. At this point in her life, Hannah would NOT been happy about MOTHER S DAY. Some of you probably didn t want to come to church on Mother s Day because your mother is no longer alive and you really miss her. Don t care much for your mom Mom very sick or she is no long with us Maybe you re a single dad and hurt for your kids as they struggle to find out why their mother has hurt them so much. There has been the devastating loss of a child s death. There are probably some mothers here this morning that wish they didn t have kids and I know there are women here who would give anything just to have a child. We know the Bible teaches the one wife for life rule. Penalty for being married twice is two mothers-in-law!
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 4 of 13 5b because God had not given her children. 6c that God had not given her children. The problem that she was having came from the Lord. This is one of the hardest lessons we will ever learn. Our problems are given to us by the Lord Himself. It is God who is behind the circumstances of life. We don t really want to believe this. We d rather blame it all on Satan, or on someone else. But it is God who allows good things and bad things to come into our lives. God is in charge and as such we should echo Job s faith in Job 2:10 10 He told her, "You're talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God why not also the bad days?" Not once through all this did Job sin. He said nothing against God. Barrenness was one thing, but her husband s other wife rubbed it in. 1 Samuel 1:6 6 But her rival wife taunted her cruelly, rubbing it in and never letting her forget that God had not given her children. taunted / provoking lit. to give grief rubbing it in vexing or provoking 1 Samuel 1:7 7 This went on year after year. Every time she went to the sanctuary of God she could expect to be taunted. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no appetite.
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 5 of 13 Penninah did this every year when they went to Shiloh. It bothered Hannah so much that she would weep and not be able to eat. She mourned deeply with so much grief that she lost her appetite. Some of you are in the middle of this kind of anguish right now. v. 8 Her husband tries to help by asking 4 questions: "Oh, Hannah, why are you crying? Why aren't you eating? And why are you so upset? Am I not of more worth to you than ten sons?" Instead of listening to her pain, he seems to be rationalizing her problems and feelings. He s trying to solve when he should be seeking to understand. Baby, you ve got me, what more could you want? I m not sure he really understood how deeply she wanted to have a child. After all, it s possible to love one s husband and still want to have children. Some of you have been hit with some insensitive comments, either by your husband, or from others. God understands your pain. God can use our problems to get our attention and to teach us. Psalms 119:71 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. Our problems should not only drive us to study the Bible, but also to prayer. 2. WOMEN OF FAITH EXPRESS VIBRANT PRAYERS vv. 9-18
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 6 of 13 1 Samuel 1:9-11 9 So Hannah ate. Then she pulled herself together, slipped away quietly, and entered the sanctuary. The priest Eli was on duty at the entrance to God's Temple in the customary seat. 10 Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried inconsolably. 11 Then she made a vow: Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, If you'll take a good, hard look at my pain, If you'll quit neglecting me and go into action for me By giving me a son, I'll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I'll set him apart for a life of holy discipline. v. 10 crushed bitterness cried and cried wept - to weep; generally to bemoan: v. 11 pain affliction depressions/ misery from look down upon, brow beat v. 11 Lord of hosts Lord God almighty God-of-the- Angel-Armies Hannah is definitely broken. The Lord Almighty has all the hosts of heaven ready to do His work. She is appealing to His power and authority, because she knows there is nothing she can do. As part of her prayer, she is making a vow that if she s given a son, he will be dedicated to the Lord for his entire life. Her son would become a Levitical priest, serving in the temple and a Nazarite. A Nazarite was bound by a vow to be set apart to the Lord s service and had to abstain from any and everything that had to
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 7 of 13 do with grapes including eating or drinking of the fruit of the vine, was forbidden to cut his hair, and was not allowed to get near any dead body. SOMETHING WE NEED TO LEARN FROM THIS IS CHILDREN ARE NOT JUST FOR PARENTS; THEY RE FOR THE LORD! Nothing we have really belongs to us anyway and this includes our children. They re on loan to us. It s our job to parent, to shepherd, and to train them for the Lord s work. v. 12 It so happened that as she continued in prayer before God, continued - increased This was a repeated request, bathed in tears. Notice also that she prayed this prayer in her heart, not audibly like most Hebrews prayed. v.13 Hannah was praying in her heart, silently. Her lips moved, but no sound was heard. She prayed secretly, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. We don t have to always pray out loud, but simply pray from our heart because our thoughts are as words to God. Romans 8:26-27 26 Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain.
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 8 of 13 27 God can see what is in people's hearts. And he knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit speaks to God for his people in the way God wants. NCV Eli falsely accused her. v.15 "Oh no, sir!" she replied. "I haven't been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don't think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow." NLT v. 15 discouraged sorrowful - dense/heavy of heart 1 Samuel 1:17-20 17 Eli answered her, "Go in peace. And may the God of Israel give you what you have asked of him." 18 "Think well of me and pray for me!" she said, and went her way. Then she ate heartily, her face radiant. Never underestimate the power of prayer and of a praying woman. Stormie Omartian has written 2 excellent books called, The Power of a Praying Wife and The Power of a Praying Parent. A woman of faith exhibits real problems and expresses vibrant prayers. That leads to a third defining trait
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 9 of 13 3. WOMEN OF FAITH EXPERIENCE GOD S PROVISION vv.19-20 19 Up before dawn, they worshiped God and returned home to Ramah. Elkanah slept with Hannah his wife, and God began making the necessary arrangements in response to what she had asked. 20 Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, "I asked God for him." Just because Hannah s prayers for a son were answered, that doesn t necessarily mean that you will be given a child because you prayed for one. But you will receive God s provision, one way or another. He loves to give good gifts to His children according to Matthew 7:11-12 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, God answered Hannah s prayer but not just so she could have a baby. God needed a special prophet He could work through. He allowed a time of barrenness in Hannah s life to bring a greater blessing than she could ever imagine. 4. WOMEN OF FAITH KEEP THEIR PROMISES vv. 21-28
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 10 of 13 After Samuel was born, Elkanah went once again to Shiloh in order to worship. 1 Samuel 1:22 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there Many people make promises to God, only to forget them once time passes. Not so with Hannah. Hannah not only dedicated herself to her child, she dedicated her child to the Lord. She then brings Samuel to the house of the Lord. v. 28a Now I give him back to the Lord. He will belong to the Lord all his life." v. 28b And he worshiped the Lord there. NCV 1 Samuel 2:18-19 v.18 But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. v.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. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 11 of 13 1. Women of faith have real problems and express vibrant prayers. they experience God s provision and 4. they keep their promises. There s one more defining trait 5. WOMEN OF FAITH REJOICE WITH PRAISE vv. 2:1-11 1-2: My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Notice that she doesn t brag about how handsome Samuel is, or how smart he is, or how neat it is that he can say prayers at his young age. She overlooks the gift and gives praise to the Giver. There is no one else who is holy like the Lord and no one else who will be her Rock through the storms of life. THREE FINAL THOUGHTS 1. Women, you are of great worth in God s sight whether or not you have a child. Lift up your head and realize that God loves you for who you are, not for what you do. He understands your sorrow and your pain and He ll meet you right where you are. 2. Mothers, your children are on loan to you from the Lord. Train them well to be God s servant in whatever occupation God directs them.
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 12 of 13 If you were to continue reading through the book of 1 Samuel, you d discover that Eli s sons were very evil. Their mother is never mentioned. Samuel, on the other hand, was greatly impacted by his mother, and went on to become one of the most significant individuals in God s redemptive history. SAMUEL was the earliest of the great Hebrew prophets (after Moses) and the last judge of Israel. Samuel led his people against the Philistine oppressors. When he was an old man, Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel and later anointed David as Saul's successor. Samuel is recognized as one of the greatest leaders of Israel (Nelson s) Moms, you matter greatly to your kids and to the very future of our nation! 3. Each of us needs to be growing in our own relationship with God. If you want your kids to learn about God, and to love Him with all they ve got, it s first got to be real in your life. 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. Rosenberg watched as his own father and mother were marched off to their deaths and he knew that his youngest son David
AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE FOR TODAY'S WOMEN Page 13 of 13 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. That s the kind of love that Hannah had for Samuel. She was committed to do whatever it took for him to reach his godly potential.