Being Mother’s Day today, I want to look at a wonderful mother in the Bible. 1 Samuel tells us the story of a woman named Hannah.
1 Samuel 1: 1-28 says:
There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. […] So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”
21 When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”
23 “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
1 Samuel 2:18… Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. 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. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. 21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
There are four observations I want to make about Hannah:
· Hannah knew children are a blessing
· Hannah prayed when she faced trouble
· Hannah kept her sacrificial vow
· Hannah made sure that Samuel was raised to know God
I think these four points apply to all mothers today. Don’t worry, if you are not a mother, these still can be applied in your life as well. Also, you can encourage the mothers you know to follow Hannah’s examples.
The first lesson from Hannah is: Hannah knew children are a blessing. Today, more than ever, mothers need to call their children a blessing, not a burden. Many people in our society do not think children are a blessing. Our society has proclaimed children to be a burden, even a punishment. There is a disturbing trend I read about on TikTok where mothers will belittle and make fun of their children for views. For example, I saw a video that was reposted somewhere else on the internet that showed a mom giving her happy daughter some lunch. The child was in a highchair and smiling. The mom set the tray of food down in front of her and the chicken nuggets spelled out, “u piss me off.” Rather than be offended by this mom’s disdain for her daughter, the people of the internet laughed and praised her creativity. Sadly, this attitude is not unique to that mom.
Other moms, Christian moms included, will complain and bemoan the burden that their children are to them. Instead of valuing the privilege of being a mother, they whine and grumble about it. They say that being a mom is so hard. I understand that being a good parent is hard and it can be exhausting. I remember when my children were young and how tired I would become by the end of the day, but children are a gift. We don't do the younger generations any favors when we complain about parenthood. Our society does not value children. People complain when children ride on airplanes or are seated next to them in a restaurant, but what do we expect from society, when parents lead the way in saying children are a burden?
Of course, the greatest expression of devaluing children is seen in the acceptance of abortion. 2,363 babies are killed every day in America through abortion. Pro-abortion advocates champion their “right” to murder their children because it’s too burdensome to carry those children to term. I cannot think of any other crime that so dehumanizes and destroys children. As Christians, mothers or otherwise, we must speak out against this horror. As long as this remains legal in our country, children will not be seen as the blessing they are.
Some ways we can counter this trend in America is by speaking up for children. We can have patience for families that have young children and not complain when they are seated next to us. We can be accommodating to young families in our churches and welcome children’s presence in the worship service. We can donate time and money to crisis pregnancy centers. We can vote for candidates and bills that are pro-life. Children are a blessing, and the more that we as Christians cultivate that message, the stronger our society will be for it. We must buck the trend of today, and frankly, it’s a trend as old as time. Even the disciples showed they had fallen into their society’s disdain for children. Jesus was preaching to a crowd and “Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there” (Matthew 19:13-15). By rebuking the disciples and taking the time to bless the children, Jesus was establishing the importance and value of children. We should do likewise.
Second, Hannah prayed when she faced trouble. It grieved Hannah that she had not had any children. On top of that, her husband’s other wife was tormenting her. For years, this went on. Hannah really wanted to have a child. Her solution to her grief was to go to the Lord in prayer. Verse 10 tells us, “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.” She went before the Lord in prayer, crying out to Him. Today, more than ever, we need mothers who pray. We need mothers who will go to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help, not just for themselves, but for their children.
I remember talking to my grandmother once about prayer. She told me that her best time to pray was when she was doing her ironing. She said that was when she prayed for her family and any other prayer requests. That has always stuck with me because it’s such a great example of how we don’t need to think of prayer as something that needs to be done in a special location or position. We can pray at any time and in any place. Hannah was standing while she was praying, and Eli thought she was drunk. Yet her prayers were sincere and effective! Because she prayed, the Lord answered her prayer. What if she hadn’t bothered to pray? What if she just had decided it was pointless to pray? If she hadn’t cried out to the Lord, then God most likely would not have had Eli notice her and prophecy to her that her prayers would be answered. Those of us who are blessed with a praying mother are very blessed indeed.
Speaking as a mother, I can testify that mothers are uniquely created to be people of prayer. Why do I say this? Well, I don’t know of any other people who will stay awake at night obsessing over every little detail of the day and feel guilt and worry over every little thing about their children. I’ve talked to enough other mothers and this is not just me. What if we worry-wort mothers channeled our energy into prayer? Instead of worrying, we should take those concerns to God in prayer. How much more effective is prayer than worry? It’s unquantifiable. It was through prayer that Hannah's grief was alleviated. The text tells us that when Hannah left, “her face was no longer downcast” (1 Samuel 1:18). She had received her answer from God and was full of peace. Of course, it’s not just mothers who need to be praying. We are all called to be people of prayer. And we will find that as we take our grief and troubles to the Lord, He will help us. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The third lesson is, Hannah kept her vow. Hannah’s story has stood out to me ever since I became a mother. It is amazing to me that she was able to follow through on her vow to the Lord. It was no easy vow she made to the Lord. It was a sacrificial vow. She would be giving to the Lord the one thing she had waited for and wanted for so many years. She has finally become a mother and now she must give up that son because she vowed to do so. The text doesn’t tell us any further details, but it must have been so difficult to do. We know she missed Eli because she would visit him every year. 1 Samuel 2:19 tells us, “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.” She made him a little robe! Again, the text doesn’t tell us how old he was when she weaned him, but most scholars agree he was around 4 or 5. All the text tells us is he was young and the robe was “little.” I can imagine how difficult that would have been to do, but she did it. She fulfilled her vow. She kept her word, and she and Samuel were blessed because of it. She was blessed in that the Lord gave her 5 more children. Samuel was blessed because, “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19). What is the lesson for us today? We need mothers who will sacrifice for their family. Hannah was willing to do a very difficult thing, but she did so because she had vowed to do so. She was not afraid to make a sacrifice for her family.
Do mothers need to physically give up their first-born children to the Lord today? Should we all send our children to live at a church? Of course not, but when mothers put the needs of their family above their own needs, the family thrives. Mothers must be willing to make sacrifices for the good of their family. In our society that so highly values “me time” over self-sacrifice, this concept might sound unhealthy to some people. Our society prizes self-love. Mothers are encouraged to be selfish, not to place their family before themselves. The media loves to publish articles about how having children will mean that you won’t be able to “have it all.” Women are encouraged to delay or avoid childbirth so they can live a full life and not be stuck at home raising children. All of this runs opposite to what the Bible tells us. Jesus modeled for us a life of extreme self-sacrifice. While we are not all called to physically die, we are all called to lay down our lives for others.
All Christians are called to be living sacrifices to the Lord. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” A little later, in verse ten, it says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” The ESV translates that second sentence, “Outdo one another in showing honor.” I’ve always liked that translation; outdo one another. That means we don’t just do the bare minimum. Instead, we are to go out of our way and outdo each other with our acts of honor. What is an act of honor? I think that means we serve one another. If we pay honor to someone, we serve them and respect them. We put them first. We give them the best.
Sadly, I’ve witnessed a weird phenomenon where people will honor other people, including strangers, before they will honor their own family. People will have patience and kind words for others, but not for their own children or spouse. Or people will not bother to clean their house or cook a special meal just for their family, but will suddenly clean up and cook something nice if guests are coming over. It’s important to honor guests, but shouldn’t we honor our family, too? Our acts of kindness and self-sacrifice should not be relegated only to people outside of our family. I think sometimes people think that their family doesn’t really matter, because they are stuck with us and so we don’t have to try so hard. I think it’s actually the opposite. Our family is stuck with us, so we should be as sacrificial and loving to them as we can possibly be. When we place others’ needs above our own needs, I believe we will see blessings as a result. Just as Hannah received blessings by keeping her sacrificial vow, when we sacrifice for our families, my experience is we are blessed with happier homes. For those who are single, when you sacrificially love the people in your work life or school, not only will you become a powerful witness for the love of Christ, you will most likely find promotion and success. God will honor your sacrifice, and probably, so will your place of business.
Finally, Hannah made sure that Samuel was raised to know God. Out of these four lessons from Hannah’s life, I think this is the most important thing a mother can do for her children. Mothers, to the best of their ability, need to create an environment where their children can know God. 1 Samuel 1:28 shows us how Hannah accomplished this. She brought him to the Temple and said to Eli, the priest, “’So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.’ And he worshiped the Lord there.” Hannah literally took Samuel to the house of God to serve the Lord. His entire life was devoted to worship. We need mothers who do this today. We need mothers who will surround their children with godly things. I think it’s worth noting again that she brought him to the temple when he was still very young.
Children need to know the Lord from a young age. We must tell children about Jesus from day one. We must lead them to Him. Mothers do their children a grave disservice if they leave this responsibility in the hands of others. If we just take our children to church, that will not accomplish the job. If Hannah and her husband only took Samuel to the temple once a year like they did, he most likely would not have become the prophet he became. Samuel lived at the temple. He daily worshiped and served God. If we want our children to worship and serve God, we must daily surround them with things of God. Some easy ways we can do this is by playing worship music in our home, limiting the shows young children watch to Christian programs, and praying as a family before bed each night and before meals.
Even more importantly, we need to teach our children the word of God. As Deuteronomy 11:18-20 says, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” We must be consistent and intentional in teaching our children about the Lord. If we raise our children in the same environment that the world lives, then we should not be surprised when they grow to look just like the world. If we want our children to follow the Lord, then we must work to create an environment that leads them to Jesus.
Also, we must follow the Lord. Children will imitate us. If we want our children to follow God, we must lead by example. Hannah and her husband faithfully went to the temple every year to make sacrifices and worship the Lord. Every year she took Samuel a new robe. She continued to be a positive example to Samuel of worshiping the Lord. If you are not a mother or father, it is still important for every Christian to be concerned with leading the next generation to the Lord. The far majority of people who become a Christian do so before the age of eighteen. If we want to lead people to Jesus, we should be focused on evangelizing children.
Again, if you are reading this and you are not a mother, these lessons are still for you. We can encourage the mothers we know. The care of children is a cause we all should support. We can pray for mothers that they will care for their children and lead them to Christ. We can support the women who yearn to become mothers but have not been given children yet. We can volunteer in Sunday School or youth groups. It’s a trite saying, but children really are our future. That is why the devil works so hard to tear children down. The Church must work even harder to build up children and their mothers, so our world’s future is not so hopeless. I know that not everyone has the blessing of a good mother. If that is you, then perhaps you particularly know just how important a good mother is, more than other people do. Maybe the Lord can use that knowledge to cause you to intercede on behalf of all the many children who are experiencing what you went through. If you are a mom or dad and you have failed to do these things for your children, you can start over today. There is amazing power in saying I’m sorry. No person or parent is perfect. We all fail. We can start by asking the Lord to forgive us when we fail to love like He does. Then we can ask Him to help us, by His Holy Spirit, to be better caretakers of the blessings He has given us. We should all strive to be like Hannah. We should treat children as blessings not burdens, pray when we are troubled, live sacrificial lives, and be intentional in leading the next generation to the Lord.
Pray: Heavenly Father, this Mother’s Day, we lift up all mothers to You. We pray that You would help mothers to be good mothers to their children. We pray that You would strengthen Christian mothers to lead their children to You. Give them wisdom and love for their children. Please give them energy and health to serve their family. We also ask that You would help all of us to care about children. Help us to find ways to protect children and their mothers. We ask that You would have mercy on the many children around the world who are suffering. Please intervene in the world and bring justice to those that oppress children. Please help us to be ambassadors of Your love. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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