This morning, we are turning to the book of Samuel for our scriptural focus. We start at the beginning of the book with the story of Samuel’s mother Hannah and her plight as a woman who could not have a child. Hannah lived in the land of Israel in the period after the Hebrew slaves returned from Egypt but before they had an organized government with kings and governors and a standing army. Instead, judges decided disputes between neighbors and priests led communities in worship and encouraging the people to live according to God’s laws.
Hannah’s husband was named Elkanah. He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Hannah was childless; Peninnah was fertile and had many children. Unfortunately, Peninnah was cruel to Hannah and bullied her. She used Hannah’s infertility to shame and provoke Hannah.
Hannah lived in a time when a woman’s worth and value was based on her ability to have sons. Men could easily divorce and reject their wives if they didn’t have sons. Sons were the people’s long-term care plan – if a woman had sons, she was guaranteed a place in society and a place to live after the death of her husband. Women were blamed if they couldn’t have children – even though we know infertility affects both men and women, the ancient people of Israel did not understand genetics and the biological causes of infertility. Sadly, in Ancient Israel, people also believed a woman’s inability to conceive and bear children was a punishment from God.
In her distress, Hannah prayed to God. She did what many of us do when we are desperate – she tried to bargain with God. When Hannah and her family went to worship God at the shrine in Shiloh, Hannah pledged that if she could have a son, she would dedicate the child to God and have him serve God his whole life. Listen to how the story unfolded as we read 1st Samuel, chapter one, verses nine through twenty:
The Scripture 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20, 2:1-10
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.
19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.
20 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.”
Hannah was delighted that the Lord heard her prayers. In response to the birth of her son, Hannah words of gratitude were recorded for posterity. Listen to Hannah’s song as it is recorded in 1st Samuel Chapter 2:
2 Then Hannah prayed and said:
“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.
2 “There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
3 “Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.
4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;
10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
Amen.
HERE ENDS THIS READING OF THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD; THANKS BE TO GOD. AMEN!
Let us pray.....
The Message God Answers Hannah
When Samuel was three years old, Hannah weaned him. Then, she took him to Shiloh and gave him over to Eli the priest. Eli raised Samuel at the holy site and prepared him for a life serving God. Hannah decided Samuel would be a Nazarite...this meant he abstained from alcohol, haircuts, and could never touch corpses. Samuel worked with Eli and learned from him. When Samuel was 12, God started speaking to him and giving him instructions. Samuel ended up being a great prophet. When the people of Israel demanded a king, Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel. When Saul’s demons and mental illness hurt his leadership, Samuel anointed David to be Saul’s successor.
Although she lived a very long time ago, Hannah has been held up as an example of a virtuous woman over the centuries. She fulfilled her promise to God and gave Samuel over to serve God. In the Ancient Israeli culture, parents determined their children’s future – Hannah decided for Samuel, as part of her bargaining with God, that Samuel would be a Nazarite and priest.
Unfortunately, although we live hundreds of years after Hannah, the problems Hannah experienced still happen. We know and love people who are not able to have children for a variety of reasons – some of them chose to have a child-free lifestyle, but others can’t have children for health or financial reasons. And, certainly, people who don’t have children still experience bullying because they don’t have children – calling people "childless cat ladies” has been a national topic. Cruel remarks about people’s status as parents compound the sadness many people feel when they can’t or don’t have children.
Hannah’s song is a joyful response to the birth of her son. In her song, she talks about how God reverses the order of things in our world.... humans value power and wealth, God values community and caring. For many years, Hannah was a victim – she was bullied and put down. But, God lifted her up, and she went from being a victim to a peer – she wasn’t better than Peninnah, but became equal of her former bully.
Hannah’s song talks about God’s justice. God’s goal is not to turn the powerful into the weak and the weak into the powerful. Instead, God wants everyone to have an equal share...the hungry to have enough to eat, the thirsty to have enough to drink, the homeless to have a home. God’s goal is not to have winners and losers, the weak and the strong, the rich and the poor....God wants us to organize our communities and our societies so that we all have want we need and all people are equal.
God’s vision for us is for us to be in community with each other. In God’s desired order, human relationships are power-neutral....no one should have power over others. Instead, God wants our relationships to be based on serving each other. If I have more tomatoes than I can eat, but not enough radishes and my neighbor has more radishes than he can eat, but no tomatoes; then we give our extra tomatoes to our neighbor, and they give us their radishes. Or, to take an example from our Skippack days flea market – if i have more pillows than I need and Amanda needs a pillow, I donate my extra to the Flea Market and Amanda takes what she needs. For perhaps a nominal amount of money but perhaps just with a “thank you very much!”
God wants us to seek to generously serve each other. And, to share our money, time, and talents for the betterment of our society.
Hannah was the victim of bullying.... the more things change, the more they stay the same. Bullying is still a problem in our day and age. People are bullied in our communities for many unfortunate reasons: kids bully the kids who are different, people with disabilities are bullied, people are bullied because of their ethnic backgrounds or where they live; people are bullied because of their economic situation or their sexual orientation. Like Hannah, people are still bullied because of not having children.
Let us do better. God calls us to work to treat all people kindly and fairly. God wants us to work on behalf of each other, to serve each other and work to make sure all people are treated well—with fairness and equality Let us work to make the world modeled on God’s love, fairness, and caring. Amen.
