Changing Focus (1 Samuel 1-2)

If you pray, what do you think about when you pray? I say, "If you pray," because I'm afraid many of us are too busy to pray. If we do pray, what do we think about? What is our focus? That's what today's lesson is all about.

We have seen unique spiritual encounters where Abraham, Jacob, and Moses spoke directly with God. But now we will look at prayers that aren't so extraordinary. These are unique and extraordinary prayers, but the interaction in the rest of the prayers will be easier for us to relate to. Our prayers are one-sided. God doesn't speak to us like he spoke to Abraham, Jacob, and Moses. We don't get to have a conversation with him face-to-face. But we are assured that what we say will go before the Lord. Our text this morning backs this up.

Hannah's Problem

In 1 Samuel, we start in the time of the judges. It was a bad time in Israel. A lot of evil was happening, and everyone had forgotten who God was. Eli was the judge of Israel. So, I'm sure he saved Israel from some evil oppressor after they repented of their sins. But Eli is not the focus of the story in 1 Samuel 1. The story's focus is a man named Elkanah and his wife, Hannah. Elkanah has two wives, Hannah and Peninnah.

1 Samuel 1:2 (ESV) — 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

The text tells us that Hannah had no children. She wanted to have children. Her husband's other wife had children. But she had no children. Some of you ladies can relate to the sufferings of Hannah.

But there is something a little different about her situation. In our society, women choose not to have children. They abort their children. Children are more of a nuisance than a blessing. But that was not the case in their society. Children were seen as a "status symbol." To have a bunch of children meant that God blessed you, and it would result in tremendous wealth and security when we read stories in the Old Testament about a man having many children that indicated his prosperity. Children were a workforce. They would grow up caring for and shepherding the sheep. They would plant and harvest crops. In society, more children means more people. Having more people means having a more enormous army and greater national strength. Women with many children were lifted and exalted.

‌Hannah was not lifted and exalted.

1 Samuel 1:6 (ESV) — 6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.

In contrast, women who did not have children would have a target placed on their backs. This was the case for Hannah. Her husband's other wife, Peninnah, would mock her and consider her less of a woman because she could not have children. It's bad enough that barren women had to deal with the lack of exaltation, but they also faced shaming and heartache, knowing that their future was uncertain. After all, who would take care of them when they get older?

‌Hannah's Struggle

So Hannah has a significant trial that she endures. Her husband and their whole family would go down to the Tabernacle at Shiloh and offer a sacrifice once a year.

‌1 Samuel 1:5–7 (ESV) — 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.

This woman would provoke her and be mean to her year after year. They would go to the house of the Lord, probably for a feast day, and her husband would give her special attention. He would give her a double portion because he gave so much to Peninnah's children. But this would probably just increase the mocking. This would happen repeatedly. Can you imagine?

‌So she weeps and refuses to eat. She is mourning her inability to have children, her mistreatment, her shame in society, and her dark future. She doesn't want to eat the double portion her husband has given to her. It's like he has to take pity on her, and she doesn't want that.

‌Notice that her husband's attempts to console her do nothing.

‌1 Samuel 1:8 (ESV) — 8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

Guys, have you ever tried this? Your wife is upset, so you try to lift her spirits by pointing out how lucky she is to have you. It works every time, right? In all seriousness, he tells her that he loves her and wants her to be happy. But he cannot fix what is broken here. No amount of love will sustain her or exalt her in society. She believes that the only thing that will sustain her is having a child. So she sits there at the feast, weeping and not eating. Isn't that a sad picture?

‌Hannah Rose

It's at this point that we read "Hannah rose."

1 Samuel 1:9–11 (ESV) — 9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

She goes to the Tabernacle in deep distress and "prays and weeps bitterly." This is interesting. She goes to God and prays to him, but she gets more upset. Why? Why would she get more upset? She went from weeping to weeping bitterly. Have you ever done that? I have. I had been in the middle of a prayer about some trial I was going through, and I was upset. But then, I realized something and became even more upset. Let's see if we can figure out what she might be more upset about.

‌The text says she "vowed a vow." Typically, vows are frowned upon because it's better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Many people offer vows to God, hoping for something, and they become unfaithful to their vows. Solomon and Jesus warned of this.

‌She vows to ask for a child. But did you notice what was on her end of that vow? She says, "If you will give me a son, I will give him to you." Isn't that interesting? That child will do nothing for her. He won't be her ticket to status in society. He won't be there for her as she gets older. He won't provide for the family. He will be a servant in the Tabernacle all his life. He will be serving the priests as a slave. He will be a minister. Why would she want this for herself and her son?

‌I think the answer is that she has shifted her perspective. She is no longer focused on receiving exaltation. Somewhere in her prayer, she recognized that what she was after she was unworthy of. She weeps bitterly in shame and regret, realizing she doesn't deserve exaltation after being so self-focused. God is the one who deserves the exaltation, not her.

‌Hannah Responds

After making this vow, Eli believes that she is drunk. He rebukes her because he sees her distressed and speaking to herself. So, she explains herself.

1 Samuel 1:16–18 (ESV) — 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

She doesn't tell him exactly what she was praying for. She doesn't pour out her heart to the priest and judge of Israel. She just tells him that she is dealing with great anxiety and frustration. Eli tells her he wants God to grant her what she is asking and notice what she does next. She goes home, eats her food, and stops being sad. She's happy, but why?

‌Did she get pregnant at that moment? She didn't have a baby at that moment. Eli and God didn't even promise her anything. Again, consider that if she does have a baby, she won't be able to keep the baby afterward. So, nothing has changed. Her place in society is the same. Peninnah will still mistreat her.

‌She's happy because she is not focused on that anymore. She is now ignoring the expectations that society has placed on her. She has shifted her focus to something else.

‌Can We Pray Like This?

Now, let's think about our circumstances and prayers. What is the focus of our prayers? Have you been weeping and mourning over something? It's easy for us to get discouraged when life doesn't go our way. It's hard to enjoy life when you feel the things you want most are out of reach. We want things so bad that they become all we can think about. Whether it's relief from pain, attaining some goal, or overcoming some obstacle, it matters more than anything else at the time.

‌When we have good things put in front of us, we don't care. Our spouse, children, wealth, and relationships never seem to satisfy that urge inside us. Maybe we have taken something that is a good thing and made it an ultimate thing like Hannah seems to have done. Will we choose to pray like she did?

‌Hannah came into an assembly to sacrifice for God when she arose, prayed, and wept bitterly over how selfish and self-focused she had been. Is that what you need to do? We all need to spend more time exalting God and less seeking our success and exaltation because God is worthy and we are not. All our blessings make him more worthy of exaltation, not us.

‌Can you imagine what the church would look like if it were full of people praying for God to use them to exalt himself? Can you imagine if we were willing to suffer the pain of childbirth for God's people to be served? I know many mothers here striving to raise servants of the Lord. But what would you be willing to give up to serve the Lord?

‌This text pushes us to think more deeply about our goals and aspirations. Do we want stuff so that we will feel like we have "Made it?" Do we seek to achieve success so we can have more stuff and feel respected? Hannah recognized that her desires weren't in line with God's desires. She recognized that her exaltation was ridiculous. It's not about her name being exalted. It's about God's name being exalted!

‌Explanation

Hannah does get pregnant and has a son named Samuel. After she weans him, she takes him to Eli and gives him to the Lord. Notice her follow-up prayer. This explains her attitude and mindset.

1 Samuel 2:1–10 (ESV) — 1 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. 2 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. 3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. 6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world. 9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. 10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

Do you see why she is happy? She's happy because she recognizes who God is and knows she has been allowed to play a part in his work. Reading through this prayer, it seems like her social status has changed. She says, "Talk no more so very proudly. Let not arrogance come from your mouth." She recognizes that what she has done makes her more worthy of exaltation than just having babies. Then, she says, "The barren has borne seven." She's only had one child at this point, but she feels like a woman who has born seven. She feels spiritually alive and prosperous even though she handed over her child and has nothing.

‌She's happy because her vow wasn't about her. It wasn't about her receiving anything, but she has received glory in seeking God's glory. She knows that God loves her and cares for her. She is not abandoned or forsaken. God loves her. That's all that matters.

‌In the rest of Chapter 2, we find out that she has five more children. God blessed her repeatedly, but now she knows not to idolize her family. That's what she was doing. She was making a good thing the ultimate thing.

‌But let's not forget that Hannah gave up this child with joy in her heart. She wasn't upset about it. She was content and found joy in the Lord instead of temporary happiness in her circumstances.

‌Conclusion

We see that God recognized Hannah's change in attitude and perspective. What's impressive about this whole story is that, in the end, God blessed her with temporary happiness. When we give up on the pursuit of self and find contentment with the exaltation of God. Temporary happiness comes a lot easier. We can enjoy our spouse, children, job, house, and stuff correctly when we let good things be good things, and God be our ultimate thing. Make him your ultimate today.