1 Samuel: Chapter 1
Chapter Recap
The chapter starts with a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, called Elkanah. He had two wives; Hannah (who was childless) and Peninnah (who had children). 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. 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. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. Which left Hannah in tears and Elkanah would console her.
Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah went to the Lord's house and in her deep anguish she prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 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.”
Eli the priest, was sitting on his chair by the doorpost, noticed Hannah and since she was praying in her heart and no sound came out, Eli mistook her to be drunk and rebuked her. Hannah clarified that she was deeply troubled, but hadn't been drinking wine. Rather she was praying here out of great anguish and grief. Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” With this, Hannah thanked Eli and left to eat something and her face was no longer downcast. Early next morning, they worshiped the LORD and went home. 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.”
Next year, Hannah did not go with the others for the annual sacrifice, but stayed back. 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.” “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. 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. When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 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. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 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.
Elkanah
This chapter concisely outlines the miraculous birth of Samuel and the commitment of his parents. In fewer words, it also portrays the nature of each character. The most important character in this chapter, is of course Hannah, whose prayer begets Samuel. Nevertheless, Elkanah's constant support and affection is crucial to Samuel's birth as well. Elkanah was a proactive listener who responded positively throughout. It is very clear that he loved Hannah a lot and showed it in his actions. Which would have meant a lot for Hannah who was no doubt in distress constantly because of her rival. Elkanah was also careful not to hurt Peninnah or his children.
Elkanah was respectful and understanding of Hannah's vow. Any other person might have tried and stopped Hannah from fulfilling her vow which she made when she prayed for a child. But Elkanah stood by her decision. Showing without doubt he truly loved her and trusted her to do the best.
Hannah
Elkanah loved Hannah unconditionally. And Hannah's virtue shows that she's well deserving of that unconditional love. Right off the bat, we can see that Hannah is deeply troubled because she's childless. To make it worse, this is used by Peninnah to provoke Hannah until she wept and wouldn't eat out of despair. In all this, Hannah never retaliated against Peninnah or bad mouthed about her to Elkanah. Rather, she channeled her anguish to the LORD straight away, and made a vow that she'll give the child she begets to the LORD's service.
When Eli mistook Hannah to be drunk, she doesn't harshly respond to defend her honor, but explains her pain to Eli. And once she gets a positive response, she held on to it strongly in faith, and was no longer upset. The LORD was true to her and gave her a child, whom she named Samuel, which means "heard of God". She in turn stayed true to the LORD and fulfilled her vow by committing Samuel for the LORD's service and leaving him to stay at Shiloh. No doubt this would have been very hard on her. Yet, she proceeded in faith, being content to only see her son once a year.
Each character we see in the book teaches us either how to live, or how not to live. The ones who are good and have faith in the LORD are blessed even more, but the ones who are evil and unfaithful are cast away. Elkanah and Hannah were blessed with more children after Samuel because they held strongly to the faith they had on the LORD, and lived according to what is right and good. Thus, they got to play an important part in bringing forth the first prophet who anointed the kings who'd rule the land.
Let us also strive to fulfill the will of the LORD, and be good, kind and understanding to everyone around us. See you in the next one. Take care of yourself and each other!
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