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My Heart Rejoices in the Lord (A Mother’s Day Sermon) 1 Samuel 2:1-10
By Ike Hughes | May 14, 2007
I have often wondered why we have a day set aside each year to honor mothers. The cynical side of me thinks it’s just and excuse for Hallmark to make a few bucks. The compassionate side of me thinks that it is a great idea to honor mothers for the hard work that they put into the raising of their children.
But I always felt that there was something more. Today we are going to see something else that is found in mother’s day for the people of God.
Let’s pray.
Exodus through Deuteronomy gets Israel from Egypt to the border of the Promised Land. Joshua gets Israel into the Promised Land. The book of Judges lists a cycle of failures while Israel is in the land.
The book of Samuel begins the story of Israel’s success in securing the Land that God had promised to Abraham so many years ago. God used his Kings to secure the land that he had promised would be the home of his people. But before we are introduced to the Kings of Israel we are introduced to the final Judge in Israel’s history, Samuel.
Samuel is the transition between the period of Judges, with their cycles of apostasy, persecution, repentance, and rescue, and the period of the Kings, who secured the land but ultimately lost the land.
The first chapter of 1 Samuel recounts for us the birth of Samuel.
Read (1 Samuel 1:1-2; 1 Samuel 1:10-11; 1 Samuel 1:19 - 2:10)
Much like Sarah, Hannah was barren. And Hannah was also persecuted for her barrenness. But unlike Sarah who doubted in her barrenness, Hannah prayed to God and asked God to provide her with a child. Hannah had grown up hearing the stories of how God had visited Sarah and gave her a child, and she had faith that God would provide for her as well.
And like many of us, she made a promise to God that would be fulfilled if he would give her a son. Hannah promised to set her son apart for God’s use for life, if He would give her a son. In chapter 1 verse 11, Hannah says that no razor will ever touch the head of a son that is given to her.
This stipulation is one third of the Nazarite vow. The Nazarite vow included the injunction against shaving as well as prohibitions against taking anything into the body that came from the grapevine, including wine and vinegar, and prohibitions against being in the presence of anything dead.
These vows were taken as a special means of separating one’s self for God for a specific and limited amount of time. Hannah’s case was odd because she was the one making the vow on behalf of Samuel and she was setting her son apart for life.
And God heard Hannah. She had a son, Samuel. And after she had weaned him, she took him to the Temple in Jerusalem, and handed him over into the care of Eli the priest. Hannah spent three years with Samuel before she handed him over.
I can only imagine how heartbreaking that must have been. To have wanted a son so badly and then giving him up. I’m sure you moms could tell me what that might be like, especially the ones who have older children who have moved out.
A few years ago when Michelle and I were in the process of deciding to go to seminary, we had come to a point in our decision making process that we were sure enough of the decision to begin telling our parents. I remember calling my mom at work one day and telling her about our decision. The phone got silent for a few moments.
Then I heard a sniffle and I realized that my mom was crying. I thought that I had upset her. But she explained to me that she had been praying since I was born for me to be set apart for God’s use.
And while there was a sense of sadness to the situation, there was also a sense of joy that her and my father’s work throughout the years to set me apart was going to see some very visible fruit.
There was a mix of sadness and joy for Hannah as well. We can see the joy in her prayer that is recorded for us in the first 10 verses of 1 Samuel 2. This is an amazing prayer. It is even more amazing when you consider that Hannah prayed this prayer as she was giving her only son to the priest.
Hannah’s prayer is a praise to God for his victory in hard situations.
Let’s take a few minutes and look at Hannah’s prayer.
First, Hannah praises God for his uniqueness and holiness. (Read 2:1-2) Verse 1 is out and out praise to God for his deliverance. Hannah was delivered from her barrenness. Hannah was delivered from the persecution that she received at the hands of other women. God delivered Hannah from her tough situation.
Then Hannah praises God for his holiness and his uniqueness. Hannah lived in a time when people looked at natural phenomenon and natural processes being under the control of different gods.
In verse two, Hannah says three things about God. First she says that no one is Holy like her God. Second she says that there is no other God beside her God. And finally she says that there is no Rock – or King – like her God. Hannah’s God is unique and holy among other gods.
Hannah praises God for his holiness and his uniqueness
Second, Hannah praises God for his sovereign reversal of fortunes. (Read 2:3) Hannah’s husband had two wives. And chapter 1 also tells us that Peninnah, the other wife, ridiculed Hannah for her inability to have children. Hannah saw the birth of Samuel as God’s vindication of her in the face of that persecution. Hannah then lists other ways in which God reverses the fortunes of the less fortunate (Read 2:4-8a).
Then in the second half of verse 8 she praises God for his power that allows him to do all these things (Read 2:8b). Not only is the earth God’s, but the foundations upon which the earth is set is is as well.
Hannah praises God for his uniqueness and his holiness,
Hannah praises God for his sovereign reversal of fortunes
Finally, Hannah praises God for his care of his people. (Read vs. 9a) Hannah has seen in her own life how God has taken care of her. In the midst of her barrenness and in the midst of her persecution, God gave her a son.
God will take care of his people. Not only will he take care of his people, he will silence the wicked who speak out and persecute his people (Read 2:9b-10a). The oppressors of God’s people will be ‘shattered.’ God will rail and thunder against the enemies of his people and will judge them for their actions.
Then Hannah praises God for the strength that he will give to His king. (Read 2:10b) Israel did not have a king at this period, but the history of Israel is moving toward a period of time when they will have a king. Hannah knows that when that time came, God would take care of this king.
Hannah praises God for his uniqueness and his holiness
Hannah praises God for his sovereign reversal of fortunes
And Hannah praises God for his care of His people.
But Hannah’s prayer does more than just set the tone for Samuel’s departure. Hannah’s prayer looks forward as well. Hannah’s prayer looks forward to the day when Israel would have a king. It looks beyond that as well.
Hannah’s prayer is paralleled in the prayer of another young mother.
Read with me Luke 1:46-55
Mary prayed this prayer when she found out that she would be the mother of the Savior. God had promised to Eve that the savior of the world would come through the seed of the woman.
Jesus came to this earth to fulfill Hannah’s prayer. Jesus was the unique and holy God in human form. Jesus was the ultimate reverser of fortunes. Jesus was the ultimate king who received the care and strength of God.
Jesus had to come through a woman. God’s plan is to redeem creation, not to redeem us FROM it. God could have made a new man from the dust of the earth or from nothing. But in order for God to redeem creation, the savior had to be a part of it. And the only way for that to happen was for Jesus to be born of a woman.
God’s intervention in Hannah’s life to provide her with a son, pointed forward to God’s bringing of the Savior into the world through a woman. Motherhood is a reminder to us of the redemption that awaits the people of God.
So I ask you, what is Mother’s day all about?
Mother’s Day should be a reminder for us that Jesus came into this world, as a baby so that Creation can be redeemed and so that our redemption would be secure.
Hannah spent the first three years of Samuel’s life being his mom. Then she sent Samuel to the Temple to be trained for God’s service. And as she said goodbye, she prayed this prayer of praise over him.
Moms, you too have time to be spending with your children. And while it may be longer than three years, it is a very short time.
You should enjoy your time and you should spend that time training your children in what they will need for the world. And what they need is reminding of who God is how he is unique and holy.
You need to teach them about how God, in his sovereignty, will reverse the fortunes of the oppressed and down trodden. And you need to teach your children about God’s care for them.
Grandmothers and women whose children are older or you are not off the hook. There are a lot of young moms out there that could use your help in this task. And your children still need reminding now and then, when things are tough of God and how he helps in tough situations.
And then one day, you will send your children off. And that will be a sad occasion. But as they go and while they are gone, pray over them.
Pray that God will be unique to them.
Pray that God would reverse their fortunes when they need him to.
And pray that God will care for your children.
Lets pray
Topics: 1 Samuel, Luke, Mother's Day |