I had a “Whoa, I had no idea THAT’S in there!!” moment in
church a couple weeks ago.
We love our church!! Harvest Bible Chapel – West Olive. It
has been an amazing place of growth and unity for us. Ken Gentzler proclaims
God’s Word with a precision balance of grace and truth, his latest series being
Vertical Church.
As I mentioned, two weeks ago Ken was talking about “An EpicFailure – 1 Samuel 2:12 – 4:22”. Digging into the question of What causesthe glory of God to depart? which when it happens, leaves a horizontal
church void of vertical-ness. Showcasing the life of High Priest Eli and his
sons Hophni and Phinehas, Ken showed how there was unscrupulous leadership,
unbridled defiance, unacceptable priorities, unspoken Truth, unrestrained sin,
and unreal commitment culminating with the birth of Ichabod which means “the
glory is gone”.
In the middle of the description, list really, of Eli’s
sons’ grotesque sins against God and the people of Israel are four verses which seem
to interrupt the narrative.
“Samuel was
ministering before the LORD, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. And his mother
used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went
up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Then Eli would bless Elkanah
and his wife and say, “May the LORD give you children by this woman for the
petition she asked of the LORD.” So then they would return to their home.
Indeed the LORD visited Hannah and she conceived and bore three sons and two
daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD.”
I felt like a load of bricks slammed into my chest when I
realized the reality of this verse for a mother. Hannah literally cried and
prayed for this little boy, Samuel. She begged God to give her a son and
promised to give him back to serve Him. When he was weaned, she brought little
Samuel to Shiloh.
And.
Left. Him. There.
With a High Priest who couldn’t even control his own two
sons… with two worthless men who were horrible examples to have a little boy
follow and emulate… Hannah trusted God. Period. She believed that God would protect her
precious prayed-for son even as she fulfilled her heart-wrenching vow.
I used to think that she was just desperate. (Forgive my
ignorance!) I’ve never felt the desperation that comes with not being able to
have children. I have felt desperation about other things, just not in this
way. I do know that desperate women will promise desperate things. So I
figured, she gave whatever she had to so she could have a baby boy. When it
came time and he was weaned, I imagine her shoulders heaved and tears flowed
freely as she turned and walked away leaving her one and only son for the first
time knowing she would not see him for an entire year.
That’s the part I can’t imagine. Leaving my sweet little
boy.
But she didn’t really
leave him. She left her Samuel safe in God’s care – in the middle of wolves decked
out in sheep’s clothing. She trusted Him with her most treasured blessing.
The first implication that SHOUTS to me is the decision
parents make regarding their child’s education. No matter the decision, a
parent must still leave their child in God’s care. They are still walking in
the middle of wolves. Whether it’s the halls of a school or the sidewalk of
their neighborhood, they desperately need God to protect their minds as they
process the world around them.
The second implication cries out pleading: TRUST Him and PRAY
for your children wherever they are educated. When you have moments with them, look
for teachable moments… just live and point them to Jesus even in your failures.
Pray over them. Pray for them. Pray for the adults who have influence in their
lives. Pray that God will give them what they need in the moment. Pray. Pray.
Pray.
If you were to see my sermon notes, they are copious until
verse 25. After that, I got lost in Hannah’s mind and heart.
Doesn’t this world seem so impenetrably dark? Worthless men
and unscrupulous leadership lurk everywhere?
Unbridled defiance oozes from young people.
Well, there’s hope peeking out from this passage.
Sandwiched between “17 Thus the sin of the young men was
very great in the sight of the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the
LORD with contempt” and “22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that
his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were
serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting” is the reminder that God is at
work.
“21 …And the boy
Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD”
God is at work! Darkness is as light to Him. Even with
worthless men and defiant young people, He is still placing fathers and mothers,
sons and daughters for such a time as this. He is at work in our schools, our
neighborhoods, our state, and – even – especially – our government.
We must teach our children with our lives.
Trust Him. Period.
Pray! Pray! Pray!
So, my dear Hannah,
I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for seeing you as a desperate woman
who would do whatever necessary to fulfill her desire. You were desperate for
God to intervene and to see Him act on your behalf. You had to have seen the
worthless behavior of the priests who were supposed to be leading you. How
amazing that it would be your son to eventually take their place as leader of the
people. Thank you for your example: trusting God with your precious little boy.
A strong woman knows she must be desperate for God to be her
strength.
Are you desperate for God to be your strength? Do you think “I
know who my kids are playing with so I’m good”? Do you try to control who
teaches your child in hopes of protecting your child from bad influences? Do
you pray for your child – every single day? Do they know that you trust Him and
your strength is found only in Him?
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