The Response of Joy


1 Samuel 1:21-2:2
21The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” 23Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there. 2:1And 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.

The third candle on the Advent wreath represents the Fruit of the Spirit that is Joy. Just as we often incorrectly use the words hope and wish interchangeably, so too do we use happy and joy interchangeably. That is an unfortunate choice, as they are not the same. Happiness is something we are able to conjure up and is indeed a choice that we are able to make. Joy, on the other hand, is a fruit of the Spirit and thus a creation of God. Joy is possible despite the circumstance. We find a prime example of that in the person of Hannah, the mother of Samuel.

How often are we tempted to bargain with the Lord for something that we want? It is generally considered to be a bad idea, because we are notorious for going back on our end of the deal. But in Hannah’s story that is what we see happen. Hannah tells God (1 Samuel 1:11) that if He grants her a child, she will give him to the Lord as His servant. (She even makes the vow of a Nazarite for her future child. The vow of a Nazarite was taken by someone who was set aside for God. They did not cut their hair, touch dead things, or consume alcohol for the length of the vow. She made this vow for his lifetime!) And yet, that is exactly what she did. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” (vs. 27-28a) That’s follow through.

Imagine just how difficult that must have been for Hannah. This child that she has pined for is now a reality. She is finally holding in her arms that which stirred her heart to passionate tears, prayers, and ultimately a bargain with God. She takes care of Samuel for 3 years and then completes her promise. She takes him to Shiloh to live in the temple with Eli, the head priest. This has always been an action for me to marvel at; how could she give up her only child? (As we will see later in the text, God does grant her more children. But at the time she gives Samuel to Eli, he is her only child.) How could she keep that rash promise, made in the midst of despair and longing? But she does.

Every day we struggle to keep even the simplest commitments to God. Because God is a God of “do-overs”, we come to Him daily and say “well, I blew it yesterday, but I promise to do better today” only to blow it again today. But here is where His faithfulness rescues us yet again. He lovingly allows us yet another chance. Hannah kept her promise to God and this serves as an amazing example of what it looks like to follow through on your agreements with God. Just remember that if you mess up, He will allow another chance, every day.

And the outcome of this whole story is the presence of rejoicing. Hannah is understandably grateful that God has heard her prayer and granted her request for a child. In a stunning turn of events, she returns the child to the Lord by giving him over to a life of service to God. Her joy is not quenched by this action, but instead, augmented by obedience and faithfulness.

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