“Faith for Real Life Problems”
(1 Sam 1:1-2 NIV) "There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. {2} He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
I. Today I want to talk about facing real life problems and the faith it takes to overcome them.
A. Our text introduces to us a woman named Hannah.
1. She is one of the great ladies of the bible.
2. She is a woman with a real life problem.
3. Her story gives us an opportunity to see how a person of faith can manage problems in life.
II. Let’s take a look at Hannah’s story.
A. Turn to the very last verse of the Book of Judges and allow me to give you some background about the times in which Hannah lived.
1. The situation is bleak.
(Judg 21:25 NKJV) "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
2. The nation of Israel is torn apart by a lack of leadership and perversity which came through falling into the idol worship.
B. I want to pause here just to make an observation…
1. It seems to me that we can draw some parallels with our society today and what was happening back then.
2. Where there is a leadership vacuum; particularly a moral leadership vacuum people will be do what is right in their own eyes.
3. With no moral standard to draw the lines of right and wrong it leaves a void in society. The end result is an intolerance to any morality.
4. We are in the same place today in our nation as was back in the day of the Judges…
5. There is no moral leadership in our secularized, humanistic society so people are doing what seems right in their own eyes and you best accept it or you will be deemed intolerant, racist, bigoted, homophobic, and a host of other negative pejoratives.
C. In the book of Judges, because of the sin of idolatry God would chasten his children by raising up their enemies;
1. The nation of Israel was often oppressed by the surrounding nations.
2. The people would cry out to God during their affliction.
3. God would hear their cries, remember His covenant with them and have mercy.
4. God would appoint a judge to lead His people in repentance and overthrow their oppressors; but their freedom generally lasted only as long as the judge was alive.
5. On top of that, many of the judges, like Samson, had some fatal flaws.
D. This brings us to 1 Samuel.
1. When we come to 1 Samuel, we’re introduced to Hannah.
2. She is a woman with a real life problem.
3. This problem is the focal point of her story recorded in the first chapter.
4. What we see is a woman who did not lose faith or hope in spite of the problem she faced.
5. Her persistence and her faith brought about miracle provision that would dramatically impact not only her life personally, and her family, but an entire nation as well.
E. In her story we will see 5 Defining Traits of people of Faith dealing with real life problems.
1. If you are struggling with a real life problem you might want to take note of how she walked this out.
2. Let’s look together –
(1 Sam 1:2 NIV) "He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none."
(1 Sam 1:6-8 NIV) "And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. {7} This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. {8} Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?""
F. Let’s begin with this important understanding… People of faith
I. FACE REAL LIFE PROBLEMS
A. It’s easy to think that the heroes in the Bible were somehow different than we are.
1. We might think that it’s tough to relate to them because their lives were so perfect and their culture was so different than ours.
2. Actually, the Bible is filled with people just like you and me who had real life problems, and had to learn how face them with real faith.
B. In 1 Samuel 1, we’re introduced to a man named Elkanah.
1. Verse 2 tells us that “He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Penninah.
2. Penninah had children, but Hannah had none.”
3. It’s important to understand the culture of the day to really get the impact of this problem
4. In those days the wife’s chief role was to provide a male heir for her husband along with other children.
5. A barren womb was considered a curse and Hannah would have been looked down upon.
6. She was spiritually disturbed,…
a) …socially disgraced,
b) …and emotionally depressed.
C. Verse 3 tells us that Elkanah and his two wives made a yearly visit to Shiloh, about a twenty-mile journey, to worship the Lord.
1. This shows us something about his relationship with the Living God revealed in the Old Testament.
D. When the whole culture was “headed south” spiritually speaking, Elkanah swam against the tide of apathy, and took his family to worship.
1. There is a gleaning here… a great life lesson
2. You greatly increase the possibility to endure real life problems as a family when you make worship a priority in your family.
3. When you come to a place where there is an atmosphere of faith and love… you won’t just survive… you can grow and thrive in it
4. Elkanah brought his family to worship
a) As a husband and father it was his role and responsibility in his home to led his family to worship
b) May I address the men of this house today… The greatest gift you can give your wife on Mother’s day, and every other day of the year is to rise up and lead your family in spiritual things.
c) Set the spiritual tone in your home
d) Lead your family in prayer around the dinner table
e) Bring your family to church;
f) Give spiritual guidance and leadership to your family
g) Take your place in the church and provide spiritual leadership
h) Let the men of God’s house rise up and take your place as spiritual leaders.
i) Demonstrate to your spouse, and your sons and daughters that your strength is not about your physical conditioning or mental prowess, but rather born out of your walk with God.
E. Verses 4-5 show us something about Elkanah’s devotion for his wife who was suffering.
(1 Sam 1:4-5 NIV) "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. {5} But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb."
1. He gave portions of the sacrificial meat to Penninah and her children,
2. “But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her…”
3. In that culture, honored guests were given a “super-sized” meal.
F. It had to be difficult for Hannah to eat the food that was associated with the “thank offering,” when she probably wasn’t all that thankful.
1. Having a husband who expressed his love probably helped a lot.
2. He was devout in his walk with God and devoted to Hannah, but he had a divided family.
G. The original cause of this division was Elkanah’s decision to marry two wives, which was not God’s original intent for marriage.
1. It’s likely that Elkanah had married Hannah first and then, because she was not able to have children, he decided to marry Penninah.
2. Though the Bible records the polygamous relationships of some of the patriarchs, it never endorses it.
3. God’s Word teaches that a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife… not wives
H. Even though these two wives did not get along, the most difficult thing that Hannah faced is the phrase that is repeated twice, once at the end of verse 5 and again at the beginning of verse 6: “And the Lord had closed her womb.”
1. Notice the source of Hannah’s problem…
I. The problem that she was having came from the Lord.
1. It says clearly… the Lord closed her womb.
2. Have you ever considered the possibility that SOME of our problems are given to us by the Lord Himself.
3. We don’t really want to believe this.
4. We’d rather blame it all on Satan, or on someone else.
5. But it is God who allows good things and bad things to come into our lives.
6. God is in charge and as such we should echo Job’s faith in Job 2:10: after having lost everything… His wealth, His children, and now his health… His wife stands over him…
Job 2:9–10 (NIV84) — 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
7. King Solomon echoed Job’s revelation
Ecclesiastes 7:14 (NIV84) — 14 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other…”
8. And why would God allow hardship to come our way…
James 1:2–4 (NIV84) — 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
J. So, here we have a women of faith, facing a real life problem
1. She was barren
2. She desperately wanted a child, but the Lord had closed her womb
3. Added to her distress what her husband’s other wife…
K. Verse 6 describes the character and personality of Penninah:
(1 Sam 1:6 NIV) "And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her."
L. Penninah couldn’t just be thankful that she had children but felt the need to harass Hannah.
M. Some of you can relate to that kind of anguish of soul.
1. It’s not bad enough that you have a problem you cannot solve
2. It’s not enough that this problem has caused you spiritual distress, and has made you a social outcast…
3. Then, on top of all that you have a family member who should be loving and understanding… trying to provoke you every time you are in certain situations together
N. Hannah had a real life problem
(1 Sam 1:8 NIV) "Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?""
O. Elkanah tries his best to comfort his wife:
1. At first glance it seems that Elkanah is being sympathetic…
2. It’s certainly great that he even noticed…
3. Some guys would see their wives crying and ask them what time dinner will be on the table.
P. I might be going out on a limb here but it seems like Elkanah is doing what many of us husbands do when our wives are upset.
1. Instead of listening to her pain, he seems to be rationalizing her problems and feelings.
2. He’s trying to solve when he should be seeking to understand.
3. And then to add a bit more salt in the wound… He’s basically saying, “Baby, you’ve got me, what more could you want?”
a) Men lets huddle up here for a minute… there are times when our rational thinking is not what our wife needs…
b) Sometimes all she needs is to be held
c) We don’t have to have all the answers, but the fact that we see their pain and empathize with it is enough
d) “Honey, if you want to talk I am here to listen”… if you want to be held, I am here to hold you… if you want me to problem solve, I’m here to help
Q. This first point I am trying to make is this… people of faith, have real life problems
1. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul… and feel what he must have been feeling when he wrote…
(2 Cor 1:8-9 NIV) "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. {9} Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."
2. Some of our problems are gifts from God who allows them in our lives to learn how to rely on Him and not ourselves.
3. People of faith face real problems in life
R. People of faith
II. PRAY INTENSELY (1:9-18).
A. Hannah had some problems but she didn’t shut down or lash out at those around her.
1. She didn’t blame God; get angry at God; or try to isolate from God and His people
2. She expressed her faith in prayer.
3. God uses our problems to get our attention and to teach us according to Psalm 119:71:
Psalm 119:71 (NIV84) — 71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
4. Our problems should drive us to prayer, never despair.
5. Look at verses 10-11:
(1 Sam 1:10-11 NIV) "In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. {11} And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon 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.""
6. Her weeping led to worship as her tears mingled with her prayers.
B. Hannah is definitely broken.
1. But her brokenness did not lead her to despair… it lead her to the Lord God Almighty
C. I don’t believe that we really understand the power of prayer
1. Over and over from the Genesis to Revelation we read stories of people just like you and me who faced incredible challenges and problems in life.
2. They prayed, God heard, and He responded.
3. Sometimes He gave them what they asked for;
4. Other times He gave them more than they asked for;
5. But every time He gave them what they need most to ultimately become more like Him.
D. What I am saying is that when people pray God listens and He answers
1. You can’t solve your real life problems, but God can… That’s why we pray
2. Remember why God gives us problems… to learn how to depend upon Him.
E. Notice again in 1 Samuel 1:
(1 Sam 1:11 NIV) "And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon 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.""
1. The description of God as “The Lord Almighty” means, “The Lord of Hosts.”
2. The hosts refer to all the armies of heaven.
3. The Lord Almighty has all the hosts of heaven ready to do His work.
4. She is appealing to His power and authority, because she knows there is nothing she can do.
F. Let me remind you about the angels
(Heb 1:14 NIV) "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"
1. If you will pray and believe God will send forth His angels to minister to you and your situation
G. Look also that her prayer included a vow or commitments.
1. As part of her prayer, she is making a vow that if she’s given a son, he will be dedicated to the Lord for his entire life.
2. Her son would become a Levitical priest, serving in the temple as a Nazirite.
3. A Nazirite was bound by a vow to be set apart to the Lord’s service and had to abstain from the fruit of the vine, was forbidden to cut his hair, and was not allowed to get near any dead body.
4. Samson was another Old Testament character who had taken the Nazirite vow.
H. Having worked through years of barrenness, and the problems that this caused, Hannah now realizes a very important truth: CHILDREN ARE NOT JUST FOR THE PARENTS, THEY ARE FOR THE LORD
I. Nothing we have really belongs to us anyway.
1. That includes our children.
2. They’re on loan to us.
3. It’s our job to parent, to shepherd, and to train them for the Lord’s work.
J. It’s significant that verse 12 says, “she kept on praying to the Lord.”
1. This wasn’t just a quick popcorn prayer.
2. This was a repeated request, bathed in tears.
3. Too often we give up in our prayer
4. We pray a short prayer or for a short time…
5. But God wants us to pray till we get the answer
6. Maybe you’ve heard the acronym: PUSH = pray until something happens
K. Notice what happens in verse 18
(1 Sam 1:18 NIV) "She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast."
L. When Eli the priest saw her sitting there mumbling, weeping, rocking… he thought she was drunk in the temple and he rebuked her
1. Hannah explained her situation and that she was simply praying
2. Eli then gave her his blessing and when that happened something broke inside her
3. The heaviness lifted
4. The mourning and grieving had passed
5. Her whole countenance changed
6. After spending time in prayer, her face was no longer sad.
7. She had left her concerns with the Lord and now she’s experiencing the “peace that passes all understanding.”
8. It is so true, the circumstance often changes in you before it changes around you when you are a person of faith and pray.
M. People of faith face real life problems and when they do they pray intensely.
N. That leads to a third defining trait…
O. People of faith
III. EXPERIENCE GOD’S PROVISION (1:19-20).
(1 Sam 1:19-20 NIV) "Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. {20} So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him.""
A. Verse 19 tells us that once again they got up early the next morning and worshipped before the Lord.
1. This was their practice, not something they did just once in awhile.
2. Then they went back home.
3. A short time later, Hannah conceived and give birth to a son, naming him Samuel.
4. His name sounds like the Hebrew word for “heard of God.”
5. Every time she said his name she was reminded of his origin and destiny.
B. Hannah received God’s provision and conceived a child and gave birth to a son.
1. We love those faith building stories; but I want to add something her.
2. Sometimes when you pray what God gives you is the grace you need to get through the day.
3. Sometimes what He gives you is peace inside regardless of the circumstance outside.
4. What I can promise you today is that God will give you what you need if you will pray… trust Him to answer you out of His heart of love for you.
C. People of faith
IV. KEEP THEIR PROMISES (1:21-28).
A. After Samuel was born, Elkanah went once again to Shiloh in order to worship.
1. Hannah decided to not go until Samuel was weaned, which would have been at around three-years-old.
2. She dedicated herself to her child, nursing and nurturing him, knowing that when he is able to eat on his own, she “…will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”
B. Many people make promises to God, only to forget them once the problem passes.
1. Not so with Hannah.
2. She fully intended to keep her promise because she knew that Samuel did not really belong to her anyway.
C. Hannah not only dedicated herself to her child, she dedicated her child to the Lord.
1. She then brings Samuel to the house of the Lord and says in verse 28:
1 Samuel 1:28 (NIV84) — 28 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.
2. She repeated this twice as if to cement her commitment, knowing that she will never revoke it.
3. While she gave Samuel to her Savior, she never bailed on her responsibility.
1 Samuel 2:19 (NIV84) — 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
4. Verse 28 ends with a glimpse into young Samuel’s heart: “And he worshiped the LORD there.”
5. Even at three-years-old, he was able to worship.
6. How do you think he learned how to do this?
7. Hannah no doubt took the exhortation of Deuteronomy 6:6-7 seriously:
Deuteronomy 6:6–7 (NIV84) — 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
D. It’s one thing to say that our children are dedicated to the Lord; it’s another thing altogether to give them to the Lord.
1. That’s the kind of love that Hannah had for Samuel.
2. She was willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her son.
3. She loved him so much that she was willing to forgo a mother’s greatest joy… ¬that of bringing up her son and having him around her.
4. How and why did she do this… because she loved God more than her how son.
5. She made a vow to the Lord and she honored her word. That is love in action. That is honor and integrity.
E. People of faith
V. PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD (2:1-11).
A. We don’t have time today to plumb the depths of Hannah’s beautiful psalm of praise, but I do want to point out that there is no element of sadness here at all.
1. She has just dropped off Samuel at the temple and now she breaks out into praise.
2. She was thrilled to be able to parent a prophet!
3. Listen to verses 1-2:
1 Samuel 2:1–2 (NIV84) — 1 Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 2 “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
4. Here is the heart of a woman of faith who saw the power of God work in her life…
5. He took away her barrenness, and gave her a son.
6. Instead of being sad about the circumstance of leaving her son behind at the temple… she lifts up her head and her heart and rejoices in the greatness of God
7. Praise and worship are filled in this prayer focusing on the goodness and greatness of God
B. Hannah is an example of a woman of faith.
C. She endures years of silent suffering because of her barrenness and the cruel harassment at the hand of her rival, Penninah.
1. She goes to the house of worship, knowing how painful it is.
2. She faithfully worships, pouring out her tears and petitions.
3. And when God answers her prayers, she not only keeps her promise, she explodes with praise.
D. Ladies…, you are of great worth in God’s sight whether or not you have a child.
1. Lift up your head and realize that God loves you for who you are, not for what you do.
2. He understands your sorrow and your pain and He’ll meet you right where you are.
3. Mothers, make it your mission to give your children to the Lord for a lifetime of dedicated service.
4. There’s no greater purpose, and no higher honor, than to have your children give their lives in surrendered service to the Lord of Hosts.
E. If you were to continue reading through the book of 1 Samuel, you’d discover that Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phineas, were very evil and did some perversely detestable things.
1. It’s very interesting that their mother is never mentioned anywhere.
2. We don’t know if she died or if she was just not engaged as a parent.
3. Samuel, on the other hand, was greatly impacted by his mother, and went on to become one of the most significant individuals in God’s redemptive history.
F. Moms, you matter greatly to your kids and to the very future of our nation!
G. One of the lessons from the life of Hannah is that each of us needs to be growing in our own relationship with God.
1. If you want your kids to learn about God, and to love Him with all they possess, they must first see this devotion demonstrated in your life first. it’s first got to be real in your life.
H. That reminds me of what happened one Sunday after a Child Dedication service.
1. As a young family was driving away from church after the dedication of their baby, little Johnny, the older brother, cried all the way home in the back seat of the car.
2. His mother asked him three times what was wrong.
3. Finally, the boy replied, “That pastor said he wanted us to be brought up in a Christian home…but I want to stay with you guys!”
4. If you want your kids brought up in a Christian home, make sure that Christ is at home in your heart.
I. Faith for real life problems…
1. realize that you will encounter real life problems; these problems can actually be gifts from God.
2. Realize the power of intense prayer… Turn to God in times of trouble and distress and pray… pray till something happens. Be a person of prayer
3. be a person of your word. Honor your vows the Lord. Be faithful regardless of the problems in your life.
4. be a person of praise. Praise sets the attitude of your heart. Chose to praise in spite of what’s happening in your life.
