Title: Hannah's Prayer/1 Samuel 1:14~18
Contents Here in the Bible, a woman is praying. Seeing this woman praying, she is praying that she really likes. That woman is Samuel's mother, Hannah.
This woman was barren. This was the biggest problem for this woman. So this woman struggled a lot and cried a lot. Still, this woman was deeply loved and comforted by her husband. Still, this lover was not satisfied with it. As a woman, I wanted to have children myself. So this woman goes into the temple and prays to God. “God, give me a son, if you give it to me, I will offer it to you.” So how earnest and earnest that prayer must have been. In this way, this woman is very oriental. As a woman, I am trying to have children because I feel guilty about not being able to have children. This is perhaps the instinct of a woman before chasing East and West. In today's era of single women, many single women think, "I don't want to get married, but I want to have children and raise them." It is also because of nature.
It is said that the Jews have three humiliations. One is for women to lose their hair. For example, female baldness. How ugly would that look? So this is a woman's mother-in-law. The second is not being able to get married. Today is an era where there are many single women, so this is not a big deal as it is today. The third is the inability to have children. So, if women get married and cannot have children within three years, they are supposed to give their husbands to another woman.
Here in this Han Dynasty, a woman is in such a situation. Even after three years of marriage, they have not had children. So I surrendered my husband. Peninnara gave her maidservant to her husband. Normally, this servant was very obedient, kind and docile, so I gave it to my husband without hesitation. This woman finally conceived her husband's child. But from then on, a problem arose. From then on, this true and docile body servant suddenly became vicious, arrogant and arrogant, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. It's not that the wife is ignoring her, but she is ignoring her and begins to despise and abuse her. Everyone, don't you know that even if you don't see the scene? Women have such a terrifying and poisonous side. That is why women have been among the things men should be careful of since ancient times. A woman is usually very fragile and docile, but once she changes, she has all the elements that can make her so scary. There is such a thing as a big man series these days, but men shouldn't upset women.
There is an analysis of the cause of the sudden poisoning of women and becoming very poisonous from one day. It is said that the reason why a woman who was so quiet and gentle can suddenly become scared one day is said to be the cause of women's daily life. Ladies and gentlemen, what is in the hands of the women working in the kitchen? Everyone is holding a hit. Just keep an eye on them as they cut the fish and chop the meat with that knife. You don't know how bravely you cut without mercy. It seems that it is nothing, but it is said that as the daily life of slicing, ripping and cutting like this piles up and piles up, psychological factors that can make a person cruel are hidden deep in the heart. However, if there are no problems in life, it is fine, but when a problem arises in life and an emergency arises, it suddenly appears as a cruel and toxic personality. So unwise husbands make their wives angry. See the three thousand li according to the legend. All are such stories.
If you look at Westerners, how soft and kind are they usually? However, if they say that their hearts are so soft and kind, it is not. If you come across a matter of interest, your usual gentle and kind demeanor disappears in an instant, and you don't know how cruel it is. If you know the cause, it is because of their lifestyle.
Everyone, take a closer look at what Westerners hold in their hands when eating. They eat with a knife in one hand and a pitchfork in the other. Torn and cut with a knife, cut into pieces, dip with a pitchfork and eat. It is because such lifestyles have a psychological effect that can be cruel deep in their hearts, without realizing it. So, if you look at their history, they are all the history of conquest, the history of gunmen, and the history of war.
Guys, try not to have children for a very eccentric man. That assumption will soon be broken. Imagine also having three or four daughters to a very eccentric man. Then he will go out and give birth to a son and bring him home. So, looking at it, God assigns such a mission to good husbands. He entrusts such a mission to those who can protect their families even without children, and to good men who can rejoice and be grateful even if they have many daughters. This is not to say that all fathers of three sons are eccentric. In general, that is to say.
Here, a woman named Hannah was loved by her good husband and received tremendous comfort. But I couldn't be satisfied with that. So this woman goes into the temple and begins to pray. Here are three characteristics of Hannah's prayer. I hope this will serve as an example for our prayers.
One is "an earnest prayer".
This is an element of prayer. Above all else, prayer must contain "destiny". This is a prerequisite for prayer. As Hannah sat in the temple and prayed so earnestly, the Bible said that her face was hot and she was praying while not making a sound and only moving her lips. Priest Eli, who saw this, thought he was drunk and shouted loudly. Verse 14 says, “How long will you be drunk, stop drinking?” So, because Hannah prayed so earnestly, she is as absorbed in prayer as if she were drunk. This is prayer.
Looking at it this way, really mournful and earnest prayers do not come true in such a crowded place. A very serious conversation takes place in a quiet place. Look at young men and women dating. Do you go on a date on the market floor or something? They both sit in a very quiet place and do not speak. The two of them sit face to face and stare at each other. No need for gossip. Our prayers to God must also be done earnestly in such a quiet place, and that is prayer. Hannah is praying like that now. I am sitting alone in the temple and praying very deeply. How could God not hear such a prayer? This is the first and most important element of prayer.
The second is "clear purpose".
There is another element to prayer. That is, the purpose should be clear. Hannah prayed, and the purpose was very clear. You don't just ask for a son. In verse 11, we pray: “God, give me a son, and I will raise him as a Nazarite for the rest of my life.”
The word Nazirites means a person who is completely dedicated to God. There are several conditions for raising a Nazarite. One should not take medicine even if they are ill. And you should not shave your hair for the rest of your life. You must not drink alcohol, and you must not see a corpse. This means that even if the mother dies, she cannot go and see her. Here Hannah gives birth to a son, but she cannot come and see her after she dies. It's okay though, so I pray that I will have only a son. How clear is the purpose of prayer?
If there is a problem with our prayers today, this is the problem. The purpose is not clear. It's just trying to save, but there's no purpose. The reason for asking for money is unclear. But Hannah is very clear about this. "Give me a son, and I will present him to God as a Nazarite". How could this prayer be unanswered? So, prayer should have a clear purpose.
The third is "fulfillment of promises".
Eventually, Hannah got answers to her prayers and gave birth to a son. The son is Samuel. I gave birth to such a precious son and raised him to weaning. So, how precious is that child? However, as soon as the woman is weaned as promised, she takes the children and gives them to the priest Eli. This child is no longer mine. He is not the kind of son I can live with in my arms. So, as promised, he is sent to grow up in the temple as a child of God. And if I wanted to see my son, I had to go to the ancestral rites once a year to avoid getting too close to hug him because he was afraid of being distracted. what an amazing look
If we have a problem, this is also a problem. How well do we make promises when we are in a hurry? If you have fulfilled your promises and receive answers to prayers and the problems are resolved, most of them do not keep their promises. If you just fix the disease, I will do it all. If the disease is cured, it is the news that I ate it. This is our limit. So, while making a vow, you simply forget it, you make a promise and then simply lose, and even if you promise to donate, don't you simply reverse it? This is our problem.
But Hannah was very clear on this point. He was a very precious child to himself, but as he vowed to God, he gave it away when he grew up. And if you want to see the child, you can't even get close to him and hug him, but walk away and see the child playing and just come back crying. So, how tearful is that feeling? There is a pathetic story about the existence of a man named Samuel on this earth.
But Eli, the priest, notices such a pathetic appearance. Ellie, who watched her son playing at her distant feet, quietly wept and looked at the woman's back, is moved. So, she calls Hannah on her way home and gives her a blessing. In verse 20, it says, "Since you have dedicated your son whom God gave you to God, I want to give you an heir to take the place of Samuel." So, how earnest was that prayer? Then, in verse 21, God says to Hannah, “He gave them three sons and two daughters.” I gave one and got five. This kind of life is called the life of faith.
Ladies and gentlemen, if a person lives in faith but with a clear will, God blesses them in this way and blesses them in multiples. A life that enjoys this kind of life is called a life of faith. A person who lives a religious life, imitating others, following others, and going back and forth without thinking cannot receive this kind of confirmation. No such evidence appears. I hope you all have such a blessed life as well.