1 Samuel 1
The birth of Obed in Ruth sets the stage for the historical books which relate the accounts of the lives and deeds of the Kings of Israel and Judah. The books begin in the time of the judges, a time of spiritual darkness and sterility in Israel. The spiritual sterility is reflected in this woman Hannah who is childless or barren. Such barrenness was considered a curse or punishment from God. In her despair, Hannah poured out her heart to Yahweh with such ardent passion and fervent energy that the priest Eli thought she was drunk. This is probably because he was almost as spiritually dead as was Israel. Nevertheless, the Lord was touched by her sincerity and used Eli to pronounce a blessing on her. Hannah on her part pledged that the son the Lord gave her would be totally dedicated to His service.
When life gets difficult and things don’t go the way we would like or think fair, many people descend into bitterness. Such bitterness often causes people to deny the power and compassion of the Lord, to get angry with Him, to deny even His existence. Hannah shows us a better way. Though she may have felt hurt and bitter, those feelings drove her to the Lord. She had faith. Nothing fills the heart with great joy more than the supernatural assurance of God’s promises yet unanswered. That is the essence of faith: believing the promises will certainly come to fruition even though present circumstances say otherwise.
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