“But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever.” ” 1 Samuel 1:22 (NKJV)
God blessed Hannah’s trust in the assurance from Eli that God would grant her request and she did get pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy but did not forget her promise to God that she would give the child to the Lord for all of his life. She named the baby Samuel because she had asked God for the baby and God granted her request.
She did not go with her husband to the yearly sacrifice while Samuel was still nursing.. Elkanah told her to do whatever seemed best. Hannah used the time with Samuel to bond with him and give him a strong foundation of love for God. This was necessary because as soon as he was weaned she would be taking him to the tabernacle and leave him there as she had promised.
The very next year after she had weaned Samuel she made preparations to join Elkanah and the rest of his household as they made the annual trip to the tabernacle for sacrifices. She took along with her whatever she thought the child would need along with the animals needed for the annual sacrifice.
Hannah brought Samuel to Eli and told him that this was the child she had prayed for and God had indeed granted her request, just as Eli had said would happen. She explained that she had made a promise to God that if he granted her request, she would lend him to the Lord for his entire life. She left Samuel with Eli to keep that promise to the Lord.
God is always faithful to keep His promises to us. We also need to be faithful to keep the promises we make to the Lord. It would not have been easy for Hannah to leave her son with Eli and go back home because she loved her son very much. However, she had made a promise that no one had forced her to make.
In my life, have I made promises to God? Have I been faithful to keep my promises to God? I may not have made conditional promises like Hannah did, but do I really take seriously any time that I tell God I’m going to do something? God takes promises very seriously. I want to be more faithful to God about promises I make to Him.
Listen to Bob Fitts as he sings “Be Faithful to the Lord.”
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 2/5/25, 6:00 am