Hannah Giving. 1 Samuel 1:24-28 Three years after Samuel was born, Hannah took a three-year-old bull (perhaps three young bulls), more than a bushel of flour, and a skin of wine when she went with the family to Shiloh and took Samuel along with them to the festival. If it were a three-year-old bull, it would have been born when Samuel was born. If there were three bulls, it meant one for every year Samuel lived. The animal was a substitute for Samuel as the burnt offering to God.
The bull foretold the death of Christ in which He gave Himself as a sinless sacrifice to God on our behalf. The flour for the meal offering teaches us of the purity, holiness, spotlessness, and evenness of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ here on earth that was so pleasing to God. The wine for the drink offering speaks to us of the joy He brought to the Father as a perfect man among men and the joy He gives to those who believe in Him.
When Hannah and Elkanah brought Samuel to Shiloh to present him to the Lord, we do not read of either weeping at the thought of leaving their three-year-old boy there permanently. They were putting him in a place where he was surrounded by people who were corrupt in their personal lives, moral decay, and a great lack of spiritual discernment. Yet there was confidence in the fact they were doing what they knew God wanted.
We want to do what is right for our children, so we seek to protect them from the evil environment around us. We cannot guarantee they will not disappoint us or the Lord, but we can do what we believe is right for them. God is the only one who can preserve our family. By His grace, He gives us some time in their early lives to demonstrate His love, grace, goodness, and mercy to them and tells them that He has done this for us. We must leave the consequences of their upbringing to God and pray earnestly for their preservation from the evil of our times. Then, they will have to accept the consequences of their choices.
There are special times when we appear before the Lord as a company of believers to worship the Lord in the way He has appointed. God has planned that time to meet with His own where we can worship and enjoy God’s fellowship together with other worshippers. We can worship Him alone, but there is a difference when the saints come as one. To worship God and give the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving can be a daily event. With words and thoughts of appreciation, we give back to God what He gave us first. When the saints gather together in united fellowship, considering what Christ’s coming means to each of us, there is a special meaning when we gather to Him in this way.
There are many times in a day when speaking to God in my heart that I am conscious of the fact; He knows just what I mean. My lips may move, and at times, words may start to be spoken quietly, privately, and with a sense that I need to hear myself say what I really mean. At other times in prayer, there is no movement seen in my lips, but the words are expressed in my heart. The results of, or answers to, my prayers may come quickly or may take a year. When I express myself and leave a matter with the Lord, I need no more be sad. The burden had been transferred when I know my heartfelt prayer He has heard. Then I can go on my way and do whatever lies before me, with a heart He has made glad.
Sometimes, it is just me alone with my thoughts and words, seeking a way to assure me that God has heard me and there is nothing in me to hinder my prayers. Other times I can pray with my wife about things that affect us both and for which we both are concern and involved. Other times, God’s people come together to pray at our house, and we can share burdens and pass them on to the Lord together, knowing that He alone can deal with whatever needs to be done. Even better, we can join in praise and thanksgiving unitedly and give glory to God and those who share life in the family of God. Whatever the nature of prayer in my daily life, I am confident that God hears every word I say and can give answers exactly what He wants.