Giving A Son to God

Dei Break

1 Samuel 1:1 – 28

According to most Samuel was born around 1120 B.C. That dates at least part of the writing, since Samuel seems to have either written much of 1 Samuel or at least conferred with the writer. This is pretty certain because of the personal details included. 1100 B.C. would have been about 350 years after the exodus from Egypt and around 300 years after Joshua led the people across the Jordan into the new land. 1 Samuel concerns the time just before kings began to rule in Israel and some of it was written down after the kings came to power. You can sometimes see the transition between one author and another by the phrase "…until this day" because "this day" (or a similar phrase) may describe a time after Samuel's death. This doesn't question the validity of the writing, but just points to the possibility that one author built on the beginnings of another to finish the story. Joshua, for instance, probably wrote the end of Deuteronomy since that part of the book describes Moses' death.

Elkanah was a pretty neat guy. Not bearing children stressed Hannah greatly, and the second wife (probably married because of Hannah's infertility) constantly reminded her of her supposed curse from God. Yet, Elkanah had not divorced this barren wife and was a constant support for Hannah. Her loving husband said, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" (vs.9).

At last greatly blessed by God, Hannah did literally what every Christian parent does spiritually. She pledged her child over to God's care and service (vs.11). How hard must it have been for Hannah to give her child to the priest at the tabernacle, knowing that she would rarely see him the rest of her life. Eli the priest, finding his error in assuming that the desperate woman was drunk, promised her to intervene with the Lord in her behalf (vs.17).

Next Time: Eli and the Boy