Welcome to the Book of 1 Samuel! The three chapters of today’s reading give us a glimpse into what life was like in Israel. We see Israel still doing what they please, God’s judgment is still in play, and Israel’s spiritual life is a disaster! Israel’s spiritual life is so bad that even all of Israel can see it, and they are tired of it. Eli, the priest, hears reports from the people about how wicked, immoral, and cruel his sons who serve in the Tabernacle are, but his response is all talk and no action!
In the middle of this, there is a woman named Hannah. She is in great turmoil of soul because she cannot have children. She shares a husband with another woman with several children, and this woman mocks Hannah at every chance. Hannah becomes so overwhelmed and distraught with her situation that she cries out to God during one of their visits to the Tabernacle, and she makes a vow.
She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” (1 Samuel 1:10–11, ESV)
As I thought about this whole situation this morning—Israel’s backslidden condition, the disaster that Israel’s spiritual life has become, and Hannah’s troubled soul and condition—I saw God mightily at work. However, from the ground, it often can be hard to see. So what is God doing? How is He at work in the life of Israel and Hannah? Does God care about any of this? Is He going to do anything? The answer is yes! He will do it through the plight and prayer of Hannah, a most unlikely choice! Little did Hannah realize just how involved God was in her situation! Through Hannah’s limitation, God would bring about the last Judge of Israel who would oversee Israel’s coming era of kings.
God has a way of using unlikely people who suffer from challenging situations to accomplish His greatest works during times of great desperation. This is God’s grace and power at work and on display in humanity for His eternal purpose and glory! Sure, God at work in our lives may not feel that big and grand here on the ground where we live daily, but it is! It may seem highly unlikely that God is using our situations and limitations for His eternal purpose, but He is! Where would Samuel have come from had it not been for Hannah’s limitations and struggles? As believers, notice how the Apostle Paul encourages us through these times.
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:17–18, NLT)
Child of God, rejoice! Lift your eyes and heart to the One who does everything well, does them all at the right time, and chooses to do them through us, limitations and all! Things may not feel grand here on the ground, but by faith, we can believe and see that they are!
Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from 1 Samuel 1:1-3:21.