Scripture Notes: Intense Prayer (1 Samuel 1)

Hannah is a miserable woman at the beginning of the First Book of Samuel. She is beloved by her husband, but she has no children. Her rival wife (a real issue in those days of polygamy) apparently has several sons and daughters and taunts Hannah unmercifully about it. Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, tries to comfort her, but she is not comforted. She seems to know deep down that there is only one place she can find hope and peace and comfort, and that is on her knees before God.

Elkanah and his family are devout people who often go to Shiloh, the place of God’s Tabernacle in those days, to sacrifice and worship. Hannah struggles, hardly even able to go through the motions, and eventually, she simply kneels before God, weeping and praying so intensely that her lips move (literally “shake” or “tremble”) but no words come out. She is praying from the very depths of her heart, asking God to remember her, begging for the son she desires so deeply, and vowing that if God gives him to her, she will give him back to God.

The priest Eli sees Hannah kneeling there before the Tabernacle, so deep in prayer, and he misunderstands. He thinks she is drunk. He looks only at Hannah’s appearance and makes a snap judgment without getting the facts. Eli rebukes her, but she answers humbly and respectfully, explaining the situation and outlining her misery. By this point, Eli probably feels rather sheepish (as he should), and he blesses Hannah, telling her that God will grant her request.

And God does. Hannah gives birth to a son, Samuel, and when he is still a small child, she brings him to Eli, entering her boy into God’s service, where he remains the rest of his life. Hannah fulfills her vow, for her intense prayers have been answered, and her heart is filled with gratitude and love.