Lesson 71 - Senior
Memory Verse
"Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:2, 3).
Cross References
I A Faithful Mother in Israel
1. She was the wife of Elkanah, [1SM:1:1].
2. She had no children, [1SM:1:2].
3. Elkanah and his family worshiped God according to His commandment, [1SM:1:3-4]; [DEU:12:5-7].
4. Hannah suffered much persecution, [1SM:1:5-8]; [2TM:3:12]; [1PE:2:23]; [JAM:5:10-11].
II A Vow unto the Lord
1. Her heart was troubled and she prayed to God, [1SM:1:9-10]; [PS:61:1-4]; [PS:66:18].
2. She sought God earnestly for the desires of her heart, [1SM:1:11-16]; [GEN:32:24-26]; [2CH:15:15]; [PS:38:9].
3. Hannah received the witness that her prayer was heard, [1SM:1:17-18]; [HEB:11:4]; [ROM:8:16].
4. The Lord remembered her, [1SM:1:19-20]; [ISA:59:1]; [1PE:3:12]; [JHN:9:31]; [GEN:32:28].
III-Payment of the Vow
1. Her heart was fixed in its purpose, [1SM:1:21-23]; [GEN:22:1-8]; [HEB:10:7].
2. The consecration offering was made, [1SM:1:24-25]; [LEV:27:28]; [DEU:23:21]; [ECC:5:4].
3. The testimony of Hannah was revealed, and the faithfulness of her God acknowledged, [1SM:1:26-27]; [1TS:5:24]; [REV:19:11].
4. She placed Samuel in the Lord's keeping, [1SM:1:28]; [PRO:22:6]; [JER:17:7-8]; [1JN:3:21]; [MAK:5:22-43]; [MAT:15:22-28].
Notes
Hannah's Cry from Her Heart
"She spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard." Hannah had lived a godly life: she had gone to the House of God to worship, and had made her outward consecrations, and had done all that the Law required. But this day she was making a deeper consecration than she had ever made before, and it brought results.
Women of her day bore a reproach for childlessness, and Hannah was deeply grieved as she asked of God a son. She had no doubt prayed this prayer before; but as time went by and her desire was not granted, her prayer became more earnest. So earnest were they that no words could frame her petition " only her heart cried out unto the Lord. From her innermost being she prayed, and God heard her cry.
Hannah's prayer was deep:-she suffered, and she was "in bitterness of soul, . . . and wept sore." Hannah poured out her heart and vowed that if God would give her a son she would lend him to the Lord all the days of his life. She made a covenant with God by sacrifice. God knew she meant what she said, and He granted her request.
Consecration to Obtain Answer to Prayer
We, too, must make consecrations in order to get an answer to our prayers. When we come seeking God for salvation we cry out as the jailer who witnessed the miraculous deliverance of Paul and Silas from prison: "What must I do to be saved?" He was willing to give all to know Christ; and so we give all we know to give when we come to Him in repentance.
But after we are saved we soon realise there are greater consecrations to make in order to be sanctified wholly. Paul spoke to the Romans: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). God calls upon us to make deep consecrations that will bring holiness into our lives; and when we get our hearts into that condition through a complete surrender to His will, He lets the fire fall upon the sacrifice, completing the work of sanctification.
That does not end consecration. As we continue to walk in the light, we are taught to go deeper in yielding to God. There is a yearning in our hearts for the abiding presence of the Comforter who comes in when we are baptised with the Holy Ghost and fire. We give our all to the Lord, as best we can: our loved ones, our homes, our lives in His service.-As our consecrations increase, so does our faith; and when we come to the place of full surrender, faith grasps the promise and the glory floods our soul. God honours His Word and sends the Holy Spirit to fill the empty vessel that has been purified, made white, and tried.
The Light in the Church
But still there is need for more consecration. There must be a daily yielding up of self to God in order to keep the fire burning in the heart. The world is fast becoming darker, and the child of God must let the oil burn brightly in his vessel if he hopes to be a beacon to the lost to guide them to a place of safety in Christ. Some say they are justified, sanctified, and have received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and are ready for Heaven. But they do not seem to realise the responsibility that goes with those wonderful experiences. "None of us liveth to himself" (Romans 14:7). The Church has a responsibility to shine in this sin-benighted world. And those who are letting down on their consecrations, or drawing back from the Lord, are very dim lights.
The Psalmist sings: "The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined" (Psalm 50:1, 2). Spiritual Zion is Christ's Church, the Church of the First-born, and His people must first shine individually in order to give glory to the Church, and radiate it into the world.
What an encouragement it is to meet a man or woman who is wholly consecrated to the Lord! The Spirit of God in their lives radiates. God has adorned such lives with spiritual adornment: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isaiah 61:10).
Paying Vows
Too many people make consecrations who when the time comes to fulfil their promises draw back. But Hannah had vowed a vow unto the Lord, and did not defer to pay it. She did not wait until her son grew up before she returned him to the Lord, so that she might enjoy his youthful presence in her home; but as soon as he was weaned she took him to the priest, Eli, and offered her precious child for holy service. She loved that child of promise, but she loved God more, and she knew that God, too, loved Samuel.
God loves the consecrated heart, and longs for devoted service; but He does not want anything we have if we are not wholly yielded to Him. He said He owned the cattle on a thousand hills, and if He were hungry He would not tell us. God wants us to give Him a devotion that will make us pliable in His hands and will permit Him to work out His plan in our lives. Oh, that we might say with David, "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart"! (Psalm 40:8).
Inner Consecration
God is calling for that inner consecration that will crucify the flesh that will not count our lives dear unto death; that will plead daily for His abiding presence, a continual communion with our Maker. Paul said to the Christians of Colosse: "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3); and to the Corinthians he said, "For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh" (II Corinthians 4:11). The beauty of the inwards consecration can hardly be expressed in words, but is understood and treasured by those who are pressing into God for His very best.
Suffering with Christ is easily borne by the consecrated life. In the natural, Hannah's separation from her first-born would have caused her great grief; but she had wholly given him unto the Lord, and had made the supreme consecration of her desires; and God gave her courage to fulfil her vow.
When Jesus calls upon His children to suffer a little for His sake, they sometimes shrink from the trial, or complain against God. He may be permitting the testing to reveal whether the consecrations made in the hour of need were really meant from the heart. Those who allow the trial to work out what is needful in their lives are the ones who enjoy the peaceable fruits of righteousness.
Fragrance from the Crushed Rose
If you desire real fragrance from a rose, crush the petals and the fragrance will flow out. The same thing is true of the children of God. Crush them with trial, affliction, suffering, and out of that crushed life will come forth sweetness and beauty that will be a blessing to others. Every Blood-washed saint who weathers the storm and makes the heavenly port, will thank God through all eternity for the guiding of His mighty hand, and will say then, if not now, "His ways are best." No one would draw back from His guidance if he could comprehend the glory that is to be revealed in that day. Many, through test and trial, have blossomed into the most useful, unselfish, and consecrated lives for God.
Hannah's Reward
As a result of Hannah's consecration, one mother's whole-hearted service to God, the Israelitish nation enjoyed the wisdom and spiritual guidance of one of the greatest prophets. She taught her son obedience in the home, and a fear of God, which prepared him to answer, when God called: "Speak; for thy servant heareth."
Think what it would have meant to Israel if there had not been a consecrated man ready to "take up the tourch" when Eli was about to let the lamp of God go out. God has always had someone whom He could trust, someone who would "stand in the gap" when it seemed Christianity was about to die. Who today is making the consecration that will win God's confidence, that will prepare him to stand in the hour of need and say, "Here am I; send me"? "Not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart" (Ephesians 6:6).
Godly Mothers Needed Today
Godly mothers, present-day Hannahs, are greatly needed in the world in these perilous times. Lack of respect for parental authority, and subsequent disregard for the laws of God and man have brought upon the land a tide of juvenile delinquency with which our ablest law-enforcing group have been unable to cope. The solution to the problems is a re-establishment of godly homes in which a child may be trained in the way he should go.
How refreshing an experience it is to view the life of a woman who has loved God and cared enough for her children to teach them the truths of God's Word! The peace and blessing of Heaven rest upon the mother and her family who follow this course. The love of God in the heart of a mother bids her be concerned about the ways of her household ([PRO:31:27]), and employ diligence in the rearing of her children that they may be wise unto salvation ([2TM:3:15]) and not sin against God ([PS:119:11]).
Questions
1. What characteristic was apparent in the home of Hannah?
2. What was required of Hannah in order that she might receive the desire of her heart?
3. What must we do to get an answer to our prayers?
4. Did Hannah consider her vow to God important?
5. Did she put off payment of her vow as long as possible?
6. What is the cause of juvenile delinquency?
7. How does the Bible say parents should bring up their children?