Building Godly Character - January 20, 2010

Hannah has forever influenced the life of believers around the world.  We find in Hannah the first act of child dedication to the Lord. Here story reminds us that living a life of dedication is important to our faith and development as believers.

As we read the account of Samuel’s birth we can see three areas where Hannah exemplified dedication to her faith and to her God.

Hannah was dedicated to prayer:

I Samuel 1:10-11 “¹⁰ Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. ¹¹ And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”

Hannah was dedicated to honoring God:

1 Samuel 1:20 “²⁰ and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,^[f] for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

Hannah was dedicated to the fulfillment of her promise:

1 Samuel 1:24-28 “When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull^[h] for the sacrifice and a basket^[i] of flour and some wine. ²⁵ After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. ²⁶ “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. ²⁷ I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. ²⁸ Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they^[j] worshiped the Lord there.”

Hannah models the life of a virtuous and righteous woman. Honoring and keeping her promise to the Lord, she sacrificially gave her son to the service of the Lord. God honored Hannah’s dedication by giving her more children.

1 Samuel 2:20-21 “Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.^[e]” ²¹ And the Lord gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.”

In our lives God also honors our dedication to him. When we are faithful to dedicate our lives to prayer, honoring God, and fulfilling our promises God honors us. Make a decision today to honor God with a life of dedication as Hannah did.

Calvary Christian Center, Assemblies of God, Louisville, KY