The power of sacrifice
- Sacrifice brings breakthrough
1 – “Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:
2 – And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3 – And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
4 – And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
5 – But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.
6 – And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
7 – And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
8 – Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
9 – So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
10 – And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
11 – And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” (1Samuel chapter 1 verses 1 to 11)
Sacrifice gets God into the scene
She has been going to Shiloh for the pain in her heart. She desired to have a child, and in all her prayers nothing seems to happening towards that direction. Probably she and her husband must have visited a specialist in the area of pregnancy and child birth. He must have told them nothing is wrong with them.. From the results so far your system are all adequate for you to carry your own baby. Both of you can go and continue with your sexual duty.
That must have given her some kind of hope and she went back from there believing that this time some thing positively will come out of it. After three months, ni avail. Worry springs out again but this time she decided to wait for the next six months and nothing to show for it. That brought so much mental trauma on her that she knew this was just beyond meeting a specialist, that there is more to this than just believing the gynecologist report. Sacrifice gets God into the scene.
She understood if she does not get it from God, she can’t get it else where. God is her only hope.
She knew at this point the specialist could not help with the knowledge that God is the only way out. She was so enthusiastic going to Shiloh to communicate her trauma with God Almighty. Years after consistent meeting with the Lord, yet she has not received answers to her request. She understood if she does not get it from God, she can’t get it else where. God is her only hope.
She was well trained that all she was thinking was that is there anyway she is not getting it right. She must have met the priest Eli for a special prayer for her predicament, yet everything seemed to be abortive. She has every reason to give up but she knew she can’t give up on God and hope to receive her breakthrough. She understood the place of persistentence wear out resistance. She decided to keep pressing.
You have to wait upon God
Someday as she waited upon the Lord and having meditation on God’s promising a revelation hit her.
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah chapter 40 verses 31)
She said to herself, I am going to Shiloh this year, not about what God will do for me but because of what I will do for the Lord. That sounds crazy but that is the deal. She understood no one out gives a king. She said, I thought I have a need, God has the ultimate need. She decided to take it to the place of settlement and prove her point.
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah chapter 1 verses 18)
Hannah knew she came to Shiloh to settle a course, and she was not joking about that. This was her countenance.
10 – “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
11 – And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” (1Samuel chapter 1 verses 10 verses 11)
Conclusion
“And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.” (1 Samuel chapter 2 verses 21)
The tap kept flowing till she was satisfied for child bearing.
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