Hannah's Heart
Sermon Notes from 1 Samuel 1-2
Audio:
Introduction
1–2 Samuel is the story of a man who was devoted to the Lord from birth, became a great priest of Israel, leader, and prophet. He served God with his whole heart.
When appointing the second king of Israel, God said something to Samuel that becomes the theme of the book: 1 Samuel 16:7 – “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
On this Mother’s Day, we think of the faith-filled women of the Bible. One of those is the mother of Samuel; her name is Hannah. Her name means “favored” or “grace,” and she was favored in the eyes of her husband as well as in the eyes of her Lord.
Hannah’s Story Begins With Heartache and Sorrow…
Elkanah has two wives: Hannah and Peninnah (1:1–2).
Peninnah has children; Hannah is barren; distressed (1:2, 5–7).
Each year they travel to Shiloh to worship/sacrifice to the Lord (1:3).
Hannah weeps and will not eat; Elkanah tries to comfort her (1:7-8)
In her anguish, Hannah prays in bitterness of soul (1:9–10).
She vows that if God gives her a son, she will give him to the Lord all his life and no razor will touch his head (1:11).
Eli the priest sees her silent prayer, thinks she is drunk! (1:12–14).
Hannah: I am pouring out her soul to the Lord, not drunk (1:15–16).
Eli blesses her; she goes away no longer downcast (1:17–18).
Hannah conceives and gives birth to a son, Samuel.
After Samuel is weaned, Hannah takes him to Shiloh (1:24–25).
She tells Eli, “I am the woman who stood here praying… I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him” (1:26–27).
“So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord” (1:28).
Samuel begins to worship and serve the Lord at the temple (1:28)
What qualities of Hannah’s Heart can we imitate?
A Persevering Heart – “Year After Year”
She was steadfast in worship and duty (1:3, 7; 2:19; 1:21–23). “Year after year” she joined her family for worship (1:3, 7).
She put up with her rival’s taunting (1:7). She went to the temple and prayed to God. Eventually, she prepared a robe for Samuel each year (2:19).
When we give our hearts to God, we persevere year after year in His service. Through difficult years and easier years, in spite of obstacles and troubles, we keep going.
She had a gentle, non-retaliating heart (1:6–7, 10). Peninnah provoked and tormented her “year after year,” reminding her of her barrenness (1:6–7). The picture is of a woman persecuted by a rival, yet refusing to take matters into her own hands. In great distress, rather than retaliate, she turned to the Lord (1:10).
In this, she was like the Lord. (1 Peter 2:21–23 says, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”). Hannah left her suffering in God’s hands.
God give us a faith that lasts year after year, no matter what we face!
A Prayerful Heart Before God
Her heart was sorrowful because she was childless. In that culture, it was a shame to her and her husband that she bore him no children. She stands with Sarah, Samson’s mother, and Elizabeth, godly women who were heartbroken until God blessed them with a child. She was deeply troubled and poured out her soul (1:10, 15).
Eli thought she had been drinking, but she said, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled… I was pouring out my soul to the Lord” (1:15). “In bitterness of soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord” (1:10).
She had a praying heart in every season
In her bitterness (1:10).
In her deliverance (2:1–2).
In her victory and ongoing life (2:20–21).
A persistent, steadfast praying heart. She must have prayed many times before the prayer recorded at the temple.
This was more than a casual request – she had strong feelings. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus teaches us about prayer. Ask, seek, knock! These are words that indicate continuous action. Keep on asking, seeking, knocking.
She had a praying heart under pressure and provocation (1:6–7). Elkanah’s other wife had children and caused great stress. She provoked Hannah “year after year” until she wept and would not eat (1:6–7). Hannah did not grow bitter in her prayer life; she grew deeper.
She had a believing heart – praying with faith (1:18). After Eli’s word, she went her way, ate, and her face was no longer downcast (1:18). She brought her burden to the Lord and walked away without it.
It is one thing to tell the Lord about our burdens; it is another to cast them on Him (1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”).
A Praising Heart – Hannah’s Song and Life (2:1-10)
A heart that rejoices in God. Hannah’s song recognizes God’s deliverance of the downtrodden, His care for the hurting, and His love for the loveless.
She praises God’s holiness, strength, and justice (2:1–3).
She declares that God reverses situations: brings down the proud, lifts up the humble, fills the hungry, gives children to the barren (2:4–8).
She looks ahead to God’s king and His anointed (2:10).
She had a heart that gave God the credit in her daily life. She gave glory and credit to God for her son. 1 Samuel 1:20 – she named him Samuel “because I asked the Lord for him.” Every time his name was spoken, it reminded people of God’s power and provision. She attended to his material needs (2:19) and was blessed with other children (2:20–21).
Conclusion – Imitating Hannah’s Heart: Persevering, Praying, Praising.
God was at the center of Hannah’s Story all along the way.
“the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb” (1 Sam 1:5-6)
“may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked” (1:17)
“the Lord remembered her.” (1:19)
“the Lord has granted me what I asked of him” (1:27)
It is so easy to think God is not paying attention when we are going through the storms of life.
Ultimately, Hannah’s son, Samuel, would be a priest, a prophet, and a judge. Two books of the Bible bear his name. He was one of the most important figures in Old Testament history: Israel’s last great judge. With God’s help, he arrested the nation’s decay and restored moral fiber. He anointed the kings Saul and David.
Hannah encourages us:
To praise God for what He has done in our lives.
To acknowledge what a difference He has made in our lives.
To recognize that “the Lord is a God who knows” and can be trusted to work out our situation for His glory and our good (v 3).
Hannah’s is a call to trust God’s goodness over our present circumstances.
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QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. When you hear 1 Samuel 16:7, how does that verse help you read Hannah’s story differently than if you only focused on her outward circumstances (barrenness, rivalry)?
2. What parts of Hannah’s situation (barrenness, Peninnah’s provocation, Elkanah’s mixed comfort) feel most “unfair” to you, and why?
3. The text says this went on “year after year.” How might long-term, unresolved pain affect someone’s faith? Where have you seen believers either grow or give up under that kind of pressure?
4. In 1:10–11, Hannah prays “in bitterness of soul” and makes a costly vow. What do her words and posture teach us about how honest we can be with God in prayer?
5. Where do you see Hannah’s perseverance most clearly in the text—worship, endurance of Peninnah’s taunts, keeping her vow, yearly robes, etc.? Which of those is hardest for you to imitate and why?
6. In what ways does Hannah show that faith is not the absence of struggle but the decision to keep seeking God in the struggle?? How might that principle reshape the way we talk about unanswered prayers or long seasons of waiting in our own lives?
7. Hannah prays in bitterness (1:10), in surrender (1:11), in trust (1:18), and in praise (2:1–2). Matthew 7:7 calls us to “ask, seek, knock” continuously. How can we persevere in prayer like Hannah?
8. Read 1 Samuel 2:1–3. How does Hannah’s song focus more on who God is than on what He has done for her personally? What does that teach us about the content of our own praise?
9. Hannah’s prayer is raw, emotional, and specific, yet deeply reverent. What keeps us today from praying with that kind of honesty and persistence, and what steps could help us move closer to that pattern?
10. Hannah could not have foreseen all that Samuel would become, but her faith and obedience were part of God’s larger plan for Israel. How might remembering that God can use our quiet faithfulness in ways we may never see affect the way we serve, pray, and persevere today?
Resources
Brueggemann, Walter. Interpretation: First and Second Samuel. John Knox Press, 1990.
Carr, Major Valerie. Hannah.
Smith & Lee, Handfuls on Purpose, Vol. 5, p. 28-31.
