1 Samuel 1:24-28 Worship

 ”Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, “O my Lord! As your soul lives, my Lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.“

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. She took him up with her: This was hard for Hannah and Elkanah. Their willingness to fulfill the vow even at great personal cost is evidence of godliness in Elkanah and Hannah.

b. With three bulls: The fact that 1 Samuel 1:24 mentions three bulls brought to Shiloh but 1 Samuel 1:25 mentions only one being sacrificed (with some of the meat available for a fellowship meal) emphasizes that one of the bulls was specifically made as a burnt offering for the cleansing and consecration of little Samuel.

c. I also have lent him to the LORD: The idea was not that Hannah “owned” the child and “lent” him to the LORD. Instead, the idea is that the child is her “prayer,” or the fulfillment of her prayer to the LORD.

i. The name Samuel means “Name of God” but Hannah – as was common among the Hebrews – made a pun on the name by saying that she had “asked the LORD for him.” Asked in Hebrew sounds like Samuel.

d. So they worshiped the LORD there: Worship is a repeated characteristic of this family (see also 1 Samuel 1:3, 19, 28). Even in difficult situations, they could worship the LORD. Praising God on the day you give your little son away may not be easy, but it is praise God is pleased with, even as we are told to bring a sacrifice of praise to God (Hebrews 13:15).

Worship

Worship for Christians is an important part of faith. It is communion with the Holy Spirit in praising and singing to the Lord. Recently we started leading a Life Recovery Bible Group at church and I selected 3 worship music videos with lyrics which are projected on the wall of the chapel using the chapel’s computer, sound and video systems. After last Thursday’s meeting I had several members asking for the name of the songs and artists of the music videos. 

They said they were moved during worship with the selections.

Do you participate in worship at church?

Blessings