IMITATE THEIR FAITH-"There Is No Rock Like Our God"

The next morning, Hannah returned to the tabernacle with Elkanah. She had likely told him of her request and her commitment, for the Mosaic law said that  a husband had the right to nullify a vow made  by his wife  without his consent.  (Numbers 30:10-15)  But that faithful man made no such move. Rather, he and Hannah worshipped Jehovah together at the tabernacle before heading homeward.

Just when Peninnah realized that she had lost her power to  upset Hannah?  The account does not say, but the expression "self-concerned no more" suggests that Hannah's spirits rose from that time forward. At any rate, Peninnah soon found that her spiteful conduct produced no effect. The Bible never mentions her name again.

As the months passe, Hannah's peace of mind flowered into unbridled delight.  She was pregnant!  In her joy, Hannah never for a  moment forgot where this blessing had come from.  When the boy was born, she chose the name Samuel, which means "Name of God" and evidently refers to calling on the divine name, as Hannah had done.  That year, she did not join Elkanah and the family for the trek to Shiloh.  She stayed home with the child for three years, until her was weaned.  Then she gathered  her strength for the day on which she would have to part with her beloved son.

The parting could not have been easy. Of course, Hannah knew that Samuel would be well care for in Shiloh, perhaps by the hands of some of the women who served at the tabernacle.  Still, he was so young, and what mother does not long to be with her child?  Nonetheless, Hannah and Elkanah brought the boy , not begrudgingly, but gratefully.  They offered sacrifices at God's hose, and they presented  Samuel to Eli, reminding him of the vow Hannah made there years earlier. 

Next time: Conclusion of IMITATE THEIR FAITH-"There Is No Rock Like Our God"

From the Watchtower magazine, 2010