A prayer answered, a vow fulfilled (1 Sam 1:9-28)

As we consider power and powerlessness in Hannah’s story, we may wonder about the difference between appropriate persistence or the kind of grasping that God condemns. After all, did not God close Hannah’s womb (1 Sam 1:5-6)? Should she not have accepted her fate with humility and submission? Further, what are we to make of Hannah’s vow? Is she bargaining with God? In our life stories then, when should we persist and when do we end up going against God’s will, if we do?

Our story gives us some pointers. First, Hannah had no reason to assume that her barrenness was God’s final will for her and no conflicting plan that God had for her life. In contrast, John Stott, an outstanding leader of the evangelical movement in the 20^th century and a Church of England priest, was an exceptional case. He felt called to celibacy in order to be more effective for God’s kingdom without a family.

Secondly, Hannah’s vow reveals something important about her attitude. Vows, though not essential, were common in the ancient world. They were a way of expressing gratitude for deliverance usually through offering sacrifices (e.g. Ps 50:14; 66:13-14). Hannah’s vow, however, involves dedicating her son back to God (1 Sam 1:11) and shows her willingness to give back into God’s hand the very thing that she is asking for! We may be reminded of Abraham’s testing when God had given him a child after long years of waiting and then asked him to sacrifice that very child to Him (Genesis 22). Hannah was able to hold together deep desire with a readiness to let go and commit it into God’s hands.

In fact, this is where her approach is so different from grasping and the fact that she fulfilled her vow demonstrates her genuine commitment (1 Sam 1:24). Hannah probably had only about three years with her son (the average time before weaning occurred in the ancient world). There is no indication, by the way, that this is a delaying tactic. The reason was probably practical as a very young baby would have been too much of a burden on the priest, Eli. After leaving Samuel with him, Hannah would only see him once a year (1 Sam 2:19). Imagine this mother’s pain when the time comes to part with her son, yet, there are no tears or distress. Hannah does not fulfil her vow through gritted teeth but with an attitude that will shortly burst into song praising the amazing goodness of God (1 Sam 2:1-10).

Finally, Hannah does what is in her power to have a child within the limits of God’s will. In other words, she does not use illegitimate means to gain her end such as manipulating Elkanah to have more intimate time with her or by tyring to turn her husband against her rival. Neither does she withdraw from Elkanah in a pious attempt to trust God, as if conception could only be by God if it were utterly miraculous. I mention this because Christians often feel that trust precludes them from making an effort whether it is searching for a job or putting oneself in situations where one might meet a potential future spouse or similar.

To sum up, grasping involves going against the known will of God with an attitude that wants the object of one’s desire at all cost and is willing to achieve it even by means that are wrong in God’s eyes. I suspect that some of us are afraid to be persistent because we fear that we may thereby go against God’s will. What if God then punishes us by giving us what we want even though it is not good for us? The truth is though that if we worry about God’s will when we are unsure of it, then we are not deliberately going against it, are we? Aren’t we also reversing the goodness of God then by thinking that He will give us a stone when we asked for bread, or a snake when we asked for a fish (cf. Matt 7:9-10)? True persistence seeks God’s will above all and trusts not only God’s power but also His goodness: He will give us good gifts and He understands our hearts.

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