A Child: Asked For and Lent To
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
2/2/2014 AM
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Text:
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I Samuel 1:27,28
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Psalters: |
170, 341, 214, 360 |
Sacrament of Baptism |
- The important setting.
- The larger setting is in home of Elkanah who had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah (2).
- Children were an Old Dispensational sign of God?s blessing the nation (Deut. 28:4,18).
- Hannah, like Job, wrongly took the sign for the reality and concluded that her name (?grace?) was false.
- Hannah?s grief was increased by the persecution of Peninnah.
- At a Passover feast Hannah was ?marah? (in bitterness), crying in prayer, and then vowed a vow (10,11).
- First, note that Hannah (the object of God?s grace) prayed.
- Second and specifically, Hannah prayed for ?this child.?
- Hannah?s vow and the vow of baptizing parents.
- Hannah vowed to ?give him unto Jehovah all the days of his life? (11); ?as long as he liveth he shall be lent to Jehovah? (28).
- He was to be used in the service of Jehovah, trained for this work (not used to develop the family land and life).
- Once he was weaned she brought Samuel to the house of God and to Eli the High Priest at Shiloh.
- Godly believers when gifted with a child (or gifted without a child) return it (daughter as well as a son) to Jehovah.
- Unbelief declares the child to be the product of our will, to be ours to be done with as we please.
- Graced believers see the child as a gift, as always belonging to the Giver.
- Constantly and fervently pray.
- The result of God?s real blessing is that Samuel ?worshipped Jehovah.?
- Samuel acknowledged God to be the most blessed One, full of majesty and blessing, worthy of all praise.
- He began to do what we all will do forever in heaven.
- It was in the way of giving himself to the service of God that God called him to a specific work and calling.
- See Samuel as a mighty man of prayer for Israel (I Sam. 7:5ff; 12:11,18,19) like to Moses (Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1).
- Blessing results for godly parents like Hannah and we can declare: ?My heart rejoiceth in the Lord? (2:1).
- All the work of instruction our children in the way and fear of Jehovah accompanied by fervent prayers is ?graced.?
- We work at instructing and praying so there is no greater joy than to hear that the elder?s children walk in truth.