Remembrance

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 113
• Hymn of Praise
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Sin — 1 Kings 8
• Assurance of Pardon — 1 John 2:1–2
• Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 19:31–43
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Sermon
• Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness
• Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14

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Sermon Title: Remembrance

Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:19–28

I. God Remembers Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19–20)

A. God's remembrance comes in His own timing

1. "In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son" — the Septuagint reads "in the course of time," indicating a period of waiting
2. Abraham and Sarah illustrate the danger of forcing God's timing: attempting to secure the promise through Hagar produced only chaos (Genesis 15)
3. Matthew 7:22–23 — those who seek God's blessing through disobedience and lawlessness will be turned away; it is better to wait in obedience and receive nothing in this life than to grasp blessings through unfaithfulness

B. God's remembrance is a remembrance of prayer

1. The Hebrew verb sha'al (to ask) recurs like a drumbeat throughout chapter 1 — it is the basis of Samuel's name: "I have asked for him from the Lord"
2. Hannah models persistent, humble petition even when God seemed silent and her rival mocked her year after year
3. We serve the God of Samuel — the God who hears the askings of His servants; we are to boldly bring our petitions before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), confident that He hears us even when He seems hidden

II. Hannah Remembers God (1 Samuel 1:21–28)

A. Hannah's remembrance is honorable — she keeps her vow

1. Hannah waits until Samuel is fully weaned (approximately three years in the ancient Near East) before presenting him, ensuring he is no longer dependent on her when she gives him over permanently
2. Ecclesiastes 5:4–6 — God takes vows with utmost seriousness; it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay; circumstance and state of mind are no excuse before the faithful God
3. No relationship — with God or with others — can be healthy if one party is unfaithful to their word; God's own faithfulness to His word is the ground of our salvation

B. Hannah's remembrance is joyful — she gives generously and gladly

1. She brings an extravagant offering: a three-year-old bull (sacrificed), a skin of wine, and an ephah of flour — three times the normal amount for a grain offering; this is not reluctant compliance but lavish, joyful worship
2. Hannah rejoices because her son will serve the Lord all his days — the deepest longing of a godly parent
3. Monica, mother of Augustine, illustrates this same longing: she followed her wayward son from city to city, pouring out her soul for his conversion; parents are called to long above all things for their children to serve the Lord

C. Hannah's remembrance brings blessing to the people of God — through the Nazirite vow

1. The Nazirite (nazir, "set apart") vow involved no cutting of hair, no fruit of the vine, and no contact with the dead; usually a temporary, self-imposed vow, but Samuel is dedicated from birth for life — one of only three in Scripture (Samson in Judges 13; Samuel; John the Baptist)
2. Samuel as forerunner to the king: he is both the last judge and the first official prophet (Acts 3 — Peter states "all the prophets, beginning with Samuel"); he anoints David and the Spirit rushes upon him (1 Samuel 16), mirroring John the Baptist baptizing Jesus as the Spirit descends
3. The structure of Luke's Gospel parallels 1 Samuel: as 1 Samuel opens not with David but with his forerunner Samuel, Luke opens the Gospel of the Kingdom not with the King but with His forerunner John the Baptist (Luke 1:6 — Zechariah and Elizabeth were "righteous and blameless before God")
4. The Hebrew Old Testament canon ends with 2 Chronicles — with the decline of Judah and the disappearance of the king; the New Testament opens in Matthew 1 with a royal genealogy and in Matthew 3 with John the Baptist, the new Samuel, breaking the silence and preparing the way for the new covenant King

III. Conclusion — The Pattern of Faithful Remembrance

A. Hannah, Elkanah, Zechariah, and Elizabeth teach us that our quiet, faithful service to the Lord results not only in personal blessing but in blessing flowing to others and to the whole kingdom of God

B. God sees and uses quiet, hidden faithfulness to accomplish things beyond our comprehension — things we may never be aware of in this life

C. Three imperatives for the people of God:

1. Never stop praying to the God who hears
2. Never stop waiting on God in obedience
3. Never stop remembering God — entrust your future, your timing, and your children to His wise and sovereign redemptive plan