1100 years before Christ, there was a woman named Hannah. Hannah was the wife of a man named Elkanah, Elkanah had two wives one was Hannah and the other Peninnah and when we read chapter one of first Samuel we read that Peninnah had children but Hannah was barren and on top of that she was continually provoked by Peninnah because of her bareness making her miserable. Her desperation became so great that she pleaded to God for a son in first Samuel verse 11 "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." And as we read in the first chapter of Samuel God granted Hannah her petition and gave her a son and named him Samuel, and upholding her end of the promise she dedicated him to the tabernacle once he was weaned. When Samuel was about 12 years old God called him. God called Samuel and gave him the vision of what was to happen to the wicked sons of Eli and his house. His first test came in the morning when Eli requested from Samuel what the vision had been, and faithfully he told Eli all that God showed him. And in walking with God his whole life we could say that Samuel witnessed the birth of a kingdom, although strongly warned by Samuel about what a king would do to their nation the nation persisted and thus Samuel anointed King Saul and turned on the lights of this great kingdom of Israel. |
