Tues.’s Devo - Hannah’s Story

Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21; John 5:1-23; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 14:28-29 Elkanah was a man who lived in Ramah. He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Penninah had children but Hannah was barren. *** Elkanah would travel to Shiloh annually to sacrifice at the Tabernacle there. The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas presided there as priest. Elkanah would give meat for his wives to give as a sacrifice. He gave Peninnah a larger piece because she had to feed all her children from it. She would make fun of Hannah’s small piece of meat. Her harassment caused Hannah to cry. *** This year, Elkanah saw her crying and asked her why she was crying, was he not better than many children? He didn’t understand. *** Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli saw her crying bitterly before the Lord and thought she was drunk. He rebuked her, but she told him she was not drunk but fervently praying. He blessed her with peace and the answer to her prayer. *** Hannah was then filled with hope and began to eat again. She got the answer to her prayer and became pregnant. She had a son and named him Samuel. When he was weaned she took him to Eli and left him to be trained to be a priest. She gave her first fruit to the Lord. *** Then Hannah prayed the most powerful prayer for herself and for Israel. It was about reversals for those who hope in the Lord. *** Eli’s sons disrespected God and their duties as priests. They disrespected everyone’s gifts to the Lord and took them for themselves, treating the Lord’s offerings with contempt. *** Meanwhile, Samuel grew to serve the Lord. He dressed like a little priest as a child because Hannah brought him a coat every year. Eli blessed Hannah to have more children and she had three sons and two daughters. Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. *** In John, Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the feast and went near the Sheep Gate by the pool of Bethesda. Many very sick people lay on the porches waiting for the stirring of the water to be healed. One man had been there for 38 years. He was paralyzed. *** Jesus saw him and told him to stand up, pick up his mat and walk. The man instantly did. Jesus healed him on the Sabbath so, of course the the Jewish leaders objected when they saw him carrying his mat. Jesus had disappeared into the crowd, but found the man later and told him to stop sinning or something worse would happen to him. *** When the religious leaders criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus told them that his Father always was working. All the religious leaders were working on was a way to kill Jesus. *** Jesus really ticked them off when he called God his Father and told him he was doing what God was doing. He claimed that God would show him how to do even greater things than healing this man. God would give him power to raise the dead. He was also given the power to judge anyone who was not honoring the Father who sent him. *** All glory and honor to Jesus Christ! Thank you, Jesus that you choose to give us this same authority. Show us how to use this authority to proclaim your glory on the earth.