Home / 1 Samuel: Verse by Verse / 1 Samuel 1
1 Samuel 1: When God Hears the Broken
- Passage
- 1 Samuel 1
- Taught
- June 7, 2026
- Series
- 1 Samuel: Verse by Verse
- Length
- 47 minutes
Summary
First Samuel marks the move from the era of the judges to the monarchy, and it opens with one hurting woman. Hannah is barren and is provoked year after year at Shiloh by her husband Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah. Elkanah loves her and gives her a double portion, but he can’t understand her pain.
At the tabernacle Hannah pours out her heart to the Lord and vows that if he gives her a son, the boy will be given to the Lord for life. Eli the priest sees her lips moving, mistakes her for drunk, and rebukes her. When he hears the truth he blesses her, and her face is no longer sad. She has not yet received an answer, but she has been heard.
Samuel is born, and his name recalls that she asked for him from the Lord. When he is weaned, at about three years old, Hannah keeps her vow. She brings him to Shiloh with a bull, flour, and wine, and gives him back to the Lord. The lesson treated her vow as surrender, not bargaining.
Suffering turned to purpose
The lesson set Hannah beside other people in Scripture whose pain became a platform for God’s work:
- Hannah: barrenness that led to Samuel’s impact (1 Samuel 1).
- Joseph: betrayal that led to salvation for many (Genesis 50:20).
- Job: affliction that led to a deeper knowing of God (Job 42:5).
- The man born blind: a platform for God’s works (John 9:3).
- Paul: a thorn that became a channel of power (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Practical takeaways
1 Samuel 1:1–8
- Don’t let other people’s actions control your spirit. You can guard your own response.
- God uses hardship for his purposes. Hannah’s pain was not wasted.
- People can love you and still not understand you. Elkanah loved Hannah but missed her grief.
1 Samuel 1:9–18
- Take your deepest burdens straight to the Lord. Pray honestly, even if others misjudge you.
- Peace comes from God hearing you. It doesn’t wait for your circumstances to change first.
1 Samuel 1:19–28
- Trust God when answers seem slow. Delay is often preparation.
- True worship includes giving the blessing back to God. Ask what God has given you that you should give back.
- Don’t let answered prayer make you complacent. Keep the commitments you made to God.
Questions to talk about
- Where have I let someone else’s behavior control my spirit?
- What burden do I need to take to the Lord instead of carrying alone?
- What has God given me that I should give back to him?
Scriptures in this lesson
- 1 Samuel 1Interlinear
- Exodus 23:14–17Interlinear
- Numbers 15:8–10Interlinear
- Numbers 30:2Interlinear
- Ecclesiastes 5:2–5Interlinear
- Judges 11:30–35Interlinear
- Psalm 51:17Interlinear
- Psalm 139:13–16Interlinear
- Genesis 50:20Interlinear
- 2 Corinthians 12:9Interlinear
Background
Background: the Lord of hosts, vows, and the life of the unborn
- “Lord of hosts” appears about 280 times in the Bible. “Hosts” means an organized army, and the title points to God as commander of heaven’s armies (see Joshua 5:14–15).
- Biblical vows are voluntary but binding (Ecclesiastes 5:2–5; Numbers 30:2). Rash vows are dangerous, as Jephthah learned (Judges 11:30–35). Hannah’s offering of a bull, flour, and wine matches the vow offering in Numbers 15:8–10.
- The deck also touched on the sanctity of life in the womb, citing passages such as Psalm 139:13–16, Jeremiah 1:5, and Luke 1:41–44.