CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES.—
1 Samuel 1:20. “Samuel.” “From Shama to hear, and El, God (Wordsworth). “The words of Hannah are not an etymological explanation of the name, but an exposition founded upon the facts” (Keil).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF 1 Samuel 1:19-20
THE BIRTH OF SAMUEL
I. The vast importance of the birth of a child. Every child is a new thing in the earth—the only new thing in it. It has an identity separate from all the human creatures that have gone before it, or will come after it; in some points it differs from every one of them. Forces are set in motion upon the birth of every child that will not cease to exert an influence through the ages of eternity.
II. Godly families are the cradles of great men. The real greatness of a man consists in the development of all the faculties of the soul, and first, and above all, of the development of his conscience. If the waters of a stream flow through a channel in which there is impure matter, it will imbibe some of the poisonous particles, and carry them with it through many miles of its future course. So it is with a child’s conscience. It takes its character from the character of those by whom he is surrounded. If he is born in a family of moral impurity his moral sense is defiled—the young life, passing through such a channel on its way to manhood, is tainted; and while the taint remains there can be no real greatness, for the conscience colours the entire life. As one drop of poisonous matter diffuses itself through every part of a vessel of water, so a defiled conscience makes its influence felt through all the words and deeds that go to make up life. But in a godly family the child’s conscience is not only carefully guarded from all that might defile it, but the holy example and wise teaching of the parents develop and train it, and so there is every reason to hope that the whole after-life will possess the first requisite of a great man—a healthy moral sense. Samuel could hardly have been the mighty power for good in Israel which he afterwards became, if he had not had the blessing of godly parentage, and consequently of early training in the fear of God. There have been many men in the world who have been great poets, great statesmen, great warriors—great with the greatness most esteemed by the world in general—but in how many of them has there been a moral taint, which has deprived their famous words or works of all real power for good, which has been a blot upon all their intellectual greatness. And of those who have been great in goodness as well as great in intellectual power, how large a proportion have been born in godly homes.
III. There is no blessing of earth greater than to be born in such a family. Such children are indeed “prevented with the blessings of God’s goodness” (Psalms 21:3). Contrast the lot of such a child with that of the millions who first see the light in a home where God is never acknowledged—where the supreme importance of moral purity is never thought of—or worse still, of those whose earliest experiences are those of the lowest and most revolting exhibitions of crime where the infant breathes with its first breath the atmosphere of hell. Life, when it is most impressible, in such a home is surrounded by those who will stamp it with images and characters all but indelible—with ideas that will pollute the soul through its whole life. There is more mystery involved in the advent of a child into such an atmosphere than can be solved by any human mind—it must be left in the hand of Him whom we know to be the All Wise and Righteous Ruler of the universe. But how different is the advent of a child into a godly home. Blessings of all kinds—love and holy example, and tender and wise nurture are awaiting his arrival. It is as if clouds laden with refreshing showers hung in the sky before the seed is sown ready to descend upon it the moment it is placed in the earth. Prayers on his behalf ascend to heaven before he draws his first breath—holy plans and purposes are formed concerning him before he sees the light of day. We can imagine how it was with Hannah and Elkanah while they awaited the birth of this long-desired son—this gift of the Lord—and so it is in a greater or less degree with every godly parent as they look forward to receiving such a sacred trust. Is there any blessing greater than to begin life’s journey under such propitious auspices?
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
1 Samuel 1:19. They had ten miles to go; but “they worshipped before the Lord.” This whet they held no let in their journey, but a furtherance rather, and as oil to the wheels. It is good to go in God’s name.—Trapp.
1 Samuel 1:20. The child’s name was the mother’s memorial. As often as she looked into his infant face, or named him in her love, her soul would swell within her at the recollection of God’s mercy. She saw the Divine gift in the child of her affection, and received a lesson of gratitude and dependence in his every smile and tear.—Steel.
Blessed was Hannah, not in being a mother, but in becoming one, not having been one at first. For the first is the lot of all her sex; but the second happiness is reserved for Hannah. Blessed, because of her child-bearing, not less blessed on account of all that had gone before it.—Chrysostom.
I do not find that Peninnah asked any son of God, yet she had store. Hannah begged hard for this one, and could not till now obtain him. They which are dearest to God do ofttimes, and with great difficulty, work out those blessings which fall into the mouths of the careless.… As this child was the son of his mother’s prayers, and was consecrated to God ere his possibility of being; so now himself shall know, both how he came and whereunto he is ordained.… He cannot so much as hear himself named; but he must needs remember both the extraordinary mercy of God and his mothers vow.… There is no necessity of significant names, but we cannot have too many monitors to put us in mind of our duty.—Bishop Hall.
When pious parents receive their children with calling on God and in His fear, then is every child a Samuel. Starke.
The fact that, in common with Isaac, John the Baptist, and Samson, his birth took place beyond all human hope and expectation was calculated to produce the conviction that God had some other object than to turn the sorrow of a woman into joy.—Hengstenberg.