So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, “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.” (1 Samuel 1:9-11)

Giving Our Children To The Lord

Samuel was the last of the judges of Israel and one of the great prophets, considered as great as Moses. He anointed Saul as king when the people demanded a king to rule over them. When the Lord rejected Saul, Samuel anointed David as the next king. He was revered by the people, who would not offer a sacrifice without Samuel’s blessing. After the Lord rejected Saul, Samuel no longer counseled the king but became a spiritual father to David. His imprint on Israel lasted for many generations.

The birth of Samuel was a remarkable story of love, devotion, and consecration to the work of the Lord. Samuel’s parents were Elkanah and Hannah. The Lord had closed the womb of Hannah, but a second wife of Elkanah, Peninnah, had children. Because she had no children, Peninnah provoked Hannah every year the family went to the house of the Lord. On one occasion, Hannah came to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, and Hannah begged God for a son. If the Lord would look upon the affliction of Hannah and give her a male child, she would give him to the Lord all the days of his life. Her prayer was answered, and Samuel was born soon thereafter. When Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to Eli, the priest, and left him there to minister to the Lord before Eli.

Hannah kept her word to give her son to the Lord. Samuel would become one of the greatest judges of Israel and a spiritual leader of the people. God does not ask of anyone to give their sons to the Lord as Hannah did. There is a principle that is found in the request of Hannah that bears a distinctive mark of faith in how to raise up children to be followers of God. Hannah was willing to literally give her son to the priesthood to serve the Lord. The formative years of training before Samuel was left to serve the Lord were vital to the kind of man he would become. Every parent who plans to train their children should have the same faith as Hannah did in giving her son to the Lord. The work of every parent is to “give” their children to the Lord to serve Him.

Giving children to the Lord is hard work. It takes endless hours to begin, even before birth, to create a home centered on the word of God. Children learn by example. They need to see, in the home, the importance of the Bible in daily life. Prayer should be something children are taught to do with ease. Worshipping the Lord is never a question of where the family will be when the saints are assembled. A benevolent hand should be demonstrated to the children on how to care for those in need. Children who grow up to serve the Lord are taught to serve the Lord from the beginning of their lives.

Every child must be cultivated to love the Lord with all of their hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. Parents must instill in the hearts of their children the love of God. Hannah made a vow to give her son to the Lord, and she literally gave him to serve the Lord. Every parent should vow to do everything they can to commit their children’s hearts to know the Lord, serve the Lord, and help others know the Lord. The reality of parenting is that there is only one lifetime to teach children, and it must be done while their hearts are tender to the word of God. Hannah leaves a powerful example of a parent’s love for their children. Give your child to the Lord. Eternity depends on it.