1 Samuel 1 Footnotes

1:11 Hannah’s vow appears to be bargaining with God; was this appropriate? It is clear throughout Scripture that God wants people to have an authentic, personal relationship with him—one that involves the expression of true feelings in a spirit of “give and take.” If one can ask certain things of the Lord in faith (Mt 21:22), one can also promise him something. Hannah was a pious woman who profoundly believed that God was powerful and good. She had suffered humiliation and insult for years due to her childlessness, and was pleading desperately with God to give her a child. Her offer was far superior to that of pagans in the region, who might offer to sacrifice a child as a macabre gift to their deity (2Kg 17:17). Hannah offered to give the son she requested as a living sacrifice, dedicating his lifelong services to the Lord. The Lord was not obligated to respond to her vow, but he had the right to accept her offer. And accept it he did.