A Woman Of A Sorrowful Spirit

Hannah was a woman of a sorrowful spirit at the time when the First Book of Samuel opens. The opening chapter contains a story of a family with a godly head whose name was Elkanah. He had regard to the law of the LORD, which required that those who worshipped the LORD appeared in the Place of the Name to do there all that the LORD commanded. During the time of the Judges there had been sad disregard in connexion with this commandment which explicitly directed God's people to the Place of His choice, which at that time was the city of Shiloh in the hill country of Ephraim. So it is pleasing to open the Book of Samuel and find a family in whose heart was found a desire to give effect to the will of God in respect to worship and sacrifice. We quote the command:

"Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: but in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee" (Deuteronomy 12. 13, 14.)

Like many other families there were failures, and in this case it was seen in Peninnah, one of Elkanah's wives, who provoked Hannah sorely, "for to make her fret," because the LORD had shut up her womb. So Hannah was made a woman of a sorrowful spirit. This, however, ultimately cast her back upon God, and while at the house of God in Shiloh during the days of worship and sacrifice, she is found pouring out her soul before the LORD, who heard her unspoken words which ascended from her heart to the throne of God in heaven.

"Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad" (Ecclesiastes 7. 8). And so it was that there in sadness of heart and with supplications before God Hannah heard the words of the high priest, "Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of Him. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance

was no more sad" (1 Samuel 1.17, 18). The one who provoked her sorely could no longer do so, for Hannah conceived and bare a son, a son concerning whom she had not only asked of the LORD, but had also vowed to give him back to the LORD all the days of his life. She was a woman who vowed and paid her vows.

Who can measure the joy of Hannah as she stood beside the priest and said, "Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of Him: therefore I also have granted him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he is granted to the LORD" ? Her prayer that follows shows somewhat of her joy:

My heart exulteth in the LORD,

Mine horn is exalted in the LORD:

My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies;

Because I rejoice in Thy salvation (2.1).

The woman of a sorrowful spirit had become a woman with a joyful heart. The joy of the LORD was her strength. God was working through her for the blessing of His people. Samuel, asked of the LORD, was soon to become known as a prophet of the LORD, none of whose words would fall to the ground.

G. PRASHER, Sr.

"HE WAS JEALOUS FOR HIS GOD" (Numbers 25.11-18)

The covenant of peace that was given to Phinehas was the reward of a single act by him, but its issue flowed on to his descendants. It was an act of individual faithfulness to God, of which a full record is given in the Scriptures for the encouragement of all who come after him. He cherished a deep zeal for God's glory, which manifested itself in a spontaneous indignation against anything which violated it. It revealed his fitness to be entrusted with divine service.

Zeal in itself is not necessarily good. Indeed it has often been the undoing of those whose zeal was not wisely directed. Like molten metal, it must be rightly channelled or it will spread disaster. An illustration of this is seen in Saul of Tarsus, whose zeal before he was saved led him to persecute the church (Philippians 3.6), but when his zeal was rightly directed, what a mighty power he became for his God! The supreme example of zeal is our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it is recorded, "The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up " (Psalm 69.9; John 2.17).

Let us, like Phinehas in his day, and our Lord Jesus Christ when here on earth, be jealous for God and the purity and honour of His house, that place of present testimony to His will for a worshipping and serving people. Paul wrote to Timothy that he might "know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God" (1 Timothy 3.15). We should be zealous to fulfil the purpose for which the Lord Jesus gave Himself, even that "He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a people for His own possession zealous of good works" (Titus 2.14).

A.G. JARVIS.

YE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD

"Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believed on Him were to receive" (John 7.37-40).

What a promise to give to thirsty souls! No man ever stood in the midst of a multitude and offered such complete satisfaction.

By nature, man is an unsatisfied creature, craving after one thing and another. "The Lord knew what was in man" (John 2.24-25).

Thus He is able to satisfy

"the longing soul,

And the hungry soul He filleth with good" (Psalm 107.9).

He spake thus to the woman of Samaria, when He declared,

"whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in bun a well of water springing up unto eternal life" (John 4.13, 14).

The Christian life is not an easy-going life. The child of God will early know the temptations of the devil, and also that he has an evil nature which seeks to drag him away from the Lord. Nevertheless, we have One with us who is mightier than all our foes, for we have the indwelling Holy Spirit. With struggles within and foes without, we shall experience sunshine and shadow in our lives. Nevertheless, we have the assurance of the Psalmist,

"Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory" (Psalm 73.24).

Under stress and strain some have given up the fight and have forsaken Him, the Fountain of living waters. "Would ye also go away?" said the Lord Jesus to the twelve. "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life," replied Peter (John 8.67-68). Let naught from Christ the heart divide. Flee everything that would tend to draw away the heart from the great Lover of our souls. The complete answer to all our dangers is to know the fulness of the blessed Holy Spirit. For while we may abstain from the things which the word of God positively shows are wrong, there are many doubtful things which can be very easily resolved by allowing the Spirit of God to take control of our hearts. Here are some helpful words,

"Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult is obviously wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it."

Are we dead, indeed, unto sin, but alive unto God? Read carefully and prayerfully Galatians 2.20. This life will entail taking up one's cross and following Him, at the risk of being misunderstood by many. But it will also lead to sweet fellowship with the Father and with the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. We are not our own. We are called upon to glorify God in our bodies. This will call for much self-examination. Our stewardship should be constantly under review. Every phase of our life must be touched upon, our walk, our talk, our handling of things, our dress, our money, our talents, yea, our

whole selves.

G.S. Webster

unknown | May 1961
The Last Of The Judges