We continue with Mary and Hannah's stories today, along with Hebrews (which does not connect as obviously as the other two).
"'For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD.' She left him there for the LORD."
The baby, for whom she had prayed, she now gives back. It is strange to read these words... particularly in a society in which we consider all that we have to belong to us. We regard the things we receive as having been deserved, and gifts as part of the fruits of our labor. What is it then, that a woman should leave her only child (who was probably a toddler by now) in the charge of the priest who had originally supposed her to be drunk even as she prayed for said child?
So often, we bargain with God: "God, if you just... then I will..." We behave as if we are participating in some sort of cosmic chess game, in which we are simply trying to get all of our pieces in to the proper places in order that we might be saved. We bargain with God, attaching our belief to empirical evidence; we demand signs. We fail to see the Word of God written on our hearts; we fail to see our blessings as undeserved gifts, our salvation as something that comes by grace through faith. We would rather earn our salvation than receive it as a gift. It's all a gift, and it's all free.
Hannah gives her son to the LORD, as she has promised. Likely returning to her status within the family that she had before the birth of Samuel, she is giving up more than a child: she is giving up her son's right to inherit from his father's property. She is giving up her potential for well-being after her husband dies. She gives her son to the LORD, giving up her status within the household. She holds her gift gently; as she promised, she dedicates Samuel to the LORD. Perhaps she is simply a woman of her word... but perhaps she is a woman who has a deeper understanding of what the LORD's promise looks like, trusting that the fulfillment thereof will exceed her joy of mothering this child, who is indeed both "Given from the LORD," and "Given to the LORD." Either way, it's pure gift.
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