Samuel’s Upbringing

Ernst-August Bremicker

Like many godly men in the Scriptures, Samuel was greatly blessed by having a godly and devoted mother. His birth and early years are recorded in 1 Samuel 1 and 2.

His mother, Hannah, had asked for a son, and God had granted her request. She gave him the name ‘Samuel’, which means ‘asked of God’ or ‘heard by God’. Both were true. She asked for him, and God heard and answered her prayer (1:9–20). Further, her appreciation of the value of fervent prayer was passed on to her son. Samuel was a man of prayer, as seen in the occasions on which he interceded for Israel (e.g. 7:5).

In her prayer, Hannah had promised to give her son back to God (1:11). However, until he had grown and was weaned, she kept him with herself. Then she fulfilled her promise and brought him to Eli, who was priest in Israel at that time in Shiloh. There Samuel was to appear before the Lord and abide forever (1 Sam 1:22). 

In relation to this narrative, it is my intention to bring before the reader some brief thoughts on how to educate our children in a Christian atmosphere before we ‘release’ them. In this, Hannah is a good example for not only mothers, but also for fathers and for all those who have to deal with children and young people. 

The desire of Hannah was to bring Samuel to God’s house, which was at Shiloh. There he was to appear before God. But not only this, he was to abide and serve there as well. God fulfilled this request. Samuel became one of the great servants of the Lord. Even as a young boy, he started worshipping God (the highest form of service) and became useful for Him in assisting Eli (1 Sam. 1:28; 2:11; 3:1). Later he became a prophet, through whom God could speak to His earthly people.

The New Testament instructs us that it is our responsibility to bring up our children (to educate them) in the discipline and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). While this exhortation is given particularly to fathers who have the prime responsibility in such matters, the underlying principle applies to mothers as well. Both father and mother should take care of their children and share the responsibility for their upbringing. 

The education of children and young people has a variety of objectives. Of course, it includes instruction and guidance in a range of matters which will help them in the rest of their lives. However, for Christian parents, it should include something more important. As was the case for Hannah, who desired to have Samuel appear before Jehovah, the main objective in the upbringing of children by believers is to bring them to the Lord Jesus. When He was on earth, the Lord Jesus said: ‘Suffer little children, and do not hinder them from coming to me; for the kingdom of the heavens is of such’ (Matt. 19:14). It is therefore a privilege to bring children to Jesus, so that they might come to know Him as early as possible. However, this is a challenge also. Let us follow Hannah’s example and be an encouragement to our children to trust in the Lord, rather than in any way deter them from doing so.

There is then a second, closely-linked objective: that our children should abide with Him — to stay in practical fellowship with Him and to grow in the knowledge of His person. We can be sure that Hannah continued her practice of prayer (ch. 1) and worship (ch. 2) while raising Samuel. It is likely that she would also have shared God’s Word (as then revealed) with him. It is good to help our children in these activities, so that they make them a part of their daily lives.

Third, we should seek that our children serve the Lord as Samuel served Him. Again, it is likely that Hannah set a good example for Samuel. Our children will learn about worshipping God and serving Him in other respects not so much in the meetings but in our houses and family settings. Do we teach them to enjoy the presence of God with thankful and adoring hearts? Do we teach them to be useful for the master whenever He calls them? And above all: are we good examples?

Hannah’s desire concerning Samuel was fulfilled, and God rewarded her faithfulness in the manner in which she brought him up. ‘The boy Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with Jehovah and also with men’ (1 Sam. 2:26). ‘And the boy Samuel ministered to Jehovah before Eli’ (1 Sam. 3:1).

We can also learn from four other aspects of Hannah’s conduct in raising her son. While it was pure grace on God’s part that Samuel became what he was, Hannah recognised the side of human responsibility, which co-exists with God’s grace. She did not simply rely on God’s grace and use this as an excuse not to fulfil her responsibility in connection with the heritage God had given her.

First, she nursed her young son by breastfeeding him (1:23). Applying this spiritually, we must supply our children with spiritual food for their souls. It is never too early to feed our children with such food, which is the ‘pure mental milk of the word’ (1 Pet. 2:2). When they are still young, we read it to them. When they start going to school, we help them read and understand it on their own. Of course, we will respect the age and the character of a child. We will not give them the wrong food. We will not give them too much or too little. Quality and quantity will be well balanced so that they can grow spiritually. Also, breast milk is something which is formed beforehand, and inside the mother. There is no spiritual equivalent of fast food or a ready meal. Our children will only be blessed as we give them something which has been produced and experienced in ourselves and practised by us. 

Second, Hannah weaned her son (1 Sam. 1:23). Our children cannot rely solely on spiritual food from their parents forever. We have to ‘wean’ them. They need to learn to stand on their own two feet, and feed themselves spiritually. They need to build up their own close relationship to the Lord Jesus. Of course, spiritual weaning is a process which may take some time. We can spend time with our children as they learn to be independent in these matters. 

This leads to the third point: Hannah accompanied her son when the day came when he had to leave his father’s house and to go to Shiloh (v. 24). As parents, we should not spiritually abandon our children at a certain point in their lives and immediately expect them to be spiritually independent. Rather, we should ‘accompany’ them where necessary to help them grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. We should also do this where they are starting something new in their natural lives (e.g. starting school or commencing university). In addition to keeping a loving eye on them, we can ‘accompany’ them from a spiritual perspective by praying with them about issues with which they are being confronted, discussing questions which they may have about God’s Word, etc.

Finally, Hannah released Samuel when she left him with Eli. We can imagine that it was not an easy thing for Hannah to leave her boy, whom she loved so much, in Shiloh. However, she knew that this was according to God’s will and to her own promise. Children are a wonderful gift of grace from the Lord, but to a certain extent they are only given ‘on loan’. It would be selfish if we wanted to keep them for ourselves. They belong to the Lord. If the Lord wants to use them for Himself, we should count it a privilege to give them to Him. Some of us know by experience that this is not always easy. However, it is ultimately a blessed privilege to be able to do so. 

Of course, Hannah did not forget Samuel. She visited him annually, bringing him a coat, which demonstrated that she remained concerned for his well-being and appearance. As parents, we should always concern ourselves with our children’s spiritual well-being and testimony. Wherever they are, we can pray for them.

Everything that Hannah did in raising Samuel was done out of love: love for God, and love for her son. She desired that her son would serve the Lord, and in diligence and self-denial ensured that she kept her promise to God concerning Samuel. The result was that this devoted and godly mother had a devoted and godly son. 

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From: Truth & Testimony, 2020