1 Samuel 1:24 Commentary and Bible Study

Finally the child is weaned and brought to Shiloh. He is presented to the Lord with a beautiful offering, and with sacrifices the bullocks. She has been looking forward to doing this with all her heart. Her heart is full of emotion. ‘Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. ²⁷ For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: ²⁸ Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD.’ The translation is a little bit in dispute, but it is sound. It means more along these lines: I have returned him to the Lord; I have given, I have dedicated him to the Lord. ‘As as long as he liveth he shall be lent [dedicated, returned] to the LORD.’ Eli certainly remembered the incident, but not till now did he learn what she had prayed for, and what she had vowed to do with the child if the Lord answered her prayer. This was a wonderful day for Eli, a day that would change his life also.She is true to her word: ‘Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD.’ It was a wonderful thing for her to discharge her vow. It brought back to her all that God had done for her, all the way he had led her, how he had answered her prayer and known what she wanted to give back to him, how he had given her those precious years with the child in her home, but now the moment had come for him to be given entirely to God.And so Samuel – some people think this refers to Elkanah, but no, Samuel – worshipped the Lord there. Let’s suppose he was three; he was a little boy. But in that home and with his spirit he had already learned to worship. And the little lad from a sincere heart was old enough to worship the Lord in the temple and know what was going on around him. So whether he was three or whether he was seven, he was a worshipping child, and an earnest child, and in a personal way he found the Lord very young. He learned of faith from this mother; he learned of faith from Moses, the books of Moses. Possibly he learned a good deal from his father. Although he had a sin in his life he was still a pious man, and he worshipped the Lord there. We believe in the salvation even of very young children.