April 7 - Dedicated to the One I Love

 Read today’s texts first: Samuel 1,2; Psalms 66; 2 Corinthians 7

MAXIMize YOUR DAY
 When we dedicate our children to God we are also
dedicating ourselves to raise them according to His will.

The story of Hannah’s dedication of her baby boy, Samuel, provides an example for us today. Jesus was also consecrated to God at the Temple, according to Jewish tradition (Luke 2:22-24). That tradition and those two examples provide enough reason for churches today to dedicate children to God. The christening or baptism of babies, however, is not found in Scripture. Baptism should be reserved for a person old enough to make that decision for themselves.

But Samuel’s dedication was much more than the normal consecration of a first-born baby boy. Because God had answered Hannah’s prayer and gave her a son, she fulfilled her vow to God and gave her son back to God. She actually surrendered her baby to be raised by the priest, Eli, to be wholly devoted to God for his entire life. It turned out to be a wise decision as Samuel grew into one of the greatest leaders Israel has ever known. He became a prophet, priest, and King (Judge), and is seen as a foreshadow of Jesus, who would also fulfill those roles.

Knowing how Eli’s natural sons, Hophni and Phinehas, had turned out, it is surprising to see Hannah trusting Eli with her baby! Hannah and her husband, Elkanah, would have heard about their reputation for character “unbecoming a priest”, to say the least (2:12-17,22). But Hannah knew she was ultimately surrendering her child into God’s care, not Eli’s. She was herself dedicated to God first and knew that because of her devotion, God would watch out for her son. Eli should have had the same approach to his children, and removed them from their priestly duties when they stopped honouring God (2:30,31). He warned Eli, “those who honour me I will honour.”

“Lord, when we dedicated our children to You and sang prophetically over them at that time, we were not just dedicating them - we were also dedicating ourselves to raising them according to Your will. As we have honoured You, we know Your promise is to honour us and care for our children and their children as well.”