Hannah doesn't go to Shiloh for the next feast and her only
delay is weaning the child, she fully intends to fulfill her vow. The law would have allowed for Elkanah to
cancel her vow, a woman's vow could be canceled by her husband, but Elkanah
shows two things here, a respect for Hannah as a person and a righteousness
that expects a yes to be a yes and a no to be a no. She has taken a vow and he expects her to
fulfill it. When they go up she presents
her son to the priest saying he is lent to the Lord. The word for lent is the same as the word she
used when she "asked" for a child, it is also sounds very much like
the name Saul, whom the child would later anoint as first king of the
nation. Hannah's exultation is that she
has finally be proven to be a righteous woman as against the rival wife who has
taunted her. She sees her victory as
significant in more than a personal way, however, she sees it as a work of the
Lord with significance for the nation.
Her expectations for what the Lord will do through her son are
great.
It was a good question by the rabbis, whether tribute should
be paid to a foreign king. To do so was
to recognize his authority over them and also at some level to confess that
this king was somehow responsible for their prosperity. One reason the tax collectors were generally
despised is that they were considered to be co-opted by the foreign state and
deeply compromised by their collaboration.
Jesus' answer is not only worldly wise, it is also a not so subtle
reminder to all. The coin bore the image
of Caesar and so when Jesus said render to those things that are Caesar's He
referred to the coin but the obverse of that is that we are to render to God
those things that are His, referring to our bearing the image of God. We who have been redeemed by Him have also
taken a vow to serve Him all the days of our lives. We are lent to the Lord no less than Samuel. In the Anglican tradition the baptismal vows
ask the question, "Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord?"
The twelve apostles represented the twelve tribes so when
Judas sinned and then committed suicide there was a breach in the wall. The tension of having other than twelve was
so great that it had to be remedied quickly so Peter stands in the assembly of
120 in those ten days between Ascension and Pentecost and calls the
question. Matthias is chosen by lot, no
election other than God's in response to
their prayer. Their expectation was that
God would fill the hole in the leadership.
The apostolic qualifications were clear, someone who could personally
attest to everything from the baptism of Jesus to the resurrection and
ascension. The same is true today, the witness
of the truth of their testimony concerning these things is a requirement for
apostolic leadership in the church. In
our witness to these truths we are all qualified to lead in the church. What are our expectations for our lives in
light of their miraculous redemption?
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