Day 79 - 1 Samuel 1-2

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 79 - 1 Samuel 1-2 (Those Who Honor Me I Will Honor - Hannah's Story)
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"But now the LORD says: "Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed."  (1 Samuel 2:30)

The statement above spoken by God to Eli who was the high priest at the Tabernacle in Shiloh was set amidst the backdrop of two contrasting set of people.  On the one hand was Eli and his corrupt sons who acted wickedly in that they extorted from the worshippers at the Tabernacle and slept with the women who assembled there.  God rebuked Eli for allowing his sons to serve as priests despite their wickedness.  As a result, God judged Eli and told him that not one of his descendants will live a full age but all will die in their prime.  God also said that He will replace Eli's priesthood with that of another man who will be a faithful priest for God.

On the other hand, there was Hannah and her son Samuel whom God gave to her in answer to her prayers for God to open her barren womb.  When Hannah prayed for a son inside the house of God, she made a vow that if God granted her a son that she would dedicate him as a priest to serve before God in the Tabernacle.  God honored Hannah and granted her prayer and she bore a son whom she named Samuel. We shall see more of this man Samuel and how God continued to honor Hannah by honoring her son in the succeeding posts.

When I think about a person who is known to honor God, I think of Eric Liddel, the Scottish Olympic gold medalist who refused to run on a Sunday even when He was the only hope of his country for a gold medal.  Eric forfeited an almost sure gold medal in the 100 meter race bacause it was held on a Sunday.  God, however, had given Eric another opportunity in running the 400 meter race where he was the least expected to win.  Miraculously, Eric won the gold medal and set a new world record.

Before the race that won him the gold in the 400 meters, Eric's team coach handed him a hand-written note that said, "He who honors Him, He will honor." Eric honored God by his conviction not to run on a Sunday and God honored Eric by giving him the victory in a way that glorified both God and Eric.  Eric continued to honor God right after he won in the Olympics by going to China as a missionary where he died at the young age of 43 in a Japanese war prison camp.

You and I do not have to make a vow not to engage in certain activities on a Sunday in order to honor God.  For Eric Liddel, that was his way of honoring God and God indeed was honored.  We can honor God in many ways.  Hannah honored God by giving her son Samuel to Him as a priest.  Many Christians honor God by giving their tithes or a tenth of their income to God.  A pastor friend of mine from Cebu wants to honor God by giving Him twenty percent of their family income.  Each individual must decide in his own heart how he or she would like to honor God.  How do you honor God?