What can we learn from Hannah's response to Eli's accusation in this verse? Setting the Scene 1 Samuel 1:14 records Eli’s sharp rebuke: “So he said to her, ‘How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!’ ”. Hannah has been silently pouring out her sorrow before the LORD; Eli mistakes her silent fervency for drunkenness. Hannah’s Gentle Defense Hannah answers in 1 Samuel 1:15-16, “ ‘No, my lord,’ Hannah replied. ‘I am a woman who is deeply troubled…I have poured out my soul before the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here from the depth of my anguish and grief.’ ” Key Traits Shining Through Hannah’s Response • Respect for spiritual authority – She addresses Eli as “my lord.” Compare Romans 13:7; 1 Peter 2:17. • Humility and honesty – She openly names her pain without dramatizing. See Psalm 62:8. • Self-control – No anger, no retaliation—Proverbs 15:1; Galatians 5:22-23. • Persistence in prayer – Rather than quitting, she keeps praying—Luke 18:1. • Faith that God understands even when people misjudge Lessons for Our Own Walk • Misunderstanding will come—even from fellow believers or leaders. Respond with grace, not resentment. • Clarify with truth, not with accusations. Hannah calmly corrects Eli’s wrong assumption. • Lay burdens before God first; human approval becomes secondary. Philippians 4:6-7. • Maintain a posture of humility; it invites God’s favor. 1 Peter 5:6. • Trust God to vindicate. Hannah leaves the outcome with the LORD, echoed in 1 Peter 2:23 regarding Christ. Fruit That Follows Eli blesses her (1 Samuel 1:17), her countenance lifts (1:18), and eventually the LORD gives Samuel (1:20). A gentle, faith-filled answer opens the door for God’s gracious work. |
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