"And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home."
1 Samuel 2:20
“And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife,”
Eli was the high priest in Israel during a time when the nation had some very dire needs. To meet the necessity of His people, God didn’t send a king, or a military general, He simply let a godly lady be barren so that she would pray. In her desire for a child, she prayed desperately. So much so that the high priest believed her to be drunk. He learned that she was not drunk but was praying urgently. The LORD sent Hannah and Elkanah a son, Samuel. Eli’s blessing came to the couple as they brought Samuel to the Tabernacle to serve the LORD with Eli. Samuel was five years old.
“And said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD.”
Eli knew the sacrifice Elkanah and Hannah were making by “lending” their son back to the LORD for His use. He was their main prayer request and dearest blessing. So Eli blessed them as the high priest and asked the LORD for children (seed) for them. If Jehovah can give them one child, why not more?
Some parents mays take umbrage with giving their children to the Lord. They fail to see that the child has been given to them from the Lord. They have the opportunity to prepare that child for a life of service for the Lord. And the Lord always blesses the gift as well as the giver. It is still worth the investment.
“What is lent to the Lord will certainly be repaid with interest, to our unspeakable advantage, and oftentimes in kind. Hannah resigns one child to God, and is recompensed with five; for Eli’s blessing took effect (1 Samuel 2:21): She bore three sons and two daughters. There is nothing lost by lending to God or losing for him; it shall be repaid a hundred-fold…”1 (Henry).
“And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:29).
God will bless the sacrifice.
“And they went unto their own home.”
The LORD honored Eli’s blessing. Elkanah and Hannah were blessed. They gave their one child to the LORD, and He gave five more to them.
Dads, Moms, if you give your children to the Lord, I don’t know what He will do in blessing you, but He will repay you for your “loan” to Him. This principle is evident in our verse for today. Who should our homes and churches be sending into the Lord’s work today? Only our best and our brightest!
1. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, the electronic version in eSword.