I Samuel 1:20, 26-28; 2:1-10

The text before us captures the actions and words of Hannah. Hannah dedicated her firstborn son to serve God. This action speaks loudly. The adage that actions speak louder than words, however, does not strictly apply in this instance because the words which Hannah would speak were given to her by God.

Let us first consider Hannah’s action. Hannah named her son Samuel (v. 20) because Samuel means “requested from…