It may seem strange to entitle a lesson "Hannah’s Joy" and use this particular text. But I believe that we can learn some very important things about joy, and particularly what results from the lack thereof as we consider Hannah’s plight. Please notice that Elkanah, because of his love of Hannah is blessing her in the distribution of the sacrificial food by giving her a more "worthy portion" than that given to Peninnah. Because Hannah has lost her joy, the Scripture tells us that she "wept and did not eat." In other words, because she was sad, or lacked joy, she wasn’t able to benefit from the blessing that she was receiving from her husband. Understand, Peninnah has stolen Hannah’s joy by her taunting and commentary concerning Hannah’s inability to bear children. Church, don’t ever let anybody rob you of your joy. It’s one of our most cherished possessions. And if we lose this one blessing from God, it can cause us to be unable to benefit from all of the other blessings that He might bestow upon us.

In this lesson we will examine some of the wonderful things that God has accomplished through the use of joy. How to maintain our joy. And how to recover lost joy.

Perhaps the greatest thing that God has accomplished through joy is our salvation.

Hebrews 12
²   Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We’re told that Jesus made salvation available by "enduring the cross, despising the shame." Much of what made that possible was the Joy that was set before Him. I believe that joy to be two-fold. First, Jesus had actually been to heaven, and knew exactly the life that awaited Him when He returned. Secondly, Jesus knew that this was God’s plan of salvation. This was the very work that God had sent Him to do. He was able to take comfort and joy in knowing that He was finishing God’s work. Understand, that this did not make the cross pleasant, but did make it endurable. And make no mistake, had He not endured the cross, we would have no way of being reconciled to God.

Salvation is not the only thing in Scripture, however, that God accomplishes through joy. Please read with me

2 Corinthians 8
¹   Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
²   How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
³   For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
⁴   Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
⁵   And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

In this passage we see the power of God made manifest in the action of the Macedonian churches. Even affliction and deep poverty when combined with abundant joy made it possible for them to send a generous gift to aid the churches in Judea. Not only this, but they literally begged Paul for the opportunity to participate in that important work. These brethren, that seemingly did not have apparent means to give to this work, coupled their need to their joy and found the ability to walk by faith and not by sight. Their well placed joy in the Lord made it possible for God to accomplish through them what was seemingly impossible. God can do many great things for and through a church or a person if they will only maintain their joy. Which brings about their next point.

I believe that if we are to maintain our joy, we must first identify joy as a valued possession. Like any other valued possession the safety of our joy depends on where we place it for safe keeping. For example, if you want to maintain your wealth (I’m speaking of maintenance and not investment strategy) where do you place your money? Is it a bank, or the lotto? The answer seems obvious, but often I’m afraid, we risk our joy on the lotto. What I’m saying is we place our joy on temporal things. I think that "If only I had that new Lexus" then I’d be truly happy. Or "if only I had a better job, that would do the trick." In truth, what if I get the new Lexus. The first time someone dings the door in the parking lot, what happens to my joy? It’s stolen from me just like Hannah’s was stolen by Peninnah. I might never get that "magic" perfect job, but I can certainly make my self, and my loved ones, very unhappy in my effort to get that very thing. These aren’t very safe places to store our joy. When we place our joy in such things we will soon find it stolen from us.

Another unsafe harbor for our joy is people. Even people with the very best intentions suffer from a very basic flaw. They’re human. Thus they make mistakes. They aren’t perfect. Sometimes they even die. Each can steal our joy when joy is placed too much with the person. The teaching here is not to say that we shouldn’t enjoy people and their company. However, I’m sure we’ve all known brethren that have based their joy in worship on their relationship to a preacher. The preacher leaves town, and they fall away, their joy stolen. The preacher dies, they fall away. Worse than all of this is that sometimes ( thank the Lord it’s not often ) a preacher will stray into apostasy, and the misguided soul will follow him. After all, that’s where his joy is. He’s worse off than he was in the beginning. People are not safe places to store our joy.

Where does the Bible say to place our joy?

Romans 5
¹   Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
²   By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Paul states here that our relationship to God through Christ, and the grace obtained thereby gives us cause to "rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." This is a safe place for our joy. The heaven that we hope for is something that no one can steal from us, for it belongs to Almighty God. Remember earlier we said that this was one factor of the joy that was set before Jesus that helped him as he endured the cross. It can help us to endure our light and momentary affliction as well.

Philippians 4 says:
⁴   Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

There is no person safer in which to place your joy. And no safer situation on which to base joy than the proper relationship to God through Christ. These things are eternal. If we place our joy in such, we can never have it stolen from us.

But what if our joy has already been lost or stolen?

The most important step to regaining our joy when we’ve lost it is to recognize why we lost it. As we mentioned earlier, we lose our joy, because we place it in temporal things rather than the eternal. Understanding this is the view of a mature Christian. We don’t come up out of the waters of baptism mature. We come up just a Christian, and a babe at that. Maturity is something that we must learn along the way. Perhaps this is why Paul writes:

Philippians 4
¹¹   Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Paul did not have contentment always. It was something he learned over time. Thus it is in placing our joy in the eternal. It’s something we must learn to do. Now, if we’ve lost joy because we failed to place it in the eternal, it follows that we should also go to an eternal place to seek it again.

Consider Hannah and the effect of her loss of joy. She wasn’t able to benefit or enjoy the other blessings that were bestowed upon her. This is often the result for us. Seemingly, nothing will make us happy. We sometimes sing a song in worship

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost

Count your many blessings, name them one by one

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done

Often we can overcome our loss of joy simply by realizing all of the many blessings God has given us. The mature Christian knows that all that we have belongs to God, and we are simply stewards thereof. That is even if what we have is a material thing like a house, or a car, or nice clothes. What we have might have may be a physical thing like good health, basic intelligence, or a job that provides for my needs. What God has given us may be an emotional support, or a spiritual thing like a loving family, good friends, a loving church, a Bible based church, or what about salvation? Let me pose a question. If God has given me the house in which I live, is it right for me to be unhappy because I don’t have a nicer house? As parents, how do we feel when our children are unhappy with the gifts we give them. It hurts and sometimes angers me at those times. It is as though my children are telling me that they are entitled to better gifts. Or suggesting that I might given the gift maliciously as it were, knowing that they wouldn’t like the gift even as I purchased it. Brethren, a gift is not an entitlement. God gives gifts because he loves us. I believe if each of us were to sit down and list all that God has given us, which is all that we have, it indeed would surprise us what the Lord has done. I believe that it would also be a major step in the recovery of the lost joy.

Finally, let us consider what Hannah did to recover her lost joy. Many of you know that Hannah gave birth a short time later to the prophet Samuel. Certainly she was joyful at that time. But was that when she recovered her joy? Or was it at the time that she first knew that she had conceived? I tell you no, it was before. Let’s examine

1 Samuel 1
¹⁰   And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
¹¹   And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
¹²   And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
¹³   Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
¹⁴   And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
¹⁵   And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
¹⁶   Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
¹⁷   Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
¹⁸   And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

In verse 10 Hannah prays. In verse 11 she makes a vow to the Lord. In verses 12- 17 there’s the conversation with Eli, in which he agrees with her prayer. And in verse 18, her countenance is no more sad. Her joy has returned, yet she does not have a son. She isn’t even pregnant. So why isn’t she sad any more? She has something from God that is "better than ten sons." She has hope. Paul said that Christians are to be:

Romans 12
¹²   Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

In truth, I believe all three of these to be dependent upon each other. Without joy, I cannot be patient in tribulation. Without prayer, I have no hope. And without hope, how do I rejoice? Hannah had no son as she returned home, but I believe that she returned home rejoicing in hope. She had taken her burden and placed it with the Lord. And there is no better bearer of burdens than Almighty God. And there is no greater hope that that which He gives us.

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