Her Countenance Was No More Sad
When Hannah came to Shiloh to the house of the Lord, “She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.” She was mourning because she had no children, 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.” As she was praying, making this solemn promise to the Lord, she was watched by the priest Eli who “sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord.” He observed her and “as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.” So she prayed there silently but with her lips moving, pouring out her soul to God as she yearned for the blessing of children from Him. Eli, with very little in the way of spiritual d...