The Old Ballgame
One Year Bible (May 7)
I Samuel 1: 1-2:21
“The Old Ballgame"
“Take me out to the ball game. Take me out with the crowd; Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I never get back. Let me root, root, root for the home team, if they don’t win, it’s a shame. For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out, At the old ball game. (Norworth, Tilzer, 1908)
“Three strikes, you’re out at the old ball game”, but what about in the game of life?
Today, we are focusing on two amazing women who faced the “Three Strike Rule”.
We have been looking at the story of Naomi who lost 1) Her husband, 2) Her son, Mahlon, and 3) Her son, Kilion. She was “struck- down” but she was never “struck -out”!
We see a similar “Three Strike Rule” in today’s story through the life of Hannah. She is married to Elkanah, who had two wives (lucky her!) His other wife was “Cruella” Peninnah. (Nickname added.)
Each time they would go to the temple to offer their sacrifices “Cruella” would intentionally taunt Hannah and reduce her to tears. (This is Strike One.) Her well-meaning husband, Elkanah would say to her, “Why aren’t you eating/ Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me--isn’t that better than having ten sons?” (I Samuel 1: Definitely Strike Two!!
Is it just me or does it sound like this guy got relationship counseling from “The Bachelor”, (aka Samson: “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have solved the riddle.”) Could someone please help these guys??
Here comes the big finale… wait for it. Next Hannah goes to the temple and is sobbing, praying, and pleading with God to give her a son. She promises that if He does, she will give him back to the Lord to serve him all his days. The high priest there accuses her of being DRUNK!
It’s a ‘Strike Three’ kind of day!!! This temple is certainly of the “Frozen Chosen” variety. There has been no passionate praying going on there for quite some time as the priest didn’t even recognize her heartfelt pleading…
Doesn’t your heart just break for these women? Mine certainly does!
Have you ever asked why God would allow these women to be “struck down repeatedly”?
What did they do wrong?
I am so thankful for today’s powerful message because we are going to need to grasp this and hold onto this message when times get tough…
Did these women suffer greatly! Indeed!! Perhaps, we can better understand the answer hidden within their suffering if we look at the outcome in the framework of the grander scheme.
“Bitter Mara” becomes “Nana Naomi” when she holds in her arms her grandson, (son of Ruth and Boaz). This child will be in the lineage of Jesus! Little baby, Obed, will grow up to have a son named Jesse, who will have a son named David. As in King David, through whose lineage the long-awaited Messiah will be born.
Do you remember what homeland Naomi’s husband came from? Bethlehem, of the land of Judah. This story is certainly the “long train home”. It is overflowing with the providence of God and the “Kinsman Redeemer” who made a way when there was no way!
Then, there is “Heartbroken Hannah” who becomes “Hosanna Hannah”. She was the first ‘charismatic’ in the temple! The priest was certainly accusing her of being “filled with the spirit”.
Do you know that Samuel, her dedicated son, would become the most well-known prophet in the Bible? He would become the last of the judges in Israel and would anoint its first two kings—Saul and David.
David… The connecting thread!
Three Strikes. Two Women. One Messiah.
Their brokenness was part of the beginning of the Kingdom of God that would save all mankind!
Perhaps, now you may be ready to hear the message hidden in this story… It is NOT about us. It is about HIM!
For about fourteen years we wished to have children. It was a long painful journey at times. Then we received TWO blessings in ONE year. We have almost lost one of our blessings TWICE now… The time of living in hospitals has totaled months and about “totaled” us!
I have asked “Why”, and those answers are not apparent. I doubt they ever will be… However, He is with us, and always provides a way out through this Son, Jesus Christ.
I have learned to cry, rejoice, and pray like our two women in this story. Here is Hannah’s prayer “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one beside you there is no Rock like our God.” (I Samuel 2:1)
When it comes to baseball, we all seem to understand that it is a “team sport”. When it comes to the Kingdom of God, there is only one team as well. He is the captain, the coach, and the pinch hitter! He knows the game plan that we can not begin to fathom. It is NOT about us!
Yes, Naomi and Hannah suffered, and through their suffering, God brought about redemption for the entire world.
We may be “struck-down”, but we will never “Strike-out” when the Kinsman Redeemer is up to bat…at the Old Ballgame.
