1 Samuel 2:19
Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
After she had given Samuel to the Lord's service, his mother came up each year with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice and brought him a little coat of service made with her own hands. The yearly coat was a token of her continuing love, care, devotion and solicitude after leaving him to be trained in the house of God, with many prayers and tears stitched into every fiber that he would be pure, noble and true, good rather than great, honoring God and blessing his fellow men. Having taught him from the earliest dawn of intellect to love and reverence God and to regard himself as the Lord's, and continuing to make him the subject of her prayers every day while separated, she saw him grow in the love and fear of God and remain untainted and faithful though surrounded by corrupting influences. Her faithful, self-denying care stands in contrast to Eli's failure to restrain and train his wicked sons, making parents responsible for their children's upbringing. God's rules for family government therefore require parents who see their children serving evil to restrain them promptly and firmly, first by mild measures and if these do not avail by the severest means, with His word as the only safe guide instead of indulgent human wisdom that overlooks faults and nourishes pride and vanity.
Hannah's Yearly Devotion
After giving Samuel to the Lord's service, Hannah came up each year with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice at Shiloh and brought Samuel a little coat or robe of service that she had made with her own hands. The yearly coat was a token and reminder of her love, expressing her continuing faithful care, concern, devotion and solicitude after leaving him at the tabernacle to be trained for service in the house of God. Many prayers and tears were stitched into the garment, with every stitch and fiber woven with prayer for her child.
Her prayer in every fiber was that he would be pure, noble and true, that he would be good rather than great, that he would attain the greatness heaven values by honoring God and blessing his fellow men. She did not ask worldly greatness for her son but earnestly pleaded for that heavenly greatness, and while separated she continued to make him the subject of her prayers every day. From the earliest dawn of intellect she had taught him to love and reverence God and to regard himself as the Lord's, leading his thoughts by every familiar object up to the Creator.
Accompanied by that continuing care and prayer, Samuel grew in the love and fear of God. He remained untainted and faithful even though his childhood was surrounded by corrupting influences. The yearly making and giving reflected both loving care and the pain and sacrifice of living apart from the cherished son she had given after he was weaned. Yet she willingly gave him to serve God and was grateful and joyful that the Lord accepted her gift and offering.
The verse provides the model and example for a mother separated from her child to visit yearly and bring clothing even while he is cared for by another family. Her reward shows what faithfulness gains. It encourages every mother to count the humble round of duties a grand and noble work, to bless the world by her influence, to make straight paths for her children to the heights above, and to form their character after the divine Pattern by following Christ's teachings and going often to the Saviour for wisdom.
Parents Warned by Eli
The little coat brought year by year stands in a childhood that contrasts with Eli's failure to restrain and train his sons, setting Hannah among faithful, self-denying examples and laying upon parents responsibility for their children's upbringing. Eli as priest and judge of Israel was held accountable for the moral and religious standing of his people and in a special sense for the character of his sons.
God's rules for family government require parents who see their children serving evil to restrain them promptly and firmly, first by mild measures and if these do not avail to subdue wrong by the severest means, to reprove sin and execute justice upon the sinner in order to purify the family and keep Israel pure. God's word is the only safe guide in the management of children, rather than human wisdom and self-confident indulgence, and this duty rests on the Creator's full understanding of all the needs of children and His deepest interest in their welfare, having bought them with His own blood, while the salvation of children depends very much upon the course pursued by parents. Parents are therefore called to earnest, anxious prayer, Teach us, how shall we order the child, and what shall we do unto him, and careful study and faithful obedience of God's word leaves less soul-anguish over the perverse conduct of wicked children.
Parents must not follow their own judgment by overlooking faults and sins in childhood, fostering wrong tendencies, indulging every wish, fondly allowing children to grow up from babyhood without restraint, or allowing youth to have their own way. Such mistaken love and fondness indulges children to their hurt, nourishes pride and teaches vanity about dress as if dress makes the lady or gentleman, though short acquaintance shows outward appearance cannot hide the deformity of a heart void of the Christian graces and filled with self-love, haughtiness and uncontrolled passion, until forward, selfish, disagreeable ways and wrong habits strengthen into confirmed second nature that renders them unloving and unlovable. The destructive seed so sown springs up and bears fruit that makes children despise parental authority, and the company of such indulged children is poisonous and leads to death and must be shunned.
Eli could have restrained his wicked sons but feared their displeasure and suffered them to go on in rebellion until they became a curse to Israel. The mournful history warns especially parents in holy office against such a self-confident and indulgent course, for neglect brings the Lord's displeasure, disaster and death to the parent, ruin to wicked sons and to thousands in Israel, ruin upon the household, reproach to the truth of God and disgrace on the cause of Christ, and a family example imitated with baleful results in thousands of homes. Parents and teachers are held accountable for evils they might have checked by parental or pastoral authority as if the acts were their own, with ten-fold greater guilt when teachers fail to control their households.