Comments on 1 Sam. 1 Here we ease back into the less mundane, and more miraculous. We have a woman in a plural marriage who has no children, and is therefore scorned by the other wife. She pleads with the Lord to give her a son, promises to dedicate him to Temple service, and her faith is rewarded. And this son ultimately turns out to be the prophet Samuel. Thus, in this lesson we see the Lord interacting with faithful women to accomplish their, and His, needs and desires when they are righteous. Especially consider how things worked out with Samuel. The Lord had obviously foreordained Samuel, so He was looking for a choice woman to grant his birth to, so that he would be raised appropriately. Here the Lord find such a woman in humble and penitent circumstances, whose faith is sufficient and whose commitment to the Lord fits His needs. If we were all more penitent like these women we would find more acts of Providence in our lives. Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.