"Dedicated to the Lord"

This is Part 8 of a 12-Part Series on Church Hurt

For the sake of simplicity, in this series, I am typically going to refer to any place of worship as a "church" and any type of leader as a "pastor" and/or "priest".

How do we love, serve, and worship God while not becoming cynical about the church and the areas it can so easily fall short? I believe Hannah demonstrated it perfectly.

Remember when I said back in Part 4 ("But Her Voice Was Not Heard") that Hannah made a distinction between Eli, the Priest, and God when she was addressing Eli?

“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord." - 1 Samuel 1:15

Hannah addresses Eli with a lower case "lord"; she is using a title that demonstrates respect for his position in the church, while explaining to him that she was pouring out her soul to the "Lord" - using a word typically denoted with an uppercase "Lord" to signify God.

There is a difference between "the House of the Lord" (i.e. - "the church") and "the Lord", and there is a difference between Eli, the priest, and God.

If we begin to confuse the two (regardless of whether or not we address or speak of them with the appropriate titles), we are dabbling in idolatry.

Bible Hub defines "idolatry" as:

"the elevation of anything or anyone to a status that rivals or replaces the worship of the one true God"

The Oxford Dictionary defines it as:

"extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone."

In many churches, the pastor and the pastor's family are practically (or sometimes literally!) celebrities. It's important to respect those in positions of authority, and it's important to show appreciation for the work they do and the contributions they make, but if your desire is to please them as much or more than you desire to please God - or worse, if you see those two things as one and the same, where pleasing them equals pleasing God (and/or disappointing them equals disappointing God) - then you have made them an idol.

This was Eli's problem with his two sons. In 1 Samuel 2:29, God says to Eli:

"Why do you give your sons more honor than you give Me? ... "

Eli loved his sons so much that he was more afraid to hold them accountable and see them suffer the consequences of their own behavior - and to experience the fall out of how that might affect him and the church - than he was of disappointing God.

Idolatry can easily be disguised as "loyalty", and within the church setting, that can be "loyalty" to a particular church, leader, or even to a particular community of believers. Outside of a church setting, it could look like "loyalty" to a family member or friend, to a particular company, boss, or job, or even to a particular political party, politician, or political cause.

Throughout our story, though, Hannah seems pretty conscious of the difference between the two. It allows her to show respect for Eli and to continue to attend the church, even though she has had experiences that easily could have left her feeling bitter and angry, or caused her to question or doubt her own value and worth to God.

When Hannah prayed her first prayer - the one that no one heard but God - she promised God that if He gave her a son, she would dedicate him to God through a Nazarite vow. You see, Eli and his two sons were Levites; they had been born into ministry. A Nazarite was someone who had voluntarily taken a vow to serve God in the church.

"'I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.' And he worshiped the Lord there." - 1 Samuel 1:27-28

Hannah dedicated her son to the Lord, to serve the priests at the church, in spite of the fact that the church leadership was so corrupt, and in spite of the fact that she had experienced such personal pain there. Why? Because she loved God, and she was committed to God.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." - Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

This verse can frequently be misinterpreted or misapplied, and, as a result, it can be easy to begin confusing human leaders (whether that is a boss, priest, pastor, etc.) for God, Himself. Never forget who you are truly "working" for; your job is to please God, and that doesn't always equate to pleasing people - even your pastor, boss, or spouse!

Nobody had heard the vow Hannah had made to God. She could have easily kept her son for herself, in the same way that Eli's sons were keeping some of the offerings for themselves. No one would have known - but God would have! She had plenty of legitimate reasons and rationalizations she could have given for going back on her promise. But unlike Eli's sons, Hannah knew God and served God and respected God. As hard as it must have been, Hannah followed through on her promise because Hannah loved and respected the Lord.

"Church" does not equal "God". "Priest" (or "Pastor") does not equal "God". We can get into big trouble when we confuse one for the other or when we give them more honor than we give Him!

Don't put your church or your pastor up on a pedestal! They are only human, and they will, at some point, let you down in some way, shape, or form; I guarantee it!

Don't give up on God because you've had a bad experience with the church.

Don't give up on Jesus because you've had a bad experience with Christians.

In the end, God held Eli and his sons accountable ... and, in the end, God honored and rewarded Hannah for her faithfulness!

"I will honor those who honor Me, and I will despise those who think lightly of Me." - 1 Samuel 2:30 NLT

© I Lift My Voice, 2025

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FOOTNOTE: Hannah did not personally experience spiritual or sexual abuse at the hands of Hophni and Phinehas! If you have suffered some sort of physical, spiritual, emotional, or sexual abuse at church, you will probably need to leave that particular church environment and seek some sort of counseling by a trusted counselor before looking for, choosing, and feeling physically, spiritually, or emotionally safe in another church environment. Hannah didn't "go to church" for a couple of years until she had weaned Samuel. She may have experienced judgment for that, but her husband supported her in that decision, and God appears to have been completely okay with it! (1 Samuel 1:21-23) While attending church can be extremely important, contrary to what the church may teach and preach, you don't have to be in a church environment to seek God, pray to God, follow God, and worship God.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:24-25

Click Here to Read Part 9 in This 12-Part Series on Church Hurt