“DAMAGED GOODS"

1st Samuel 1:2-5, 10-11, & 19

And Elkanah had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.

Vs 10-11

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. 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.

Vs 19 

And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her.”

“DAMAGED GOODS" 

Often times in the certain stores they will have a special section of items that are considered to be damaged goods. These items have either been dented, scratched, or something is wrong with them and they are said not to have the value they are suppose to have.

 Because these items are considered damaged they are either marked down to a very reasonable price or some stores will just throw them away and consider them as trash. 

To the store they hold no profitable ability for them, they are damaged goods.

We find in our text the history of a woman called Hannah. 

Hannah had a condition that is called barren, which simply means that she was unable to have children. 

Unlike many in today’s society, women are having children and do not want them, the women in the Old Testament days desired to have children. 

They looked upon the ability to have children as approval from God that they were without sin. However when a woman was not able to have children she was not socially accepted by those women that could. She was publicly criticized, talked about, harassed, teased, provoked, made to feel less than the woman was, and was considered to be worthless and useless. *Damaged Goods*

It was believed by society that she had committed a sin against God and this was His punishment for her sin, by not allowing her to have children. 

Often times when a woman was not able to have children, her husband would kill her, because her barrenness brought reproach upon him but sometimes Instead of killing her, he would send her back to her father and she would live the rest of her life has a widowed woman, because she was considered damaged goods. She was worthless and useless to any man.

Hannah suffered from this barrenness, she was socially unaccepted, criticized, not only from those that knew her, but those in her family. She was harassed, teased, disappointed, discouraged, had low self-esteem. She felt useless, worthless, incomplete, forsaken, she considered herself as damaged goods in the eyes of others and in her own mind and even in the mind of God. 

Even though her husband loved her and tried to fill the cracks of her broke spirit with a worthy portion. Even though he treated her with respect it was only a temporary fix. She was still considered in her mind and by others as being damaged goods.

Often times we become disappointed, discouraged, emotionally torn, and spiritually messed-up, we get talked about, and criticized. 

We may even not be socially accepted, rejected by family, friends, and society has a whole. Some may be locked in a mental prison of low self esteem looking for a way out, only to find a temporary fix. We get caught up in drugs, alcohol, and elicit sexual activity only to find that the problem is still there. We are considered damaged goods. Society has cast you off as being some kind of social disaster, they may have even tried to categorize you into the class of misfitted, mislead, miseducated, and misdirected scum of the earth. You are damaged goods

Understand that from this that is considered to be damaged goods there is a MIRACLE that is coming out of you. 

We just must become like Hannah, although she was considered to be damaged goods, socially unaccepted, worthless and useless in the eyes of all humanity she remained sincere, faithful, humble, steadfast and unmovable and asked God to remember her. 

When Hannah asked God to remember her, she was sincere and steadfast; He placed something inside of her that she never felt before. He filled all the cracks of her so-called damaged life, He filled the cracks of her broken spirit and out of what was considered damaged goods God brought a miracle named Samuel.

The name Samuel means: “Asked of God or Name of God” After Samuel was of a proper age she gave Samuel back to the service of the Lord.

The Bible says and “Samuel grew”, the name of God grew. 

Out of what was considered to be damaged goods the name of God grew. 

You may be thinking that you are not of any good use. Society may have rejected you, your family may have turned your back upon you, you may say that you are just damaged goods, but that is just what God is able to use.

Sometimes you may wonder why it seems like the devil is always fighting against you, why are people always talking about me.....God is able and wants to birth a MIRACLE  in you.

In your mind you may feel as though you are worthless, but I think of the statue of Venus, when it was made she had arms, over time the arms were broken off, people said it is a worthless statue good for nothing.  But today it is considered a priceless price of art.

That is how God wants to change your life around. The devil has you believing that you are a worthless piece of junk that is good for nothing, you are damaged goods. But God is about to birth something in you if you just yield to Him. God said you are a are as pure gold, but He needs you to yeild to Him. The world says you are damaged goods, but God said watch what I’m going to do in you if you just let me. 

There is a MIRACLE that is about to come out of you all you have to do is P.U.S.H, Pray Until Something Happens. Hannah was considered to be damaged goods, she was laughed at, talked about, socially cast off, but out of her came something that changed a nation of people.

Don’t give up. It may seem as though you are damaged goods right now, but if you just hold on to God’s unchanging hands you will be priceless. 

God said a broken heart and a contrite spirit, these are considered to humanity to be damaged goods, but to God it is just what he can use.