Elkanah's Offering

I've been reading in 1 Samuel during my devotions this week, and I noticed something that I'd never seen before. You probably know that the book is named for one of the main characters, Samuel. You might also know that Samuel was a great prophet in Israel, anointing two of their kings. You may even know the details from the beginning of the book, where Samuel's mother, Hannah, went to the tabernacle and prayed that God would give her a son. But what do you know about Samuel's dad? A couple of things.
1) He was faithful in following the law of Moses. Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD.
1 Samuel 1:3
2) He loved Hannah-- a lot. (Just in case you didn't know, bearing children, and particularly sons, was incredibly important in Hanna's time.) But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?"
1 Samuel 1:5-8

Here's the thing that stuck out to me this week. We know that Hannah offered her son in service to the Lord, but Elkanah offered HIS son as well! Our culture is so individualistic that it is easy to skip over this point. But in Numbers 30, when a woman makes a vow to the Lord, her father (if she's unmarried) or her husband (if she's married) can void that vow. This is where Elkanah comes in.

They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked for him from the LORD." The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the LORD and dwell there forever." Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the LORD establish his word." So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.
1 Samuel 1:19-23

This appears to be the first time that Elkanah hears about Hannah's vow. In which case he could have said, "No, this is MY son, and we're keeping him." But he didn't! And I can't help but see the shadow of another Father offering His Son as the perfect mediator between God and man.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5, 14