Have you ever felt like maybe your dreams were never going to come true? Have you ever felt so unsupported by your family and church that you’re tempted to give up on God altogether? Have you ever prayed for something for years without it being answered?
Well, you’re not alone.
Far too often people have the belief or thought that God does not care for them because they don’t have what they desire or want such as a job, career, money, possessions…children. Many married couples, especially wives, go through an all too real situation of a closed womb. As a man and a husband, I cannot fully relate to this, however, many years ago my lovely wife Pearl and I were ready to adopt a beautiful little girl from China. Our hearts were filled with joy and gladness in anticipation of God blessing us with a girl. There was one caveat. God. The omnipresent One had other plans because He said no. The adoption fell through. Our hearts were broken.
So that’s the closest thing I can relate to a woman who is barren.
For the sake of this reflection, I am going to focus on wives.
Being barren, it can be assumed, may cause some wives to be blinded by emotions. Sadness; I’m not worthy in the eyes of God. Anger: how dare you God not allow me to conceive? Vengeful; fine, God, no conception, no conversation! Blaming; it’s really your fault God, after all, you created me this way.
Now, bringing it back to the beginning. Far too often people have the belief or thought that God does not care for them because they don’t have what they desire or want, even if these desires or wants are deeply held. That is to say it goes way beyond coveting the material world and all its possessions.
When these desires, seemingly, are not being answered by God, especially when they are long, prolonged, and difficult circumstances, keeping our focus on what God has in store for us (trust) must override succumbing to the world through a reflex reaction. Yeah, that’s a complex sentence to take in. It’s a bit of a word salad.
So, to put another way, our focus tends to shift off of God in exceedingly difficult circumstances because we are too preoccupied with our situations. To put it even another way: we have it back asswards.
From personal experience, it’s easy to forget three factors in heart-wrenching situations.
Firstly, humility gives rise to God’s wisdom. As it is written in Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom
Secondly, God’s wisdom affords God’s knowledge. In Jeremiah 33:3
Call to me (God) and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Thirdly, God’s knowledge sustains perseverance. James writes in James 1:25
“But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
With that being said, these reflection notes are going to delve on a simple prayer from a woman named Hannah.
When reading this Scripture imagine what life was like for this woman, this victim, this wife. It’s heartbreaking, infuriating, aggravating, and yet it is also effective and uplifting.
We are reading 1 Samuel 1:19. The prayer of a humble woman. Imagine.
There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. He 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.
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. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.
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?”
Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli took her to be a drunken woman.
And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.”
The woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
It’s a long passage, but it will be broken down into smaller chunks for clarification. So, let’s dig in…
Verse 1
There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.
Stop here for a moment. There is one primary player (Elkanah) and several others (Jerpham, Elihu, Tohu, Zuph). The latter are incidental only in genealogy. Why? It tells us that God knows all His people by name…but keep Elkanah in your memory. He was an Ephrathite. Ephrathites were people from Ephrath (or Ephrathah), who were associated with Bethlehem south of Jerusalem. The word Ephrath in Hebrew means “fruitful.” Carry that word in your memory too…fruitful.
Picking it up again in verse two.
He 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.
Two more people were just introduced, Elkanah’s wives: Peninnah and the star of the story Hannah. Not much information is given about them such as age, heritage, or genealogy but their personalities will reveal a sharp contrast between the two which is important.
The story continues in verses 3 through 5.
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. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah, his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb.
The plot is thickening, however, it’s interesting that the author chose to describe Hannah as ‘the one’ while Peninnah was written as “the other.” Apparently Peninnah may not have been too important to Elkanah because to Hannah he would give double portions of his sacrifice. Is there an implication Elkanah did not love Peninnah? It seems so.
In verses 6 and 7 the story takes an emotional turn on Hannah. Hang on.
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.
Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” writes it this way…more vividly. Notice the verbs and adjectives closely.
But her rival wife taunted her cruelly, rubbing it in and never letting her forget that God had not given her children. This went on year after year. Every time she went to the sanctuary of God she could expect to be taunted. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no appetite. [Bolds added].
Hannah was withering away. She was being reduced, most likely in morale as well as in physical appearance.
Stress and lack of eating was probably causing her to lose weight. This was Hannah’s daily life.
At the onset how can one not have sympathy for Hannah. Let it sink in. Hannah had a rival who cruelly taunted her non-stop because she was barren. By the way, this went on year after year. And more viciously, Hannah was told by Peninnah, more or less, that it was God’s fault since God had not given her children. He closed her womb; therefore, Hannah wept and would not eat.
This begs two questions: where was Elkanah during the taunting and secondly, if he was witness to this, why didn’t he get involved? After all, he gave preferential treatment to Hannah by doubling her portions and proclaiming his love for her.
It’s not written that Elkanah loved Peninnah, so was Elkanah really involved with the tension between his wives? Apparently not. Hannah and her rival had a husband who was clueless and a bit arrogant or maybe, he was just wise.
Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
Either way, he wasn’t involved.
Pressing on to verse 8.
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?”
In other words,
“Dear Hannah, love of my life…
Why do you weep?
Why do you not eat?
Why is your heart sad?”
And the most arrogant question:
“My dear wife, am I not more to you than ten sons?”
How out of touch does a husband have to be? Did Hannah weep because Peninnah was tormenting her? Possibly. Did Hannah not eat because she had a clueless husband? Quite possible. Did Hannah have a heavy heart because the LORD of hosts would not allow her to bear children? Highly probable. In fact, she does not even answer the four questions posed by Elkanah. So instead of answering the questions, she leaves.
Verse 9
After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose.
This is implying that she went away or departed from Elkanah and Peninnah.
Let’s stop here for a bit a backstory on Peninnah’s children
How many sons and daughters did Peninnah have while tormenting Hannah? According to the Midrash, (the Midrash is a compilation of Jewish commentaries of the Old Testament Scriptures that was gathered between 400 and 1200 A.D. The volume of writings increased over the centuries and became known as the Midrash).
[Caution: Spoiler alert]
According to the Midrash, Hannah had five children in total and Peninnah had ten.
Now, the Midrash writings state that every time Hannah gave birth to one child, two of Peninnah’s children died. Although it is uncertain how many children, she (Peninnah) had, for the sake of argument suppose Peninnah had four children while she tormented a barren Hannah. Since the tormenting went on year by year (according to the Holy text), it is reasonable that Hannah put up with four years of suffering from the verbal taunts of her rival. So, given this added information, it is doubtful she (Hannah) casually rose, according to verse 9, and walked away from Elkanah. Hannah needed some comfort that was sorely lacking in her life. Remember, she had a rival persecuting co-wife, an arrogant out of touch husband and no child. Barren. Given her circumstances, she most likely fled the scene rather than simply leaving to grab a glass of wine at the corner bar and contemplate her situation.
God’s word continues: Verses 9-11
Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. (Bolds added)
Notice the emotional progression of Hannah. She is now deeply distressed and weeping bitterly. It’s important to consider Hannah’s anguish. When pondering about this sorrowful woman, I keep going back (actually, reading forward) to the New Testament, specifically, the Beatitudes because they sound so much like Hannah.
Blessed are those who mourn. (Bitterly wept),
Blessed are the meek. (Four years of torment),
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. (Year after year she went to the house of the LORD),
Blessed are the merciful. (She was seeking the LORD’s mercy),
Blessed are the pure in heart. (Hannah had no selfish reasons for wanting a child),
Blessed are the peacemakers. (She did not seek retribution),
Blessed are you when others revile you, persecute you, and utter all kinds of evil against you…(Say no more).
It seems as if Jesus Christ was referring to Hannah.
Now, where were we? Yes, with Hannah weeping and not eating.
Therefore, she rose. Her heart was extremely heavy, and it got to the point where she only had one place to go: the temple. In fact, she only made it as far as the temple doorpost. Upon arriving at the doorpost, it’s a safe assumption she finally broke down, emotionally and possibly physically. Her body simply gave out. So, she began to pour out her heart to the LORD.
Verses 11
And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” [Bold added]
With Hannah weeping fiercely and deeply distraught, she now considers herself as an afflicted woman. Why did she put up with four years of abuse? A better question might be: Why did Hannah want a child so badly? Perhaps it was to get even with Peninnah? Remove her sadness? Feel wanted? Fill a void? Be accepted by society? All these reasons are valid; however, they are worldly reasons. Given what we know of Hannah, she does seem like the type of woman who has worldly motivations of wanting a child? No. It runs much deeper.
There was something about her genuine prayer that caught the attention of God. She wept bitterly and was deeply distressed. This shows that her petition to the LORD of hosts was from the very fabric of her soul…her heart of hearts. It ran deep enough that she dared to vow a vow to God.
[If you] will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life. This is simply not a promise to God that she will be a good mother. Quite the opposite. She knows that a vow to God must be taken seriously. Hannah was likely taught this from previous temple visits.
If a man vows a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. (Numbers 30:2)
Without hesitation to God, Hannah will sacrifice her first born to the LORD of hosts even though she is still barren.
What would be so near and dear to Hannah (her first born) she would willingly give back to God. Not in the same sense that if one wins the lottery, they promise to financially help a friend or family member. No, this is quite different. Hannah is a true sincere woman who loves God.
However,
she doesn’t immediately get much support…at first.
Verse 12-14
As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”
With Hannah weeping and silently praying to the LORD, Eli the priest considers her a drunk!
Poor Hannah unpretentiously cannot get a break she so desperately needs.
Finally, Hannah answers someone, but it’s a truly kind, polite, respectful response.
Verse 15-16
But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
Again, notice her emotional progression: troubled in spirit, pouring out her soul, a worthless woman filled with great anxiety and vexation (aggravation). It sounds as if she is now an empty vessel in desperate need of refilling. Hannah exhausted herself completely in emotion and prayers.
At last, Hannah receives her first pivotal answer from God through Eli.
Verse 17
Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.”
It’s interesting to note that Eli’s answer did not contain the word ‘may.’ It is written:
“…and the God of Israel grant your petition.”
Eli did not say “may the God of Israel grant your petition”. This nuance is important.
Hannah had such deep faith and strong belief that God was going to deliver (if you will pardon the pun) on His promises.
As is written in Mark 11:24
Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Bold added)
It could be that Eli’s deeply held faith in God set forth a spiritual stirring in Hannah.
She began to see God’s light through God’s written word, which she no doubt knew the teaching of Mosaic law.
Exodus 13:11
When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb… (Bold added)
Verse 13(b)
Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. (Bold added)
Verse 15(b): her obligation
“Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem. It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” (Bold added)
To the chosen people, it was their duty to sacrifice to God since God’s strong hand brought them out of Egypt.
In the current age of grace and forgiveness under Jesus Christ the Messiah, it’s also our obligation to offer to God and
…present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)
God, through the blood of Jesus Christ, purchased us out of our bondage to sin.
Since Hannah was granted her petition of a son, she was no longer tormented by Peninnah. In other words, her bondage was removed because she obeyed God’s commandment mentioned in Exodus 13
You shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. (Bold added)
It is a win-win scenario. God’s commandment was obeyed, and Hannah redeems (sacrifices) her yet to be born child back to God. This is a perfect and Holy alignment.
It’s also a reminder to you and me that we abide and obey. As Jesus Christ said in
John 15:7-8
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified.
So, what did Hannah do?
Verse 18
The woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
Wow!
It’s a sentence written oh so plainly; but it’s meaning is far from it.
Weigh the following words carefully.
A simple prayer from a
constantly tormented,
deeply distressed,
bitterly weeping,
anxiety ridden,
“worthless”,
reduced,
vexed,
and
afflicted woman
was heard by the LORD of hosts.
And in a New York minute, she went in peace. God’s answered prayer from a humble servant begat Samuel.
Earlier in this message there is a word that I wanted you to carry in mind. For those who fell asleep, let me remind you. The word is fruitful.
Genesis 1:28
Be fruitful and multiply.
Well, Hannah again obeyed God’s Word.
Verse 20
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.”
This story is a great reminder to those of us who get trapped into situations or circumstances that just seem insurmountable: a mountain that just appears to be unmovable. A raging storm’s waves that are too choppy to navigate in a world that just seems to beat us down while we constantly remain engaged with a relentless unyielding enemy who is Satan.
When we find ourselves there again, and all of us will, don’t give in to worldly reflexes, rather remember:
Let us be like Hannah.
In humble adoration, we submit to God and His perfect timing knowing that
Our faith has saved us, therefore,
Go in peace.
To God be the Glory.