“THEN ELI ANSWERED
AND SAID, ‘GO IN PEACE; AND MAY THE GOD OF ISRAEL GRANT YOUR PETITION THAT YOU
HAVE ASKED OF HIM.’ SHE SAID, ‘LET YOUR MAIDSERVANT FIND FAVOR IN YOUR SIGHT.’
SO THE WOMAN WENT HER WAY AND ATE, AND HER FACE WAS NO LONGER SAD.” I SAMUEL
1:18
We can be tormented by our
day-to-day circumstances. Such was the
case of Hannah, first wife of Elkanah. She
was loved and honored by her husband, but she was also childless. In the Old Testament, this was interpreted by
others that you were not loved or blessed by God.
So a second wife was
taken…possibly because of Hannah being childless. Peninnah produced sons and daughters for
Elkanah but used her blessing to provoke Hannah to tears, causing Hannah to be
so distraught that she would weep and complain and not eat at the annual
sacrifice in Shiloh. Words such as
“rival”, “bitter”, and “irritate”, are used to describe the relationship
between these 2 women. Peninnah was relentless, tormenting Hannah
year after year after year. Hannah did
everything in her power to make it stop, fussing and complaining to those
around her, but nothing changed.
Finally she took it to God. In her prayer to Him at the temple she was
“greatly distressed” and “wept bitterly”.
Her spirit was oppressed. She poured
all her anger and frustrations and bitterness out before the Lord and made a
vow that, if God would remember His maidservant and give her a son, then she
would give that son back to the Lord all the days of his life.
After her prayer “the woman went
her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” (I Samuel 1: 18) The next
morning “they arose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord” (I
Samuel 1:19) before returning to their home.
Hannah’s countenance completely changed even though her circumstances
did not. She was able to experience joy
in the midst and able to worship the Lord despite being without child. Peninnah
was still also in the midst of their family life with all of her children
traveling back to Ramah, but oddly enough there is never the mention of her
name ever again, either here or anywhere in the Bible. She simply disappears from the forefront. It’s because Hannah’s focus went from gazing
at the circumstance and glancing at God to the opposite of gazing at God and
worshipping Him and glancing at her rival.
Hannah’s bitterness turned into
blessings instead. Hannah’s name means “grace”. She was able to extend unmerited favor to
those around her. How thankful Elkanah
must have been that Hannah’s heart was no longer sad. How mystified Peninnah must have been to hold
no power over Hannah any longer.
Hannah learned the word CONTENTMENT. Paul in the New Testament learned CONTENTMENT
also: “…I have learned to be CONTENT in
whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I
also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have
learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance
and suffering need.” (Philippians 4:11-12)
The word CONTENT is translated
“autarkies” and means: 1) sufficient for one’s self, strong enough or
possessing enough to need no aid or support 2) independent of external
circumstances 3) content with one’s lot, with one’s means, though the
slenderest.
Hannah was able to live independently of her external life
because her internal life had been cleansed, altered at the alter. In time her circumstances did change, because
the Lord blessed Hannah by giving her a son named Samuel, one of the greatest
prophets of Israel’s time. But Hannah’s
heart was already at rest. The blessing
of pregnancy only made her life all the sweeter.
By the way, the name Samuel means “God has heard.” It is a reminder to us today that God hears
our prayers, too! “Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God. And
the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 6-7)
Once Samuel was weaned, Hannah kept her vow before the Lord
and took him to the priest in Shiloh and left him there to be dedicated all the
days of his life in service to the Lord.
This must have been so difficult to do. When she did, however, she did
so with worship and praise, not knowing that she would be the mother of 3 more
sons and 2 daughters.
“My heart exults in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in the Lord,
My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
There is no one holy like the Lord,
Indeed, there is no one besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.”
(I Samuel 2:1-2)
Generations later, Mary, the mother of Jesus, would
pronounce her own Psalm of praise, using some of Hannah’s very words
intertwined with her own.
How about you? Have
you ever been that honest and that open with God in prayer, crying out to Him,
telling Him why you are bitter, angry, distressed? God alone completely understands and wipes
away your tears. There is nothing to
fear when you are open and honest with Him because “Even before there is a word
on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all.”
(Psalm 139:4)
And what about praising Him in the midst of your
circumstances? Hebrews 13:15 says,
“Through Him, then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” It says that it is a sacrifice to praise God
in the midst of our circumstances, which means it can be a hard thing to do,
but it allows us to be humble before the Lord and believe that He is in control
of all things, working it out for our good and His glory to those who love Him
and who are called according to His purpose. He does not promise us perfect
lives, but He does promise us His presence in our lives, day in and day out. Sacrifice to Him today by praising His name
in the midst of the storm.
