Hannah was taunted by Peninnah.  Perhaps you have been in a situation where others taunted you, talked down to you, or just made you feel that you didn’t measure up. We know that this verbal and emotional abuse took its toil on Hannah and grieved her deeply. She couldn’t eat or find pleasure in what others found pleasure in. Not even her husband’s words of love and acceptance could comfort her. But, Hannah did not retaliate or even try to turn her husband against Peninnah. Instead, she brought all of her hurt, pain and shame to the Lord. 

     In the New Testament, we are told that we will endure hard things. We will have enemies. Not everyone will be kind to us or care about our feelings. In fact, we may have to endure persecution, rejection, and unfair treatment. We are also not promised an easy, carefree life. We may have to endure hardship, loss, grief, sad circumstances. Our hearts may long for things such as being a mother, finding a spouse, securing a good job and perhaps those who have such things will be judgmental toward our lack. This is a common occurrence and it is a comfort to know that when others may not care or be able to comfort us, there is One who can. 

Sometimes God uses other people to drive us to seek Him in prayer and petition. Hannah laid her distress at the feet of God. What a privilege to be able to appeal to the God of the Universe and know that He hears and He cares. God knew her heart was faithful to trust in Him just as He knew the intentions of Peninnah’s heart to be cruel and self centered. Hannah made God her Rock. That is why she left His presence with an uplifted countenance. She found comfort in knowing He was in control and He cared. 

“Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.”  1 Samuel‬ ‭2:1-3‬ ‭

Hannah knew that life may not be fair, but God was the One who would judge the intentions of man’s heart. She left the outcomes in His care.

I think the most important thing in Hannah’s prayer that caught my attention was her focus on the future promises of God. She lived in a time when the Israelites were looking forward to the Messiah coming. Her joy went beyond having God grant her a son in the here and now but she trusted Him for a future where the faithful would be the overcomers. Perhaps that is why she could so graciously give that son to God’s service. She recognized the importance of serving God with what he has blessed us with in this life and to ultimately focus on the blessings promised us in our eternal future. 

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”” 1 Samuel‬ ‭2:8-10‬ 

God wants us to bring our concerns and petitions directly to Him. He doesn’t want us to retaliate or become bitter when we are treated unfairly or when life deals out hard circumstances. He wants us to find our strength to deal with the things that weigh us down by bringing our sorrows to Him. 

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”  Psalms‬ ‭55:22‬ ‭

A key component to being encouraged in the Lord is to have a more eternal focus. We have to remember that we live in a fallen world but God is still in control of the outcomes and He is always observing how we respond to our circumstances. Our faithfulness in this life to trust Him with even our troubles and heartaches will be honored. Perhaps He will grant our petitions in this life. Perhaps He will ask us to wait for our eternal reward. But either way, We can be comforted to know that He weighs the hearts and intentions of every man. A day will come when the faithful will be rewarded and evildoers will prevail no more. Be encouraged in His unfailing love for you. 

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:15-18

 Hannah's Story is found in 1Samuel 1:1-2:11; 2:18-21

Her name means, “Graciousness” or “favor”. (Hasn't it been neat to see how the women’s names so often fit their character and the situation?) And Hannah will also reveal a new name for God! She is the first to use this name for God, but certainly not the last, in fact God, Himself uses it to refer to Himself twenty-two times in the book of Malachi alone. 

Hannah’s story is not new to us, we’ve seen others in her situation. The difference in Hannah lies in how she chose to handle and deal with the trials she faced. Hannah was a woman who turned to God, who trusted God, and one who could give back to God her most precious gift she’d been given from God. How could she do it? It’s a question that haunts not only mothers but most others even today. Let’s see if we can find Hannah’s answer. 

The story opens with a major problem found in 1 Samuel 1:2, "He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none."

We already know how God felt about taking more than one wife “the two shall become one flesh’. How can that be when there are three? But it was still common practice back then, especially among the wealthy. After all a man had to have sons and if his first wife couldn’t produce them, than a second wife would. 

"Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.  But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.  Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.  Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” - (1 Samuel 1:4-8)

Most likely Hannah was Elkanah’s first wife and Peninnah was taken after Hannah was proven to be barren. Hannah was the one Elkanah loved,(v.5) but Peninnah had all the children(v.4). Which brought about envy, jealousy, strife, etc. among the women. Where have we read about this before?

 Have you ever been in a situation like Hannah? The longings, all the “if only's”, wanting something so badly, yet being helpless to bring it about. Desiring something so much that it robs you of any and all joy?

Have you ever had someone like Peninnah in your life before (1 Samuel 1:6)? Someone who might have something over you and just loves to rub your nose in it? What do you think motivated Peninnah to do that?

And how should we handle that type of situation?

 Notice in verse 7 how long this had been going on. Is Elkanah any help (v.8)? What impact did the reaction of those around you have on your situation?

 Look where Hannah turned when no one seems to understand Hannah’s grief,

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house.  In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.  And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” - (1 Samuel 1:9-11 emphasis mine)

Jehovah-Sabaoth-

 When there seemed to be no other recourse, when all hope was lost, the children of Israel came to know God as Jehovah-Sabaoth; the LORD of Host. David was another famous person who called Jehovah-Sabaoth when facing Goliath in 1 Sam 17:45-47, 

            Did you catch Hannah's bargain with God in her prayer?

She promises never to cut his hair. (Look to Numbers 6:1-5 for more details on that.) Samuel will be the last of the judges to rule the nation of Israel. Most Nazarites were dedicated to the LORD for just short periods of their lives. Samuel, like Samson was dedicated for his entire life time.

 When Hannah finishes praying it is obvious that she is at peace. She is full of faith; trusting God will answer her prayer, so much so that she can rise and go about her day. And Jehovah-Sabaoth did answer her prayer! 

In chapter two we see Hannah rejoicing as she keeps her promise as well. Let’s look these verses over carefully and find some truths about our God that Hannah brings to light.

Did you find Hannah’s secret? How was she able to keep her promise to God, and give her son back to God? I think the answer may be found in 1 Samuel 1: 25-28, "When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli,  and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.  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."

BUT, nobody can ever out give God! Look in verses 2:20-21,

Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home.  And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

I love Hannah's story. It is so important for so many reason, but here are just a few takeaways I found right away and I hope you'll share yours.

1. We need to take our burdens to the Lord, for there is where we will find 

• Our peace, for He is the Prince of Peace and He promises a peace that will beyond even our own understanding (Philippians 4:6-7)
• Grace – As we leave our burdens with the Lord, His grace becomes evident. Notice that nothing had changed in Hannah's life except her countenance once she went to the Lord. He promises His grace will be sufficient even in the darkest circumstances. (2 Corinthians 12)
• Joy – He restores our joy even when the circumstances around us don't change, our perspective does! I believe Hannah could have written this in Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” 

2. It is important to keep our vows made before God, made to God.  If you make a promise in the midst of your requests – keep it!  Our Lord has never gone back on His promises and neither should we.

I hope you'll share your thoughts on our study of Hannah as well!

Blessings 

sue

Hannah - Trading Bitterness For Blessings and Sorrows for Joy

As the morning sun woke Hannah from her slumber, the familiar feelings of disappointment and discouragement welled up deep inside of her. It was the day of the year she dreaded the most. When she would travel with her family to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord. Oh it wasn’t that she didn’t love God. Instead, it was the harassment that Hannah would face from her husband’s second wife, Peninnah, that her heart couldn’t bare. For God had blessed Peninnah with many children. But for Hannah, the Lord has closed her womb.

Every year it was the same. They would travel to the house of the Lord sacrificing and feasting. And each year, Hannah was tormented ruthlessly at the temple by Peninnah because of Hannah’s barrenness. Peninnah took great joy in taunting Hannah in front of the others. She boasted about the great favor God had for her, as shown through her many sons and daughters. While gleefully holding over Hannah’s head, the lack of favor God had for her, evidenced by her empty womb. And when Hannah could take no more ridicule, she would weep bitterly, refusing to eat. All to the delight of Peninnah. 

Elkanah her husband, loved Hannah deeply. He saw her misery and the tears which endlessly streamed down her face. Trying his best to comfort Hannah he asked, “Why is your heart sad? Aren’t I better than 10 sons?” But there was no way he could understand the deep ache and pain Hannah felt. He didn’t know what it was to feel rejected, not good enough, and punished by God. And had no idea of the anguish and resentment she endured, watching others being blessed while she remained forgotten. No. Elkanah had never tasted the salty bitterness of the tears of brokenness.

This year at the temple was no different from the previous. Again Peninnah’s pattern of persecution began. But this time it was more than Hannah could bear. This time the toll of the years of sorrow and disappointment brought Hannah lower than she had ever been before. She fell to her knees from the weight of her anguish. And in complete brokenness and humility, surrendered to God all of her hurt, circumstances, and deepest unfulfilled desires. In prayer Hannah called on the Lord to remember her, striking a deal that if He blessed her with a son, she would give that beloved son back to God for His service. 

Watching from a distance was the priest Eli who, mistaking her passionate prayer for drunkenness, came over to reprimand Hannah. But far from finding a woman drunk on wine, Eli instead found a woman sober from the peace she felt from releasing her troubles to God. A woman with a new, refreshed, confidence in the Lord. And a woman free from the weight of the baggage that once tortured her soul. And so Eli sent her off in peace with a blessing that God would grant her petition. And with a slight smile, and renewed faith, Hannah went happily on her way to rejoin the feast.

In that moment Hannah’s circumstances hadn’t changed, but her heart had. Instead of wallowing in self pity and bitterness, Hannah instead put her faith and trust in God. And now she would wait in that faith patiently until receiving her answer. And that answer came some time later when Hannah indeed became pregnant with a son. Saying, “Because I have asked him of the Lord,” Hannah named him Samuel, meaning “heard by God.” 

She broke into a beautiful song of thanksgiving to the Lord, and because He was faithful to her, Hannah in turn was faithful to God.  When the time came six years later for Samuel to live and serve in God’s temple, Hannah and Elkanah brought Samuel to the Lord’s house. And every year after, Hannah proudly and lovingly made Samuel a beautiful new robe, which she brought to him on her annual visit. 

Then the Lord remembered Hannah again, blessing her with sons and daughters to help fill the void of the one she had dedicated to Him. And Hannah learned that when we come to God in humble brokenness, laying the barrenness of our lives at His feet, and trusting in complete faith, He will trade our bitterness for blessings, and sorrows for joy. 

Welcome to Scripture Saturday! 

Our verse for this week is Psalm 37:4..."Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." 

This week we will be studying the life of Hannah and she is someone that I became very familiar with early in my Christian walk and her name was the name I chose for my third child who was born the year after I accepted Christ as my Savior.

It was this verse that I chose as my life verse during those early years and, along with my experience, was the verse I shared with my daughter-in-laws, for they too were hoping for a child. Isn't He amazing!

As we read about Hannah's life we will see that we can honestly express our desires, our pain, our frustrations and worries to God. We can pour out our soul to Him as Hannah did. God is more than willing to meet us just as He met Hannah, to meet our needs and give us grace and comfort. No other person here on earth can give us what He can. Hannah trusted God to work out the desires in her life and so can we.

Have a blessed week everyone!

Sandra