Read: 1 Samuel 1.1-18
The time in Israel’s history when the land was ruled by judges was winding down. This was the time when the people were doing what was right in their own eyes, but there were still men and women in the land who worshipped God. One of those men was a man whose name was Elkanah, who had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah was able to provide Elklanah with sons and daughters, but Hannah was barren and was unable to give Elkanah any children. In ancient Israel, the ability to bear children was a woman’s highest calling. Children were seen to be a sign of God’s blessing and bareness was seen as a curse. Hannah would have felt shame for her bareness and perhaps she was shunned by women who she knew. She was shunned by Peninnah who became Hannah’s adversary, who would mock and torment Hannah because she had no children and God had closed her womb. Peninnah was merciless in taunting Hannah, which continued year after year. Peninnah’s torture of Hannah seemed to reach a breaking point when the two wives went with Elkanah to Shiloh to worship.
Jerusalem had not been established as the holy city, that would come in the following years, but Shiloh, which was a Canaanite town, was the place where the Ark of the Covenant rested, it was the place where the Tabernacle was, it was the main place of worship to God. Each year, Elkanah, Hannah, and Peninnah would travel to Shiloh where Elkanah would offer a burnt offering of sacrifice to the LORD on behalf of his family. After the sacrifice was offered, they celebrated with a ceremonial meal, Elkanah gave one portion of food to Peninnah and each of her sons and daughters, but to Hannah, Elkanah gave a double portion. Because she was able to bare children, Peninnah was, according to social standards, to be the preferred wife, but even though she was not able to provide him with any children, Elkanah preferred and loved Hannah more than Peninnah and he was not afraid to show his favor. This favoritism caused much animosity between Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah used Hannah’s bareness to wound her deeply. Peninnah knew Hannah’s deepest desire was to have children and rather than comforting her, Peninnah would gloat, taunt and mock her, she knew Hannah’s weakness and would cut straight to her heart, she tried to break Hannah’s spirit and she was successful. Hannah’s spirit was broken, she was heavy-hearted, she wept and was unable to eat the double portion Elkanah placed before her.
Infertility is such a difficult and lonely burden to carry in Hannah’s time and even now and from Scripture we can see the weight, emptiness, and despair Hannah felt carrying this heavy load of bareness. Every year Hannah and her family would travel to Shiloh, Elkanah would offer a sacrifice unto the Lord and Hannah would bring her request to God: to open her womb, to give her a child. Scripture does not tell us how many years had gone by, but I can only speculate that Hannah had been praying for a child since she married Elkanah. With time passing, the probable judgment and shunning from others, and Peninnah’s unrelenting taunting, Hannah had reached a point where 1 Samuel 1.10 describes her with “bitterness of soul”. Hannah was a woman who was crushed by her circumstances; circumstances that were not of her own doing or choosing, but she had no way of her own to redeem herself from this situation and had nowhere else where turn to. Yes, Hannah, was bitter and worried, but Hannah also “prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.” She brought her deepest desire and suffering to the only one who could redeem her, she left the family meal and went to the Tabernacle. There at the Tabernacle, Hannah brought her bitterness and poured out her heart in prayer and weeping to the Almighty Lord God of Israel.
As Hannah prayed for God to look upon her, to not forget her, notice she calls herself His handmaid three times, she is His servant, and she pleaded with Him to open her womb and give her a son. A son who she would raise according to the Nazarite laws and a son who she would, instead of keeping for herself, she would dedicate her unborn child to God for as long as he were to live. Imagine asking and waiting for God to grant you your request and give you a gift, the one thing that you’ve been longing for more than anything in the whole world, only for you to give it right back to Him as a gift. Hannah wanted a child so badly, but her prayer and her request to God was unselfish. Eli, the priest, who had been sitting within the Tabernacle, had taken notice of Hannah as she prayed. Hannah probably did not know that Eli was watching her, and I doubt his presence would have stopped her from praying at this point, she was a heartbroken woman who was deeply seeking God’s mercy. Hannah’s prayer was not loud, she was not showing off or seeking attention, her prayer was sincere and silent, her mouth was moving, but her heart was doing the speaking the LORD. Eli incorrectly assumed and accused her of being drunk, but she was just a distraught woman in anguish. As she spoke to Eli, she is adamant that she was not drunk, she was not a wicked woman of Belial, but rather she was a “woman of a sorrowful spirit” who was pouring out her heart to God. I don’t want us to focus so much on her burden of barrenness, but rather on her prayer and attitude. Hannah was a woman who hurt deeply, she longed for something that was outside of her reach, and was incapable of changing her circumstances. Hannah felt empty and bitter about her circumstance, but rather than holding on to her bitterness of bareness, rather than letting it remain within her and turn her rotten, she brought her heart’s greatest desire for a child and the heavy grief she was holding to God.
Eli responds, assuring Hannah that the “God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.” These words from Eli were not the same empty words of comfort that Elkanah attempted in verse 8. Oftentimes when we share our cares and sorrows with others, they try to comfort us with words, the usual, “Everything will turn out all right” comes to mind. While they may mean well, and I’m not trying to discourage seeking solace or advice from a friend, just understand that they do not know how things are going to turn out. Naturally, we want to hear words of comfort, but please do not cherish empty words and neglect to turn to the one who knows exactly how a situation will turn out. Even though He knows them all, God still wants us to come to Him with the deepest cares and concerns we carry, He wants us to pour out our hearts before Him. This is what Hannah did. When she first arrived at the Tabernacle to pray, her countenance was broken, she had no joy, but if we look at the end of verse 18, “and her countenance was no more sad.” We know what happens, but Hannah did not. I ask you, what changed in the circumstances in Hannah’s life in her time at the Tabernacle to change her countenance so quickly from sorrow to happiness?
As she left the Tabernacle, her physical circumstance had not changed, she was still a woman with no child, but as she left the Tabernacle, she left filled with the peace of God, but God, was doing a work in her life without her even knowing. I believe in Hannah pouring out her heart to the LORD, He filled her emptiness with His love and hope, and He gave her peace of mind and heart. This is the peace that Paul writes of in Philippians 4.6-7, 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
As I mentioned earlier, we are not told how many times Hannah previously brought her petition to the LORD or in what condition her heart was when she prayed. Perhaps each time she went to the Tabernacle to worship, she would pray and pour her heart out to God, or maybe this was the first time her prayer was more than just going through the motions of a prayer filled with words, but a prayer with no heart or authenticity – no guts. What we do see in 1 Samuel 1 is Hannah’s prayer of bitter affliction, sorrow, grief, and tears, her heart was so very heavy and she could not carry the disappointment, sadness of barrenness anymore and was laying it all down, she was surrendering it to the God of Israel to carry. She placed her burden in front of Almighty God and He in His grace and mercy bore her burden. I believe because of her surrendering to God with the greatest burden in her life, God filled the empty and broken parts of her heart that longed for a baby of her own and gave her peace and joy that can only come from truly laying down your burdens and letting God take ownership of them. Hannah’s barrenness was not her fault, her response to her circumstance was what made her stand out. Her faith and belief in the God that created the world in which she lived, who breathed life into the dust of the ground and made man, cared so much for her and would be able to look upon her in her darkest time, open her womb and provide her with a baby. The Almighty God of Israel cared for this barren woman of Ephraim and He was about to show her and the rest of all humanity who would read this Scripture in the centuries to follow, that He cares for us, He will carry our burden if we submit to Him and He will give us peace. Let’s read verses 19-20, 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. 20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord. Not only was Hannah indwelt with the peace that only God can provide, but He heard and answered her prayer. God did what was impossible for Hannah to do, He opened Hannah’s womb and gave her a baby boy who she would name Samuel.
I want to challenge us to take seriously our time spent in prayer. Let our time not be flippant and ceremonial, but rather let our time in prayer be genuine and heartfelt. God does not care about prayers that are filled with words that sound spiritual and holy, He knows if we are not being honest, we cannot hide from God, especially in prayer, we cannot imitate prayer with words or actions with Him and then have a heart that is and hallow. We can learn from Hannah’s prayer, that God wants our honesty, our tears, and our hearts when we pray to Him. Remember Philippians 4.6, reminds us not to be anxious, so when those feelings of anxiousness return, what does 1 Thessalonians 5.17 say, Pray without ceasing, return to God in prayer until your prayer is answered and wait for Him to show you His might and mercy in your life. Psalm 46.10 also reminds us to “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Let’s be women who lay it all out before God, pour out everything, He knows what is troubling us, He knows what is really on our hearts, and He knows how to fix it all. My hope and prayer are that as we face any challenge, battle, trial, or triumph we take it to God in prayer. I pray that we leave all our cares and worries in the capable hands of the one who has created us. Let Him guide us and mold us into the women He wants us to be. And I pray that when we rise from our prayers, we are filled with an unexplainable peace that no matter the answer or the length of time it takes to answer, no man, circumstance, or situation can take that peace.
Jael's Journal 