Category Archives: Bible Study – The Kingdom Years

A Study in Kings Part 3 – The Prayer and The Priest

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1st Samuel 1 – The Prayer and The Priest – “A Tale of Two Hearts”
In the course of a complete basketball season we can watch teams develop from the early days of practice through until the championship series is completed and a team is crowned the champion for that year. Over the course of many years a team might even make repeat trips, successfully, to the championship bracket and come away with the trophy many times. The Boston Celtics of the 1960’s was such a team. With their Center Bill Russell, Guards Bob Cousy and John Havlicek, and a host of other players, all committed to the team cause, the Celtics were always the team to beat, until the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Now, the Celtics weren’t the most gifted team in the NBA physically and they certainly didn’t have the most intelligent players, or the most inventive coach. However, when you put all of the ingredients of a team together you will find, over and over again, an undivided heart amongst the Celtic players and staff. The team was their ultimate focus. It wasn’t that there were no conflicts or dissensions, but it was always the team that won out in the hearts of the players. Both athletes and coaching staff judged themselves and each other by that standard.

“So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the door-post of the temple of Jehovah. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto Jehovah, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before Jehovah, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit:I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before Jehovah. Count not thy handmaid for a wicked woman; for out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thy handmaid find favor in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat; and her countenance was no more sad.” 1st Samuel 1:9-18

It is not an accident that Hannah turned to Jehovah to solve her problem. She knew that, in the end, God’s favor was the only favor that mattered. She also knew that God had delivered Israel by allowing them to walk across the Red Sea on dry ground. She believed God heard and God would respond to her as He willed. She had probably heard the same stories that Elkanah (her husband), Peninnah (her “co-wife” and nemesis) and Eli (her priest) had heard, but she took them to her heart and held on to her faith with a dogged conviction. It was a conviction that was so deep that she decided that if God would grant her desire, she would consider that good and give the child that she bore back to Him.

Now all of you arm-chair psychologists can argue with me about environments, circumstances and all of those “external” forces that shape our opinions, citing that Hannah may have had better education, a more spiritual parentage, or something else that made her more inclined to trust Jehovah than her contemporaries. The only reason I can think of to do this would be to undermine the intensity of her faith, her choice to trust God and somehow excuse the others because of a poor environment. I only bring this up because my indictment of the others is rather strong in this short discussion.

Nevertheless, Hannah believed Jehovah, poured out her heart to Him and then offered a sacrifice of praise before she had even received the result of her petition. For all of you “old-timers”, like me, we call that “praying through.” Hannah laid her burden at the feet of Jehovah until she received a witness in her spirit and then she got up from her prayers, a renewed and refreshed woman.

The incredible part of this story, to me, is Eli. Here is the man of God. The man who is responsible for the spiritual welfare of the nation. He has been appointed as a servant of God and, in many ways, has carried out his tasks faithfully. Yet he mistakenly believes that Hannah’s righteous prayer is the mutterings of a drunken woman. He must obviously be used to people who pray out loud so that he can hear their prayers. Do you suppose people often prayed what Eli wanted to hear? Was Eli used to his position, so much, that he failed to recognize the move of the Holy Spirit versus a counterfeit spirituality? He mistook spiritual fervor for a carnal activity.

Now Eli’s sons knew all about carnal activity at Shiloh and Eli knew about his sons. He allowed them to continue in their activity, but did nothing to stop them.

“Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not Jehovah. And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh- hook of three teeth in his hand; and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh- hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of thee, but raw. And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now:and if not, I will take it by force. And the sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah; for the men despised the offering of Jehovah.” 1st Samuel 2:12-16

As we jump just a little ahead in the story, we find out that Eli has been operating with a divided heart for some time. His sons are more important than the integrity of his office. His sons, for whatever reason, are of a higher priority than Jehovah, in his life. Before we get too hard on Eli, let’s pop forward a few centuries to Jerusalem.

“And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galilaeans? And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God. And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this? But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine.” Acts 2:1-13

Now many received Christ as their Savior, that day, but the general state of the crowds was astonishment and then mistaken judgements on what was happening. Want more examples of a divided heart? The Bible is full of them. While scripture has the hall of faith in Hebrews 11, it is replete with the “hall of the divided heart”.

Eli was on the cusp of his demise and the child that Hannah was praying for would be his very own replacement. Perhaps, at that moment, his personal tempter was trying to divert him and cause him to discourage Hannah. Yet, her encouragement was not truly dependent on Eli, it was based on God; and at the very moment when Eli is led to rebuke Hannah for drunkenness, just like in Acts, God intervenes and gives Hannah the words to set the old Judge of Israel straight on what is really going on.

It is very important to recognize the difference between sincere abandonment to God and religious platitudes that mimic a deep spirituality, but in the end are carnally based on self interest. God is gracious and allows the latter to still be swayed by Spirit filled believers, if for no other reason than for a reprieve from eventual destruction. Yet, their prayers and requests, their behaviors are suspect and God has to work around them and adjust for their lack of sincere devotion to Him.

In the times of the Old Testament we see that grace still allows these individuals with a divided heart to thrive and carry on the work of God, for a time while God implements an alternative plan. Prior to Hannah and Eli we have the story of Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Moses and the children of Israel, Joshua and Caleb versus the other ten who brought back a bad report from Canaan. Gideon had a divided heart, shown by his creation of an idol from the gold he acquired after destroying the Midianite aggression. Yet all of these cases show that a price is paid, a very heavy price, for those who are “forced” into the will of God rather than seeking out God Himself to do His will.

To close this discussion, we will look at the results of Hannah’s prayer and Eli’s divided heart. First we see Hannah get up from her time of prayer, and discussion with Eli, bearing a “changed countenance.”

“Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thy handmaid find favor in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat; and her countenance was no more sad.” 1 Samuel 1:17,18

I know that Hannah also gives birth to Samuel and completes her vow, but look at what happens to the surrendered heart that has prayed through. Before the physical answer comes, the peace that passes understanding visits the heart of the faithful one. She isn’t given a guarantee beyond Eli’s blessing, which is not a promise to fulfill her request. He is basically saying, “I’ll pray for you.” That is not where her comfort comes from. The comfort comes from the witness in her heart when she explains to Eli why she is there and then from the knowledge of her promise to God that what He gives, she will give back.

Eli, on the other hand, has no response but what would be considered a kindly blessing on the lady. However, his results are far darker than the polite exchange appears to suggest. Move forward in time, with everyone remaining of the same heart, that is Hannah keeping her word and delivering Samuel to Eli as unto the Lord’s service and Eli continuing to scold, but not interfere with his sons.

“And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up unto mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? Therefore Jehovah, the God of Israel, saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever:but now Jehovah saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1st Samuel 2:27-30

You might say, “That was Eli’s sons, not Eli. Why should he be responsible for their behavior as adults?” Look closely at this phrase and then fast forward again with me:

Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

“And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli was sitting upon his seat by the wayside watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man hasted, and came and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were set, so that he could not see. And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to- day out of the army. And he said, How went the matter, my son? And he that brought the tidings answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck brake, and he died:for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.” 1st Samuel 4:12-18

Eli had a divided heart. He bore the physical evidence of it. When my heart is divided there will be tell-tales. They usually come in the form of excuses, self justifications and sometimes mockery of those who are more obedient than I. In today’s world, the enemy has done a great job of using fellow christians to mock, find excuses to water down absolute Lordship for Jesus and justify itself in allowing sin to remain within the church organization. Your heart is either divided or it is devoted. These two states often look the same, but the results are eternally different.

Next week we’ll look at the process of Hannah’s obedience and Elkanah’s agreement with her in that obedience.

When God Holds Me Back

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A Study of the Kings

1st Samuel 1 – A Tale of Two Wives: Part Two “When God Holds Me Back”
We often hear of people who fight through tremendous odds and all of a sudden they break through and gain great wealth, fame and notoriety. Sometimes that break through leads to another break down that is worse than their first state of affairs. Sometimes they never break through and die in relative obscurity and discouragement. Of course, we rarely hear about these cases, so most of the press goes to either the ultimate tragedy or the ultimate victory (from an earthly perspective).

In the story of Hannah and Peninnah we see two ladies with similar responsiblities, different initial results and finally (when the results are evened out) two different outcomes. It may very well be possible that Peninnah was unloved and viewed as a simple concubine..there to bear children. That would not be an uncommon estate for women of that age. She obviously felt some need to bolster her achievement that was noteworthy because she felt the need to provoke Hannah to fret, because of her barrenness. In the middle of this dilemna was Elkanah. Peninnah had to have at least some confirmation that she was appreciated because she bore children, yet also had the deficit that Hannah was the woman Elkanah loved. Two wives, one husband, multiple problems compounding upon each other.

“Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim- zophim, of the hill- country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite: and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of other Peninnah:and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice unto Jehovah of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests unto Jehovah, were there.
And when the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: but unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but Jehovah had shut up her womb. And her rival provoked her sore, to make her fret, because Jehovah had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of Jehovah, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons” 1 Samuel 1:1-8

Hannah had the love of her husband, but not the status of a true Mate. Mate’s provide children. Not only this, we see that Jehovah was the one responsible for shutting up her womb. This is a serious setback to the status of Hannah, in her eyes. Also, Peninnah obviously was taking advantage of the status that she did have and was consistently reminding Hannah that she was childless, and hence, more of a concubine than a true wife. That is because Peninnah obviously knew she was not number one in Elkanah’s heart. Now I may be reading a little too much into all of this exchange, but suffice it to say that neither Hannah or Peninnah have what they want.

We see Penninah’s response up in the previous passage, she chose to tear down her rival. She had provoked Hannah, apparently mercilessly, trying to get an edge on her in the war for Elkanah’s affections. Back on the farm we call this “taking matters into your own hands”. Obviously Elkanah was not going to give Peninnah what she wanted without a little help. Therefore, the obvious remedy is to make Hannah a miserable person to be around. Then her husband will come to appreciate his child bearing wife, because she just does her job while the other one cries and gets depressed over things that are out of her control.

I find it interesting that the Scripture does not record any exchange verbatim with the exception of Elkanah’s attempt to cheer up Hannah. Elkanah’s attempt tries to focus Hannah on the fact that she is wanted (needed?) by her husband and that she has his love, children or not. However, he mistakenly thinks that her real needs would be met by him alone. Elkanah is a good man, but he is not necessarily a perceptive man. One would wonder just how much it would have cost him to treat Peninnah with enough respect and love to not make her feel the need to retaliate. Not only that but giving one wife a double portion just speaks highly of the lack of respect that Peninnah is given. “Good, you’ve born all these kids…take your portion just like they do.”

The reason that most of these exchanges are not recorded (in my opinion) is due to the fact that they would probably be typical human expressions that we see and hear every day. People jockeying for position, manuevering themselves to get the object of their desire. Deep down in our hearts we really know what we want and we very often use our interaction with others to try and achieve it on our own.

But we see that Hannah takes a different course. At first we see the typical set up but here in verses 9-11 we begin to see motions that set this human episode apart. Hannah is willing to give up the very thing she wants in order to achieve it.

“So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the door- post of the temple of Jehovah. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto Jehovah, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man- child, then I will give him unto Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” 1st Samuel 1:9-11

I remember, years ago, hearing the late Keith Green at a concert in Boise, Idaho. During his speaking he mentioned that people were coming up to him all the time and asking what they could do to minister with their music, like he was doing. His answer was always, “be willing to give it up and never sing again in front of people”. That has stuck with me throughout the years as I take jobs that risk my hands and voice. As a bi-vocational pastor I have often born the results of dual responsibility by being less than what I could have been at both jobs. In Hannah’s circumstance she was asking God to allow her to bear the man-child that she wanted and then she would gladly give him up…that is, the joy of motherhood for this very child. Oh, she would see him, but the Priest Eli would be the person that raised him. There is no indication that she consulted with Elkanah about this, but there is also no indication that he disagreed with her decision.

One other thing to notice, as the story progresses, is that Peninnah’s role is completed. We never ever see a mention of her again. She has taken her displeasure into her own hands and out of God’s. Once that happens we are simply a tool that God uses or discards to help achieve His purpose. Not a willing tool, like Hannah, but a tool more along the lines of Pharoah.

If God is holding you back from something, either through a physical condition, such as Hannah’s, or perhaps a financial straitjacket or another logistical hurdle, consider giving the true results to Him, even if you are given your request. Have you ever received a gift of money, only to give it all away to another person or cause? Have you ever been a part of building a great organization or ministry only to give it over to someone else to run and enjoy the fruits? The point of the matter is not in the achievement but in the posture. Whose is it? If it is yours, then you still have some sanctifying and consecrating of your motives to take care of.

One other story about a woman wanting children is found in Genesis 30.

“And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.” Genesis 30:1

Those were very prophetic words to use. She died in child birth with only her second child. Literally, getting what she wanted was the death of her. Rachel went to Jacob, Hannah went to God.

God is not angry with our requests, in fact He encourages us to seek Him out for the things that we want. However, in conjunction with seeking Him out we must be also willing to do things in His way, following His timetable and honoring His plan. Of course, we have know real way of discerning any of these things so we learn to seek Him out in faith, trusting that He will provide the answer and reveal things as we need to know them.

Hannah’s statement to God is quite simple and very eloquent in it’s solution. Give me what I want and I will give it all back to You. Now my desire is at the whim of the Almighty. When God holds me back, I know it is for my benefit, because it is also for His purpose. I’m often reminded of my children. Kayla used to always come and say “Daddy, I love you” when I would give her what she wanted. However, there was a time when she was younger when I didn’t receive that same reaction when I said “no” to whatever the request was. Then, one day, I said, “Kayla, it will be easier to believe you when you tell me that you love me when you don’t like my answer.” Guess what? From that point on while she lived at home, Kayla always said “I love you, Dad” even when the conversations weren’t all about her getting her way or what she wanted. As her father, I found myself sometimes taking her side just because she had learned to express her love for me in spite of the outcome for her.

So is God holding you back? Is God making you wait for something that you needed yesterday? Has God slammed the door shut? Remember all these wonderful examples in the Bible of God’s timing and patience with us. Also remember the episodes where God’s people failed to wait on Him, abide by His decisions and went ahead without Him. Hannah didn’t give Elkanah her handmaiden, she didn’t complain to Elkanah, she did not connive to somehow usurp her rival, she went to Jehovah.

Next visit we’ll see the results of Hannah’s prayer and also take a look at the judgements of a divided heart.

A Tale of Two Wives

Aside

A Study of the Kings

1st Samuel 1 – A Tale of Two Wives: Part One –
“I Don’t Like My Part In This Production!”

What does it take to get your name mentioned in the Bible? Is there a requirement of some special type, or is it just that you had to be in the right place at the right (or wrong) time? I have never been able to establish a clear pattern as to how someone receives mention of their name in the Bible. Yet every person is important. I love to stop, during my reading of lists and genealogies, to consider the names mentioned…each one is an individual with a father and mother. Each individual had emotions and peculiarities that were unique to them, even if their plights were common to man. I have heard sermons on how we are not unique, we are not special, everybody is really all the same. While I understand the basic intent behind these messages…destroy the sinful pride of ego that claims special privilege (usually presented by a person with ego problems themselves), the premise is flawed. If we are not unique then why is it so important that he knows us by name and treats us as individuals? While the intent is good, the theology is bad.

God is not boring, nor does He do anything the same way twice. Each creation is just a little different than the last. Each moment is unique in history and will not come again. This is because His purposes are so much more vast and intricate than my wildest imaginations can fathom. I could never hope to discern a pattern unless He gives me a glimpse at the blueprints. Hence, the Law, Jesus (who fulfilled the law) and then the Bible…the story of God’s interaction with Earth and the chief creature of Earth (no, not the Humpback whale), but mankind. The Bible is a blueprint that gives us all we need to know and actually quite a bit more to chew on than we can grasp at any one time. So in this blueprint (actually quite small compared to some reference books) we see the names of individuals. Fearfully and wonderfully made individuals. Each one with unique traits given only to them. Even when they share multiple traits with other people, these individuals only see things through their own eyes, even with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they still view their world through their own perceptions.

So, back to the original question…what does it take to have your name mentioned in the Bible? No cheating and saying “God’s Will”. There is no growth or need for personal introspection in that answer. After all, God’s Will is sovereign. It will not be thwarted, it will be accomplished. Even the demons know that, albeit they are self decieved about the reality of it. Therefore, each individual mentioned, by name, in the scriptures is there for a reason. This, of course, doesn’t include the host of “a certain man” or “a certain woman” references. It doesn’t include “they”, “them”, “we”, or the broader definitions of racial or family names.

The reason I ask this question is to bring out the point that you are important. You are not just one of “those” or one of “them” on the pages of history. You are created and then given a name. God created you as an individual. He did not make a mistake with your personality, your traits, your emotional makeup, or where He placed you. You are not an “accident” born by chance. You are an individual with purpose; fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving and very inventive Creator.

“Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim- zophim, of the hill- country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite: and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of other Peninnah:and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice unto Jehovah of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests unto Jehovah, were there.
And when the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: but unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but Jehovah had shut up her womb. And her rival provoked her sore, to make her fret, because Jehovah had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of Jehovah, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons” 1 Samuel 1:1-8

Don’t forget Elkanah and focus only on Hannah. Don’t cruise over Peninnah and just hate her. Each of these three individuals were real, they lived, loved, laughed, cried and bore all the traits of mankind, each in their unique way. Also, notice the other individuals mentioned here. Jeroham, Elihu, Tohu, Zuph and Ephraim (the son of Joseph, the son of Jacob). They are not just names in a lineage, but each one of these lived and passed on traits that were culminated in Elkanah and then transferred to his son, Samuel. Then there is Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. If this were a movie, most of these folks would not be mentioned, because the dialogue to introduce them would be far to complex, but this isn’t make believe. It is real life and in real life, people count.

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not:ye are of more value than many sparrows” Luke 12:6,7

Hannah felt that her life was worthless, she was a byword in the history of mankind. She was sure that she was inferior because of her inability to bear children and sweet, dear Peninnah was happy to remind her that she was somehow deficient. Obviously Elkanah, in his sensitive male ego, realized that Hannah’s suffering was needless, since she had him. He chose to comfort her by reminding her that he was the center of her universe. Not such a comforting thought, is it? When we don’t have what we really, really want, a substitute does nothing to take the edge off of our discontent. Elkanah gave Hannah double portions, but she didn’t count her self-worth by what she received, but rather by what she was able to give.

Wait! Did you just see that? A character trait. Hannah’s first character trait of significance. She had not given her husband a child. Childbearing, especially male children, was a significant accomplishent for married women of that day. Hannah had an identity crisis based on her worth as a Mate. Hannah wanted children. We are also to understand from the text that God was responsible for closing up her womb. (Now don’t yell at me, that is what it says. Refer to verse 5.) That is really great for the ego when God says, I am withholding this from you. It just makes you want to sing and shout…right?

For this moment, let’s look at just two elements of this picture that has been painted. We have a rich family history (Elkanah’s) and two wives, one bearing children and one that was loved but barren. Our hat’s go off to Elkanah for not looking down on Hannah, but instead trying to cheer her up, in a very clumsy kind of way. I wonder what Elkanah was thinking? We can see that he truly loved Hannah and there is no indication of any reproach on her from him, unless his reproach was expressed by Peninnah because he was incapable of doing it?

Do you see how complex it is when we start to consider the motives and actions of these Bible characters. Everybody plays a part and everybody is who they are based on God’s original design and their choices concerning that design. Hannah was not deficient any more than Peninnah was totally functional. Hannah’s grief was real and palpable, because she thought of herself as less than whole. She is a part of a family that has a rich heritage. Ephraim was one of the foremost tribes of Israel. Ephraim was one of those younger sons that outdo the oldest son. Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim. This is not an insignificant family.

So many times we want a simplistic answer to our dilemna, to our life or the meaning of our existence. We want to have God’s knowledge of the future and be able to make our plans accordingly. We have our desires and we try to bring God around to looking at things our way. Very often, this is the place where we grow the most as individuals. The times when we don’t get what we want, when we want it.

Peninnah doesn’t appear to have any problems of this sort. She is probably not real happy with her “co-wife” who has no children to take care of when she is responsible for the upbringing of a whole brood. Any mother of multiple children (or even just one strong willed child) will tell you that it often does not feel like an honor at all. So instead of looking at Peninnah as a snooty little princess, view her as the overworked, underpaid mother of sons and daughters who, in the end, will never be mentioned individully. Even Samuel’s brothers and sisters (who are born later in the story) are not mentioned by name, yet they are a part of the story.

There is not one person in this narrative that is inconsequential to God. As we go through a study of the Kingdom years, following the Thread Method of Bible study, we will find people who choose to obey God, but nobody follows; people who choose to disobey God and get quite a long run of earthly success until they are eliminated; people who choose to obey God and are cut down in their prime; people who choose to obey God and bring the whole nation with them, only to have their son undo everything that they have accomplished and people who choose to obey God but are only mentioned in passing. None of these people is an accident and all have them had influence on the events of their day.

Two wives, one was being denied motherhood, the other was literally overflowing with motherhood and the husband was torn in his emotions and caught in the middle. All individuals, all with a choice to make and all capable of crying to God for their needs and praising God for His goodness.

Where are you at? Are you being denied by God? Are your dreams flourishing but you feel overwhelmed with the burden of it all? Are you caught in the middle, trying to make everyone feel good about themselves, yet still get something accomplished? The guarranty is that you are not a “bit” player in the drama of your life. You are the lead in God’s plan for you because only you have the choices that God has specifically given you. Nobody else has the opportunity or the responsibility to obey God for you, on your behalf. We are told in Revelation that Christ has given us a name that only He and we will know.

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it.” Revelation 2:17

The next time you feel overlooked, look beyond what you want and instead to what God wants. He sees things at a higher level than any of us do. He is not slighting you if you are unhappy with circumstances any more than He is exalting the person who appears to have all the honor and the earthly blessing. In truth, God does exalt people and bring people low, but it does not always follow the course of our own opinion and perceptions. We only learn to play our part correctly when we relinquish our own perception of being “the center of the universe” and give God the authority and the recognition that we think we want. For further explanation look up everything in the Bible about Lucifer.

We’ll see in our next blog how Hannah chose to express her grief and how Peninnah just plain disappears from the story, as we continue a look at a tale of two wives.