Have you ever been inspired by someone? There is a woman of the Bible named Hannah, and I find her to be a true inspiration of faith. We learn about her in 1 Samuel 1.
The story begins with a man named Elkanah, who was from the hill country of Ephraim. He had two wives, Hannah (who had no children) and Peninnah, who had children.
We can already see the foreshadowing and potential problems, can’t we? Two wives – one with children and one without.
Elkanah was a God-fearing man because we know from v. 3 that “year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh.”
We also know that when it was time for him 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.” (vs. 4-5)
However, while her husband showed her love, Peninnah did just the opposite. Verse 6 tells us that “Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.”
This is one of the ways I find Hannah to be so relatable. We’ve all had people in our lives at one time or another who have provoked us to irritate us, right? Maybe a sibling, a classmate, a co-worker. Unfortunately, this provoking wasn’t just an occasional annoyance. The Bible tells us it went on year after year (v.7). In fact, Hannah’s rival provoked her so much that she wept and wouldn’t eat.
Peninnah was provoking Hannah – reminding her of what she didn’t have – children. In a sense, Peninnah was really emulating what the Enemy does, right? The Enemy gets to us by pointing out what we don’t have, eating away at our what? OUR CONTENTMENT.
Elkanah would ask Hannah, “why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
We have to remember that culturally, it was very important for women in Hannah’s day to have children. We see other examples of that in Scripture, like Elizabeth in the New Testament for example.
Hannah kind of came to “enough is enough.” She came to the end of herself and brought her issue before the Lord. She knew it was the Lord who had closed her womb, so it would be the Lord who could open it.
Hannah, in her deep anguish, 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.’” (v.11)
In a sense, she made a deal with God. The Bible calls it a “vow” but it’s an “if-then” situation.
What is so incredibly significant here is that Hannah was willing to give up what she was asking God to give her.
She had the right perspective – that everything is from God and belongs to Him. And we’ll find out later in the passage if she keeps her part of the deal.
Now Eli, the priest, saw Hannah praying. Her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. He mistakenly thought she was drunk and asked her how long she was going to stay drunk. He told her to put away her wine.
Hannah replied that she was not drunk. “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” (v. 16)
“Eli answered, ‘Go in peace,’ and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
There are a couple of important things to note here:
- Eli tells her to “go in peace,” which is exactly what Jesus told the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years after she touched his cloak and was healed. Go in peace, knowing in faith, that He will do what you have asked of Him.
FAITH BRINGS PEACE
2. Eli didn’t even know what Hannah was praying for, but he said, “may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
When Elkanah returned home with Hannah, v. 19 tells us he made love to his wife. Now, not to get too steamy here, but I would call this faith in action 😊 because in the course of time, Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’” (v. 20)
Later in the passage, we read that when Hannah had weaned Samuel, she took him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh (where they offered sacrifices and worshiped the Lord). (v. 24)
Hannah took Samuel to Eli the priest and said, “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. (vs. 26-28).
She kept her part of the deal.
In 1 Sam. 2, Hannah goes on to pray (sing) a beautiful prayer where she starts off rejoicing in the Lord – not in the gift He gave her, but in the Lord Himself.
*May we be reminded of that when we are tempted to love God’s gifts more than God Himself.
She also notes her deliverance from her enemy – though she doesn’t call Peninnah by name. She chose to take the high road there.
***May we, too, remember that we have victory over our Enemy!
In her prayer, Hannah goes on to say that there is no one like the Lord, no one besides Him, no Rock like our God.
God loves to be reminded of who He is and what He’s done because when we remind Him, we exercise faith.
What was the fruit from her faith, her righteousness?
- God gave her what she asked – a son
- That son, Samuel, went on to anoint the first 2 kings of Israel – Saul and, David, who was in the lineage of Christ! Isn’t that so incredible?!?
Every year, Hannah would make Samuel a little robe and take it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. She continued to clothe him, reminding him that he had been dedicated to the Lord’s service.
“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.’” (2:20)
“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.” (2:21)
As we look at this little glimpse of Hannah’s life, may we be reminded:
- God is the One we go to
- We go to Him in faith and prayer, believing He can do anything!
- When He gives us what we ask of Him, we delight in Him more than the gift, recognizing every good and perfect gift comes from Him
I hope you’ve been inspired by Hannah just as I was. Let us go be radiant this week as we act in faith, possibly even inspiring others in the process.
Go Be Radiant 