As we approach the season of thanksgiving, I would like to focus on a few Bible characters who are extremely grateful to God for who He is and what He has done. The first one I would like to examine is Hannah. She was one of Elkanah’s wives. In I Samuel 1:2, we find that Hannah had no children, and the other wife, Peninnah, had children. Today, this would already be a recipe for disaster and jealousy. This was never God’s design for marriage, but it was common for this time period.
I Samuel 1:2 “And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.”
Every year, Elkanah and his family went up to the house of the Lord at Shiloh to worship and offer sacrifices. For Hannah, however, these festive gatherings were often marked by a quiet, persistent ache. It was a social stigma for a woman to not have children. Even though Elkanah loved her deeply, it was not enough to keep her from weeping over her situation. Adding to her sorrow, her rival, Peninnah, provoked and taunted her year after year.
I Samuel 1:4-6 “And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.”
This hung over Hannah’s soul continually. One particular year, the pain became too much to bear. Weeping bitterly, Hannah rose from the meal and went to the tabernacle. Her soul was poured out before God. She was so distraught that Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk.
I Samuel 1:10-15 “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD 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 the LORD, 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 have poured out my soul before the LORD.”
When Eli realized she was in agonizing prayer, he said in verse 17, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you asked of him.”
Hannah walked away from that place with a changed spirit. Her countenance was no longer sad, because she had left her burden in the hands of the Almighty.
I Samuel 2:1 “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.”
In God’s perfect timing, the Lord remembered Hannah. She conceived and gave birth to a son, naming him Samuel, which means “Heard by God,” because she had asked the Lord for him.
