HANNAH – A WOMAN OF FAITH, DEDICATION AND PERSEVERANCE
The name Hannah (Hebrew) has an attractive meaning of grace or favor. Hannah was a favorite wife to Elkanah, a Levite of Ramathian Zophim, near mountEphraim and a son of Zuph. Elkanah also had another wife named Peninnah. It appeared that Peninnah was married when Hannah was found to be barren. Peninnah had many children but Hannah had no child, because the Lord had “shut her womb” (1 Samuel 1:5). In that culture and even now in most modern societies, the significance of the women lies in their relationship to Elkanah (the husband) and in their childbearing capacity. Hannah position as the first wife and her inability to bear her husband a child posed a great problem to her. At face look, it may seem that was the reason that Elkanah took Peninnah as a second wife. The family was religious and yearly they went to the major shrine at Shiloh to worship and make sacrifices to the Lord. The priests of the Lord in Shiloh were the two sons of Eli – Hophni and Phinehas.
Hannah was in dare need of a child because a Hebrew woman had a sacred duty to bear children to their husband. In that culture, barrenness was equated to being cursed and failure (meaningless and purposeless life). A childless wife is full of anguish and frustration. In such situation, the matriarchs sought the recognition of motherhood through surrogate female, a solution that brought more grief than honor. This was not only an ancient biblical tales about women, it has modern resonance. The difference in our modern society is the discoveries of scientific devices to help a woman get pregnant, birth and/ or adopt a baby. These devices are expensive and out of the reach of poor people. It was the desire of every Hebrew parent to have a son. Some writers seem to suggest that in Hannah’s frustration coupled with the hunger to help her husband have a son, she like Sarah had urged the husband, Elkanah to take a second wife. I want to believe that unlike Sarah and Rebekah, Hannah never doubted her ability for motherhood. Even though she had a loving but tactless husband and a jealous rival wife, Hannah appeared to keep her sufferings and trials to herself. The second wife, Peninnah bore Elkanah several children but taunted Hannah who had to endure ridicules and incessant grieving for her childlessness.
Hannah’s barrenness became a great “thorn on her flesh.” Yet despite her childlessness and years of cruel mocking from the other wife of her husband, she remained faithful and diligent in her love for God. She believed that since it was God who shut her womb, it was expedient to trust God and plead her case before Him. Her deep misery and bitterness for not having a child for her husband inspired her devotion and romance with God. The husband couldn’t comfort her and society abhorred her; she turned completely without reservation to God. She was separated unto the Lord amidst trying domestic problems. She cried day and night unto the Lord and God in His mercy remembered her.
Each year Elkanah took his family to the major shrine at Shiloh to worship God and offer sacrifices at the tabernacle of the Lord. The priests were present to minister at the temple. The ancient Jews believed that the temple was a holy dwelling place of the Lord on earth. In one of those annual visits, Hannah went to the tabernacle to pray for her deepest need. In bitterness of soul, she prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. She developed an intimate relationship with God. In her desperation, she vowed to God that if she could conceived and have a male child, she would give that child back to God for the service of the Lord as a Nazarite. “O Lord of host, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me (take the reproach out of me) and do not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life and no razor shall come upon his head (1 Sam. 1:10-11). Near to the post of the temple, the priest, Eli sat and observed that her lips were not moving in prayer as she continue to pray in her heart but not through her mouth, Eli then mistaken her of being drunk. Eli urged her, “How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee (vs. 14). It appeared that Eli was not in Spirit and could not discern the things of the heart. Hannah answered that she had not taken any wine or is she drunk but was praying, pouring out her heart to the Lord.
Even though the priest, Eli offered no apology for wrongly judging Hannah; however, touched by her pains, Eli believed and took pity on her. He prayed for her, “Go in peace and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him (vs.17). After Hannah encountered God, her soul was lifted up and her countenance changed; her changed in attitude brought her changed in situation and perspective. Her prayers and self sacrifice had cost her the very thing she sought for but she had peace in her heart, believing God for a positive response.
Hannah and Elkanah rose the next day and thanked God for a new season in their life and content because she believed God for an answered prayer. They returned home and kept intimate relationship with each other. Hannah had developed a more intimate relationship with the God of Israel and she continued to converse freely with Him after she returned home. The intimacy with God help purged her bitterness, pains, sorrowful spirit, and desperation, heart-hungry and sore anguish as well as forgiveness to her other wife who incessantly grieved and mocked her for barrenness. God’s Spirit replaced in her a joyful heart, trust, patience and God’s favor. Even though her husband loved her dearly and showered her with more love and gifts than her rival who incidentally had many children, Hannah’s heart yearned for a son out of her womb (fruitfulness) to love, cherish and fondle.
At every annual sacrifice at Shiloh, Elkanah allocated one sacrificial portion to each of his wives and children while he allocated a double portion to Hannah. This generous gesture was not enough to comfort Hannah. Rather than console her it provoked weeping and deep misery; she refused to eat and being consoled. The husband asked her, “Am I not more to you than ten sons? That question in itself seems to convey the image of one who may be insensitive to her wife’s ordeal. In that culture, at that time, the value of the woman is demonstrably enhanced by their child-bearing capacities. As if that was not enough, every time her husband tried to comfort her and empathized with her predicament that would only fuel the fire of contempt in Peninnah’s heart.
It seems as every where she went, even in God’s house, in Shiloh the enemy had a field day. The old priest, Eli who also was battling with his domestic problems, provoked by his children accused Hannah of being drunk and carrying her tipsiness into God’s house. Yet God was staging her stage. Instead of being provoked by false accusation, she refused to be distracted and angered but humbly stated her innocence that she had never taken strong drink talk less giving to strong drink. She simply and humbly poured her heart to Eli who then discerned her deep mystery and heartfelt desire for a child; thereafter prayed to God to hear her prayers.
In the course of time God had heard the prayers of Hannah and Eli. God remembered her and took away her reproach and predicament. Hannah did conceive and gave birth to a male child; she named him Samuel meaning, “I asked of the Lord” (vs.19). Upon birth, Hannah appeared to have chosen a name, Samuel for her son. Elkanah’s was completely passive in action here. Hannah prayed a desperate prayer accompanied with a vow (If You (God) would give her a son, she would give him back to all the day of his life). This vow would cost her the very thing she sought for. That prayer must have touched the heart of God, and in His mercies, the Lord God answered with a positive response. The Lord had said, I shall show mercy on whom I want to show mercy. An ordinary woman gave birth to an extraordinary child named Samuel.
Hannah did not forget the vow she made to the Lord as some of us do. When the child was weaned, she relinquished and brought him with significant sacrifice to the house of the Lord in Shiloh and entrusted him into the hands of the old priest, Eli, as a step father. Incidentally it was the same priest that over heard her prayers and prayed the Lord to answer her petition. She was quick to remind Eli of her encounter with him and her petition to the Lord. Hannah fulfilled her vow by lending Samuel to the Lord for answering her petition. She forwent the joy of raising her prayer-answered son. Even though Samuel was not begotten from a priesthood family, her mother prayerfully, sacredly pledged him to the Lord. Samuel started to hear from God as a child, evolved into an adult as a priest, a leader and judge in Israel. Once a year, Hannah visited him and made a little coat for him to wear.
Gladdened and joyous because God fulfilled her desire, she busted into song of praise and thanksgiving, where she poured her gratitude to God for his mercies and compassion. Her song was poetic and mainly a hymn of praise directed to God Almighty for His compassion and carrying away her misery. Hannah passion and commitment to God affected her prayers and strengthened her belief; influenced and imparted Samuel’s prayers and intercession all the days of his life. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, she chose to be positive and focused on God. Such lifestyles also affected her son devotion and dedication to God. The singled behavior of lending Samuel to the Lord all the days of his life, could have provoked God to visit her again and again and again; she gave her additional three more sons and two daughters. What started in barrenness ended up in fruitfulness and multiplication? Hannah was faithful and perseverance.
In examining Hannah’s predicament closely, the scripture said, “God closed her womb.” Her barrenness was not man-made but God’s. God was simply setting a stage for a miracle which was to fulfill His purpose and His glory. That delay was God’s way to prepare for a special man who would be raised to fear, honor and obey God’s directives as well as serve God. Similar situation affected the birth of John the Baptist and Isaac. God had a purpose for delayed conception and delivery of people He intend to use. When God want to perform a miracle, He starts with impossibility.
Hannah the barren became a celebrated mother of Samuel. “Blessed is she who believed that God will fulfill His promise…..” (Luke 1:45). That delayed was not a denial. Hannah the despised became Hannah the desired. She never allowed the pressure in the family – her infertility and provoking molestations and mockery from her rival to dissuade her. That motherhood of one child gave Hannah unexplainable joy and a secured place in her husband’s family and established her in the community. God was just starting to prove He’s God. That singled conception and birth later emerged and became Israel’s prophet/Priest, Judge and King-maker. She was a proven self determined and resourceful woman of faith, who pursued goals and achieved results.
Reach: Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill at weefreeministries@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 720035, Houston, Texas, 77272. Web: www.weefreeministries.org; Phone: 832-881-3929 (c).