1 Samuel 1: 1-8: A Longed For Son
1 Samuel picks up almost where Ruth left off – focusing on one particular family in Israel, and the problem of childlessness. A man, Elkanah, has 2 wives. One, Peninnah, has children, One, Hannah, does not. It is possible that Hannah was his first wife, and when she didn’t bear children he took a second wife. In the Old Testament, childlessness was a social, economic, and religious disaster. To be childless (in that culture – not now), was to have your family name and land disappear. It carried the stigma of being under a curse, almost as if you were dishonoured by God, with no part in the promise of Genesis 3:15. This is what poor Hannah has to bear – the pressure & shame of failure. To make matters worse, Peninnah taunts her. You can almost hear her at bedtime, making a a great show of hugs & kisses for mummy. On journeys, counting each child out. Every time she’s expecting another she takes the names Hannah likes. Loudly complaining about her tiredness and soreness. Asking Hannah: “do you not want to have kids? Do you not love Elkanah?”
Every year they head to Shiloh, to the Tabernacle, for a family feast. There’s something about this that aggravates Hannah’s pain. Perhaps it is just the big family occasion. At times like that those that are obnoxious can be just a bit more obnoxious. Hannah sees all Peninnah’s kids sitting all round the table. Peninnah’s been poking and prodding, ribbing and rubbing it in. Every year, year upon year, this goes on. And her husband Elkanah doesn’t help matters. He’s well meaning but clumsy – “Am I not more to you than ten sons” (v8). It’s frustrating.
Perhaps some of you have been in this position. You know the the excruciating pain of childlessness. The helpless longing, the sense of hopelessness, a slow uncertain death of dreams. There’s perhaps no pain as deep, hidden, and personal. But here’s the point – God’s plan to bless his people begins with a deeply personal problem and the domestic struggles of an insignificant family. God is at work here.
Questions
- Where else in the Bible did God work though childlessness? This is a thread that weaves the whole way through the Bible.
- Deeply personal problems and domestic struggles of an insignificant family – where might God be at work in your life?
Prayer Points
- Pray that God would show himself at work in our personal problems and domestic struggles.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.