I want us to have a change of pace this week and travel back to the Old Testament. I want us to look at a story from I Samuel 1.
There was a man named Elkanah, who was of the tribe of Levi, an Ephrathite. Ephrath was another name for Bethlehem.
Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had given Elkanah children, but Hannah had no children. This was a great disappointment to Hannah and a source of shame. It may very well have been that because Hannah was unable to conceive Elkanah took a second wife.
What is very interesting is that Peninnah seemed to have everything she wanted, but she used her gift of having children to provoke and taunt Hannah. Even at the time Elkanah went to offer sacrifices to God, Peninnah took the opportunity to torture Hannah.
Hannah was obviously her husband’s favorite, but this wasn’t enough for her. She let this interfere with her worship, and she cried and refused to eat.
This seemed to have been confusing to Elkanah. His comment was, “Why weepest thou? And why eatest thou not? And why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons? (I Samuel 1:8 KJV).
Having been rebuked by Elkanah, Hannah ate and then went to pray. But she was still so grieved that even in prayer, she wept. Then she made a promise to God. She said, “O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thing 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” (verse 11).
I can almost feel the pain she must have felt, knowing that her grief came from her inability to have a child and having been scolded by her husband. She sounds so desperate! Even her promise to God sounds desperate.
If you continue with the story, you will read how Eli, the priest, approached her thinking by her actions that she was drunk. When Eli realized that Hannah was depressed and grieved, he promised that God would give her the thing for which she so fervently prayed.
My favorite part of this story is found in verse 18. “And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.” She was consoled by the words of the priest; and because she believed what she had heard, she left content.
Hannah did have the son she had prayed for, and at about age three she kept her promise to give her son back to God. She took him to Eli, and the priest raised him in the house of the Lord.
We learn a number of things from this story:
- Life is not always fair. Life is going to disappoint us. It is the nature of things.
James 1:2-3 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
- Favoritism is never a good thing. Elkanah showed by his treatment of Hannah that he favored her over Peninnah. He actually caused her more grief because of his preferential treatment.
James 2:1-9 is a summary of what favoritism can do. Verse 9 says, “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”
- Ridicule is no excuse for not serving God. Hannah couldn’t participate in worship because she was so affected by the way Peninnah was treating her.
We can’t let the cares of the world keep us from service to God. Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 4:11. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”
- God hears the prayers of the faithful. This doesn’t mean that God will miraculously provide children to childless couples. Hannah prayed a sincere prayer, and God chose to answer her prayer by giving her the son she requested.
It was a miraculous gift, something not possible for us today. But God does promise that He will hear our prayers. I Peter 3:12 says, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”
Ultimately, Hannah had a strong belief in God. She showed by her actions that she believed in Him. We show our faith every day by our actions. We show our faith by the way we react to the trials and tribulations that come our way. May God help us to have the faith of Hannah.
Sandra Oliver
I have a question. What does this statement mean?It was a miraculous gift, something not possible for us today. But God does promise that He will hear our prayers.
Does it mean that God no longer does miracles today?
DEAR JOY,
Thank you for your question.
Sometimes people use words in various ways. In this case the article you have commented on uses the word “miracle” in the sense of “acting contrary to natural law.” In other words, God can certainly help with pregnancy today through His “providential” work, but He is not performing things like “virginal conceptions” as this would be a miracle and contrary to the natural process of pregnancy.
God’s providential work is also seen when it comes to healing. Deity works “providentially” (within the boundaries of natural law) to help deal with diseases (God is able to see that people have the right medicines available at the right times, have the right doctors in the right places at the needed times, ensure people are treated at the proper hospitals, etc.), but He is not instantly healing broken bones, restoring the severed arms and legs of people with lost limbs, instantly dissolving kidney stones, etc. In the case of pregnancy, God’s providence could be used to see that a couple struggling with fertility would receive what was needed to produce a child without any type of “supernatural” act from Him.
If the distinction between providence and miraculous activity seems confusing, perhaps look at it in terms of food. God helps us secure finances and food by working within the boundaries of natural law, but He does not supernaturally fill up our refrigerators or supernaturally provide food like He did during the time of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness and Jesus’ supernaturally feeding people with bread and fish. God is just as powerful as He has ever been, but now He operates providentially instead of supernaturally. In some respects one might say God’s providential acts (working within the boundaries to get things done) is even more amazing than an miracle. Think of a ship stranded at sea and the sailors are rescued by God’s providence as people are praying for the trapped crew. In this case no one expects for something like an angel to swoop down, grab everyone on the ship, and drop each sailor off at his home. People pray for God’s providential work–that is, the right people with the right equipment will show up at the right time and have success in bringing all the sailors to safety. When this happens many refer to it as a “miracle,” but this is not how the Bible uses the word “miracle.”
A free Bible study about miraculous activity (God acting outside the boundaries of natural law), and how long it was to last, is available at http://www.abiblecommentary.com/havemiraclesceased.pdf. This material takes the form of a free Bible commentary on 1 Cor. 13:10-12.
Again, thank you for sharing your comment with us and may God richly bless your study of His word.
Staff @ abiblecommentary.com