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Last Updated on : Saturday, October 11, 2014

 

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selah

 

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Chapter 7

Hannah


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God was very real to Hannah; not only as the Creator; not only as the Redeemer of her nation, but as the One, who, above all others, understood her, and her reactions to the increasing bitterness of each succeeding year in her life. The supreme honour of an Israelitish woman to bear children had thus far been denied her. If we interpret 1 Sam. 1:5-6 correctly, we are red to understand that this barrenness was of the Lord, in order that Hannah's reactions might be fully worked out. What would her attitude to God be, as year followed year, and she witnessed the ever increasing children from Peninnah? Would her personal faith in the God of Israel waver? Would it grow dim? or bitter? Who would help her to keep strong in faith, despite the sorrowfulness of the way? God was the supreme reality in her life, and although she did indeed experience bitterness of soul, the fact remains that, out of that very bitterness her faith ascended to heaven in the words of her prayer. It resulted in Hannah vowing two vows; that she would give the child to Gad utterly, and see that he would observe the Nazarite vow.

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God was pleased at the prayer of Hannah. He was pleased at the reaction of one of His dear children to the chastening cross laid upon her. How true it is, that "Whomsoever the Lord loveth He chasteneth." The exhortation cries aloud to us all, that it is not so much the trial we undergo, as our reaction to it that counts. Gad was happy to observe that His handmaid never indulged in an orgy of self pity; she did not sit down and say - "Why did this happen to me?" Instead, through pure love of Gad and her tremendous faith in Him, her very cross was converted into a crown. He who previously had closed Hannah's womb now was pleased to grant her fruit. So Hannah, the once despised, became a most honoured mother in Israel, in giving to the nation that notable child who became one of Israel's greatest Judges.

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We are not told much about the domestic background of Elkanah and Hannah. It is plain, however, that Hannah was the first wife of Elkanah; that he loved her dearly, and so hoped for a child from her. But the years passed, and eventually Elkanah took a second wife. He had forgotten the ways of Gad, in Eden, which ordained that man should take but one wife at a time. He forgot the lesson of his forebear Abraham, in his ill-advised union with Hagar. Nevertheless, the record is silent of any sign of Hannah's reproach to Elkanah for his action: indeed, so simply did Elkanah love her, that, when offering portions for the family circle, he offered an extra portion for Hannah, because he loved her. Self restraint then, is seen to be another lovely virtue of Hannah. She disciplined herself to suffer in silence. Thus how wonderful must have been that moment when she came to her husband, and told him the glad news that, at long last, she was to become more than a wife - even the mother of his own son!

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What of her personal relationship to the other woman? Here, surely, was her hardest test: to endure the taunts, the veiled insults, year after year; to watch the family increase, whilst she remained barren. These Bible characters are as real as modern ones; they laugh and weep, they rejoice and are sad, for the same reasons as do we; this binds them to us in that wondrous link of faith with Peninnah; but not in what she did, but in what she did not do. She never returned evil for evil, and thereby aggravated an impossible situation. Maybe her very silence goaded Peninnah the more, for Hannah was content to wait in faith. Was her decision right? We look in vain for any outstanding record of the many children born to Peninnah. They all lived and died undistinguished from so many others; but not so Samuel.¾ He was outstanding. In our walk in the Truth it is not so much the trials that count; as our reactions to them. The very bitterness of Hannah's grief caused her to turn to God, for she was a woman of faith .- J.A.S

 

 


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