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by Logan Ames

Have you ever wanted something that you couldn’t have so badly that it made you literally sick? If so, then you know how difficult it is to even focus on anything else in life. You can’t be happy for anyone else. In fact, if another person is enjoying the blessing you so desperately crave, you’ll most likely resent him or her. You also can’t enjoy any of the blessings you ARE receiving in life because all you can think about is the thing that you wish you could have. An attitude of dissatisfaction can steal all of your joy and some of the joy from others as well.

Sometimes, God keeps us from getting what we want because he knows we need to get our priorities straight first. We need HIM to be what we desire most and for all other wants or needs that we have to be submitted to him. God may eventually give us the thing for which we are desperate, but waiting for it allows us to practice trusting in him, to be willing to submit all of our desires to him, and to appreciate the blessing all the more if/when we do get it. This is exactly what happened with Hannah, who went from being barren to birthing one of the most steadfast, bold, and faithful men who I’ve already discussed in this series - Samuel. I’ve decided to double-dip on the phrase in Hebrews 11:34 that says there were some “whose weakness was turned to strength” because of their faith. I talked about the faith and story of Esther last week, but it seems to me I’d be doing a disservice to this entire series of faithful heroes if I didn’t talk about Hannah. It just so happens that, like Esther, Hannah was one who was in a position of weakness, but through her trust in God and desire to obey him, she became strong and faithful.

The story is found in 1 Samuel 1 and I encourage you to read the whole thing even as I give you the bullet points. We are first told about this man, Elkanah, who had two wives named Hannah and Peninnah (v. 2). It’s important for us to understand that the fact that even though polygamy was somewhat of a norm in ancient Israel doesn’t mean that God accepted it. The Bible never puts polygamy in a positive light. It tells us that God brought together one man and one woman at the beginning of human life (Genesis 2:21-24). It’s very possible that polygamy, like many sins that we have today, became so culturally accepted to the point that participants were ignorant of the fact that it wasn’t good. But all we have to do is look at the tension, stress, and bitterness that it causes to see that it certainly was not part of God’s intended plan.

The two wives of Elkanah developed a rivalry between them (vv. 6-7). Peninnah was given children, but the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb. Since motherhood is such a high honor and was back then as well, it seems that Peninnah used this to provoke Hannah. In the constant competition for their husband’s love and attention, Peninnah had the upper hand and both she and Hannah knew it. That didn’t stop Elkanah from loving Hannah. In fact, he would give her a double portion of the meat whenever they worshiped and sacrificed to the Lord each year at Shiloh because he loved her and knew that she was distraught over not having children (vv. 3-5). Elkanah, like many men, did his best to love his wife but simply couldn’t understand how she felt. He was loving but insensitive and failed to see that what she desperately needed was something that he could not provide unless the Lord chose to allow it.

Hannah was so distraught over her situation and cried so much that she wouldn’t even eat. Then one time, after her family had finished eating, she got up and began to pray “in deep anguish” and with “bitter weeping” (v. 10). In that prayer, Hannah made a vow to the Lord that if he cared about her misery enough to give her a son, then she would “give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor would ever be used on his head” (v. 11). This was a Nazirite vow, the same one commanded by the Lord regarding Samson’s birth in Judges 13:2-5. A Nazirite vow was similar to something you and I might do for Lent or for an even longer period of time. It was traditionally done for a season in ancient Israel, but as far as I know, Samson and Samuel are the only ones who were considered Nazirites from birth. Maybe that type of submission to his will was just what God wanted to see before he chose to bless her. Hannah did the right thing in taking her feelings of grief and anguish to the Lord rather than trying to meet her needs through other means.

After spending time in prayer and pouring her heart and desires out to the Lord, she is initially reprimanded by the priest because he thinks she is just drunk. But after she explains what she is doing, the priest sends her away with an encouragement and a blessing (vv. 12-17). When we pour ourselves out to the Lord in desperation, he often gives us little nuggets of hope through others before the blessing comes. We see this happen between Hannah and the priest because, after he encourages her, she found the strength to eat something (v. 18). That strength continued the next day as she got up and worshiped the Lord before going home. I remind you that she did this AFTER submitting her desire to the Lord but BEFORE she knew how or even if he would respond. Our worship of the Lord is about who he is, not what he does for us. If we think about all he has done for us, we should always worship him anyway. But if we base it on that alone, we tend to start focusing on what God HASN’T done for us and begin to think he isn’t worthy of our worship. Hannah learned to praise him no matter what.

After they went home, Hannah and Elkanah slept together as they probably had done many times before, but this time the Lord remembered her and she became pregnant with Samuel (v. 20). It probably would’ve been tempting at that point to thank God for the gift and then hold onto it and neglect the vow she had made. Anyone who has had children and has had to let them go at some point knows this to be true. But Hannah faithfully follows through on her promise and presents Samuel to the priest at the Lord’s house in Shiloh after he is weaned (vv. 21-28).

Hannah’s life was in the dumps. Not only did she not get what she wanted in terms of a child at first, but her husband had another wife right there in the same home who got what Hannah wanted and rubbed it in on occasion. Her deep anguish didn’t lead her away from the Lord, however, but right to him. Rather than respond to Peninnah’s provoking behavior, she went to the Lord. Rather than stop believing, she went to the Lord. Rather than engage in other immoral behavior to meet her needs, she went to the Lord. Because of this, she became a woman of great faith and strength, and she gave the Lord all the credit. In 1 Samuel 2:1, she says, “In the Lord my horn is lifted high." The word for “horn” is the Hebrew carni, which is a figurative symbol of strength. Hannah trusted in God and he turned what was a great weakness for her into a great strength as she gave birth to a man who led Israel with truth and grace. What can God do in your life if you trust him with your most desperate needs and deepest sorrows? You may feel weak, but depending on him will make you strong and faithful.

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