Hannah A Woman Of Prayer and Faith Part I

       The story of Hannah occurs during the latter period of the Judges. The nation of Israel had entered the promised land of Canaan and settled there approximately 350 years prior. As a nation, Israel had become idolatrous and was constantly being disciplined by the Lord. However, some people remained true and worshipped faithfully the one true God called Yahweh(the Lord). Elkanah, the husband of Hannah was one of the faithful.

In I Samuel 1:1 & 2 it tells us:

      Verse 1: Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the Country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

      Verse 2: And he had two wives; the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

      If we look up the meaning of Elkahan's name this is what it says: God has taken possession or God has created.

      Elkahan was a Levite, a spiritual leader and assisted the priests in instructing and teaching the people so some commentaries say. Later in the message we will see that Elkahan lived up to the meaning of his name.

      Now let's see what "Hannah's" name means: Grace and Favored

      And "Peninnah", Elkahan's second wife name means: Turn or a sharp angle.

      But why did Elkahan have two wives?

      The reason for having two wives is found in the Israelite's terror of childlessness. And even though this wasn't a normal practice for an Israelite man, it said that a man could not look forward to personal survival after death, but he could survive in his children, who would keep his name alive among men. Just as Jacob was not merely an individual but the whole nation which was descended from him, so any man's personality consisted not of himself alone but of all those whom he would continue to live in succeeding generations.

      It was therefore a great indignity for a wife to be unable to bear her husband children, and since it was the desire of every Hebrew parent to have a son, it was a reproach to Hannah that she was barren. She would have been considered a disgrace to her husband, shamed, even pointed out, talked about and laughed at in the streets. She would have suffered greatly and felt like a failure as a woman and as a wife.

      What does it mean to be "barren"? It means they are sterile and unable to produce children after your own kind. It can also mean: unable to produce fruit or seed with valuable results. Think about this word and what it represents in the spiritual realm.

      In Ecclesiastes 3: 1 & 2 it tells us:

      Verse 1: To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven.
      Verse 2: A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted.

      God was working His appointed season and time for Hannah. There is no way Hannah could have know of the divine plan, purpose and destiny God had for her and the child Samuel she would conceive, give birth to and consecrate back to Him.

      Continuing with our main scripture lets go now and read verse 6 of I Samuel 3.

      Verse 6: Her rival (Peninnah) would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.

      The word "rival" in verse 6 is a common Hebrew word that means: Adversary and comes from the root word: To vex and is only used when talking about a fellow wife.

      This word describes the actions of Peninnah towards Hannah due to her jealousy. The scripture tells that Elkanah loved Hannah and he showed Hannah favor over Peninnah and her children. So Peninnah was relentless in her pursuit to make Hannah feel worthless, depressed and kept her in despair.

      The Interpreters bible says that Hannah's childlessness is attributed to the direct action of the Lord, just as His direct action was required in conception. It was the belief that a large family was a reward of virtue, and that barrenness was a sign of divine displeasure. One of the promises of God to Israel was that He would bless the fruit of their womb and that no male or female would be barren among them (Deut. 7:13 & 14). Peninnah knowing this promise just couldn't pass up the opportunity to suggest that a misfortune such as Hannah's could only be a punishment for sin.

      Peninnah's actions remind me of how the enemy will use people to come against you with a self righteous accusing attitude and a critical spirit. They have already judged you and found you guilty, because everything is filtered through a religious spirit. So they think and even may say to others; oh they are sick or they are being punished because they sinned. Or they might say; God is just trying to teach them a lesson. Has this ever happened to you?

      Let's talk a minute about the word "provoke" in verse 6. When someone is provoked as Hannah was it causes that person to be stirred with anger, it frustrates them and can either trigger a positive reaction or a negative reaction. If being provoked is handled correctly, it will bring the heart to a decision to take action in a constructive way.

      We will find out later what kind of action Hannah took. Verse 6 goes on to say that: The Lord had closed her (Hannah's) womb.

      When something has been"closed" the dictionary describes this word to mean that: Someone or something has been denied access to, that it is impassable, blocked and impenetrable.

      And the word "womb" means: A place of origin, a place where something is conceived, nurtured and a place of security, protection, shelter and comfort.

      So what happened to Hannah in the "natural" is what can happen to us in the "spiritual" and what we begin to experience is:

      1. We feel"barren" in our prayer life.
      2. We see no lasting fruit being produced in or through our daily life or ministry
      3. We know seeds have been planted through prayer and the word, but change is
           slow and lasting results flee when we are being tested.

      And why are we experiencing these things? Because the womb of our spirit have been closed. And not because of anything we have or haven't done, but it is because of the "timing of God".

      Remember what Ecclesiastes 3:1 said? There is an appointed time for everything - A time for every prayer to be answered - A time for every seed to burst forth with life - A time for rain to come to water the dry ground so fruit can be produced - A time for change, healing, deliverance, restoration and action.

      Remember: Just because a prayer is not answered in your timing or in the way you think it should be answered.... doesn't mean the answer is no or never.

Next week Part II

Blessings,

Elma Garlock