Hannah—a Faithful Mother Series

Introduction: The story of Hannah is a beautiful story. She was a genuine believer in the LORD, God of Israel, first and foremost, and also the mother of Samuel, one of Israel’s greatest leaders. She was also one of a few women who, unable to have a child by any other means, bore a child as a result of one of the LORD’s miracles (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and a few others did as well).

She is never mentioned anywhere else in Scripture except for the first two chapters of 1 Samuel but the story reaches from her day to the last days. Hannah’s faithfulness and her desire to honor the pledge she made to the LORD is something everyone, male or female, could appreciate.

Hannah’s problems: 1, Barrenness

[1Sam 1:1, KJV] 1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name [was] Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: 2 And he had two wives; the name of the one [was] Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, [were] there. 4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: 5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.

The first problem Hannah faced is that she had no children. No reason is given as to why that happened except, as verse 5 reveals, the LORD had closed her womb. Besides the half-dozen or so other women who suffered from this situation, an entire nation or group of people had the same problem. In Genesis 20, Abimelech, king of Gerar, had taken Sarah from Abraham. God spoke directly to him and showed Abimelech his mistake—and Abimelech took prompt action to restore Sarah. How long he had kept Sarah is not specified but it was apparently long enough for the birth rate to suffer—Genesis 20:18!

We’re also never told Hannah’s age or how long she had been married to Elkanah. Generally, it is easier for a woman to conceive and bear a child younger in life as compared to later but when God performs a miracle, age means little. Hannah’s concern was that she had no children, she apparently didn’t know why, and she was getting concerned.

Problem 2, Bitterness

[1 Sam 1:6] And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 7 And [as] he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. 8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? [am] not I better to thee than ten sons? 9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. 10 And she [was] in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

Elkanah was not only Hannah’s husband, but also the husband of Peninnah. Why he decided to marry two women is never specified but this is only a matter of record, not comment. A possible guess is that since Hannah could not give him children, he married Peninnah who gave him children (the text does not state how many). There was no prohibition in the Law of Moses about taking more than one wife as exists now.

Yet, Peninnah, even though she gave Elkanah children, also gave Hannah some grief. A partial parallel might be found comparing Leah, who had several children with Jacob and her sister Rachel, who had none until God opened her womb. If there was any bitterness or provoking of the one towards the other (excepting the incident of Reuben and the “mandrakes--whatever those were; see Genesis 30:14-16), Scripture doesn’t record it. To add perspective, Solomon added the words of Agur in Proverbs 30:15-16, that the barren womb is something that is never satisfied.

Hannah, though, even though she was suffering in bitterness of spirit, did the best thing possible. She took her problem to God. The text records how she and Elkanah—and Peninnah—would go to Shiloh each year, most likely to perform a sacrifice. More information about the various offerings is found in the first several chapters of Leviticus. Apparently after the family had eaten and drunk, Hannah went back to the tabernacle (text says “temple” but the Temple was not yet built) and began to pray—and weep. She didn’t let her bitterness of soul, or spirit, make her whole life bitter. She went to God in prayer. Of note is that Eli, the high priest at the time, seemed to take notice of Hannah and her prayer.