If Not For Peninnah

IF NOT FOR PENINNAH

1 Sam. 1:1-28

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: CREATION DIALOG

1. During the Creation, God visited with one of his angels. He said, “Do you know what I’ve just done? I’ve just created 24 hours of alternating light and darkness on Earth. Isn’t that good?”

2. The angel said, “Yes, but, what will you do now?” God said, “I think I’ll call it a day.”

B. TEXT

1 There was a certain man...from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah... 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. 3 Year after year this man went up...to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 [Elkanah] gave [Hannah] a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, [Peninnah] kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year....her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and...give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel. 24 After he was weaned...26 she said to [Eli]....28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there. 1 Sam. 1: 1-4; 6-7; 10-11; 20, 26, 28.

C. BACKGROUND OF THIS STORY

1. Hannah lived during a time when polygamy was acceptable, and she found herself compared with, and despised by Peninnah, the other wife of her husband, Elkanah. Peninnah apparently had no trouble getting pregnant, and she was cruel in her taunts of Hannah.

2. Peninnah was spiteful, hateful, hostile and probably jealous. She was an enemy or adversary toward Hannah, possibly because Elkanah loved Hannah more than her. So Peninnah set out to make Hannah’s life miserable.

3. Sometimes things seem to go well for our adversaries while we seem to be omitted from blessings. We need to remind ourselves that “there’s a reason for my delay, but my delay is not denial.”

I. THEY WORSHIPPED DESPITE DIFFICULTIES

Elkanah and his family were devout servants of the Lord, worshippers of God, people who feared God. They attended the annual feasts required by the Law of Moses. To make these trips was difficult:

1. They had to travel by donkey or cart from their home in Ramathaim to Shiloh. Such travel is always difficult and expensive.

2. EVIL PRIESTS. At Shiloh, the notorious sons of Eli were the priests, but Elkanah’s family didn’t let that deter them from worshipping there every year.

3. They offered SACRIFICES to the Lord when they arrived. This was costly. The average steer costs $2,400 and a sheep about $1,000. It seems more costly if you have a small herd. They did it every year.

II. HANNAH HAD A CLOSED WOMB, FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

A. SHE WAS NOT BARREN/STERILE

1. A closed womb is not the same as barrenness. The Bible doesn’t say that Hannah was sterile; it says her womb was closed. Children COULD have come out of Hannah, but God was restraining them. God was developing her character first!

2. Hannah’s closed womb was a deliberate act of God to display His glory in her life. Our delayed prosperity, delayed breakthrough, or delayed deliverance doesn’t mean we’ll never have those, but that God’s delaying them for some greater purpose.

B. PENINNAH’S PROVOCATION WAS PART OF GOD’S PLAN

1. This story highlights that we need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus to perceive things from a spiritual perspective.

2. What Peninnah didn’t know was that it was God who was behind the provocation; it was God who was pulling the strings. Peninnah was merely a tool in the hand of God. God uses trials and tribulation to perfect the saints.

3. Hannah did well not to reply when Peninnah uttered her cutting criticisms; she kept quiet and or went to God in prayer! This is the same response the Lord Jesus made when reviled -- He opened not His mouth!

4. This provocation went on year after year; God allowed it to drive Hannah to prayer. Hannah even had to go to Church (Shiloh) with her adversary! In life there are some people you can’t get away from, such as family members, colleagues at work, and sometimes, church people! God allows these things for our spiritual growth.