Prayer Changes People Series

http://www.quotegarden.com/crying.html

Unfortunately, Hannah did not master the art of looking away, looking elsewhere or at something else. Looking away is not escaping, avoiding, or fleeing your critics, but shutting down, brushing aside and taking lightly opinions that are unfair, undeserving or uninvited. Too often, problems add up, pile on and get worse when we care too much or give too much weight to what people say, do, or think.

The introduction to 1 Samuel is the most heart-wrenching and tear-jerking passage in the Bible. Nine gut-wrenching Hebrew words were chosen to describe in painstaking detail Hannah’s suffering. The Hebrew word “weep” occur three times (vv 7, 8, 10), the words “provoke” (vv 6, 7) and “grief” (vv 6, 16) twice, and the words “irritate” (v 6), “downhearted” (v 8), “bitterness of soul” (v 10), “misery” (v 11), “deeply troubled” (v 15) and “anguish” (v 16) all occur once.

Hannah cried and cried, cried her eyes out, cried like the world had ended, like someone had died and like she was abandoned. She withdrew and isolated herself, shut the world out and closed herself in, grieved and pained herself to a new high and a personal low. The childless mother was inconsolable. Her husband could not comfort her and she did not answer him anyway. Tears were her breakfast, lunch and dinner. Poor Hannah, she allowed Peninnah to get on her case, to get under her skin and to get into her head.

The word “irritate” (v 6) appears for the first time in the Bible. All the other 12 occurrences of this Hebrew word are associated the thunder of God’s voice (1 Sam 2:10, 7:10, 2 Sam 22:14, Job 37:4, 5, 40:9, Ps 18:13, Ps 29:3) or the roar of the seas (1 Chron 16:32, Ps 96:11, Ps 98:7. Ezek 27:35). Of course, mortal grumbling, nagging and harassing cannot compare with God’s thunderous voice or nature’s mighty roar, but Penninah’s strategy worked. Hannah did not just winced in pain; she burst out, blew up and broke down in pain.

The Hebrew word “weep” (vv 7, 8, 10) was usually preceded by the raising of one’s voice. Hagar raised her voice and wept in the desert when water ran out for little Ishmael (Gen 21:16). Esau lifted up his voice, and wept after Abraham had given his blessing to Jacob (Gen 27:38). The fleeing Jacob lifted up his voice, and wept when he met Rachel (Gen 29:11).

Timid Hannah was not the type to talk back, to exact payback, or to bother others. She sucked in all the dirt, poison, and barbs. Once, I noticed the license plate holder of a slow old driver was inscribed these words: “DON’T LIKE MY DRIVING? YOU SHOULD SEE ME PUTT!”

It’s been said, “No one can govern us without our permission.” People can only do as much as we allow them to or yield to. Dallas Willard said, “You may even be able to destroy the soul of another, but you will never unlock it against their will.” Andy Rooney said, “I’ve learned that I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.”

Hannah’s “bitterness of soul” (v 10) placed her in elite company though she really did not belong there. This select phrase was selected by Job for his afflictions (Job 7:11, 10:1) and Hezekiah who was sick to the point of death (Isa 38:15, 17), but Hannah’s suffering was merely mental and lightweight in comparison to Job and Hezekiah’s physical torment.