How To Be Right When Your World's Wrong
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1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 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.
Ephraim=- Arimathea
Elkanah- mentioned 5 other times in the bible.
Elkanah was likely wealthy , he had 2 wives.
Hannah & Peninnah. Hannah & Peninnah— Hannah first because she was his favorite. Peninnah then named first because she ahs children.
Barrenness, having no children, was an ultimate tragedy in ancient days. The husbands ‘ hopes and dreams lay in the wife providing him with a son to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate.
3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.
Three times a year, all israelite men were required to be at the central sanctuary to offer sacrifices at the main religious festivals. Jesus participated in this when his parents went up to the temple and lost him.
this was likely the Feast of the tabernacles.
4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.
5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.
Family members would make offerings. Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion.
It is likely that Elkanah thought, or believed , that Hannah’s barrenness was from God.
6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.
Peninnah likely became the second wife because of her barrenness. There was a problem, Peninnah would harass Hannah because of her barrenness.
7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
Every year, day after day while they were there, Hannah was harassed- and she wept- and she did not eat.
Year after year, Elkanah would harass. Note, this was not just a circumstance, it was a deeply held theological issue for Hannah. God had closed her womb....questions, etc.,
See 2:10 … Hannah’s disposition in Deuteronomy 32.35 c
8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
Ten sons represents fullness, completeness. Elkanah is saying, your completeness can be found in me, your husband.
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
The chief religious official had eaten, was sitting on a chair.
10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
Hannah, in deep distress, prays tot he Lord.
11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
Hannah makes a vow. If God gave her a son, he would give him back to the Lord.
Vow:
no grapes, wine
no shaving one’s head
avoid dead bodies
Vow for life. (rare) Only other’s possible are Samson and perhaps John the Baptist.
Hannah recognizes children are a gift from God. She will give him back.*
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
Hannah’s silent prayer, mouth moving, expresses her deep belief in God.
13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.
Hannah’s spiritual sensitivity is marked by her mouth moving, her heart praying.
Eli, the religious priest’s insensitivity is marked by his failure to recognize her lips moving as prayer and rather as drunkenness.
14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”
A right translation would be, “How long will you go on making a right spectacle of yourself being drunk?”
15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.
Hannah had not been pouring drinks, she had been pouring out her soul.
16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
Hannah is speaking from her burdened spirit- she did not want to be mistaken for a wicked woman, a daughter of worthlessness.
17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
A willing heart, a willing servant. See DEut. 10:12 and Micah 6.8 ....
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
Certainly hannah’s worship took on new meaning this time.
20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
The 2 verses that don’t matter today. 1 Samuel 1.19-20
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
I want to go back to 2 verses this morning.
Go Back to 1 Samuel 1.8
8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
The translation here is literally, “Why is your heart bad?” The only other precise parallel for this phrase is in Deuteronomy 15.10, which is about giving with a grudging heart.
10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
This passage has to do with the year of release, the year of jubilee. letting others debt go,
To do something “with a bad heart” means to do it resentfully. Grudgingly.
Elkanah’s question, rightly place, is not asking Hannah , “Why is your heart sad?” The question is actually, “Why is your heart BAD?”
That’s what unforgiveness, grudgeholding, and vengeance does to-US? Ourselves.
It makes our heart bad. Even if the other person’s was bad first, it makes ours just as bad or worse.
And the problem is most of the time- we ourselves don’t see it because we are focused on the initial issue. Hannah was vexed because she had no children- she was keenly aware of this fact. She was vexed because her adversary, Peninnah, was harassing her. That was all she could see, and because that was all she could see- she couldn’t see what it was doing to her.
But Elkanah, her husband did. He didn’t say, “You have no children.”… he said, “Why is your heart bad?” Why are you so bitter?
One of the hardest things ministry delivers to pastors are the results of right but unpopular decisions.
Wrong but popular decisions will win you short term adulation- but also short term duration because you can’t build a ministry on wrong popular decisions. It won’t last.
Right, but unpopular decisions, are the worst. Even though they are right. They will cause knee jerk reactions and win you enemies overnight. These decisions breed bitterness among the immature.
And I see it when I go to the grocery store. Someon who once smiled and shared in joyous times wreaks of deep smell of bitterness. At best they will avoid you. Some will provoke you. At worst, they will try to get even in one way or another.
And they will do it with a certain sense of God ordained self righteousness that says, I’m right and you will suffer for it.” And their attitude clearly is symptomatic of the fact that they are NOT right. But you will still suffer for it.!!!
They will live by the motto, “I don’t get mad. I get even.”
Unfortunately this happens. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen all that often.
And that bitterness blinds them from seeing what is painfully obvious to everyone else: Their life bleeds bitter.
Elkanah saw what Hannah could never see.
There’s a time to let it go.
Bottom Line: Holding On To God Means Letting Go Of Everything Else
Holding On To God Means Letting Go Of Everything Else
Holding On To God Means Letting Go Of Everything Else
For all of Hannah’s “double portion’” in her offering, it would never account for the well of bitterness that had grown in her heart. Her husband saw it.
Don’t kid yourself. You can do sunday school, church twice a day, and listen to Christian radio all week. If your heart is bitter, everyone sees it. AndGod does too. And what it is doing to you is far worse than what originally caused it.
Hannah’s worship was marred by her hatred… her bitterness… for her situation, and possibly even towards her rival, Peninnah.
Jews didn’t have Jesus, they had one principle recounted in Deuteronomy 10:12 and recounted throughout Hebrew scritpure and in this passage, Micah 6.8.
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
When Jesus hung on the cross, his most important words were, “Father, Forgive them for they know not what they are doing.”
Who do you need to forgive? Your friend, your spouse, your father or your mother, your pastor, your former pastor, your child, your adversary? It’s not worth it.
Jesus saves.