Hannah's Song

Hannah’s Faith

1 Samuel 1:1–20 NIV

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but 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.” As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.” “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

1 Samuel 2:1–2 NIV

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Do you know those people that reveal God to you?

For me it is Hannah. I barely knew her. She never even spoke to me, but she taught me more about faith than I ever learned in the Temple.

Because of my family name, I spent a lot of time in the Temple. Mostly helping Eli, the high priest, and his wretched children perform the priestly duties. For our festivals folks would travel from all over, some out of duty, some out of true pious worship.

I will never forget the mixed bag of Elkanah’s crew. Elkanah seemed like a decent man. For reasons unknown, he had two wives which can always be more than complicated if history of God’s people tell us anything. But he loved them well enough it seemed.

Penninah and Hannah. Penninah had provided numerous children for Elkanah. In an understandable fight for status in society that provided protection and the expendible attention of a husband Penninah could be ruthless to Hannah who was unable to have children. Hannah wore this pain like it was part of her story. But her suffering in the midst of it was something that affected us all, if we are honest.

Every year for the feast of tabernacles the family would come to our Temple in Shiloh and perform the appropriate sacrifices.

No one understood the pain

See here is the deal, no one fully understood her pain. No one fully saw her.

Penninah: Blinded by her own pursuit of status in a world that would not recognize her otherwise, taunted Hannah. She would make fun of her in her prayers for a child. She would describe her children, showing pictures of the kids growing, talking about their experiences.

No one understood the pain. No one fully saw her.

Elkanah: Was a little more aware. But not much. When it came time for the sacrifice he would give Hannah a double blessing of the meat. But when Hannah wept, his consoling was shallow. His care was not absent but it was tone deaf. Thinking that he could easily erase the hurt with shallow gestures.

No one understood the pain. No one fully saw her.

Eli’s boys, the acting priests: they were silent. Did not offer anything. Just going through the religious rituals pretending that they were enough to help.

No one understood the pain. No one fully saw her.

Eli: the high priest himself: When Hannah wept and prayed for God to give her a child, from the depths of her heart, he assumed that this woman was drunk or weird or crazy.

No one understood the pain. No one fully saw her.

Let’s be honest, I did not know what the pain was either, just watching these characters in a story of inhuman disconnect.

But. She talked to one who did know her pain. Through it all she talked to God about this like God was listening. This was strange for me. Even a priest of the family. How can you pray when everything is hard? How can you trust when there is no sign of remedy?

Then everything changed, well almost everything

One year Elkanah and the family came back for their sacrifices. And this time Hannah was not with them. I remember thinking, goodness, grief has overcome her.

Elkanah told Eli that a miracle happened. God provided. God answered a prayer and Hannah was with child. Later when the baby was old enough for the journey she came to dedicate the child to God. It was such a scene. Even the absent minded sons of Eli and the disconnected high priest noticed. It was incredibly moving.

In an act of worship Hannah began to pray again, well more sing out of a well of worn out experiences:

1 Samuel 2:1–2 NIV

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Here is the thing. Everything changed but not quite everything. Hannah seemed to have the same faith in loss that she did in victory. She was not praying like someone who finally got what she wanted but praying like she was talking, singing, to one who was singing with her.

She seemed like someone who knew well “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” but also “not my will but yours be done.”

What kind of faith is this? And do I know this God that is present in anguish or is my faith reduced to transactional history?

Questions:

Check in: How is your life in God?

(how are you living like a child of God?)

What do you need from God this morning?

(not material things, but his character. Do you need to be reminded he is good? He is present? Do you need to be reminded you are loved, healing?)

What do you need to confess this morning?