1 Samuel 1:3-8
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. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 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. 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?”
Tag: Evil in the heart
In the above text we see that Hannah really wanted to have a baby. Yet, she could not conceive. That emotion is gut-wrenching for women. Not only was Hannah's husband insensitive, her sister-wife was cruel. Why does this happen? If anyone should be sensitive it would be another woman!! Yet, in this multiple wife setting they had become rivals. Elkanah, the husband, as not helping by giving Hannah more attention and more gifts. The two of them (Elkanah and Peninnah) were at two extremes to her suffering. One wanted to harass her and the other wanted to spoil her. Neither hit the mark. The reaction of Peninnah gives us great insight into it what happens in the heart of a person. There is evil in the heart (Romans 3:23) and it comes out in the actions of jealous, envy, ego, and injustice. We seem to harbor such animosity to others. Save God's grace we would devour one another. God is a God of grace. This above text shows us that man is not a man of grace. Hannah needed grace from those around her. Not pity. Not harassment. Our response to those suffering should be the same as the response of God: Grace.
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