I have posted about Hannah before, but it occurs to me that her husband, Elkanah, deserves some attention, too. In 1 Samuel 1, Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. God shut up Hannah’s womb, but Peninnah had several children. Elkanah loved Hannah more than he loved Peninnah, but Peninnah took the opportunity to harass Hannah about it. I have to believe that Peninnah was jealous of the way Elkanah treated Hannah, and tried to convince Hannah (and herself) that she was the better wife, because she was providing Elkanah with a legacy.
Unfortunately, Elkanah either wasn’t fully aware of what was going on, or he just didn’t know how to deal with it. To be honest, I don’t understand why Elkanah had two wives in the first place. I realize that it wasn’t considered immoral at that time, but it was something that was usually reserved for men with some measure of power. Perhaps Elkanah was wealthy, it doesn’t say. If he loved Hannah, then why was he also married to Peninnah? I have to think that he wasn’t overly bright—having two wives just isn’t a good idea. At the same time, I know men today, that, in a situation like that, would probably tell Hannah, “What are you complaining to me for? Peninnah’s not having any trouble conceiving; the problem obviously isn’t on my end!” Apparently Elkanah was at least smart enough to realize that there would be times when he would be asleep, while Hannah was awake under his roof, possibly even in his bed. Believe me when I tell you that falling asleep while there’s an angry wife in the house is a bad idea.
I think that Elkanah tried to at least do things for her, to try to make up for her barrenness. At one point he said, “Am I not better to thee than ten sons?” For the here and now, maybe he was, but Hannah wanted a legacy. The question itself shows that maybe he didn’t really understand what she was going through (or maybe he was just frustrated because he didn’t feel that there was anything he could do). Thanks to Peninnah, Elkanah had a legacy, but Hannah wanted to have her own children and grandchildren and possibly even great-grandchildren. There was nothing Elkanah could do that would make up for that.
He could have told Peninnah to leave Hannah alone, or he would rip her lips off. Perhaps he was not aware that Peninnah was giving Hannah a hard time; possibly he had told Peninnah repeatedly to stop harassing Hannah, but she continued behind his back—He couldn’t be with them 24 hours a day, after all. Hannah doesn’t seem like the type of person that would running to Elkanah every time Peninnah said something to her, either.
Elkanah, to some extent, was caught in the middle. He had a wife that he loved very much, and she had an adversary right there under his roof. Unfortunately for Elkanah, Hannah’s adversary was just as much Elkanah’s wife as Hannah was. I’m sure that when he married two wives, he wasn’t planning on being their referee. Even more than that, though, Hannah had a problem that Elkanah couldn’t even identify with. She had no children, and it grieved her. He had children, just not by her, but he didn’t even seem to understand why it bothered her. You know, sometimes you just have to be willing to cry with someone only because you know that they are hurting, even when you don’t understand what it is that has upset them.
The bottom line, of course, is that Hannah had to go to God for her answer. God had shut up her womb, as part of a greater plan. She wanted a legacy, and, oh boy, did God give her a legacy. Not one but two books of the Bible are named for the son that she gave birth to after God answered her prayer, and she continued to have more children after that. God had a plan all right.
We need to understand from Hannah’s story that we are going to have adversaries. Whether it’s a ‘friend’ who can’t resist telling you about how good her life is (and if that’s the case, you might want to look at what you’ve got that she hasn’t got, because there is a good chance that she’s only telling you that because there’s something in your life that she’s jealous of), or a boss that sets unrealistic goals (in which case, pray for him that he could understand your job better, so that he can do his job better), or maybe just somebody that doesn’t like the fact that you are a Christian (pray for that person, too, because they really need to get saved). There is bound to be somebody, and the people that we love, and that love and care for us aren’t necessarily going to help (sometimes they honestly won’t be able to help, and sometimes they won’t understand your problem enough to be able to help, and sometimes they’ll just be too wrapped up in their own problems). Keep in mind, though, that God has a plan. His plan won’t necessarily be clear to us, but in the end, all things work together for good…
What we can learn from Elkanah’s story is that people around us are going to have problems. We won’t always be able to solve their problems (men, in particular, find it really frustrating to not be able to solve problems, even someone else’s problems—especially our wives’ problems), but we can show some sympathy, and take the problems to God. Sometimes it will take a considerable amount of work just to understand the problem, but a soul may hang in the balance. Keep in mind that oftentimes God allows problems to exist only so that He can be glorified, but we have to have the faith to see it through.
Unfortunately, Elkanah either wasn’t fully aware of what was going on, or he just didn’t know how to deal with it. To be honest, I don’t understand why Elkanah had two wives in the first place. I realize that it wasn’t considered immoral at that time, but it was something that was usually reserved for men with some measure of power. Perhaps Elkanah was wealthy, it doesn’t say. If he loved Hannah, then why was he also married to Peninnah? I have to think that he wasn’t overly bright—having two wives just isn’t a good idea. At the same time, I know men today, that, in a situation like that, would probably tell Hannah, “What are you complaining to me for? Peninnah’s not having any trouble conceiving; the problem obviously isn’t on my end!” Apparently Elkanah was at least smart enough to realize that there would be times when he would be asleep, while Hannah was awake under his roof, possibly even in his bed. Believe me when I tell you that falling asleep while there’s an angry wife in the house is a bad idea.
I think that Elkanah tried to at least do things for her, to try to make up for her barrenness. At one point he said, “Am I not better to thee than ten sons?” For the here and now, maybe he was, but Hannah wanted a legacy. The question itself shows that maybe he didn’t really understand what she was going through (or maybe he was just frustrated because he didn’t feel that there was anything he could do). Thanks to Peninnah, Elkanah had a legacy, but Hannah wanted to have her own children and grandchildren and possibly even great-grandchildren. There was nothing Elkanah could do that would make up for that.
He could have told Peninnah to leave Hannah alone, or he would rip her lips off. Perhaps he was not aware that Peninnah was giving Hannah a hard time; possibly he had told Peninnah repeatedly to stop harassing Hannah, but she continued behind his back—He couldn’t be with them 24 hours a day, after all. Hannah doesn’t seem like the type of person that would running to Elkanah every time Peninnah said something to her, either.
Elkanah, to some extent, was caught in the middle. He had a wife that he loved very much, and she had an adversary right there under his roof. Unfortunately for Elkanah, Hannah’s adversary was just as much Elkanah’s wife as Hannah was. I’m sure that when he married two wives, he wasn’t planning on being their referee. Even more than that, though, Hannah had a problem that Elkanah couldn’t even identify with. She had no children, and it grieved her. He had children, just not by her, but he didn’t even seem to understand why it bothered her. You know, sometimes you just have to be willing to cry with someone only because you know that they are hurting, even when you don’t understand what it is that has upset them.
The bottom line, of course, is that Hannah had to go to God for her answer. God had shut up her womb, as part of a greater plan. She wanted a legacy, and, oh boy, did God give her a legacy. Not one but two books of the Bible are named for the son that she gave birth to after God answered her prayer, and she continued to have more children after that. God had a plan all right.
We need to understand from Hannah’s story that we are going to have adversaries. Whether it’s a ‘friend’ who can’t resist telling you about how good her life is (and if that’s the case, you might want to look at what you’ve got that she hasn’t got, because there is a good chance that she’s only telling you that because there’s something in your life that she’s jealous of), or a boss that sets unrealistic goals (in which case, pray for him that he could understand your job better, so that he can do his job better), or maybe just somebody that doesn’t like the fact that you are a Christian (pray for that person, too, because they really need to get saved). There is bound to be somebody, and the people that we love, and that love and care for us aren’t necessarily going to help (sometimes they honestly won’t be able to help, and sometimes they won’t understand your problem enough to be able to help, and sometimes they’ll just be too wrapped up in their own problems). Keep in mind, though, that God has a plan. His plan won’t necessarily be clear to us, but in the end, all things work together for good…
What we can learn from Elkanah’s story is that people around us are going to have problems. We won’t always be able to solve their problems (men, in particular, find it really frustrating to not be able to solve problems, even someone else’s problems—especially our wives’ problems), but we can show some sympathy, and take the problems to God. Sometimes it will take a considerable amount of work just to understand the problem, but a soul may hang in the balance. Keep in mind that oftentimes God allows problems to exist only so that He can be glorified, but we have to have the faith to see it through.
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