Hannah’s example is recorded in the Old Testament Book of 1Samuel. In the first chapter, we learn a great deal about her struggle and how she handled devastating disappointment. She was married to a man that had two wives, and this was not an optimum situation for any woman living then or now. Many people have incorrectly believed that God was okay with the polygamous marriages that occurred in Old Testament days, but this is not true. God’s Will is that a man will have only one wife and a woman will have only one husband. In Titus 1:6(ESV), He lays out His standard for a man in a position of Godly leadership. He said this person must be “above reproach, the husband of one wife.” Hannah wasn’t married to a man like this, and as we read about her life, we’ll see how she was blessed despite the obstacles she faced.
Regarding the first married couple, Genesis 2 tells us that God put Adam to sleep and removed a rib from Adam’s body and made his wife, Eve. Genesis 2:24(NLT) tells us, “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” We’re to have oneness with one person, and this is the person God sends us. Elkanah was a Levite, and he was Hannah’s husband. He, like many other men living during his time, violated God’s Word in Genesis 2:24 and thought nothing of it. We should be mindful of how fast and deep sin had penetrated even the minds of God’s people. Like many living today, they made the unacceptable a way of life.
Hannah was in a tough spot indeed. Because of Adam’s and Eve’s sin, satan landed a curse on the unity of marriage and it brought division and inequality among men and women. During early biblical days, wives were considered to be a man’s property. A wife was obligated to perform her wifely duties, and her principle duty was to produce an heir for her husband. If she was unable to conceive, she was considered damaged by her husband, his family, and the community at large. Should he have wanted it, not giving him an heir was legal grounds for divorce.
Elkanah didn’t pursue a divorce. He loved Hannah and tried to be good to her, but this didn’t squash her insecurity about being married to a man that didn’t think she alone was enough. He had to have another, Peninnah, and she didn’t appear to have any problems in the baby-making department. She ridiculed Hannah miserably and provoked her so much that Hannah’s disappointment consumed her, and she lost her appetite.
As we can well imagine, this thing was heavy on Hannah’s heart. She cried so much because she wanted to please her husband. Back then, a woman’s worth was defined by her ability to produce an heir, and Hannah desperately wanted to be looked upon as a worthy woman. Having a child was all she thought about, but it wasn’t happening, and the disappointment broke her heart.
1Samuel 1:10(NLT) says, “Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD.” Oh, can we relate. Whether it’s issues in our significant relationships, our jobs, finances, or attacks against our total well-being, disappointments can overwhelm us. They usually occur at an unsuspecting time, when our guards are down and we’re thinking everything is hunky dory. Disappointments can make us feel extremely vulnerable, and our doubts and insecurities begin to rear their ugly heads. We might feel alone and without a solution, but Hannah’s example teaches us that this is never the case.
Understand this, God made sure that we, as future readers of His Word, would understand that Hannah was balling her eyes out because of her desire. She knew she couldn’t go to her husband, to her mom or dad, or to her friends. Hannah knew exactly who to go to, and she teaches us that when our backs are against the wall, our God sees us, and He will come to our aid.
Remember, we’re talking about making a dead womb alive. We’re talking about hope where there didn’t seem to the average person to be any. Hannah couldn’t go to a hospital. There were no fertility drugs or invitro technology. Hannah’s only choice was to believe and trust that God would work in her favor and that is exactly what He did.
Hannah and Elkanah were Samuel’s parents, and Samuel was a wonderful prophet. His mother, Hannah, vowed to God that if He would bless her with a son, she would dedicate the life of that son in service to our Heavenly Father. God accepted her vow and honored it because Hannah was faithful. This is an extremely consequential key for all believers. As God’s children of light, we have a duty and responsibility to be faithful to HIM and to respond to His promises in a way that backs our faith. Sometimes we forget this. We respond to Him with scattered thoughts and feelings of insecurity. His grace allows this for a time, but He expects us to grow up and be spiritually mature.
The Apostle Paul said in 1Corinthians 13:11(NLT), “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” Our response must forever and always be one of faith and gratitude to God. Hannah understood the principles of faith and gratitude, and she offered God a gift she believed to be equal to the blessing. Be clear that it wasn’t the vow that moved God, it was Hannah’s heart.
2Chronicles 16:9 tells us that the Lord searches the whole earth to give strength to those that have hearts that are fully committed to Him. A fully committed heart is a magnet for God’s power, and the mix of Hannah’s desire and willingness to reverence Him above all else revealed the heart that God was searching for.
Some of us have a desperate desire, and it is a deep longing in our hearts. We can be sure that God knows exactly what that longing is. He’s aware that we’ve endured devastating disappointment, and He wants us to know that He is our Source, and we must seek Him just as Hannah did. We also must understand that, yes, the purity and strength of our desire, as well as our commitment to never place it above our faith in God, is going to be tested by the devil.
Hannah anguished over this testing. Peninnah’s ridicule, years of enduring the rumors of others, and feeling like a disappointment herself, she went through all of this and more, but Hannah did not give up. If she were alive today, I’m sure she would testify that her faith in God was tested and purified by the fire. Her faith came out as pure gold, and we should be able to say the same.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyn`dale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Handling Devastating Disappointment”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!