Scripture Text (NRSV)
1:4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his
wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters;
1:5 but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her,
though the LORD had closed her womb.
1:6 Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because
the LORD had closed her womb.
1:7 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.
1:8 Her husband Elkanah said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do
you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten
sons?"
1:9 After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and
presented herself before the LORD. Now Eli the priest was sitting on
the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
1:10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD, and wept
bitterly.
1:11 She made this vow: "O LORD of hosts, if only you will look on the
misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant,
but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before
you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither
wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head."
1:12 As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth.
1:13 Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice
was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk.
1:14 So Eli said to her, "How long will you make a drunken spectacle
of yourself? Put away your wine."
1:15 But Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled;
I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring
out my soul before the LORD.
1:16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been
speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time."
1:17 Then Eli answered, "Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the
petition you have made to him."
1:18 And she said, "Let your servant find favor in your sight." Then
the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and
her countenance was sad no longer.
1:19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD;
then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife
Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.
1:20 In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him
Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of the LORD."
Comments:
These are always hard, they do nothing for the person who ask why is
my prayer not answered like Hannah's... Nancy-Wi
Good point, Nancy. But I think this text is also important because of
the focus on Hannah, a woman. Not so much that her prayer is answered
and she gets pregnant, but that her husband accuses her of being drunk
then listens to her when she says no, she was in prayer. We need more
stories of these strong women to be raised up in the pulpit. Of
course, it is disturbing (though typical) that she asks specifically
for a male child, and I'm not sure yet how I'll deal with that. But I
think I'll focus on the fact that, even in those early days, women did
have power over this one thing, their wombs. They may not have had
power over who impregnated them, but their wombs still belonged to
them in some way. This will be a tough text to sell to my
congregation, a traditionalist UCC congregation with mostly elderly
members. But I think it's a beautiful text.
Peace, DHG
I don't see where ANYONE but God listened to Hannah. Her husband
didn't. Eli didn't - he just told her to go in peace, that God would
answer her. He didn't have a clue what had vexed Hannah so deeply. He
didn't ask, she never told.
She was all alone in her pain. Nobody around her understood her
emptiness, or really even seemed to care. Penenniah rubbed her nose in
it. Elkanah discounted her misery, saying "You've got ME, isn't that
more than enough? What do you want with a kid, anyway?" And Eli just
gave her a figurative pat on the shoulder and sent her home. But
Hannah knew GOD would listen, Hannah knew GOD understood the depth of
her pain. How good it is to be able to talk to the very one who
fashioned us, who knows us inside and out, and to pour out our hearts
to one who will listen in love. We may not all get the reply we are
seeking, but so often, the biggest help in sadness and loss is just
having someone who will LISTEN to us. To feel utterly alone is a
horrible hell to walk through.
KyHoosierCat
I see all kinds of things in this text. In many ways I wish I had the
opportunity to preach on this one insted of the Christ the King text
that I have been asked to do. But of course just observing all of you
and your preparations for your congregations on Sunday. I always hold
you up in prayer.
In any case, I see Yahweh observing all these characters. I don't see
Elkanah being uncaring, I see him being honest. He cared for her. Very
similar to Jacob and Rachael. Unfortunately the natural desire for
children, and the cultureal importance of the son for lineage, plus a
competing (not loved as well)other wife, made it natural for Hannah to
want a child. I think also of Eli who had his own problems later with
his sons, probably not really focusing on the needs and facts of the
congregation (sounds familiar!). Wow, just reflecting on this pericope
excites me! Happy preaching preachers!
Shalom
Bammamma
Painful to me in this passage is Hannah's experience of her peers. It
reminds me of the many young women I have witnessed who've gone to
such great lengths (physical transformation--bulemia, breast implants,
etc. being extreme examples) to feel worthy and find a sense of power
in the sight of males, but more often through emotional bullying such
as we see here by Peninnah.
Hannah's only real community of safety, the other women (woman) in her
life, do not support her in the social taboo of barrenness, but rather
taunt her. Hannah is willing to pre-destine (or dedicate, if you will)
a male child's life simply so she becomes equally powerful among her
female friends. Although this passage can be approached in many ways,
as you have all offered previously; for whatever reason, the Holy
Spirit has put upon my heart the tragedy of what our young women go
through in a world still dominated by a male culture that too often
values women only as childbearers or trophies.
Shalom,
PLW
Maybe I'm not reading the text correctly, but I don't see that Elkanah
had put the expectation of anything on Hannah. He loved her just the
way she was. The yearning for a child was Hannah's, not his. He had
sons and daughters through Peninnah.
I'm intrigued by the whole thought process of Hannah's. For whom did
she want this child? It wasn't for Elkanah's sake. It seems to me it
wasn't even for her own internal maternal desire to raise a child --
she was giving the child away for somebody else to raise!!! It must
have been for the purpose of stopping the abuse from Peninnah. What a
reason to have a child - to make somebody like you - or at least to
leave you alone. I can only hope Hannah had a support system somewhere
in her life, but I don't see that she had anyone but God to talk to.
Peninnah was surely no friend. She was a "rival", an opponent, an
emotional abuser. Hopefully Hannah managed to avoid her as much as
possible and talk to God as much as possible.
I'm guessing that if Hannah had a female child, she would not have
been able to offer that child as a Nazarite, and she would have had no
bargaining chip in her conversation with God.
All this is just pondering, perhaps of no value to anyone. That's
fine; I'm just chewing on it at this point.
KyHoosierCat
Hi all. Have been away from preaching for a month or more - between
congregations. I really do appreciate the thoughts i find here -
especially this week's. I wish i had something insightful to add but
don't at this time, rather just wanted to say "thank you". I am just
starting in my new congregation and ask for your prayers. Deke of the
North.
This story explains the circumstances leading to the birth of Samuel
in a pious Israelite family. It exhibits the familiar Israelite motif
of the devout barren wife who eventually conceives a son with the help
of God.
It seemed that Hannah's womb would never produce children, only
misery. In her distress, Hannah does not consider the future devoid of
hope, however. She pleads for God to remember her. Remembrance is a
powerful theme in Hebrew scriptures. God remembered Noah, and the
waters subsided. God remembered Israel in Egypt, and deliverance came.
God remembers Hannah, and her future breaks open with new life. Misery
does not have the last word in Hannah's life. Promise does - and
promise is fulfilled in Samuel's birth.
I feel strong compassion for Hannah. She was in the same boat with
Sarah before Isaac was born. As I read the text, Elkanah and Eli were
also compassionate toward Hannah. Elkanah loved her, gave her a double
portion when he sacrificed, and consoled her in her misery. Eli is
compassionate after he accuses her of drunkeness and she explains that
she is praying. I was pleased to see this in Eli because of what
happens to him because of his sons later. Eli had some good things to
offer in ministry in spite of what happens at the end of his life.
Finally, God is also compassionate in relation to Hannah, as her
prayer petition is granted. The only one who is negative toward Hannah
is Penninah (and that must be a woman/wife thing which some of you
women preachers will have to explain to me). All in all, this is a
touching, heart-warming story. I don't have a clue how to preach it,
but I like it.
Creature Wayne
I suspect that there is something much more to this story than God
answering the prayer of a woman who wanted a child. There is a very
important motif of barren women in the Bible and miraculous
conceptions that must not be overlooked. This passage about Hannah's
pregancy needs to be told as part of the larger story, the spiritual
barrenness of a people. Note that Hannah hands the child back to God
to be taught by Eli and raised as a prophet. This is a story about
Hannah's love of God--she responds to God's gift by offering it back.
Her own personal fulfilment of finally having the child is secondary.
She offered God a future spiritual/political leader. I visited several
sermon sites on-line and not one site offered a sermon from this
perspective ... most talked about Hannah as the model of motherhood
and of answered prayer. (Curious not one of these sermons was written
by a woman.) Problem is: if we preach a sermon from this narrow
perspective couples in the congregation who are trying to conceive
will feel frustrated--"We've prayed and our prayer hasn't been
answered!" or we will have set up women once again to fail..."What
woman can meet these expectations of motherhood!" No, I believe that
the message of the passage lies in what we can offer to God in return
for answered prayer. Hannah's gift was based on self-sacrifice and
God's vision for the world, not hers. Hannah's prayer is relational--a
conversation between her and God. Next week our church will celebrate
the ordination of elders. The passage about Hannah anticipates the
ordination rather nicely--the text will be Samuel's call. An aside:
poor Eli. Not only does he mistaken Hannah's prayers for drunkenness,
he also doesn't realise later that Samuel is being called ("I didn't
call you.") Isn't it interesting that God overlooks the trained
"official, institutional cleric" (Eli) and calls Samuel. Herein lies
the future of the lay leadership in the church. Roberta p.s. DG in nyc
are you preaching this week?
Instead of turning this text into a feminist tract, as some of you
seem to be doing, I see this as a lesson in synergy -- God and
humankind -- male and female, *** working together to fulfill the
needs of humanity and the will of God. After ***, there is no
suggestion of an "imaculate conception." Samuel came the old fashioned
way and required elkanah's full participation. When will we get over
this he-she antagonism and see that we are *** in this together. --NJ
Moving Van
Instead of turning this text into a feminist tract, as some of you
seem to be doing, I see this as a lesson in synergy -- God and
humankind -- male and female, *** working together to fulfill the
needs of humanity and the will of God. After ***, there is no
suggestion of an "imaculate conception." Samuel came the old fashioned
way and required elkanah's full participation. When will we get over
this he-she antagonism and see that we are *** in this together. --NJ
Moving Van
I think Elkanah is getting a bad rap! He's very concerned about her --
why do you not eat? Maybe he doesn't say all the right words, but he
cares for her deeply and I see no reason to suspect that she doesn't
appreciate it. I'm willing to speculate that his love is part of her
strength. But desiring a child is a completely different thing from
loving a spouse -- can't compare them, they're apples and oranges.
Penninah and Eli, however, aren't worth much, I agree. It's Eli that
calls her drunk, not her husband, and he's anything but pastoral
toward her.
RevCes
If Elkanah loved Hannah so much, why didn't he tell Peninnah to shut
up and protect Hannah from her? And if coming after your
grief-stricken wife with questions like "Why are you crying? Why are
you refusing to eat? Aren't I good enough for you?" are "consoling"
words, then I've been consoling people in sad situations wrong all
these years. ("Why are you sad about the death of your spouse and
refusing to eat? Isn't your relationship with the rest of your family
enough?)
Whatever else was going on in Hannah's world before her pregnancy, God
responded and gave her this son, who ended up being one of the finest
Biblical characters we meet. Hannah asked for any son, she got Samuel.
Anonymous
O come on, Anonymous. When you say "And if coming after your
grief-stricken wife with questions like "Why are you crying? Why are
you refusing to eat? Aren't I good enough for you?" are "consoling"
words, then I've been consoling people in sad situations wrong ***
these years" you seem to forget that Elkanah did not have the benefit
of 2 years of CPE or two millenia of evolving insights into human
behavior. Some of us are well-meaning clods when we are dealing with
those we love in delicate situations. Give Elkanah a break. NJ Moving
Van.
I am preaching on this "Hannah" text from the point of view of the
movement from the prayer of lament to the prayer of praise. In a
wonderful book entitled "Rachel's Cry," by Kathleen Billman and Daniel
Migliore, they write that these two voices of prayer belong together
in the practice of Christian faith. There is a quote from Walter
Brueggemann: "Only grief permits newness, only lament makes way for
praise." I hope to explore in this context the themes of barrenness
and hope, emptiness and fullness, and our need today to express
prayers of lament that move us closer to God and to prayers of praise
and thanksgiving. Ruth in CT
Ruth in CT, your post and your idea remind me of a poem (author
unknown) that begins:
"Thanksgiving is a psalm of lament that gives praises to God when all
the complaining is done,
Knowing that life, in good times and in bad, belongs to the merciful
One."
KyHoosierCat
Thanks so much Ruth in CT...that's exactly what I was looking for.
Something that leads us deeper into the story. Can you say something
more about the Billman book. A paragraph or two that spins out the
ideas a bit more? I don't have access to it. In the process of moving
through her barrenness, Hannah came to know God in a much more
profound way. So profound, in fact, that she was able to dedicate her
son to God--the very thing she wanted she returned as a symbol of her
fulfilment. This is not a "feminist tract" -- this is an attempt to
move the story beyond the stereotypes and easy answers of a
superficial theology. God doesn't always answer our prayers, but we
will find fulfilment and meaning in our conversation of prayer with
God. (I've been teaching a world religions course to a high school
class on the side this fall and I have a wonderful little story from
Hinduism that talks about the spiritual gift of being able to give
from the heart. I'll type it out if you'd like, Ruth.) Roberta
Hi, sorry if this is a bit off topic, i'm doing a children's talk and
sunday school for our service this sunday, and i have absolutely *no
idea* of what to do,i was hoping that someone on this board knew
something that is quick and simple to set up?
thanks in advance
I never could judge Peneniah too harshly for provoking Hannah. I'd be
jealous, too, if I was a co-wife and our husband preferred the one who
wasn't me.
Sally in gA
KHC - I like your poem. It would work especially well if you paired up
this OT reading with the Gospel reading.
Sally
We discussed this passage during Bible Study this morning. One thing
we discovered is that Eli's reaction might have been a bit justified
as it probably wasn't that uncommon for people to be drunk during this
annual pilgrimage. As "The Interpreter's Bible" states: "There is
evidence of drunken excess at feasts in later times (Amos 2:8; Isaiah
28:7) Eli, too, must have been accustomed to it..." The next comment
is interesting also: "It was presumably usual to pray aloud, and
Hannah's incoherence gave Eli sone excuse for error." There is no
doubt that culturally we might make some assumptions here. However,
while Eli doesn't promise Hannah anything, he does bless her. Once he
hears her concern, his words seem compassionate and kind to me. There
is certainly some thought provoking discussion going on here. However,
we are celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism this Sunday and I wondered
if any of you had any wisdom to share where this passage and Baptism
are concerned. Thanks and blessings. Rev. Tim South Central Ontario,
Canada
I appreciate the move to a deeper reading of this text. To look only
at the "barren woman finally gets pregnant because she prays hard
enough" motif on the surface is painful, I think. For me, anyway, as
one who lost two pregnancies. (I do have the gift of two great kids.)
Hannah just always seemed kind of obsessed to me, as one person
pointed out, begging for a son just to turn him over after a few
years.
But one thing that struck me was the peace she received, even before
having gotten pregnant. She unloaded her heart, made her offer to God,
received Eli's blessing, asked for his favor, and then went home to
eat and drink with her husband. "...and her countenance was sad no
longer."
I'm sure she wouldn't have stayed so peaceful if the baby hadn't come,
but it really may be that the act of opening herself to God, of
dedicating that which she desired most to make her life
complete--pledging this was what brought her peace. This is the same
as someone else has already said, so I guess I could have saved my
breath! Thanks for the help on this; I was intrigued and attracted by
the story but also struggled with where to go.
Laura in TX
Laura in TX you are right. Thanks for your reflection, it really
helped me to see that this story is about Spirituality, not (quote)"barren
woman finally gets pregnant because she prays hard enough.
Hannah found peace and joy that came from her spiritual time with God.
From lament, from offering, from recieving a blessing. Her peace came
well before she found she was pregnant. In some ways this story is
about her falling pregnant, but I believe way more than that, it is a
beautiful story about relationships, longings, unfulfillment- and
finding fulfillment and joy in God. Samuel came later...he was
incidental maybe. S in Aus
Tim in South Central Ontario
For Baptism, I might pair this up with the Hebrews and/or Gospel. And
your own words gave me this idea: "putting in a kind word." Eli's
words, I agree, are very kind to Hannah. The promise, the hope of the
Gospel is God's kind word to us, that our lamentation has to be no
more because we are brought into a relationship with God.
I agree with the others: this isn't about getting pregnant (though, in
a way it is, because as we all know, barrenness was seen to be a sort
of punishment from, or being ignored by God), but about the
unburdening of her soul. Although, I don't know if she would have gone
back to being so burdened even if she HADN'T conceived.
Sally
PLW: I love your thoughts. This would be a good text to preach about
the ways in which women continue to strive and scramble to "prove
themselves," through extreme dieting, Botox, plastic surgery, etc.
Male children may no longer be our primary goal (in fact, pregnancy
causes those darn stretch marks, for which there are numerous creams
and exercises to remove), but we are certainly not over proving
ourselves as human beings, through meticulous care of our appearances,
etc. I am not sure I will go in this direction, since I have a very
elderly congregation and many of them are wonderfully well beyond
caring so much how they look. But it may give me some good ideas.
Happy preaching!
Peace, DHG
I am reminded that November is National Epilepsy Month, and that may
work into this sermon. Here's why it's relevant to this text: There is
a type of epilepsy in which sufferers experience what are known as
partial seizures. Unlike the more well known tonic-clonic (or grand
mal) seizures), sufferers do not lose consciousness or fall on the
ground shaking in any dramatic way. In fact, one may not even notice
that someone is having a partial seizure, because in many cases they
may simply stare off into space. Okay, I'm digressing from the
relevance: People who have partial seizures may appear to be "drunk"
or "high," and police officers have often falsely arrested them for
public drunkenness, because they may lose control of their actions,
may react aggresively if touched, and may not be aware of what they
are doing. I am reminded of Eli's initial reaction to Hannah when she
was deep in prayer. Like I said, I am not sure quite how to work this
into a sermon, but I am dealing with this in my personal life right
now and saw the connection. It may also be a way to raise awareness
for Epilepsy Month and do a little teaching, if not from the pulpit
than in some sort of Bible study setting.
Peace, DHG
DHG, one of the great things about this forum is that we can hear a
variety of ways this Scripture resonates with people. You saw a
connection between Hannah's prayer and epilepsy which I would have
never seen. In that light, I share this: I had a member in a former
church who had that partial siezure condition you describe. Regularly,
on Sunday mornings, she would suddenly stiffen, her eyes would sort of
glaze over, and she sat in complete silence for a minute or two. Her
husband, an overwhelmingly strong man, would feel her body contract,
and would gently put his arm around her to support her - although I do
believe it was more of a "when she comes out of this, I want her to
know I'm here" support than an attempt to keep her from falling. While
her condition distressed her, it was lovely to see this huge man doing
all he could do for his tiny, tiny wife. He couldn't stop her problem
from happening, but he gave what he could, and she loved him for it.
KyHoosierCat
