Ai – The Barren Wife First Samuel 1: 1-8

The Barren Wife
First Samuel 1: 1-8

The barren wife DIG: In ancient times, how did the Jews view a barren wife? Why? How did Elkanah actually contribute to the conflict within his house? Why did Elkanah take his family up to Shiloh year after year? How did Hannah’s barrenness seem to correspond to Isra’el’s spiritual state at that time? How did ADONAI use Hannah’s barrenness to bring Isra’el out of the dark era of the Judges?

REFLECT: Is there some way that your life is barren right now? What lesson does Hannah teach us about barrenness? What “unchangeable” situation have you grieved over as Hannah did? When has ADONAI led you into a time of disappointment before granting your heart’s desire? What encouragement can you find in this passage? In God’s faithfulness? What lessons can husbands learn from Elkanah?

Peninnah had Elkanah’s children, but Hannah had his heart.

Samuel was born sometime around the year 1050 BC. The book of Judges sets the context: In those days there was no king in Isra’el. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 2:10). This was the condition of the nation at the time of Samuel’s birth. Isra’el faced a leadership crisis that was accompanied by a spiritual crisis. Having entered the Promised Land in victory and strength, the people of God had lost their way spiritually, politically, and militarily. Judges 2:10 explains why: After Joshua and his generation, there arose another generation after them who did not know ADONAI.

Forgetting the LORD is the greatest evil that can happen to any generation. Because the Israelites didn’t rely on God’s help, they failed to drive out the remnants of the Canaanites; but instead, began to follow in their pagan ways and to worship their unholy idols. In punishment, Ha’Shem (see the commentary on Dani’el Ae – Ha’Shem) gave the Israelites over into the hands of their enemies, periodically showing mercy by raising up judges to deliver them (see the commentary on Judges, to see link click At – The Twelve Cycles). The book of Judges concludes with several accounts that show us the immoral setting in which Samuel was born and raised, including the spiritual corruption of the priesthood, the idolatry of the people, and the moral squalor of their society (see Judges Bz – The Results of the Era of the Judges).¹²

The birth of Samuel foreshadowed a new age. The Scriptures always take care to inform us of the birth and upbringing of its most important figures, and so it is here. Just as Moses, Samson, John the Baptist, and Yeshua Messiah were all born in times of distress to humble, godly parents, the book begins: Now there was a man from Ramathaim-zophim, a Tzuphite, in the hills of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah the son of Jerocham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tochu, the son of Tzuf, an Ephraimite (1:1). The beginning of the description of Samuel’s father, Elkanah, is identical to that of Samson’s father, Manoah, in Judges 13:2. Each description begins with the statement, “There was a man,” followed by the name of his hometown, his own name, the tribe he came from or living with, and a reference to his marital status.

Ramathaim-zophim was a small town in the very heart of Isra’el, belonging to the territory allotted to Ephraim, not far from its border with Judah, about five miles north of what would later be the city of Jerusalem. There, Samuel was born, lived, and died. In 1:19a it is simply called by the shorter form: Ramah, from the Hebrew verb rum, meaning to be high (no pun intended). Ancient towns in the vicinity were usually on hilltops. The form of the word Ramathaim (meaning the two heights of the zophites) suggests two adjacent summits on which the town was built. Samuel was a member of the Kohathite clan of the tribe of Levi (see the commentary on Numbers At – The Clan of Kohath), and an ancestor of the Tabernacle and Temple musicians (First Chronicles 6:16, 22, and 31-33). The reference to Samuel’s father as an Ephramite, then, relates to the territory where he lived rather than to his tribe. The name Elkanah means “God has created [a son]” and is tantalizingly prophetic of what would soon occur in Hannah’s womb.¹³

He had two wives, one named Hannah (meaning grace) and the other Peninnah (meaning pearl). Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children (1:2). Barrenness in ancient times was the ultimate disgrace for a married woman, since her husband’s hopes and dreams depended on her providing him with a son to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate. The skillful way in which the two wives are introduced (Hannah, Peninnah, Peninnah, Hannah) prepares the reader to expect that the barren wife will become the mother of a son. Hannah was being tested like the famous women before her: Sarah (Genesis 11:30), Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), Rachel (Genesis 29:31), and the wife of Manoah (Judges 13:2). Apparently Hannah was his first wife, and when she proved barren, he married Peninnah so he could have a son. We don’t know why Elkanah didn’t wait on the LORD and trust Him to work out His plan, but even Abraham married Hagar, and Jacob ended up with four wives! While bigamy and divorce were not prohibited by the Torah (Deuteronomy 21:15-17 and 24:1-4), ADONAI’s original plan was the one man be married to one woman for life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ij – Is It Lawful for a Man to Divorce His Wife?).¹⁴

Hannah’s barrenness seems to correspond to Isra’el’s spiritual state at that time. Women who suffer this condition often wonder how God is involved, but in Hannah’s case we know, since the text informs us that ADONAI had closed her womb (1:5). There are many reasons why God brings trials into the lives of His people, often to stimulate our faith, but in the case of the mother of such an important figure as Samuel, the point had not only to do with Hannah, but also with Isra’el. The LORD closed Hannah’s womb to remind Isra’el that He had also caused the people to be spiritually barren because of their idolatry and unbelief. Isra’el was God’s barren wife, having failed to give Him the children of faith He desired. As a nation, Isra’el demonstrated her barrenness in the lack of the strong leadership of a true king. The situation in Elkanah’s family is intended as a parable of Isra’el’s situation at that moment in history. Hannah’s anxiety over having no children, even though Elkanah loved her, paralleled Isra’el’s anxiety over having no king in spite of the care and love of ADONAI.

What God shows us through Hannah is relevant for every believer whose faith seems barren. It is true for barren churches, as the Church in the West, including America, can largely be considered today, bearing very little of the harvest of holiness and zeal for truth that YHVH desires. As we continue in Hannah’s story, she will model for us the grace-seeking prayer (see Aj – Hannah’s Prayer) that we need to offer to Ha’Shem. But in these opening verses we see another essential point. For in a time when Isra’el as a whole had forgotten the LORD, Elkanah went up from Ramah to Shiloh (see Ae – The Tabernacle at Shiloh) year after year (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Db – The Three Pilgrimage Festivals) to worship and sacrifice to ADONAI-Tzva’ot, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of ‘Eli, were priests of ADONAI (1:3). Elkanah did not go up to Shiloh to see ‘Eli or his sons, but to come before the Holy One and renew his covenant faithfulness. Elkanah did what we must do: he prioritized the place of God in his life and focused on Him. He knew he was a sinner, and sought God’s grace by means of the shed blood of a sacrifice.¹⁵

The family feast that followed the sacrifice was the culmination of the pilgrimage. Whereas no offeror ate the meat of his own purification offering (see the commentary on Leviticus Al – The Purification Offering: Purified by the Blood), he was given back a substantial part of his own peace offering (see Leviticus Ak – The Peace Offering: At Peace with God). And this meat was enjoyed at the meal in celebration of his restored fellowship with God. On that occasion, when Elkanah was sacrificing, he gave a portion of the sacrifice to his wife Peninnah and to each of her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, unwittingly contributing to the conflict within his house, because he loved Hannah more . . . even though ADONAI had closed her womb. Her rival taunted her and made her feel bad, because ADONAI had kept her from having children, and Peninnah missed no opportunity to inflict misery on her. All this was Hannah’s bitter portion, year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of ADONAI, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat (1:4-7).¹⁶ In the very place where she should have found hope – in the house of ADONAI – Hannah experienced only agony. The congregations of God are sometimes a most depressing place for those who feel all alone in their trials, though it is also the place they most need to be. Realizing this, we need be aware of the afflictions of others, to be careful about what we say and how we act while rejoicing in our own blessings and go out of our way to provide heartfelt sympathy and support to those who grieve.¹⁷

But even here at the beginning of her story, there are two signs of hope for Hannah. The first sign was the very statement about God’s involvement: He had closed her womb (1:5). The LORD does not seek to destroy us through our trials but to increase our faith. So, if ADONAI is the One who closed her womb, she could take heart, since He could also be the One to open it. Instead of resenting Ha’Shem’s sovereignty in our trials, we should lift up our hearts. Our God has proved His faithfulness and love by sending His one-and-only Son to die for our sins. In Hannah’s day, He was well known as the God who was faithful to deliver Isra’el from bondage in Egypt, and who was mighty in securing the Promised Land for them. Rather than assuming some unholy, spiteful, or condemning purpose in our trials, we need to remember that YHVH is holy, so all His deeds are holy. God is good, so He intends our sorrows for good, and the Holy One is filled with mercy. For ADONAI is close to the brokenhearted and saves those whose spirit is crushed (Psalm 34;18).

In Hannah’s case, Ha’Shem was using her plight to bring about Isra’el’s deliverance from the dark era of the Judges. This was a cause dear to Hannah’s heart, as we know from the song that she later lifted up to praise God (see Ao – Hannah’s Song). We may never know how ADONAI has worked through our most bitter trials to bring others to salvation, or to equip us with the sensitivity in ministry to others. But we do know that we can have confidence in God’s purpose in our lives (see Romans Cl – Our Bodies and Redemption).

A famous example from church history is the tearful experience of Monica, the mother of the early Church’s greatest theologian, Augustine of Hippo. As a devoted believer, Monica was grieved by her brilliant son’s disdain for the Gospel, and even more so for the sexually immoral life that he was leading. Night after night she pleaded with the Lord for Augustine. One night was especially trying, for the next morning her son planned to board a ship bound for Rome, where there would be plenty of sin to be found by a young man. All night she prayed, and when Monica arose in the morning to find her son gone, she wept bitterly before God. Little did she know that in Italy her son would come under the influence of the famous preacher Ambrose of Milan, and that during his stay there he would declare his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior! Moreover, the very debauchery over which that faithful mother grieved provided Augustine with a keen appreciation for God’s grace. His teaching of salvation by grace alone would have a profound influence on generations to come, including a direct influence on the men used by God to lead the Protestant Reformation.

The second cause for Hannah’s hope was the tender love displayed by her husband Elkanah. He said to her, “Hannah, why are you crying, and why aren’t you eating? Why be so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons” (1:8)? As a typical man (who is often clueless concerning their wife’s heart), Elkanah’s words are not above criticism, and might even be considered self-centered. Notice that he asked her, “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” rather than telling her, “You are worth more than ten sons to me!” So it will often be that the most well-meaning friends may not know what to say, and they may say it imperfectly (or worse). But there is One whose comfort does not fail and whose remedy never fails. The ultimate cause for Hannah’s hope lay in the LORD and in the reality that she had not, in fact, given up her faith in Him. As great as Elkanah’s love for Hannah was, there was a far greater love than his, and a Comforter who could do what her husband never could, One who could answer Hannah’s plea and grant the desire of her heart.

The prevalence of barren wombs among women most blessed by God may have caught Hannah’s attention, and if so, she may have realized that a son whom she should bear could be of special importance to ADONAI. This idea is suggested by the prayer that Hannah sings at the beginning of Chapter 2. The biblical theme of God’s blessing on the barren womb makes the important point that He saves not by human capability, human achievement, or human deeds. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). YHVH causes the barren womb to bear children, just as He responds to the faith of a barren heart. Thus, the Lord calls us not to trust human wisdom or human effort, and not to despair in the face of human failure; but to trust ADONAI, who gives life to the dead and salvation to those who seek Him. Hannah’s affliction, like ours, was therefore a call to faith in the Holy One. Her weakness was a call of reliance on God’s power. Her failure was a call to believe in God’s faithfulness. And her grief was a call for her to seek God’s grace.

Grateful though Hannah might have been for her husband’s love, her true hope lay in a greater love than his. Her hope lay in the LORD, whose whole record of dealing with Isra’el was one of faithfulness, power, and grace. Our true hope, in all our trials, and especially in the burden of guilt for sin, is that same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who has revealed His love forever by sending His own Son to redeem us by His blood. Indeed, when the time came for our Savior to be born, He was conceived by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh not in a barren womb like Hannah’s, but in the virgin womb of Miryam, proving that nothing is impossible for our God. When we are without strength, without resources, without hope, and without human gimmicks – then the Creator of the universe loves to stretch out His hand from heaven. King David once asked himself: Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why are you so disturbed within me? His answer? It is the answer that we will see revealed through the faith of Hannah, an answer that all who know the Lord can come to embrace in every trial: Put your hope in ADONAI, for I will again praise Him, my Savior and my God (Psalm 43:5).¹⁸

Dear Heavenly Father, You are always so wonderful and loving! You care about each of Your children and tenderly guide our lives. Through Hannah’s bareness, she had great pain at first, she was blessed later when You opened her womb. Though in the midst of trials there are hurts and pains, but whenever You rescue Your children Lord, there is a greater joy. In the same way that Hannah cried in her bareness then later rejoiced in Your blessing her with a child, so also Your children cry now in trials, but rejoice when You deliver us. Even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.  These trials are so that the true metal of your faith (far more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire) may come to light in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua (First Peter 1:6b-7). Life’s trials will soon be over, but the lessons we learn from them will last thru all eternity! For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen