The story of Hannah is the introduction, the opening chapter to the two books of Samuel. Are you familiar with Hannah’s story? If you quickly read it through, it seems that we have a story about a deal between a childless Hannah and God. Hannah’s despondency is at an epic low. And in her desperation, she prays to God: if you give me a baby boy, I’ll dedicate him to you for his whole life. Seems like a good deal, Hannah becomes a valued member of the family and society because she has produced a son, and God gets a child dedicated to a lifetime of service. At face value it seems a bit like bargaining with God and if God likes what you offer, well, God will grant you what you’ve asked.
Ever done that, offered up a bargaining prayer to God? I think we’ve all probably done that before—like if you’re driving in a really bad storm and you pray something like; Hey God if you get me safely home and out of this mess, I’ll quit smoking, or visit Great-Aunt Minnie in the nursing home every week, or go to church every Sunday—or—well—I’m sure you can fill in the blank! And then once you’re home you forget all about your end of the bargain. Well I think Hannah’s story is more than simply a deal she wants to make with God, it goes deeper than that and we need to go deeper into the story to truly understand what’s going on.
Hannah’s story is one of deep emotional distress because of her inability to have a baby, and one that women today still can empathize with. Hannah’s story is a story of finding God in the depths of distress. And it’s a story of hope at a time of moral, religious and social chaos, the time before the first of the Kings of the Kingdom of Israel.
Now, when you read this story, you just know that an important person for the history of the people of Israel is to be born, because Hannah is unable to conceive, like many other women in the early history of God’s chosen people: like Sarah, wife to Abraham and mother of Isaac, Rebekah wife of Isaac, mother of Jacob and Esau; Rachel, wife to Jacob later called Israel, who was the mother of Joseph of the coat of many colours fame, the mother of Samson and now Hannah. And in the New Testament, we have Elizabeth, wife of Zachariah who becomes a mother in her old age to John the Baptist. One commentator explains it thusly: “The birth of human life often serves as a symbol of hope. When a promised child is born in desperate times, the pregnancy itself become a site of expectation The beginning of the book of 1st Samuel is set in such a time.”[1]
Samuel is born to be a prophet, and is the one who ushers in the time of the Kings for the people of Israel, as it is Samuel who anoints Saul as their first King, and later the great King David.
Hannah is one of the 2 wives of Elkanah, probably the first wife, because the second wife’s name is Peninnah, which means ‘the second’. It is most probable that Elkanah took a second wife because of Hannah’s barren state[2]. A woman who couldn’t bear children would have had little value in those days. And yet, even though Hannah was unable to have children, she is still loved deeply by her husband. In those times, a woman’s identity, her function, her role and her future safety was entirely dependent on her ability to produce male heirs. Infertility was widely considered as a punishment by God. “The Lord had closed her womb” vs 7 says. Women of the time were totally dependent upon their husbands for everything, and once widowed, dependant on their children for their food and lodging, so a woman without children, would have to depend totally on the charity of others. Peninnah however, had no trouble bearing children to Elkanah, boys and girls! She also had no trouble rubbing Hannah’s nose in the fact that Hannah was childless. Imagine what it would have been like for Hannah living in that household, a household full of children, none of which were hers, constantly being provoked and irritated by the wife who could have children. Hannah was the wife that couldn’t, and it was God’s punishment. It would be a life of constant humiliation, in her own household and in the community too. Not surprisingly, after many years of living like this, it got the better of her; she fell into a deep state of despondency and anxiety: she cried all the time, she couldn’t eat. Even the love of her husband couldn’t bring her out of her depression; and he doesn’t understand the depths of her despair and grief.
Now every year this family made the annual pilgrimage to Shiloh, to give sacrifices and offer prayers. And this year Hannah is completely overcome with the grief of her life situation, she is desperate, miserable, and turns to her faith; she goes to the temple to pray. And she has some questions for God: Lord, have you forgotten about me? Look at the misery of my life, as a childless woman. Remember me, I am your servant Lord, if you give me a boy child, I will dedicate him in service to you for his entire life, a Nazirite. Now Nazirites were devoted to the Lord for a set period of time, and were forbidden to eat grapes, drink alcohol, cut their hair or beards or approach a dead body.[3] Hannah was offering this potential child to be to be a Nazirite for his whole life!
And in the midst of her pouring out her heart and soul to God in silent prayer, the priest accuses her of being drunk! Prayers said in temple were usually said aloud in those times, not silently, so someone sitting in temple with lips moving and no sound coming out of them would have been looked on as suspect. Poor Hannah, she can’t even pray the right way! She explains herself to the priest and tells him she is not a worthless woman, but deeply troubled, living in constant anxiety. Eli the priest gives her a rather perfunctory blessing –like a bit like a verbal pat on the head, and she goes home.
We read later on that “the Lord did remember her” and she does become pregnant and indeed she does dedicate this son to God, naming him Samuel, which comes from the Hebrew root word “to ask”. [4] If you read further in 1Samuel, you will find out that Hannah has 5 other children, boys and girls.
So is this more than a story of a woman’s successful bargain with God? Is there more to this than describing a story of a miraculous birth, a story of hope for the Israelite people?
Hannah in her desperate, unhappy situation has turned to the Lord. The Lord remembered her we read. So had the Lord forgotten her? Or does it seem like God only comes to us when we’re really desperate?
Let’s turn that around. When do we remember to go to God? – really truly pray and talk to God. Usually when we’re really truly desperate, anxious, upset, grieving. And why does it seem like that’s when God seems to answer our prayers? Because that’s when we’ve let down our internal barriers, when we’re most open to receive God. In that darkness, that emptiness of grief and distress, God comes and fills it, it’s a time when we are receptive to the Spirit of God. In our total vulnerability, all those protective barriers we have put up around ourselves are down, and God can come in. Well, can’t God break down those barriers if God is God? Yes of course, when we are really open and able to accept God’s healing, loving, life-changing, soul-changing Spirit, when we are vulnerable, that’s when we’re most receptive to God’s life giving, life changing Spirit. When all is well and we figure we don’t need God’s intervention, well, we’re less likely to be accepting or open to the Spirit.
Hannah’s story is one of hope in total despair, of vulnerability, of openness to God’s presence, of answer to prayer, of God being with us, listening to us, acknowledging our life’s problems and remembering us, letting us know we’re not forgotten. God knows our needs and is there in our need.
We read this story on the cusp of advent, and this is a story of God bringing a special child into the world in a special way, a child who will guide God’s people, in this case guide them to King David. Hannah is the special woman whom God prepared to bring in this special child. And in her anguish, God answered her prayer.
Hannah is an important and notable person in the history of the people of Israel, memorialized in a beautiful poem which comes to be known as the Song of Hannah, the one we said as a Canticle today. Hannah, who opens herself completely to the will of God, no holds barred, becomes the mother of the prophet Samuel. Biblical scholar Thomas D. Parker explains it this way:
The figure of Samuel is one of the most significant figures in the entire history of the people of Israel. He was a pivotal religious, moral and political leader when a loose confederation of tribes and tribal leaders, beset by powerful neighbours, became a nation with an organized state and capital city (Jerusalem), and kingship (David). ...Hannah sings of God the Lord, who turns wrong things right side up, who judges justly, who delivers the needy and puts down the oppressor… Hannah sings, for she has personal knowledge of the divine power to work beyond the reach of ordinary human expectations. God has exalted her power to prevail.[5]
God hears our prayers, and can and does use each of our personal situations for God’s use, for the workings of God’s kingdoms, for the working of God’s glory in our lives and in the lives of others. When we are open to God’s vision of our lives for God’s purposes, anything can happen.
Centuries after Hannah’s time, St. Paul proclaimed it like this: “Glory to God, whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine! Glory to God, from generation to generation.” (Eph 3: 21)
Amen.
[1] Frank M. Yanda in “Exegetical Perspective” for 1Samuel 1: 14-20. Feasting on the Word Yr B Volume 4, page 291
[2] Oxford Annotated Bible, p 399 Hebrew Bible
[3] Oxford Bible p. 399, Hebrew Bible
[4] G Malcolm Sinclair, ‘Homelitical perspective’ to 1Samuel 1: 4-20 in Feasting on the Word, Yr B Vol. 4 page 295
[5] Thomas D. Parker, ‘Theological Perspective’ for 1Samuel 2: 1-10, in Feasting on the Word, Yr B Vol. 4 p. 300