Is Peninnah Your Best Friend?

Although life is full of challenges and obstacles, the deliberate actions of others can serve as the fuel that ignites our motivation to keep pursuing our goals.

For me, it was my childhood pastor who always prayed and laid hands on me before I left for college. His wife would always say to me before I would go, “Don’t leave town before seeing me and the Bishop.” I also cherish the simple things in life, like when my mom used to make my favorite banana pudding for me to take back to my dorm. Banana pudding has always been my favorite dessert. During high school and college, my church youth director was a constant source of encouragement and support. She has since become a lifelong friend. Many people have invested in me over the years, and I am grateful for their belief and encouragement. My life is filled with amazing people who have made a difference. Their deliberate actions ignite a fire within me, empowering me to overcome adversity and reach for my dreams. Their belief in my abilities gives me the strength to persevere when faced with setbacks or doubts.  I am sustained by their prayers even today. 

Encouragers can provide the necessary fuel to propel you forward, but adversity can also be a powerful motivator. Do not underestimate the power of a struggle. It can act as both a friend and a foe. Adversity can either cause you to stumble and give up or push you to forge ahead despite the challenges. It’s a double-edged sword that can either hinder or help you, depending on how you approach it.  For Hannah’s struggle ultimately became a great blessing.  God may be trying to birth somethings in your life and will not come without a struggle. 

This year, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Embrace hard things.” I heard these words several times. Embrace challenges, struggles, and difficulties? Really? Often, we think that we need ideal situations for growth to happen.   

“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.” (I. Timothy 2:3-5)

Read I. Samuel 1

Hannah’s Plight

Elkanah, a descendant of the Levite priestly line, would travel yearly to Shiloh, located north of Jerusalem. This was where the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were housed. Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Though Hannah could not have children, Elkanah loved her deeply. Peninnah, on the other hand, was able to have children. 

Elkanah’s decision to have two wives was not by God’s original design for marriage. He chose to marry a second wife so that he could have children. Like Abraham, he attempted to solve a problem that was outside God’s original plan. When we venture beyond the confines of God’s established boundaries, it is not uncommon to encounter problems.

I Samuel 1:6, “Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival (Peninnah) kept provoking her in order to irritate her.” The term used in the original text, “provoke,” is derived from the Greek word כָּעַס (kāʽas), which conveys the idea of instigating or causing someone to become angry. This word suggests an intentional act of provocation to arouse a strong emotional response in the other person. In essence, it refers to the deliberate incitement of anger rather than a merely accidental or incidental occurrence.    

The Bible tells us about Peninnah, who was able to have children but still went out of her way to hurt Hannah and add to her suffering. Although the focus of this blog is not on Peninnah, we must consider what drives people to hurt others intentionally. Perhaps she was jealous and felt threatened by Hannah, who Elkanah still loved despite not having children. Peninnah may have longed for Elkanah’s love and affection. Maybe Peninnah knew that her role in the home was merely to produce offspring, but she desired more. The Bible does not tell us what her issues were. The Bible portrays Peninnah as Hannah’s rival, suggesting the existence of a competition. When someone is competing with you, it becomes unlikely for them to celebrate and encourage your successes in life. Whatever Peninnah’s motivation was, it caused Hannah to bring her burden, heartache, and pain to the Lord. It is a fact that people who are hurting often end up hurting others.

It is clear from the biblical narrative that Hannah and Elkanah shared a deep and meaningful love rooted in their faith. Both of them made a pilgrimage to Shiloh to worship. Hannah had a personal relationship with God and often made trips to Shiloh to pray.  In contrast, there is no mention of Peninnah making the same journey to seek to pray. Even though Elkanah loved his wife, there was a level of comfort that he could not give Hannah. Relationships are great, but it is important to recognize that there are some things that only God can provide. Hannah knew that only God had the answer to her problem.  

Every time she visited Shiloh, Peninnah would provoke her to tears. Despite her rival’s attempts, she continued to seek God.  Hebrews 4:15a says, “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities…” (KJV) When we come to the Lord with our hearts, He can empathize with what we are going through. However, there may be seasons when we feel like the heavens are shut up like brass, as the Bible mentions. God sees everything that happens in our lives and cares deeply.

In Psalm 51:17, ” My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” God does not ignore the brokenhearted.   The Bible also says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). I absolutely love what Hannah did.  Her pain provoked her to pray and seek God.   The Bible says she prayed in deep anguish and poured her heart out to the Lord.  The intensity of her prayer made her husband think she was drunk.   She was just a woman who was desperate for answers. She longed for a son. 

The Bible often provides additional information to give us deeper insight. Before introducing us to Hophni and Phinehas, I Samuel 1:3 tells us that Elkanah went to Shiloh year after year to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord.  Hannah’s prayer answered her personal need and addressed a problem in Israel concerning the priesthood. (Read I. Samuel   2:12-17)

Hannah’s prayer was not selfish.  As she cried and prayed, she made a vow, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”  Her son, Samuel, would be a prophet and a Nazarite. 

The Lord would remember Hannah.    She would have a son.  He would be the great Old Testament prophet, judge, and priest of the Old Testament.  Samuel would be a righteous priest who would remain Eli’s sons.  

Adversity and pain in life can often lead us to seek solace in prayer and turn to God for help. Hannah’s story teaches us that even in the face of adversity, we can find strength in our faith and trust that God will answer our prayers. Our rivals and challenges in life can actually be the forces that push us closer to God and help us grow stronger. By embracing adversity and seeking God’s guidance, we can overcome obstacles and find blessings in unexpected places. Remember, the Peninnah(s) in our lives can become our best friends, leading us to a deeper connection with God and a more fulfilling life.