Born in a time when women had no inheritance or birthright, Hannah is the proverbial underdog. Marriage assured and insured a woman’s future through male offspring. In spite of Hannah’s being the first wife (v. 2) and Elkanah’s favorite, her barrenness brings her to a point of desperation. Peninnah, the fertile second wife, makes Hannah’s life miserable by irritating her about her inability to bear a child.
Like Hannah’s, our lives don’t always go as we’d expected. Perhaps people test our patience. We may be at the end of our rope because of circumstances beyond our control. Today’s scripture tells us not to despair. God hears the cries of the oppressed and marginalized.
Hannah does not retaliate in anger against Peninnah; that isn’t Hannah’s way. She cannot change her circumstances or the way people treat her. But one thing she knows: “The Lord had closed her womb.” So it is to the Lord that Hannah turns. It is the Lord to whom she looks for hope and for answers. Hannah pours out her soul before the Lord, and the Lord grants Hannah’s request for a son.
Whatever barrenness we may be experiencing or however many Peninnahs we encounter in life, Hannah’s story affirms God’s honoring of prayer and sacrifice. Even Eli grasps the significance of the moment and offers his blessing: “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made.”