“And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.” 1 Samuel 1:2 (NKJV)
You’d think that with all the trouble experienced with Abraham’s wife and servant wives as well as other leaders in their community that God’s people would have learned their lesson that multiple wives make for unhappy homes. But, here in 1 Samuel we find that Elkanah evidently hadn’t learned and has two wives. One with children and one without children. A perfect environment for discontent and emotional abuse.
Just like with Jacob, Elkanah preferred/loved his wife who had no children more than the one with children. Peninnah provoked Hannah enough to make her miserable. That is emotional abuse, but it was common in those days.
What can I learn from this part of the story? I need to be understanding and compassionate toward others. I may not know their circumstances, but taunting and making unkind statements to or about someone else hurts the other person. It is not acceptable. Another lesson is that if I feel like someone has been less than understanding and compassionate toward me, I need to realize that it’s their problem and not mine and let it go. I can take the comments to Christ and ask Him to take away the pain from their words and actions. God is faithful and just to bring me comfort and healing – even from comments from others. Jesus died for all of us, not just those who are understanding and compassionate toward others.
Listen to Dallas Holm as he sings “Strength.”
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 2/4/25, 6:00 am