In 1 Samuel 1 we read about Elkanah who had 2 wives, Peninnah and Hannah. This took place during a time when the Israelites were not a nation but a bunch of warring tribes, it was a time of chaos.
Peninnah would taunt Hannah because she could conceive children and Hannah couldn't. The provoking got so bad that Hannah was deeply distressed and decided to leave to go pray. While doing this Eli the priest saw her deep in prayer and thought she was drunk. Hannah seemed to have been shamed as much as anyone could be. Yet she had a husband who loved her and a God who loved her as well, and before long provided her with a son.
Most of us would be overjoyed and would cling to this child for the rest of our lives, being thankful to God for giving us this child. Hannah did something different, she lent this child back to God for the rest of his days, by sending him to live with Eli. What obedience she showed here, after all the heartache of not having children, then giving the only one you have (at the time) back to God.
This is a good reminder for me that everything I have (or think I have) is really God's. If God decides to take something away from me, it may be painful, but it was His to begin with. This is easy to say but hard to do. I pray for the obedience and devotion that Hannah showed.
In our reading from Ephesians, again we find that there is a lot of information here to process. The thing that stood out for me was found in verse 6:
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
It seems like the Jews needed to be reminded over and over that Jesus came to save the Gentiles as well. We read this reminder many times in the New Testament. I see this applying today at times when churches that both believe that Christ died to save us, rival each other and compete.
Do we put down other churches and think ours is superior to others? We are on the same team, and should work together. The goal is to save souls, and we should think team first.
3 comments:
Today's OT reading was a good reminder for me to not hang on to the things that I have. Whether it's my house, vehicle, or children, they are not mine but God's. Everything we have is from God, and can also be taken away by Him, so we need to be good stewards of everything in our temporary possession.
We definitely have the tendency to hold tightly the people and things that God has given us. How hard it must have been for Hannah to give up her miracle baby! She displayed incredible faith, obedience, and trust. Do we trust God that much?
I have many friends who have struggled with infertility and the story of Hannah is one that many of them cling to as hope for a miracle. I can't imagine giving up my son when his arrival was not long awaited...never mind if I had waited years for him.
Another thing that stood out for me was the terrible disobedience of Eli's sons. I can't imagine the heartache that Eli must have had to hear of the terrible things his sons did and then Samuel's message from God. I think the only thing that compares with the suffering of infertility is the suffering of knowing your kids are not walking with God.
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