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With Friends Like These. . .
Living under the supposed curse of God and feeling that her life had no real value must have been hard enough for Hannah. What added problem did she have? 1 Sam. 1:6, 7.
Those who are closest to us often know how to hurt us most. With Peninnah’s constant provocations, it is not surprising that Hannah’s life became bitter. The biblical text emphasizes the repeated nature of the provocations. Year in and year out, the same old story. It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for the action of Hannah’s rival (“provoked” [NKJV], “taunt” [NJB]) often is used in the Old Testament to describe grave sins that provoke a direct divine reaction (see Deut. 9:18, 31:29). This was not just a quick, sly remark. This seemed to have been a premeditated and conscious strategy by Peninnah to provoke Hannah into doing something stupid. After all, Hannah was her only rival for Elkanah’s affections (1 Sam. 1:5).
Though Peninnah’s taunts were meant to hurt, perhaps the worst hurts come from those who don’t intend harm. Who, in the midst of terrible pain, hasn’t been made to feel worse by well-meaning people who just happened to say or do the wrong thing?
Skim through the first five or six chapters of the book of Job. Job’s friends were truly sorrowful for what he experienced (see Job 2:12, 13). Yet, how did they make the problem worse for him? Why was this exactly how someone shouldn’t react to another’s grief?
Loss of material possessions or of people close to us causes deep hurt. Illness or the circumstances of our lives may seem daunting and cause us to despair. Sometimes it is living with unfulfilled deep longings that drains our lives of any sense of hope. Things go from bad to worse when we have to face not only deep hurt or bad circumstances but also people who seem to specialize in making our life unbearable. This combination of unfulfilled dreams and constant tensions and provocation triggered Hannah’s cry before the Lord. Sometimes we need to shout out our hurt and frustrations before God. When we hit rock bottom, we need to search for answers outside of ourselves.
What are ways that we can encourage and uplift those who are going through trial and calamity right now? What would you like people to do for you if you were going through something terrible? Whatever that would be, why not do it for someone else?
| MONDAY | October 11 |
Living under the supposed curse of God and feeling that her life had no real value must have been hard enough for Hannah. What added problem did she have? 1 Sam. 1:6, 7.
Those who are closest to us often know how to hurt us most. With Peninnah’s constant provocations, it is not surprising that Hannah’s life became bitter. The biblical text emphasizes the repeated nature of the provocations. Year in and year out, the same old story. It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for the action of Hannah’s rival (“provoked” [NKJV], “taunt” [NJB]) often is used in the Old Testament to describe grave sins that provoke a direct divine reaction (see Deut. 9:18, 31:29). This was not just a quick, sly remark. This seemed to have been a premeditated and conscious strategy by Peninnah to provoke Hannah into doing something stupid. After all, Hannah was her only rival for Elkanah’s affections (1 Sam. 1:5).
Though Peninnah’s taunts were meant to hurt, perhaps the worst hurts come from those who don’t intend harm. Who, in the midst of terrible pain, hasn’t been made to feel worse by well-meaning people who just happened to say or do the wrong thing?
Skim through the first five or six chapters of the book of Job. Job’s friends were truly sorrowful for what he experienced (see Job 2:12, 13). Yet, how did they make the problem worse for him? Why was this exactly how someone shouldn’t react to another’s grief?
Loss of material possessions or of people close to us causes deep hurt. Illness or the circumstances of our lives may seem daunting and cause us to despair. Sometimes it is living with unfulfilled deep longings that drains our lives of any sense of hope. Things go from bad to worse when we have to face not only deep hurt or bad circumstances but also people who seem to specialize in making our life unbearable. This combination of unfulfilled dreams and constant tensions and provocation triggered Hannah’s cry before the Lord. Sometimes we need to shout out our hurt and frustrations before God. When we hit rock bottom, we need to search for answers outside of ourselves.
What are ways that we can encourage and uplift those who are going through trial and calamity right now? What would you like people to do for you if you were going through something terrible? Whatever that would be, why not do it for someone else?
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