Hannah: Bitterness of Soul

Have you ever wept in anguish and prayed to the Lord at the same time? Hannah did! And as she wept, it was in bitterness of soul. That’s when your anguish is so great that the whole world stands still, and your heart aches as if it might break and cease beating. Every breath is a struggle as your chest heaves in rhythmic thrusts, hot tears flow, and sometimes, no sound is heard because the energy to cry from this place of desperation takes your breath away. This agonizing grief is like none other, and it can happen for many reasons, but most often, it’s associated with the loss of a child.

Mothers of deceased children report such anguish and heartache as unbearable pain. Although I have not lost a child, I believe their report to be true. But watch this. Hannah hadn’t conceived or birthed a child, and for her, that loss - the absence of life within and its living fruit - was as great a loss. But it was more than merely that. Bible scholars have described Hannah as the most pious woman in the Old Testament. Her love and devotion to God are unrivaled. Her prayer, which begins in 1 Samuel 2:1, is among the longest recorded of women in the Old Testament. Plus, it contains the name of Yahweh eighteen times in ten verses. Hannah uniquely recalls His promises and provision, referencing that only God “makes alive” and “raises… from the dust.” No doubt, He is the giver and sustainer of life. Hannah longs to glorify God with her offering of life as all Jews were commanded to “be fruitful and multiply.” Yet, God has closed her womb. Nevertheless, Elkanah’s love for Hannah never failed. The Bible records: “But to Hannah he [Elkanah] would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb” (1 Samuel 1:5). (Emphasis added.)

Now we see the complete picture. Hannah’s infertility was no accident of nature, nor was it a fluke. It was a deliberate work of God. “The Lord,” the very one Hannah worshiped, praised, and adored, had closed her womb,” making it impossible for her to conceive a child. To make matters worse, Elkanah’s second wife and Hannah’s nemesis, Peninnah (from the language, a troubler), conceived and birthed babies with ease. Then, in a jealous, mean-spirited way, she tormented Hannah. She called her barrenness into question because, in this culture, barrenness was thought to be associated with besetting and unconfessed habitual sin. Even though none of it was true, Hannah’s heart ached, and her whole being cried out for a child. So Hannah wept in bitterness of soul.

Despite the feminine drama on the home front, the Bible exposes Elkanah as a domestic leader of strength, a devout worshiper of Yahweh, and one who is submissive to the Torah. Indeed, Elkanah would honor God and ensure that “those of his household did the same.” We know this because, as commanded, he traveled with his family to Shiloh to worship the Lord. His yearly pilgrimage is a testimony to Elkanah’s piety as he “went ‘year after year’ up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty.” Hannah went, too, of course. But these trips would be painful for Hannah because she would appear every year with the humiliating and public absence of children. Of course, the anguish was severe because the women were gossipy and judgmental. Consequently, Hannah was pitied by some but murmured about by most.

That is until she made a change. What did she do? She marched to Shiloh with a determined plan to meet with God and call every ounce of scripture to bear. The Bible records that Hannah offered her son back to God as a living sacrifice if He would only open her womb. Wow! That was all it took - Hannah revealed the secret. She tapped into the very heart of God. Don’t miss the value of Hannah’s sacrificial prayer and offering. Unlike others from the Old Testaments, Jephthah included, who offered their children on the altar, Hannah offered her son’s life to God as a living sacrifice. If you’re unfamiliar with Jephthah’s vow and his daughter’s plight, you might read it in Judges 11.

Much to God’s delight, however, Hannah observed true and proper worship, taking the vow of a Nazarite for her unborn son “for all the days of his life,” and she would be faithful to this pledge. Hannah’s humble, heartfelt vow before God is reminiscent of Paul’s instructions to the Romans. The NIV Bible translation records: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1) The NKJV concludes that this offering “is the believer’s ‘reasonable service.’ ” Beyond that, Hannah offered the first fruits of her womb to God because according to Exodus 13, her firstborn male belonged to God, anyway, and she would honor God in this sacrifice.

What’s the takeaway? We must never forget that deliverance or relief from “anguish of the soul” can only come from God. The Hebrew Bible records no evidence that such deliverance comes from any human source because only divine intervention will suffice for such matters of the heart. Like Hannah, when anguish and bitterness of the soul overtake us, regardless of the loss or circumstances, we must bring scripture to bear and “go to Shiloh and meet with God.”

Prayer: Mighty and gracious Lord, meet us in Shiloh. Woo us to that place of brokenness so we might offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. May our worship be as fruitful as Hannah’s true and proper worship. We pray that you will birth an eternal work of life-giving hope through us as we yield our lives to you! Thank you, Jesus. Amen and amen.