Sabbath School Commentary: Oct9–15: Hannah: Learning to Be Someone

Teaching Points

1. Read 1 Samuel and make an outline of the chapter.

ANSWER:

2. Read 1 Samuel 1:1–16. Why was Hannah so distraught over not having children, even though she knew that her husband loved her?

ANSWER:

1Sa 1:2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. … 1Sa 1:5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. 1Sa 1:6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
From the way Peninnah treated Hannah, it seems very probable that being able to give your husband children meant a special honor and blessing in the home and society.

OBSERVATION:

“The blessing so earnestly sought by every Hebrew was denied this godly pair (Elkanah and Hannah)…”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 569.
“Having no child at all was understood as a divine curse. Both in the public and in the family sphere, a woman without a child had to live with a stigma of supposedly being cursed by God.
“For Hannah, jealousy and the sense of ‘being nobody’ created an explosive mix of emotions that finally blew up when she poured out her heart before the Lord. What made matters worse was that Hannah was not getting younger. Time was against her, and, apparently, so was God.
“Remember also that in Hannah’s time, a woman’s role in society was associated primarily with child bearing and rearing. There were no other career possibilities. A woman could not just change careers and find fulfillment in another occupation. We have examples of woman judges and female prophetic leadership in the Old Testament, but these are indeed limited and depended on God’s direct call. It was only through children that Hannah could count the worth of her life and leave a legacy. To her, without children her life had no real meaning.” SSL 23

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

Why do you think God waited until Hannah made her vow to give her a child?
Why do you think God allowed Hannah to first go through the bitter experience and conflict before granting her request?
Most likely Hannah was Elkannah’s first wife, then why didn’t God just give them a child of their own from the start, before Elkannah married Peninnah?

APPLICATION QUESTION:

How do you respond when God does not answer your prayer in the time and manner in which you asked? Do you continue to pray for the blessing, or do you assume the blessing is not for you?
How do you feel when you think God has not blessed you? When you think about it, is that really true? What can you do to change those thoughts and feelings?
How can you prevent yourself from thinking that bad things are happening to you because God is punishing you? What can we learn from Hannah’s example?

3. Observe another problem Hannah was facing, and how did she respond?

ANSWER:

1Sa 1:6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 1Sa 1:7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
1Sa 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

OBSERVATION:

“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.” SSL 24
Yet Hannah did not respond to those provocations in a retaliating way. We can clearly see the meek and quiet spirit of Hannah, especially when severely tested.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

How do you react when someone provokes you? What do you feel like doing at that moment, especially if you are in the right and done nothing wrong?

4. Read what the Spirit of Prophecy has to say about why Hannah was in such a trying position.

SOP:

The blessing so earnestly sought by every Hebrew was denied this godly pair; their home was not gladdened by the voice of childhood; and the desire to perpetuate his name led the husband--as it had led many others--to contract a second marriage. But this step, prompted by a lack of faith in God, did not bring happiness. Sons and daughters were added to the household; but the joy and beauty of God's sacred institution had been marred and the peace of the family was broken. Peninnah, the new wife, was jealous and narrow-minded, and she bore herself with pride and insolence. To Hannah, hope seemed crushed and life a weary burden; yet she met the trial with uncomplaining meekness. {PP 569.2}

OBSERVATION:

Elkannah had good intentions to bring happiness to his home and multiply his seed.
However good the intentions, it led to family division and bitterness of soul for Hannah.
This is similar to Abraham: Ge 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

SPIRITUAL LESSON:

You can want to do the right thing but yet still relying on your flesh to do it. The flesh doesn’t necessarily mean only desiring to do bad things.
How can you determine whether or not you are performing by the flesh versus by the Spirit?

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

What kind of sin did Elkannah commit in marrying Peninnah? Is it considered adultery if he’s married to her?
Why do you think God allowed righteous men such as Abraham and Elkannah to marry more than one wife? Why would this not be a wise practice for today?

5. What kind of spirit and attitude did Hannah have while in prayer?

ANSWER:

1Sa 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. … 1Sa 1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

OBSERVATION:

Hannah was in “bitterness” and had a “sorrowful” spirit while in prayer to God for her request.
It’s interesting that her earnest prayer was said in her heart (see verse 13).

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

What other characters in the Bible had a similar experience (think of Daniel, Moses, Jesus, etc)? What was common about all their prayers? What can we learn about from these examples about how to approach God in our own bitter and sorrowful times?

CONCLUSION:

It is obvious that the turning point of this whole chapter is Hannah’s prayer. Her prayer changed her bitter experience into a great joy. It also brought the blessing she and her husband longed to have, but without relying on what they could do to bring it. Hannah’s prayer attitude is an example of what to do when in circumstances that seem to look like God has put us under a curse.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

What attitude do you bring to God in prayer when experiencing difficult times? Do you come to Him doubting His love for you, or do you come to Him like Hannah, giving Him your sorrows but without complaint?
Do you desire to please God but yet still relying on your flesh to do those things? How can you prevent yourself from living this experience?

Sabbath School Commentary