Call Sin "Sin"

So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the LORD had kept her from having children. [1 Samuel 1.6]

Question: Why did Hannah have no children?

Answer: “But if you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you: ...Your children and your crops will be cursed. [Deuteronomy 28.15, 18]

What we will see in the story of Samuel is that this person had to get serious in order to have a child. The simple reason was sin. Nothing but sin brings a curse. Having no children is a curse. Hannah had no children while her husband Elkanah's other wife did (thus possibly eliminating Elkanah from responsibility??).

If we are to understand why Hannah had no children from the scriptures, we are going to have to dig deep. On the surface of the story, Hannah appears to be a victim. But if we consider all that we are told, we can begin to understand that there could certainly have been areas that left Hannah vulnerable. Perhaps Hannah had pride that caused here to want to be superior to Peninnah - a competitive nature that wanted the last word... Perhaps Hannah was a complainer and therefore Peninnah wound up "in the sack" with Elkanah most of the time and subsequently kept having children. 

Perhaps Hannah obsessed about children and put their importance above even her husband... here could be our answer:

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” [1 Samuel 1.8]

It seems Elkanah may have been on to something. I mean, who better than a spouse to accurately call out their mate?

Bottom line: we will see as the story unfolds that Hannah had to get serious with God. No doubt, her bitter pleading with God involved repentance. Why would I say that? Because Hannah appears to have had to turn from her obsession with having a child! How do we know that? Because she offered the child to God!

That is what repentance is: turning away from what causes us to sin.

I could be all wrong on this. Maybe we should just go with so many other 'scholarly' doctrines that teach that God just randomly doles out curses for reasons unknown. Or, we could look deeper into what the Word reveals as I have done here. I will go with the Word, thank you.

When we encounter curses, we are left with only one option: repentance. I am sorry to report that nothing but repentance removes curses. Even more sorry am I to report that if curses remain, genuine repentance has not been applied.

Oh, it would so much easier to put this off on God! It would be so much easier to say my lingering pain and physical deterioration is just something God is doing to show me His love. It would be so much easier to attribute my difficulties to some unknown purpose God has. 

It would be so much easier! But it would just be wrong! God is good and only does good.

Let it be emphasized here, curses are not good. However, curses may serve a good purpose - to bring one to repentance. God's justice requires curses and even implements them, but never is a curse applied with any reason other than to bring the cursed one to repentance. It is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. Curses that will destroy the unrepentant, will bring the repentant to repentance and restoration! The choice is not one God makes, but the choice is made by the cursed one. The choice to remain in sin is the same choice to keep the curse.

Hannah repented of her obvious sin of obsessing over a child - we can be certain of it because Hannah dedicated that child, Samuel, to the LORD (one does not give away that which is obsessed over!). But Hannah was able to have five other children afterwards! Now, that is being forgiven and blessed!

Father, Hannah's story seems to have a very clear explanation if we would just remember to call sin "sin" and not make up any silly excuses for it. Help me to read all Your Word mindful of ALL Your Word.