Peninnah

When we can name our blessings - Samuel, that is, asked of God - they will be as dear to us as this child was to Hannah.

Peninnah had many children, but they came as common blessings unsought in prayer.

Hannah's one heaven-given child was far more precious because he was the fruit of sincere pleadings.

How sweet was the water that Samson found at the spring of him who called! Did we pray for the conversion of our children? How doubly sweet when they are saved to see in them our own petitions answered! Better to rejoice over them as the fruit of our pleadings than as the fruit of our bodies.

Hannah had a burden for a child and for Israel's future.

And I pray for you that when you are Hannah, you will not allow Elkanah deceive you You know the mercy of God to Anna was Peninnah.

Mercy is mysterious.

Because if you listen to Ekana, am I not 12 sons? No, you're not.

If you were 12 sons, why did you go and marry another woman? But Peninnah laughing at you is putting burden on you so that you can go and ask for your son.

That's the mercy of God.

Pharaoh was the mercy of God.

A very striking and terrifying example of this is featured in the Talmud book of Bava Batra, page 16a.

It's talking about Penina and Chana, Hannah.

And it tells us, Penina l'sheim shamayim nistavna.

Penina, her intentions were noble, were heavenly.

Now, who are these people? These people are co-wives of a gentleman named Elkanah.

And we read the story in the beginning of Samuel 1, chapter 1.

There's a man named Elkanah, and he has two wives, one named Penina.

And Penina has loads of children, 10, according to the Midrash.

The name of the-- The name of the one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.

On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah, his wife, and to all her sons and daughters.

But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.

And her rival used to provoke her grievously, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.

And then there are other things that he took what felt like his sweet old time answering, and then in retrospect I realize, "Yeah, I think you wanted me to grow in this area or that area." And I think there are certain areas of faith that the Lord was attempting to develop in Hannah but also demonstrate to us through this time of waiting.

But she also dealt with ridicule in the midst of it.

We're told that Elkanah had another wife, and this was common at the time.

Once was okay.

But for as long as she wanted a child to prove to Peninnah that she was not barren, it was too small a reason to command the attention of heaven.

I share with you a very powerful secret to receiving from God.

Learn to connect your desires to His program, your desires to His will.

The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other was Hanani.

Penina.

Penina had children, but Hannah was childless.

Now this man used to go up from his town every year to worship and sacrifice to Adonai Sevaot and Shiloh.

Shiloh?

He had two wives.

The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah.

Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.

Now this man used to go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh.

The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Pinchas, were Kohanim of the Lord there.