Denver Seminary

1 Samuel 1 & 2: Hannah's Story

Hannah was a barren woman. Her distress and anguish were so obvious, her husband, Elkanah, had to ask her about it saying:

Why are you weeping?
Why don’t you eat?
Why are you down-hearted?
Am I not better than anything you need in this world?

The Scripture is explicit about the cause of Hannah’s sorrow: “The Lord has closed her womb.” Like many married woman, she would like to have children and establish a family. But she can’t; the Lord closed her womb. At that time, and even in today's technologically advanced age, Hannah’s problem has no solution. What God has shut, no one can open. What He undoes nobody can fix.

Why did God give children to Pinninah yet withhold His blessing from Hannah? Why did He not allow Moses to live more years when he was pleading for an extended life but then gave Hezekiah 15 more years? Why did God love Jacob but hate Esau? Why did God deliver Daniel from the lion and his friends from the fire, but allow others to be “tortured, stoned, sawed in two, faced jeers and flogging, persecuted, and mistreated”? Our answer is: God is sovereign and He does what He will.