Day1
Week 1
1 Samuel
“Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim Zuphim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. And he had two wives; the name of one was Hannah and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.”
1 Samuel 1:1-2 MEV
Cross references
Matthew 19:8;
Judges 8:30;
Deuteronomy 21:15-17
Worldly Ways
The culture of the times in our passage allowed for more than one wife.
Genesis 2:24
“Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
Genesis 2:24 MEV
And then in Noah’s recount we can clearly see that God’s way was different than the culture of the times.
“On the very same day Noah and the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark.”
Genesis 7:13 MEV
In today’s passage we can already sense the tension building in Elkanah’s household.
There are many instances in the Bible where a man had more than one wife, but I have not been able to find even one instance where it was without contention, jealousy, and strife.
I also have not found any instance where God himself endorsed it. It seems to have been tolerable, but by that standard then anything would be considered okay. God’s mercy lasts forever. Mercy does not mean that God accepts our sin and condones it.
Quite the contrary!
Mercy would not be needed if God condoned our sin. It would not be sin if God condoned or approved of it.
Acting like the world, adopting worldy ways and following along with man’s traditions and customs is not pleasing to God.
As this story unfolds, we will see how God works all things out for good in-spite of our short comings when we love Him and are walking in His calling and purpose.
Action Step:
What custom’s or traditions of the world are you allowing to penetrate your home?
Ask Holy Spirit if there are areas that do not please God and if so, fix it quickly.
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