The Bible is a real book with stories about real people and this is seen here in 1 Samuel in the life of Hannah, her husband Elkanah and Peninnah his second wife. Hannah is greived because she is barren, a situation which was possibly the worst place a woman could be in the Old Testament. Every year Elkanah and his two wives would go up to Shiloh to the feast and Peninnah would mock Hannah becasue she had not children and Peninnah did. This caused incredible sorrow in the heart of Hannah, but she did the right thing and poured out her grief before the Lord. She made a vow to the Lord that if He would give her a son she would dedicate him to the Lord in a deeper and stronger way be seperating him as a Nazerite to the Lord, the remarkable moment came when after she had grieved before the Lord her sorrow left her and her faith in God was restored, did she concieve that moment? no, but God's word was just as sure and she praised Him for it. The Lord opened her womb and she gave birth to one of the most remarkable men in the Bible, Samuel.
