What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 1:7? And this went on year after year • Scripture states, “And this went on year after year” (1 Samuel 1:7), underscoring the long-term nature of Hannah’s pain. • Prolonged trials are a common theme in Scripture. Job’s ordeal (Job 1–2) and David’s seasons of waiting for the throne (Psalm 13:1-2) show that God sometimes permits extended testing to deepen trust (James 1:2-4). • Hannah’s perseverance models Galatians 6:9—“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD • Despite heartache, Hannah faithfully joined Elkanah in the annual pilgrimage required by Deuteronomy 16:16. • Her consistency in worship mirrors the zeal of Psalm 84:1-2, where the psalmist longs for God’s courts, and anticipates Hebrews 10:25’s call not to forsake gathering. • Worship became the context for her breakthrough (1 Samuel 1:10-11); God often meets His people when they deliberately seek His presence (Luke 2:41-42). her rival taunted her • Peninnah “provoked her severely” (1 Samuel 1:6) because Hannah was barren. Jealousy and rivalry echo earlier family tensions—Hagar and Sarah (Genesis 16:4-5) and Rachel and Leah (Genesis 30:1). • Scripture warns against stirring strife (Proverbs 6:16-19) and urges believers to “encourage one another” instead (1 Thessalonians 5:11). • Even hostile voices can drive us to God, as opposition did for Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:1-9). until she wept and would not eat • The provocation pushed Hannah into deep sorrow—“My tears have been my food day and night” (Psalm 42:3). • Grief that disrupts appetite shows the intensity of her longing for a child, paralleling the “bitter weeping” of those who grasp their need before the Lord (Jeremiah 31:15). • Yet Scripture invites the afflicted to cast every care on Him (1 Peter 5:7) and anticipate “the peace of God” guarding hearts (Philippians 4:6-7). Hannah eventually experienced that peace when she poured out her soul and left her burden at the altar (1 Samuel 1:18). summary 1 Samuel 1:7 exposes the relentless nature of Hannah’s trial, her steadfast commitment to worship, the cruelty of rival provocation, and the depth of sorrow it produced. The verse invites every believer facing drawn-out pain to keep seeking God in His house, trust Him amid opposition, and pour out the heart before Him, knowing He hears and ultimately redeems persistent faith. |
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