Hannah is one of my favorite people to read about in the Bible. I love to read about her great faith and about the great blessing God bestowed upon her, along with the promise she made and the promise she kept. Hannah is an example of faith in the midst of sorrow.
I have read the first two chapters of I Samuel many times, but recently, something jumped out at me that I had not thought much about before.
But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. – I Samuel 1:5-6
I already knew that Hannah was in a heartbreaking situation. I also knew that God had allowed her trial. It does not say that her trial was due to some great sin or a lack of faith. It was simply a journey that God allowed in Hannah’s life, perhaps to strengthen her faith, to prove her obedience, or to teach any number of lessons. I knew that Hannah was loved by her husband and that she was loved by her God.
However, there was one person who did not love Hannah: her adversary. At first glance, when I see the word “adversary” in the Bible, I immediately think of Satan. However, the very next verse says, …so she provoked her;.. indicating that her adversary was a woman. I had never given much thought about the fact that Hannah’s adversary was another human.
Notice how this woman became Hannah’s adversary. She provoked Hannah. The word provoked means “made angry or incensed” which means “inflamed to violent anger or exasperated.” In the midst of Hannah’s great trial, her adversary bothered her to the point of exasperation. Beyond that, the Bible says she provoked Hannah sore, meaning “with painful intensity or grievously.”
What was the goal of this adversary? …for to make her fret,.. When we think of the word fret, the modern synonym worry comes to mind. In fact, the word fret means “to be gradually worn away, to be corroded, to be vexed.”
I see no evidence of physical assault on Hannah from her adversary in the Bible. However, this adversary attacked Hannah with the intent of wounding her mind and causing her grief, with an end goal of eroding and destroying Hannah’s very spirit.
In the midst of a trial, when Hannah is bearing a heavy burden in her heart, along comes an adversary intent on her destruction. Unfortunately, this happens to us as Christians, also. Satan watches and waits for us to be weak, and then he makes his attack in the form of our human adversaries. Sadly, these human adversaries are sometimes fellow sisters in Christ.
Romans 14:19 says, Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. We are called to encourage, uplift, and strengthen our fellow Christians, not to attack, destroy, or even discourage. We must walk guard around our hearts to ensure no bitterness or malice creeps into them, because if it does, they may find their way of creeping out of us. We must be careful with our words to those around us.
When we ourselves are in the midst of a trial, we must do as Hannah did. She did not succumb to her adversary. She did not give up and fall away from the Lord. To the contrary, she sought the Lord with great fervor. When God answered her prayer, I am sure the coals heaped upon the head of her adversary burned mightily.
Trials are a part of life. They are lessons and exercises helping to mold us into the precious lives that God has created. Knowing that our trials have been orchestrated by God does not change the fact that it is still a trial and arduous to endure. When our adversary takes advantage of this opportunity and seeks our destruction, it only intensifies the burden. However, while these trials are difficult to bear, when these attacks to bring us to our knees, take the opportunity to call out to God in prayer. There is an overwhelming peace in knowing that God is with us in the midst of the trial. He has overcome the adversary and will bring us through it to a place of blessing.
by Krystal Salm
