Ok without the proverbial "beating a dead horse" thing. :--) I still have been chewing on Peninnah's reasons for irritating Hannah. According to the rules of that day, she had already won.
Could it have been that she mistakenly thought that a gift from God was the same as His approval of her? Could she have thought that her accumulation of children (or fill in the blank---gifts, talents..., wealth, skills), meant that she was better than. In her mind, she had kids= she was something. Hannah had none= she was nothing...and she was going to "rub it in". But y'all this train of thought isn't TRUE and we must be careful of this kind of Stinkin' thinkin'! Prosperity or wealth is not always a sign of God's blessings, sometimes it's God's test. Just like poverty is not always a sign of God's displeasure (ask Job), sometimes it too can be a test.
I also believe that Peninnah was jealous of Hannah. No matter how many children she had, she could never earn something that Hannah had been given for free... 1ST PLACE in the heart of Elkanah, accentuated with double portions.
The same is true for us, no matter how hard we work or strive to be good or do the right things, we can never EARN a place in God's heart... But be encouraged! It is a FREE GIFT that HIS SON has paid for. We do not have to strive for it, but only receive it!
That's called GRACE and it brings PEACE!
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