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Friday, September 18, 2009
They always say, the Church is the bride of Jesus.
Why not wife?
I mean, afterall, after being a bride, the bride will be a wife right?
I was reading this book, and I found the answer!
We know the story of Hannah. She has one of the two wives of Elkanah.
Hannah was mentioned first, so she's probably the first wife, probably also due to her barrenness he got himself another wife Peninnah.
Peninnah bore him many children while Hannah remained barren.
Even though Hannah was loved and cared by her husband, there was a hunger stirring in her for more.4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the
meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he
gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. 6
And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order
to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the
house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. (1
Samuel 1:4-7)
Then the author of the book I'm typing all these from, said, " I believe God closed it (her womb) to create a
divine hunger in Hannah, one greater than a child could satsify, the one He could only fulfill."
And Hannah knew that her source of life wasn't her husband but God.Hannah was a
giver, not a taker, year after year she prayed for a son and would even want to dedicate this son to God (1 Samuel 1:11)
I guess you would know that she conceived Samuel(:
Hannah was the bride but Penninah was the wife.
The difference between Hannah and Peninnah:
Hannah :
Barren,
loved,
broken,
Godly,
self-denying,
bridePenninah:
Fruitful,
Used,
proud,
religious,
self-seeking,
wifeHannah was broken but
she sought God while Peninnah was proud of her offspring and comfortable with the religious. Hannah
denied the joy of raising a child in order to give him to the Lord, Peninnah appeared to be concerned only with herself and cared nothing for the feelings of others.
After Samuel, Hannah bore 5 more children while Peninnah had no more.
Hannah's nature and
motive were very different from Peninnah's.
Peninnah had comforted herself with the children she had produced.
She had been full while Hannah had hungered. (the book is called Out of control and loving it, by Lisa Bevere, 1996)
If we are always so full, how can we ever be hungry?
Let's be hungry, hungrier, and hungrier for the Word of God (:
Crystal
