I Samuel Chapter 1

In this first chapter of Samuel, we are confronted immediately with the sin of polygamy that was common in the ancient world.  The man who is guilty of this sin is Elkanah who was of the tribe of Levi but living within the boundaries of Ephraim.  His wives’ names were Hannah and Peninnah.  And as we read further this man Elkanah was a man who worshipped God, but he had succumbed to the common sin of polygamy. 

Sometimes sin becomes so commonplace that even those who believe in God do not recognize their sin.  You can probably think of many examples in our current culture where this is true.  One small example from our current culture is the use of the abbreviation “OMG”.  Non-believers as well as Christians use this phrase with little to no thought of the meaning.  Yet when it is used, they are rarely speaking about God; they are literally using the Lord’s name in vain and not even recognizing it.  This is a sin that needs to be confessed to God.  And perhaps Elkanah at some point recognized that his polygamy was sin and confessed it to God. 

Polygamy always causes pain and suffering, and this was certainly the case since Hannah was barren and Peninnah enjoyed taunting her about it.  There are also hints that Elkanah favored one wife over the other. 

When the family travelled to Shiloh where the tabernacle was located for a yearly feast, Hannah spent time praying to God asking for a child.  A son born to Hannah would have been dedicated to the Lord because he would be a Levite, but Hannah wanted to give back to God even more by vowing that her son would be a Nazarite.  Hannah was promising a lot to God when she prayed asking for a child.