Written
by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha
The
biblical Hannah and beloved wife of Elkanah, childless for sometime experienced
the siege of verbal assault and battery from her co-wife Peninah on almost a
daily basis. Hannah also suffered spiritually, mentally and physically on
account of the siege. The Bible records that she spent quality time that could
have been invested in profitable ventures in tears. Hannah was miserable, she
cried probably all day and refused to eat. She therefore could not even enjoy
the great love of God for her coupled with the great love of her husband,
Elkanah. Why? She was paying attention to the verbal onslaught of Peninah which
had become a mental siege. She lost confidence in herself and even in God for a
while. But all that changed in one day when Hannah realized that she was the
one who actually gave Peninah the power to torment her emotionally. How? Each
time she responded to Peninah’s verbal onslaught in tears and misery, Peninah
was emboldened and empowered to launch even more fierce verbal onslaught and thus
laid a siege on Hannah’s emotions and overall mental processes. This
realization by Hannah not only woke Hannah up from her mental stupor but also
ended the siege. For the first time in many years, Hannah went to Shiloh with
great joy and great expectations in anticipation of the great encounter she had
planned to have with God after the family celebrations.
Rather
than weep sore, Hannah invested quality time in quality negotiations with God
over the joy of motherhood. She would return the son God gave to her to Him.
God noted Hannah’s promises and quickly made good His own part of the
negotiations initiated by Hannah. Beloved, it is possible for humans to
initiate negotiations with God. Hannah also wasted no time in honoring her own
part of the negotiations and God Who is never out given gave Hannah additional
children; three sons and two daughters besides Samuel. Peninah was silenced
forever as not one of her children is listed in the genealogy of Elkanah.
Significantly
and quite instructive is the fact that the siege was broken long before the
children came. If Hannah had not made a conscious deliberate decision
accompanied by the quality action to talk to God rather than cry and break the
siege, Peninah would have succeeded in keeping Hannah in tears daily,
miserable, away from God and her husband who both loved her and wanted to do
her good but were denied access because Hannah was paying attention to
Peninah’s verbal onslaught. Beloved, you have the power, divinely given to you
by God to break any siege no matter how fierce.
The
Syrians mounted a fierce siege designed to impoverish and keep the Israelites
in perpetual hunger so that Israel would surrender to the Syrians in
desperation. But rather than surrender, some of the Israelites resorted to cannibalism,
a very bad option if you ask me. The timely and divine intervention of God
through the prophet Elisha ended the siege and saved the day. Significantly,
the Israelites did not have to source the required food that was required to
end the famine. It was the Syrians who caused the famine that also provided the
food that was required to end the famine. Elisha had prophesied that there
would be abundance the following day. No one knew where the abundance would
come from, not even Elisha who prophesied the abundance. His responsibility as
a prophet of God was to prophesy the abundance God instructed him to prophesy,
believe God that God would bring the abundance to pass in His own way and
timing and forestall any doubt in the hearts of the people. God Who never fails
ended the siege of the very determined Syrian army by making them hear the
sound of a great army. Assuming that the King of Israel had hired the Kings of
Egyptians and the Hittites against them, the Syrian army fled, leaving behind
their well stocked camp to the Israelites.
Beloved,
sieges are meant to be broken and destroyed; not tolerated, accommodated or
endured as punishment from God for wrong doing. A siege should be promptly
dealt with by applying the word of God to the siege. Joseph refused to sin
against God. Hannah turned to God rather than pay attention to Peninah. Israel
cried to God and God declared an end to the siege through His prophet Elisha.
What does God want you to do to break the siege? Ask Him and He will speak to
you and give you clear directions to break the siege in the mighty name of
Jesus Christ. Shalom and God speed.
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