Psalm 113:9

Psalm 113:9

The childless woman

Following on from yesterday’s meditation, we can now see that the psalm-writer had Hannah in mind as he penned his song. Hannah would also have been in the minds of the thousands of Jews who celebrated the Feasts, either at the Tabernacle or in their local communities, and who sang the Hallel. (See introduction) Hannah is the woman who was childless, who settled in her home until Samuel was weaned, and who became a happy mother of children. 

Barrenness was a great disgrace in ancient times but particularly so in Israel. Children were a gift from God, as they still are, but in a culture that was founded on blessings and curses, it was inevitable that people would question Hannah’s barren state and also what she might have done to deserve this! So, for a woman like her, being childless was a cause of deep anguish, soul-searching and pain. It was alright for her husband Elekanah, he obviously was not the cause of the problem for he produced children through his other wife Penenniah who, as we saw, took full advantage of the situation and chided and taunted Hannah mercilessly. Childlessness was also a terrible burden in old age for it was your children who cared for you and protected you, there were no state benefits! 

Hannah is not the only woman to suffer in this way nor is she the only one to be graciously blessed with children later in life. We can add to the list the wives of the patriarchs, Sarah (Abraham’s wife), Rebekah (Isaac’s wife), Rachel (Jacob’s wife), and the Shunamite woman (see 2 Kings 4:8-37), and there are others. Let us never take our children for granted, nor should we ever underestimate the value of a family and having successors who love us and value us as parents just as we love and value them. Praise the Lord! 

 

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