Daily Devotional for Monday, May 29

Elkanah’s Family

“Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim,
and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu,
the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah,
and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children,
but Hannah had no children,” 1 Samuel 1:1, 2.

A few years ago, my children gave me a DNA kit for Father’s Day so that I could find out more about my ancestry and fill in some gaps in my family tree. As a result, I found relatives and an ancestry of which I was not aware. As one that grew up wondering about some of my own family identity, I was surprised and excited about finding some of my relatives and dismayed at some of the information that was revealed. What would you do if you found out that you did not come from the most idyllic family situation?
Elkanah’s family tree, as given to us in verse 1, gives us insight that he was a descendant of the Levitical tribe of Israel (1 Chronicles 6:33- 38), and they had been used in the service of the Lord. We see also from 1 Samuel 1:2 that he had two wives but this, of course, went against God’s original design for married life and the family structure, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). This may reflect the lack of leadership in Israel during this time because the people did whatever they thought was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25).

THOUGHT: When we do not follow God’s design for marriage, it undoubtedly leads to problems within the family. You may find yourself in a family that has not always lined up with God’s design, but that does not mean that God cannot use you or bring good out of a bad family situation

Tim Chambers