Crystalization Study of 1 & 2 Samuel
The Hannah Ministry
In 1 Samuel 1 there is a dear saint named Elkanah who had two wives. One was Peninnah; the other was Hannah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Peninnah was Hannah's rival. She provoked Hannah bitterly to irritate her, because Jehovah had shut up Hannah's womb. He had prohibited her from having children, which she did not understand.
The first book of Samuel stands for a ministry that brings in the King with His kingdom; we may call this "the Hannah ministry." Peninnah and Hannah represent two fundamentally different principles and two fundamentally different ministries (1:2, 4, 7); Hannah's ministry was just to bring in the King, not to have many children; Peninnah's ministry was to have many children, that is, a ministry with much result; Peninnah and her children represent the majority of God's people, but none of them has anything to do with turning the age to bring Christ back as the King of glory (Psa. 24:1-3,7-1 O). In other words, Peninnah's ministry was all about results. Hannah's ministry was to bring in the King with His kingdom. This does not mean that we should not pray for the increase in the churches; we should. However, our main focus is to bring in the King with His kingdom ...
We do want the increase, but we need to be careful. No matter how much increase we get, we will always be only a remnant. This is the principle in both the Old and New Testaments. The overcomers are a remnant. We want that remnant to be increased, but we should never think that we are going to be something great with great enterprises. Peninnah and her children represent the majority of God's people, but none of them has anything to do with turning the age to bring Christ back as the King of glory. This is what we want to accomplish. We want to have the honor of cooperating with the Lord to bring Him back. We all believe that these are the last days. In these last days God's eyes are on those who can be the means of bringing in the King. We have to ask ourselves what our ministry is. Do we have any part in this special ministry, this Hannah ministry, the crucial ministry ot bringing in the King? This ministry is the New Testament ministry. of the Spirit, the ministry of righteousness, and the ministry of reconconciliation. When we enter into these three aspects of the New Testament ministry, we are exercising the Hannah ministry.