This week we will celebrate a day that sees more Hallmark cards purchased and mailed than any other single holiday of the year—Valentine’s Day. Regardless of the origin, it has become a day symbolizing love through the giving of cards, dinners out, chocolates and flowers. Restaurants pull out all the stops and make sure the maximum number of waiters and waitresses are on hand, and everything is decorated in white, red and pink. Love. But what does that even mean?
In the Bible we have many stories and examples of love. Some of them are traditional, and some of them are a little outside of the box. We will look at 5 examples of love as defined by God and I hope that you are encouraged that regardless of whether or not you have someone ‘special’ to spend February 14th with, you will know that you are loved.
Our first is Hannah, mother to Samuel. Her story is found in 1 Samuel 1:
There was a certain man…whose name was Elkanah…He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none…Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Elkanah her husband would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” (1 Sam. 1:1-8)
Only in the Bible would we find a lesson about love when the husband has 2 wives and the Lord has closed the womb! Confusing, but the focus here is how much Elkanah loved Hannah and how he showed that love. Firstly, he noticed that she was sad. He noticed that she was weeping. “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted?” Hannah was more distraught over being barren than her husband was in this case, but he still noticed and reached out to her. One marker of love is communication. It’s noticing. It’s caring enough to ask. It’s listening.
Secondly, he had communion, or relationship, with her. He says to her, “Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” He wouldn’t say that if he didn’t spend time with her, talk with her, and build into her. He would mean nothing to her.
Thirdly, he has compassion and provides for her above and beyond. I think as women we often overlook this as a way of showing love, but it is. “But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb.” He saw that his second wife was the underdog in that culture and time, and he tried to make up for it by giving her a double portion. My husband works hard to provide for our family and yet when we sit at the table, we say grace and thank God for the food and sometimes overlook thanking him for making sure that he does his job so that we do get paid and can buy the food: All provision from God, of course, but in this case, via the husband. Elkanah’s compassion comes into this when he gives a double portion. She is sad, so I will feed her more. ϑ
Sometimes love is action: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son… (John 3:16)
Sometimes love is listening: “And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)
Sometimes love is compassion: As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14)
The challenge is to reach out to others in love, and perhaps the greater challenge, to receive love from others when they reach out to us with a listening ear, a kind gesture or simply in relationship. We are a body and together we are the Church of God, built in and on His love.
Our song for today is Reckless Love by Cory Asbury.