Spiritual Understanding. 1 Samuel 1:3 Elkanah was a man who knew the need for obedience to God was important to him personally. It is very positive about this man that he preserved his family by including them in the journey to the house of God. Year after year, he and his whole family journeyed to Shiloh, where the Tabernacle was, and offered suitable offerings to the Lord. It would have been a special time for him to take his portion of the peace offering and pass it to his wives and children. But even there, he let his favor of Hannah be seen. The first few times, Peninnah and her children may have thought he was feeling sorry for her barrenness. Even though he could have legally divorced her, he kept on loving her and seeking to show her evidence of his caring heart. This partiality created irritation and provocation in the family. Elkanah would have known about the terrible evil at the Lord's house because of Eli's lack of discipline and Hophni and Phinehas' sinful practices. However, he went there anyway and worshiped despite the failure of others.
We know there is a failure in others who attend our assembly gatherings because there is a failure in us. Because some things we personally don't think are right according to our opinion doesn't give us the right to absent ourselves. When there is something that we can do to correct something wrong, we should do what we can to accomplish that. If it is our own opinion and others don't seem to share that, we should check ourselves out to see if I am the wrong one and do something about it. Sometimes, uncorrected evil may continue, and doctrinally wrong teaching is given. Then, we may have to go to some other place where the word of God is carried out after clarifying why this is necessary.
Natural Understanding. I Samuel 1:4 There was another positive characteristic of Elkanah. He seemed to naturally understand the value of including his wives and children as participants in spiritual things. He knew the limitations of his wife Peninnah and her children. He didn’t expect from them that which they couldn’t give.
Natural affection is wonderful, but we need more than that in our homes to bring out the potential inherent in each one. We need to know, or at least seek to understand, what each person needs and is consistent with their personality. To compare one with another is not a good thing. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it" does not mean we can guarantee our desired result from our children. When we take time to know their bent and how they respond to different things, we can nourish that and hopefully guide that person to be a successful person in their own right.
What should have been a joyful time for Elkanah and his family was a time of unhappiness and strife for both Hannah and Peninnah. Hannah had no children and was the object of Peninnah’s scorn. Elkanah loved Hannah, and Peninnah was bitter because of that. Hannah had to lose her natural hope before God answered her prayers for a son and deliverer for the nation.
Natural ability, good manners, and higher education are all good things of value, but those who recognize their limitations are humbled anyway and aware of what they still lack. Then, we become aware of our need for God in every aspect of life.