Mocking

Mocking

Peninnah

Read: 1 Samuel 1:6

Liz sat on her mom’s couch, fidgeting with her long gold earrings. It had been fun getting ready for her ten-year, high school reunion—shopping for a new dress, getting a new hairstyle and a manicure, and booking the flight to her hometown. It would be great to see the gang again . . . but what if she came? Liz flushed and glanced up at the ceiling. How could I have been so mean back then? Liz hadn’t started it, but she had sure played along. “Captain Hook”—it had seemed so funny at the time. I never even took the time to find out what was wrong with her hand.

Peer pressure never justifies making fun of someone, and neither does jealousy. Although Peninnah was the wife who had several children, her husband treated his barren wife with great tenderness. Peninnah expressed her discontent by taunting Hannah about her barrenness. Hannah never retaliated, and this provoked Peninnah all the more. As she exalted herself over Hannah because she had children, Peninnah forgot that God had given them to her. Instead of empathizing with Hannah’s disappointment, Peninnah used her own blessing to hurt Hannah.

Many teenagers cover up their insecurity by making fun of others. As we grow older, we hopefully learn to empathize with others’ feelings and realize that we all have flaws that could be the object of ridicule. But much of the humor in popular television shows revolves around making fun of others. While we may avoid overt name-calling, a mocking attitude may creep into our thinking as we joke about someone’s weight, accent, lack of ability, or any one of a thousand other things. It’s worth the effort to keep our conversation free of mockery so that we never have to worry about meeting someone face-to-face as Liz did.

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

Psalm 1:1