Manslick Road church of Christ

2 + 2 = 5

Of course it doesn’t. But haven’t you heard the expression of people putting two and two together and getting five? It refers to jumping to a wrong conclusion based on minimal circumstantial evidence. It’s easy to do.

Hannah was barren. She was greatly troubled by her condition. Her husband, Elkanah, tried to comfort her but had little success. Hannah prayed earnestly about her affliction. She even vowed that if the Lord would give her a child she would devote him to the Lord all his days.

Eli the priest was watching her pray. “As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. Then Eli said to her, ‘How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away wine from you’” (1 Sam. 1:13-14 ). Moving lips plus no words equals drunkenness.

How embarrassed Eli must have been when godly Hannah humbly corrected him, explaining, “I have poured out my soul before the Lord. . . . I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.” Likely he wanted to crawl under the altar, so to speak. All he could do was express his desire that God would grant her request.

Beware of jumping to conclusions and making the accompanying accusations. Two plus two equals four, not five.