1 Samuel 2:1-11 English Standard Version Hannah's Prayer 2 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. 2 “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. 3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. 6 The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and on them he has set the world. 9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. 10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” 11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest. Hannah prays here, but it is probably more likely a hymn of praise that she either wrote during her time that she was nursing Samuel or the Spirit so filled her that she spoke in verse as happens with many of those who are filled by the Spirit (look at Isaiah who wrote nearly all of his prophecy in verse and the Psalmist David, and his son Solomon, and Job and so many others who spoke through the gifting of the Spirit.
Her first stanza talks about how her joy is in the LORD--both her heart and her horn (that is her strength) rejoice in Him. Why? Because He has shut the mouths of her enemies and put them to shame. Now she could be the one to deride them (but she probably won't). All the nasty, negative things that were said about here being barren were now proven to be false--the LORD had not cursed her, but she was indeed very blessed. Next, she adores the LORD for who He is--there is none like Him. He alone is holy and the Rock of Our Salvation. The LORD opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble, and the oppressed. The LORD is the Righteous Judge who will weigh all of the actions of all men. We can put our trust in Him. The LORD is a mighty warrior who breaks the weapons of so-called strong men. His eyes go to and fro throughout the earth and no one and nothing is hidden from Him. The LORD forces those who are self-reliant into a position of need, but those who rely completely on Him are more than satisfied. Then comes the part special to Hannah. He opens the wombs of the barren so that they might have even seven children (a number of fullness and completion), and He is able to close the womb of the woman who has had many children, especially in judgment for sin. The LORD is the giver and taker of life and He is the one that sends people to Sheol (the Jewish concept of "the gave" or "the place of the dead," though not necessarily the place of the damned) and He is also the one that can raise the dead back to life. It seems that Hannah had hope that when she died, one day she would be resurrected by the LORD's power. The LORD makes the poor to be rich and those who trust in their riches, He can make destitute. He takes the beggar, the needy, and the homeless, and raises them up to be in equal standing (positionally through justification and to receive the same reward and inheritance in the kingdom of God) as the princes and kings of this world. However, we don't have to wait for the coming kingdom to have access to blessings and riches of Christ Jesus that are ours, for Jesus told us that if we ask for anything in His name (in accordance with His will because it is in accordance with the Word of God) that the Father would surly do it for us. The earth is the LORD's and everything in it and even the foundations of the Earth that seem so secure and unshakable belong to Him. He is the one that establishes and tears down nations, so if He chooses to take a pauper and make him a prince (or seat him among princes), He can do that--later we'll study about Mephibosheth which is a perfect example of a person who had nothing and had no right to live being raised up and given a place to sit at the king's table. We might question this next one unless we understand what Hannah is saying. When she says that the LORD guards the feet of His little ones, does that mean that He makes it so that they will never sin or will never make a mistake? No! But when we read. obey and memorize His Word, it will help to keep us from error. Psalm 119:11 says, "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.." (this whole chapter would be good to read in relation to this promise to see how the LORD uses His Word to keep us from sin, so here's a link to that psalm: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119&version=ESV). However, the LORD also promises that the wicked will be cut off and it will be like they are walking in darkness. There's also another aspect to this promise that the LORD directs the steps of the righteous because their destiny is secure. He will certainly bring them to the kingdom that He has promised and prepared for them, but the wicked will be cast outside to a place described as a place of darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (there is much pain and suffering). So we see this is one of the many places in the Word where light and darkness are used to contrast the kingdom of our God with the kingdom of this world. None of the wicked will prevail and the adversaries of the LORD and His people will be broken to pieces. The battle belongs to the LORD and He must win the battle. The LORD will judge the earth and He will give strength to those whom He chooses to lead His people (a line that tells us much about what Samuel's job will be, for he will be chosen by the LORD to anoint kings). Nothing more can be said or added to this, so after Hannah is done praying over Samuel for his dedication, Elkanah and his family (including Hannah) return home to Ramah, but Samuel stayed with Eli and ministered to the LORD. The LORD had chosen Samuel for this special purpose for Eli did not realize the warning that was being given to him in the words of Hannah, but Eli's sons were judges to be wicked by the LORD and their leadership roles as priests would be taken away from them and given to another (that is Samuel). The LORD's rebuke of Eli's wicked sons is what we'll talk about next time. Comments are closed.
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Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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