Hannah

2022-10-08

Hannah the mother of Samuel was barren for a long time. She had an adversary who provoked her, perhaps her husband Elkanah’s other wife, who had children. However, Hannah persistently prayed to the Lord for a son, vowing that he would serve before the LORD forever, probably as a Nazarite (1 Samuel 1:11). When Samuel was born and weaned, she did exactly what she had promised.

Of note is her praise song (1 Samuel 2:1-10), of which we conclude:

  1. The Lord’s salvation is victory. Enemies were defeated, and she received strength (horns are a symbol of strength). (1 Samuel 2:1)
  2. Only the Lord is holy. He is the rock, the foundation of strength. (1 Samuel 2:2)
  3. The Lord elicits humility. The Lord knows every intention of every person (1 Samuel 2:3)
  4. The Lord weakens the strong and strengthens the weak. (1 Samuel 2:4-5)
  5. The Lord kills and makes alive. He can bring back from the dead. Here is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel. (1 Samuel 2:6)
  6. The Lord lifts the lowly up and establishes them. The poor and the beggar are exalted as the prince. We see this pattern in the Lord Jesus as well. (1 Samuel 2:7-8)
  7. The Lord’s authority rests in His power over creation. He set up the world and established it. As creator, we see His power over and ownership of the earth. (1 Samuel 2:8)
  8. The Lord’s authority shows He can preserve His people. His saints are preserved but His enemies are cast out. No one has strength before Him. (1 Samuel 2:9-10)
  9. The Lord will judge the whole earth. It is all His; it is His right to do so.
  10. The Lord gives His strength to His Messiah, the anointed King. (The word for anointed is Messiah.) This is a clear mention of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one that will come again to judge the ends of the earth. There was no king established in those days; it is her son Samuel who would anoint the first kings of Israel Saul and David. David’s lineage produced Jesus the Messiah.

This song of Hannah is filled with references to what the Lord Jesus has done and will do in the future. It moves from what the Lord did personally and subjectively in Hannah’s life to what the LORD has objectively done in the world. These promises are for us and for all who believe on the Lord Jesus.

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. (1 Samuel 2:10)