Hannah's Song of Thanksgiving

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 2:1) And Hannah prayed and said, "My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation."

In the last chapter and post, Hannah had borne a son, Samuel, who was an answer to prayer.  She brought her son to the Lord's house where she gave him to the Lord for His service for the rest of his life.  She now prayed to the Lord what is called Hannah's song of thanksgiving.  She said her heart rejoiced in the Lord.  Her horn, an allusion to horned creatures, was exalted in the Lord.  A horn often represented strength and glory in the Bible.  Hannah had been low in spirit when she prayed to the Lord for a son, and her spirit had been renewed, and she had recovered strength and glory thanks to the Lord.  She had been sad and quiet with no answer to her tormenters before, but now she could open her mouth wide with joy because she rejoiced in the Lord's salvation.  And that meant, not just her salvation from her barrenness, but her song was a prophetic one about the coming Messiah in whom true salvation would come.

(2) "No one is holy as the Lord, for there is none besides You, neither any rock like our God."

Hannah sang that there was no one who was holy besides the Lord, and there was no rock like the Lord, a sure steady foundation for defense, strength, refuge, and the only true salvation.

(3) "Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let no arrogancy come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed."

Hannah sounds as if she is speaking to Peninnah now, not to speak so proudly and arrogantly.  However, it could be spoken of anyone who was likewise haughty and arrogant, for the Lord is a God of knowledge who sees and knows all, even the hearts of men.  He is the judge of all thoughts and actions, and He alone will weigh them and judge them.

(4) "The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they who stumbled are girded with strength."

The strength of the mighty men of which they boasted is broken by God, and those who are weak are girded with strength from the Lord.  Jesus would later say, "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  That could certainly be spoken of Peninnah and Hannah, Peninnah who bragged about having so many children and tormenting Hannah because she had none, and Hannah who suffered in silence and prayed to God.

(5) "The full have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry ceased, so that the barren has born seven, and she who has many children has become feeble."

As another way of describing how the proud and strong are brought down, and the weak and humble are exalted, Hannah said that those who were full and well fed were now having to hire themselves out for bread, and those who were hungry now ceased to hunger.  The barren woman now bore seven children, which Hannah could be prophesying about herself, as she would go on to have more children, and the woman with many children had become feeble and unable to bear any more.

(6) "The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up."

The Lord only is the author and arbiter over life and death.  He alone decides who will live and who will die.  However, I think that Hannah's meaning was that the Lord can make one very low and then raise them up again.  Hannah had been almost consumed by her grief, but then was raised by God to joyful life again.

(7) "The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up."

The Lord makes some people poor and some people rich.  All things are in His power and for His purposes.  Being poor is not always a bad thing as often wealth ruins a person.  Being low and then brought up can make a person much more appreciative and thankful, as Hannah was now.

(8) "He raises up the poor out of the dust, lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory, for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He has set the world upon them."

The Lord was the one who raised the poor out of the dust and the beggar out of the most sordid of places, to raise them up among princes.  Although people may be raised from nothing to equal with princes, I don't think this is necessarily meant to be literal, but spiritual and prophetic.  When the Lord makes them inherit the throne of glory, that is undoubtedly speaking of the heavenly throne.  Through Christ the poor are raised to be princes in that they are children of the King of kings, and they will inherit the throne of glory as Jesus said in Revelation 3:21, "To him who overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, as I also overcame and am set down with My Father on His throne."  The "pillars of the earth," that which supports it in open space, are the Lord's alone; only He set the world as it is.

(9) "He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness, for by strength shall no man prevail."

The Lord will guard the feet and guide the steps of His people.  However, the wicked will be put to silence in their darkness when they are shown the light of truth in the end.  In the end even the most devout atheists will know the Lord and will bow to Him (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11).  However, then will be too late, and they will be cast into the pit of darkness (2 Peter 2:4).  No man will prevail by his own strength but will be only in submission to Christ.

(10) "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 to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed."

The adversaries of the Lord will be broken; from heaven He will thunder upon them.  No man can stand against the power and will of God.  The Lord judges all mankind to the ends of the earth, reaching every person and every place.  He will give strength to His King, undoubtedly Jesus Christ, as He is God's anointed.  He will exalt the horn of His anointed.  Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied about the horn of salvation to be raised up in the house of David (Luke 1:69), and David called the Lord the horn of his salvation (Psalm 18:2).  "His anointed" in the original Hebrew is "Mashiyach," in our present-day English, Messiah.  Hannah, in her prophetic song, makes the first mention in the Bible of Christ as the Messiah.

I will end this post here.  Although it makes for a short post, Hannah's song stands alone in its beauty and prophecy.  Hannah was so thankful and full of joy over what the Lord had done for her that she was able to sing this song rejoicing in the Lord even though she was leaving her child, her only child, at the tabernacle, and she would never have him with her again.  She gave glory to God, who humbled the strong and exalted the weak.  And she looked forward to the future Messiah.

Birth of the Prophet Samuel

Continuing a chronological Bible study: 

(1 Samuel 1:1) Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.

This first chapter of 1 Samuel takes us back to the time of the judges of Israel, Samson being the last one (Judges 16).  Judges 17-21 didn't actually follow a chronological order but told how the people had strayed and did what was right in their own eyes, before the time of the judges.  I've been disappointed in this particular chronological pattern of studying the Bible that was presented by Skip Andrews, as it is not always exactly in chronological date order, but I can't change now.  This chapter begins by telling us about a man named Elkanah who lived at a place called Ramathaim Zophim in Mount Ephraim.  He was the son of Jeroham, who was the son of Elihu, who was the son of Tohu, who was the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite from Ephratah which is said to be another name for Bethlehem Judah.

(2) And he had two wives, the name of the one Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah, and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah.  Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

(3) And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

Elkanah went, as he did yearly, to Shiloh to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord, called the Lord of hosts, which means the Lord of heaven's armies.  Eli was the next judge after Samson and was also the high priest.  He and his sons who were also priests were there in Shiloh.

(4) And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters.

This was probably a peace offering where the bringer of the offering shared in the feast made of his offering.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, explained:  "The sacrifices which were made were probably peace-offerings, of which the blood was poured out at the foot of the altar; the fat was burnt on the fire; the breast and right shoulder were the portion of the priest, and the rest belonged to him who made the offering; on it he and his family feasted, each receiving his portion..."  Elkanah gave portions of his offering to his wife Peninnah and to her children.

(5) But to Hannah he gave a worthy portion, for he loved Hannah; but the Lord had shut up her womb.

It appears that Elkanah gave Hannah a more special or choice portion because he loved her.  However, Hannah had no children because the Lord had shut her womb.

(6) And her adversary also provoked her sorely to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.

Scripture doesn't tell us who Hannah's adversary was, but it was probably Peninnah, perhaps jealous that Elkanah loved Hannah best, and she taunted Hannah because she had been unable to have children.  It doesn't have to be Peninnah; the adversary could be Satan feeding her with all sorts of negative thoughts because she had not been able to bear children.  Even if it was Peninnah, Satan the adversary had a hand in it, to be sure.

(7) And he did so year by year; when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.

Elkanah went to the house of the Lord for this feast year after year.  "She" provoked Hannah when she went up to the house of the Lord, so it is Peninnah who was her adversary.  They were going to make an offering to the Lord, and Peninnah was accompanied by all her children, and Hannah was alone, so Peninnah taunted Hannah until she wept and did not eat.

(8) Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

Elkanah asked Hannah why she grieved so and did not eat.  He asked if his love for her was better than if she had had ten sons.  Or perhaps the meaning was that his love was better than the comfort and love she would receive from ten sons.  The point was that his great love for her, obviously greater than the love he had for Peninnah and her children, should demonstrate that it didn't matter to him that she could not bear him any children.

(9) So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord.

Hannah rose up to leave after they had eaten and drunk.  Eli the priest who was also the judge sat upon probably what was called the seat of judgment by a post of the temple of the Lord.

(10) And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept sorely. (11) And she vowed a vow, and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your handmaid and remember me and not forget Your handmaid, but will give to Your handmaid a man child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."

Hannah wept bitterly and prayed to the Lord.  She vowed that if the Lord looked down on her favorably and gave her a boy child, she would dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life, as a Nazarite, and no razor would ever touch his head.

(12) And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli observed her mouth. (13) Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.

Hannah was praying to herself, not aloud, but her lips moved as she prayed in her heart.  Eli saw her and observed her mouth moving and thought she was drunk.

(14) And Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine from you."

Eli spoke to Hannah and asked how long she intended to be drunk and told her to put her wine away.

(15) And Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have poured out my soul before the Lord. (16) Do not count your handmaid for a daughter of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken until now."

Hannah told Eli she had not been drinking, but she was just very sorrowful and had poured out her soul to the Lord.  She asked that he not consider her a daughter of wickedness, that it was only because of her overwhelming grief and complaint that her mouth had moved while she prayed.

(17) Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him."

Eli then told Hannah to go in peace, that the God of Israel would grant her request for which she had prayed and asked of God.

(18) And she said, "Let your handmaid find grace in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her countenance was no longer sad.

Hannah wished that she may have found favor with Eli and then went her way.  She ate and she was no longer sad because she had assurance in the words of the priest that God would favorably answer her prayer.

(19) And they rose up in the morning early and worshiped before the Lord and returned and came to their house to Ramah, and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.

Elkanah and his family rose up early the next morning and went to the tabernacle to worship the Lord, and then they went back to their home in Ramah, or Ramathaim.  There Elkanah knew his wife Hannah in an intimate way, and the Lord remembered her as she had prayed He would.

(20) So it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bore a son and called his name Samuel, "Because I have asked him of the Lord."

It came to pass when the time was come for Hannah to give birth, she had a son and named him Samuel, which meant literally "heard of God," because she had asked the Lord for him, and the Lord had heard her prayers and answered favorably.

(21) And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow.

Elkanah and his family went to offer a yearly sacrifice to the Lord and for whatever vow he had made since the last offering.  He had possibly made a vow on the occasion of Hannah's prayer and vow, or maybe he vowed an offering of thanksgiving for the child.

(22) But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "Not until the child is weaned, and I will bring him that he may appear before the Lord and abide there forever."

Hannah did not go with her family because she had told Elkanah that she wouldn't go until her baby was weaned, and then she would take him to appear before the Lord where he would abide forever, in keeping with her vow.

(23) And Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems to you good; wait until you have weaned him; only the Lord establish His word. So the woman abode and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

Elkanah told Hannah to do what she thought best and wait until she had weaned Samuel.  Then may the Lord establish His word as vowed by Hannah, to accept and preserve Samuel, and have him grow up a Nazarite in service to the Lord.  Hannah stayed and nursed her baby until she had weaned him.

(24) And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, and the child was young.

When Hannah had weaned her son, she took him with a bull, flour, and a bottle of wine for offerings, and she brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh.  The child was quite young, probably a small toddler.

(25) And they slaughtered a bull and brought the child to Eli.

The bull was slaughtered for sacrifice, and the child was brought to Eli.

(26) And she said, "O my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. (27) For this child I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. (28) Therefore I have also lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be lent to the Lord." And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah reminded Eli about who she was, the woman who had prayed to the Lord beside him.  She never told him what she had prayed for, only that she had poured her soul out to the Lord (verse 15), but Eli told her that God would grant her petition (verse 17).  She now told Eli that she had prayed for a child, and the Lord had given her her petition.  She went on to tell him that she was giving her son to the Lord for His service for as long as he lived.  "He" worshiped the Lord there, perhaps Eli who gave thanks to the Lord for what he had declared would be having come to fruition.  Some Biblical scholars think Samuel is meant.  Although he was very young, his spirit knew and was capable of worshiping God in some way, just as Elizabeth's baby leapt in her womb when he heard Mary (Luke 1:41).  Others think "they" was meant, and they all worshiped the Lord for what He had done.