Week Three. Hannah: Praise and Prophecy

This week we will be looking at Hannah’s prayer of praise found in I Samuel 2: 1-11. It is often compared to the Song of Mary (also known as the Magnificat) of Luke 1:46-55. This prayer is a beautiful example of heartfelt praise sung from a voice of gratitude.

I 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 this prayer while worshiping the Lord at the time when she dedicated Samuel to the Lord for his lifetime. She begins by announcing how overfilled her heart is with the gratitude and celebration because the Lord had answered her prayer. She says in verse two that her “horn in lifted high.” Sounds funny but in the ancient Jewish world when one said their horn had been lifted it meant that God had delivered them from a place of disgrace and placed in a position of honor instead. Remember back in those days to be barren was a very disgraceful position. Now Hannah was celebrating the fruition of her prayers and longing. Hannah also mentions in this verse that now she could boast over her enemies. Think back at Peninnah and all her loud taunting toward Hannah. This time Hannah could boast in the Lord and His answer to her prayers. As we continue through this chapter we find that Hannah continually puts the focus on God and His attributes-knowledge, strength, and provision. She exalts Him for Who He is. It is truly a song of praise.

I love the English Standard Version of this passage. Hannah exalts “There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides You; there is no rock like our God.” When we back up to verse one she says that she rejoices in God’s salvation. Hannah is pointing out and praising the strength and might of the Lord. She is pointing out how nothing is too big for our God! He is over all and all must bend to His will. Keep this in mind as you face struggles and trials in life. When the bills come and doctor shakes his head in frustration-God is too big for Your problem! Your troubles are in His hands and you are not forgotten. In fact, in verse three she points out that “the Lord is a God of knowledge.”

Verse four has a beautiful word picture. It states that the “bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.” Think about that for a moment. Ever felt like the world was just shooting away at you with arrows of discouragement or it seems like nothing is quite “going your way”? Hang in there because those arrows will be broken! Furthermore you can “bind on strength!” I love this illustration so much! Think about a soldier going to war or a police officer heading into a standoff. They bind on armor. They put on Kevlar vests, boots, helmets-all kinds of protection. You can bind on strength. You can bind on this strength even when you are feeling feeble-which means you are lacking in strength, force, or effectiveness. Wow, lacking in effectiveness! I’m sure that sometimes, like I have, you have felt like all the work you’ve done is futile and it just seems like ,no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to get ahead. Hannah felt this way but she took it to the Father and He answered her prayer.  She then locked and loaded herself with His strength! The wonderful fact is that God has not changed in all this time and if you bring it to your Heavenly Father you can do the same. Lock and load, Ladies!

While the vast majority of Hannah’s prayer praised God’s deliverance of His children, I don’t want you to miss this often overlooked portion right at the very end. The last portion of verse ten states, “He will give strength to His king and exalt the power of His anointed.” Know what? There was no King at this time. Know what else? Hannah’s son, Samuel, is the prophet who anointed Israel’s first two kings. Hannah prophesied the anointing of Saul and David. Hannah’s son would be the last judge in Israel and anoint God’s choice as King to replace the judges of Israel. How cool is that! Look at how blessed the nation of Israel was and we today have been because one woman took her sorrows to the Lord and believed He heard her cries. He answered her and He blessed us all with the answer to her prayer.

What about you? Is there something in your life that you just can’t seem to get ahead in? Are you weak and beaten down by life until you can hardly hold up your own head? Bring your cares to the Lord. He hears. He cares. He will supply. Praise Him now for what He is doing in your life and how you trust He will bring you out and bless not only yourself but everyone who witnesses this deliverance. In my own life, I have seen the Lord deliver. I have felt His presence. Sometimes I can imagine His arms around me. He always comes through and I’ve never been the only blessed by it. Anyone who sees the hand of God on your life will be touched by and it may just be the push they need in their own belief. It may just be the example that gives them hope. My hope is in this, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” I hold so dearly to those words. They are true for you as well. Bind on strength, Daughter. He is strong and He will fight for you.

Join me next week as we wrap up Hannah but taking a look at Samuel!