1 Samuel 2:1-10
Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. “The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; upon them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
The return which mankind in general make to God for his mercies, is to idolize the gift, and forget the Giver. Directly opposite to this is the conduct of those who are truly pious; they value the gift only in proportion to its real worth, and rise in heavenly contemplations to the Donor himself; thus making the creature an occasion of exalting and magnifying the Creator.
We observe this particularly in the history of Hannah, whose devout acknowledgments we have just recited. She had been greatly afflicted on account of her not bearing any child to her husband Elkanah, while Peninnah, who was his other wife, had borne several. Her grief was daily augmented by the unkind behavior of Peninnah; nor could all the kindness and love that she experienced from her husband, remove it. She carried her requests therefore to the Lord, who alone was able to relieve them. Unto him she vowed, that if he would grant her a son, she would dedicate him to the service of the sanctuary, and that he should be a Nazarite from the womb.
Having obtained her request from God, she now came to perform her vow; as soon as the child could with any propriety be separated from her. It is thought at three or four years old, she took him with her to the tabernacle at Shiloh, and there, for the whole remainder of his days, “lent him to the Lord.” At the time of surrendering him up, she burst forth in this song of praise and thanksgiving, in which she takes occasion from the mercy given to her, to adore the goodness of God as manifested towards the whole creation. She mentions,
I. The perfections of God’s nature.
Unless we are fully aware of the desire which the Jewish women felt to have the Messiah spring from them, we shall not be able to account for the extreme grief occasioned by barrenness, or for the exultation arising from the birth of a child. But to all the common grounds of joy which Hannah had in the birth of Samuel, that of her deliverance from the taunts and insults of her rival was a great addition; and to that she had especial respect in the opening of this song. But, after this slight mention of her own particular case, she proceeds to celebrate,
1. The power and holiness of God.
God does not always interpose in this world to display his hatred of sin, or to vindicate the oppressed; because there is a day coming, when he will rectify all the present inequalities of his moral government. But he does not leave himself altogether without witness, that he is a righteous Governor, and a powerful Avenger. His effectual interposition on this occasion was, in Hannah’s eyes, a decisive proof, yes and a glorious exhibition too, of his holiness and power; and gave her an assurance, that as these perfections were essential to his nature, and unbounded in their extent, so they should ever be called forth into activity in behalf of all who would trust in him.
2. His wisdom and equity.
Great was her consolation, that while she was judged uncharitably by her fellow-creatures, she had One to whom she could commit her cause; One who was privy to every thought of her heart, and would put a just construction upon the whole of her conduct. In the contemplation of this truth, she exulted over those who had so proudly and so arrogantly condemned her.
Truly this is one of the richest sources of consolation that any person can have, when suffering under misrepresentations or calumnies of whatever kind; yes, it is quite sufficient to tranquillize the mind, and to raise it above all those feelings which oppression is calculated to produce, 1 Corinthians 4:3-5.
II. The dispensations of God’s providence.
Here the pious Hannah extends her views from herself to the world at large; and declares, that the change thus produced in her state, is illustrative of what is done by God throughout the whole creation.
In the outcome of wars;
in the enjoyment of plenty;
in the increase of families;
in the continuance of life;
in the possession of wealth;
and in advancement to honor
—who does not see that the greatest changes take place, even when least expected! verses 4-8. Who therefore must not be convinced of the folly of indulging either presumptuous confidence, on the one hand, or desponding fears on the other hand? None can say, “I am so strong, I shall never be moved.” Nor ought anyone to say, “There is no hope.” The afflicted should “weep, as though they wept not.” The prosperous “rejoice, as though they rejoiced not”—each being aware that their condition may soon be altered, and shall be altered, if God sees it on the whole conducive to their good.
III. The purposes of God’s grace.
From a view of temporal concerns, she rises to those which are spiritual and eternal; indeed here her words are evidently prophetic, and relate,
1. To the godly.
She had found to her joy, what care God takes of his people; and she confidently declared that that care would be extended to all his saints, even to the end of time. Their adversaries might lay snares for their feet; but he would “keep their feet;” he would “keep them from falling, and present them faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy! Jude verse 24.”
On the other hand, his adversaries would assuredly be confounded by him; however they might vindicate themselves now, they should soon “be silent in darkness;” and though now they might defy him, as it were, to his face, he would thunder upon them out of Heaven, and utterly, yes eternally, destroy them!
2. To the Church’s King, the Messiah himself.
As yet there had been no king in Israel; nor was there for fifty years afterwards; and therefore it is reasonable to think that she spoke of Him, whose throne was in due time to be erected in the hearts of men, even the Lord Jesus Christ. This further appears from her characterizing him by the very name Messiah, a name never before assigned to the king of Israel, but henceforth intended to designate him before all others. The Messiah, the Anointed, and the Christ, are all terms of precisely the same import. That she spoke of Him—yet further appears by the marked resemblance between this song, and that which the blessed Virgin poured forth at the prospect of the Savior’s birth, Luke 1:46-55. His triumph then she firmly predicts; and declares that his kingdom shall be extended even to “the ends of the earth.” Many efforts will be made to prevent its establishment in the world; but none shall prevail, “his horn shall be exalted,” and all his enemies shall perish!
It may be asked, What had this to do with the particular occasion of Hannah’s thanksgiving? I answer, It is this very thing which constitutes in a very great degree, the beauty of this song, and that marks the effects of ardent piety upon the soul. A single mercy, like a stream, leads the soul up to the Fountain-head; and it is then only improved aright, when we take occasion from it to contemplate the fullness that is treasured up there, and that is diffusing all possible blessings, temporal and spiritual, throughout the world; and, inasmuch as the universal reign of Christ is that which will bring most glory to God and most good to men, it ought ever to be uppermost in our minds; and every mercy we enjoy should lead us ultimately to the contemplation of it.
We may learn then from hence:
1. The benefit of prayer.
See how successful she was, though she uttered no words, but only importuned God in her heart, 1 Samuel 1:10; 1 Samuel 1:12-13. And what will God refuse to those who seek him in sincerity and truth? The Savior’s promise to us all is this, “Whatever you shall ask in my name, I will do it!” “You shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you!”
Let all the sons and daughters of affliction bear this in mind. Here is a sure remedy for all their griefs, and an infallible supply for all their needs, “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD! Psalm 40:1-3.”
2. The blessedness of true piety.
Exceeding heavy were Hannah’s trials, 1 Samuel 1:6-7; and they were not a little aggravated by the uncharitable surmises of Eli himself, 1 Samuel 1:13-16. But into what holy joy were they turned at last! Thus, when true piety occupies the soul, the most afflictive dispensations will even be overruled for good. Our night of sorrow may appear long; but the morning of joy shall soon arise. Our seed-time of tears, shall be followed with a blessed harvest. Only let us delight in heavenly contemplations, and every perfection of God’s nature, every dispensation of his providence, and every purpose of his grace, shall swell, as it were, our tide of joy, until it becomes “unspeakable and full of glory!”
Charles Simeon (1759-1836)