Hannah's Song of Praise (1 Samuel 2:1-10)

Hannah’s Song as the Theological Introduction to 1 Samuel

Okay, as we begin this, I want to, first of all, consider narrative, historical narrative. It's about Israel's breaking away from God, turning away from God. They have become apostate. But here's a woman in, came in in chapter one, Hannah.

She was barren. Then she prayed diligently and called out to the Lord that he would grant her a son. And as she did so, she made a vow to God that she would allow him to serve God all his days. Then in chapter two, she offers this praise and also a song unto God.

So the purpose of these books provide us an account of Samuel's ministry as well as the rejection of the theocratic rule. Remember, early on, they, by the time we get to chapter eight, they rejected Samuel because his sons, who were made judges, were corrupt.

They were extracting money from the people. They were just corrupt. So they came to him, sent the elders. They came to him and said, we want a king like all other nations. They didn't want God to serve.

They didn't want to obey God or his law. So they wanted a king like other nations. But as we see here, Samuel is going to come into play. This is where Hannah now gives praise to God for what he has done when she was barren.

The purpose of the books is to show this transition. The book of Samuel sometimes is only remembered because of David and his slaying of Goliath with a stone from his sling. Everyone thinks about that as the great event.

But the great event is the transition to King David, who is a forerunner and points to the Lord Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. So when we look over all themes, this great book I listed in last week, we consider and recognize the sovereignty of God in all of mankind and all of history.

That is the main theme that we want to consider. So the first part of chapter 2 contains a song of Hannah. And the prayer in chapter 1 was quite different. She did so. She prayed out of despair and sorrow.

But just recall what she said in chapter 1, verse 11. And we read, she made a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me and not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life and a razor shall not come to his head.

So when Hannah first prayed for that, she was weeping in bitterness and sorrow. But God answered this humble prayer of this godly woman. As we continue, this prayer is similar to a prayer offered in Luke by Mary.

It's called the Magnificant. Mary's Magnificant. Also, David in 2 Samuel, he gave a song of praise in chapter 22 of 2 Samuel, verses 2 through 51, and then again in chapter 23 of 2 Samuel, verses 1 through 7.

These praises were similar, but they all had the same focus. That God was their rock, the rock of their salvation, and the God of all creation. So let's think about now what Hannah is going to pray. She was given the privilege of providing the main theological introduction to the whole account of history and the essence of the Israelite monarchy.

That's what Hannah's role was. It gives a very theologically and biblically informed praise to God during this period.

Hannah’s Praise in the Midst of Barren Sorrow

Of her life.

Hannah's song provides us with a view of God, what he was about to do in this period of history. The song of praise is also similar to David's song, which I just spoke of. Augustine said this of Hannah, Through this woman there speaks by the spirit of prophecy the Christian religion itself, with which the humble are filled so that they rise up, which was in fact the chief theme that rang out in her hymn of praise.

For years she had traveled to the tabernacle facing bitterness of her barren womb, as well as suffering the mockery from her rival Peninnah, who was the second woman of this man's life. Hannah turned to the Lord in faith and had offered her son for a lifelong service.

If God would give her a son, chapter ends with this, and he worshipped to the Lord there and she worshipped to the Lord there. So Hannah's prayer was given. And then, of course, we recognize that Eli gave her a blessing and she left with a complete.

Peace.

How could she do so after years of just distress and troubled by Elkanah's wife, first wife? She produced all the children. She had sons, she had daughters, and Hannah was barren. And yet now she gives praise and walks away, leaving the tabernacle in complete peace.

She knew that it was in God's hands. If he allowed her to have a son, she would give him back to the Lord. If she didn't, she understood that would not be God's desire for her. So in Hannah's song of thanksgiving, Hannah shows us what a difference it makes when we turn to God in time of need.

The last time we saw her praying was a situation quite different. Now she begins with this. Verse 1. My heart exults in the Lord. Earlier, Hannah described herself as a woman oppressed in spirit, but now her heart exults in the Lord.

So as we consider that, I want to ask this question. I want you to give us some thought and I would like to get your feedback. How do we pray to God? What are some ways that we can exalt God in our prayers?

And if we do so, how do we answer when God doesn't answer our prayers or perhaps something different he allows? What would be our response? So what would you think in this regard? What is it that we do when we worship God and pray?

How do we exalt him in our prayers?

That's a question.

Be humble.

Okay.

He said to be humble. Earl said to be humble when we pray. We have to humble ourselves. When David sinned with Bathsheba in killing her husband Urich, he finally came to a place of repentance, but it wasn't till Nathan came to him and pointed out his sin.

Then he truly repented. We have Psalm 51. We have Psalm 103. And David poured his heart out. But the one thing he had was a contrite heart. It isn't just going to 1 John 1, 9 because in 1 John 1, 9, we have to recognize confessing our sin is that of contrition, sorrow.

We have sinned against a holy God. We know that God is the one who restores us. He forgives us. He puts our sins as far as east from the west. He chooses to remember them no more. That's the God that we serve.

And this is the God that Hannah served. So we exalt in that. Hannah described herself as a woman oppressed in spirit, but now exalts the Lord. She continued in their song of praise, she says, My horn is exalted in the Lord.

The term horn symbolizes strength. In Psalm 89, verse 24, David proclaims, My faithfulness and my lovingkindness will be with him. In my name, his horn will be exalted. Think of that. David was full of praise and he exalted the Lord.

Those who lived in that period of time, in the agricultural world, they had beasts like oxen. Oxen would help them harvest their crops, plow their fields, pull their carts. That was an animal that worked for them, and it was a valuable animal.

But the oxen holds its head up high, and its horns are a symbol of victory and power. When you see an oxen, they're large, they're muscular, and their horns, they hold their head up high. This is a sign of strength.

And that's what the figurative language was for. Hannah continues with her praise. She says, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies. In this portion of Hannah's prayer, the Hebrew literally states, My mouth is wide opened.

The idea seemed to combine two thoughts, one of devouring one's foes, the other with recognition of the defeated enemies. Since Hannah refused to complain about Peninnah or seek God's vengeance, it is not likely, as an example of the enemies of God and his people, Hannah now rejoices to see the voice of the unbelieving mockery silenced because of God's grace.

To God all the glory was due. A commentator by the name of William Blakey said this,. Looking on herself as representing the nation of Israel, Hannah seems to have felt that what happened to her on a small scale was to happen to the nation on a large scale.

For God would draw nigh to Israel as he had to her, and make Israel his friend and servant, humble and proud, and the wicked nations exalt him. That's what Israel was going to be brought to by God. The source of Hannah's joy and strength is Jehovah, Yahweh.

More important than this blessing of a son was the answered prayer that was granted from her God. It wasn't just having a son. But after these petitions, that son was going to be given back to God. But she wanted to give him praise and glory for whatever he was going to do.

And she knew this would be a mighty answer to prayer and her son would do service unto the Lord. Though Hannah loved her son Samuel, he was not her savior. Her rejoicing was in the God of her salvation.

She closes this verse with the great jubilance, because I rejoice in your salvation. Hannah understood her salvation was from God and it was the greatest gift that she was to have. Not the son, that was a blessing and that was an answer to prayer, but her greatest gift was that of salvation from Yahweh.

We could sometimes become complacent about this marvelous gift that God has granted his elect. As we examine this marvelous song of praise which Hannah offers to God, we will see of God's glorious attributes as we examine this text.

God displays in this book of Samuel, 1 and 2 Samuel, one book in the Hebrews I stated last week. God exalts himself through all his attributes. All his attributes are seen throughout this wonderful book.

The Holiness of God and the Call to Obey

So here in verse 2 of chapter 2, there is none, no one holy like the Lord. Hannah understood that. Now we begin to see the depth of knowledge that Hannah had of her Lord. Question. At this point, how do we view God?

The universal church has diminished who God is. God is their buddy, good pal, the man upstairs, degrading and disgracing the God of the universe. We should exalt God in our prayers. And how do we show our love for God?

What did Christ say?

If you love me, what? Obey my commandments. God desires not just people who learn of his word, hear his word. God wants us to be doers as James stated so strongly in his epistle. She goes on, who is like you among the gods?

Oh, back up. The book of Exodus, Moses sings out a song of praise to the Lord. Who is like you among the gods? Oh, Lord, who is like you? Majestic and holiness. That's from Exodus 1511. Moses encounter with God on the Mount of Sinai confirms that God's holiness.

First and foremost means God has set apart. Moses couldn't approach God. He took his shoes off. He knew he was on holy ground. He bowed before this great, magnificent Lord God. God has set apart above all.

His holiness is one of his greatest attributes. Everything flows out of his holiness. God's perfect in every sense of the word. Holiness is the moral reflection of the glory of the one absolute God. The wicked should tremble before his holiness.

And not talk in their pride of things which they have accomplished or intend to perform. The acts of God are always just. He will weigh the minds and hearts of men. In Proverbs, we read this. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight.

But the Lord weighs the motives. That's in Proverbs 16. Again, in Proverbs. Every man's way is right in his own eyes. But the Lord weighs the hearts. Proverbs 21, 2. Then this other proverb. If you say, see, we did not know this.

Does he not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does he not know who keeps your soul? And will he not render to man according to his work? Proverbs 24, 12. How we determine whether our trials are for developing character or for sin in our lives.

That's a question. How do we know? When we suffer trials, is God chasing in us? We know from Hebrews 12 that God loves his children. He chases and scourges his sons. What for? To bring them back into a right place with his.

As we look at how God works through chastening. We know that it's his sovereign providence that he allows. And for his purposes could be to.

Yes.

Excellent.

Peter gave this. It's also because God loves us. If we're in sin, God wants nothing more than to deliver us and restore us from that sin. So, it's for his purpose throughout all our trials.

Yes.

He's also developing character.

Yes. Yes.

Excellent.

Did you hear that? When we pray, God calls us to pray according to his will. We see that in 1 John. We're not seeking our own. We only want what God's will is in our life. So, it's important for us to recognize that.

Yes, we may have needs. God is our provider. He's our sustainer. And yet, we pray according to God's will. So, how do we do that? How do we know what God's will is when we're praying? We get God's will through his word.

So, we are to know and study, to meditate, and to practice God's word by his grace. That's how we pray. Thank you. God's holiness encourages those who are presently afflicted. It would be easy for one to conclude that Hannah is joyful because of her desire has been granted.

But this would fail to take into account the long years of her bitterness and oppression and disappointment. It is now, only now, that Hannah is able to discern God's holy purposes in her trials. So, we have to understand God had purpose in all of her trials.

Even Peninnah's constant rebuffing her and causing her sorrow because she did not have a child. Even that, God allowed for his purposes. It drove her, where? To God. Often, in times of severe trial or testing, believers try to understand the purposes in their afflictions.

Yet, in some instances, it is only after these trials are endured by God's grace that one may understand the purposes of God's providence. Since God is holy, all his intentions for his people are also holy.

Remember, everything is filtered through God's hand. Nothing happens outside of his sovereign providence. So, we can trust in that and we can work through that understanding that we are to glorify God through whatever circumstances we're in.

In the book of Habakkuk, we read this from the Oracle of Habakkuk. Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and you cannot look on wickedness with favor. That's in Habakkuk 1 .13. One commentator makes this observation regarding God's holiness.

To the wicked, this attribute is no comfort, but only a terror. Yet, to those who can appreciate it, how blessed a thing of the holiness of God is. There's no darkness in him, no corruption, no infirmity, but he's absolutely pure.

He governs all the principles from absolute purity and holiness. God's holiness encourages those who are presently afflicted. Some could easily conclude that Hannah was rejoicing because her desire was granted.

However, to make that conclusion would fail to take into account all the years that Hannah had been disappointed.

God’s Omniscience, Chastening, and Providence

Verse 3.

Boast no more so very proudly. Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge. Hannah now adds a fourth statement regarding God, which is rebuke to those who are mockers.

She invokes yet another of God's attributes, his omniscience. God is all-knowing. This is another of God's non-commutable attributes. We have God's commutable attributes, which are love, forgiveness, all these elements that we get from God.

But they're the non-commutable attributes, which we understand of God's omnipresence, omnipotence. God's all-powerful. All of his attributes that are non-commutable, God displays through his word. From this book, None Greater, subtitled Undomesticated Attributes of God by Matthew Barrett.

Must be these glasses I'm stumbling over. Thank you, Cornell. Barrett writes this. The relationship between your power, knowledge, and knowledge is key. God's thought life is not like our thought life.

Yet God's knowledge is directly tied to his omnipotence. More precisely, his knowledge is his power, and his power is his knowledge. He is omniscient, omnipotent, so that when he thinks, things happen.

His knowledge is not merely contemplative, like ours. He is no spectator. He is the creator, the one who determines all things. His knowledge is not like the creatures, as if we knew by observing. But his knowledge is meaning he observes what he already knows and has eternally decreed.

Remember, God has decreed before all creation, all things. Augustine, again, says this. Both spiritual and corporal, that he does not know them because they are, but they are because he knows them. He was not ignorant of what he was going to create.

So he created because he knew. He did not know because he had already created. Bit complicated wording there, but God already knows what's going to happen, what he has done before the foundations.

Yes, Carol. Yes.

Right.

Okay, that's a good question Carol asked. We sin daily, multiple times, all the time. So at what point is God going to exercise his discipline upon us? I would say that the way God works through his discipline is when we refuse to repent.

And we don't have contrition or sorrow for our sin against the Holy God. Then he would then, if we're true believers, if we're regenerated, God will bring his correction through whatever means he chooses.

Does that make sense?

Okay.

Yes, Peter.

I'm not quite understanding. Are you saying that like a person that's unregenerate or a regenerate believer? What Peter was saying is that there's also God allowing this believer to continue in their sin.

And that is also for his purpose. But ultimately, is that what you're saying?

Okay.

Right.

Oh, okay. All right. I miscommunicated there. So Peter was saying that there's times when in the princes of the Amorites, God let them continue in their sin. But ultimately, that was to display his glory.

Thank you.

That's a good point. He just said that there are times when God allows people to come to a place where he will have to bring forth his judgment. But he holds off.

Is that what you're saying?

And holds off to perform his perfect work. We have to remember something else. If you would, turn to Proverbs 28 .9 regarding this question. Proverbs 28 .9. This is what 28 .9 reads. He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

So one, in sin, praying to God for something without repentance, it's an abomination. Another one.

Psalm.

Just a second.

Okay.

I lost it.

Anyway, David declares that when you abstain from the law, even your prayers are not heard. And I can't remember the text.

Yes.

Right.

Yes. Yes.

Right.

Good point. What Brian was saying in Peter, as well as other texts. There are times when we see somebody who may be a professing Christian and they continue in their sin with no repentance. Then we know by their fruit.

Perhaps they need to examine themselves to make sure they are in the faith. So these are very important issues in the lives of a Christian.

Yes, Mike.

Okay.

Okay.

What Mike was saying here, if a person continues in their sin and they're not acknowledging that, is that what you're saying?

Well.

At what point?

To God's will.

I said some stuff.

What Mike is saying is a lot of times we'll attribute something to God's will when we're blatantly disobeying God's will. There's a distinction there.

Cornell.

Right.

Okay.

The good point that Cornell brought out is sometimes we don't know what's going on with an individual if they continue in their sin. But we have to bring something to bear here also. We as Christians have responsibility to other Christians.

If we see someone in sin, you who are spiritual. Come alongside. Bear their burdens. Help them to be restored.

Yes.

Exactly.

That's a great point. The comment here is that God will also work through either our afflictions or our sin to bring us to a more mature place in Christ. To learn who God is and to learn from our sin and to grow in character.

Every place that we look regarding trials in James 1 or Romans 5 for the purpose of developing character in Christ. Growing closer to Christ through those trials. But sin, blatant sin, we're also called to come alongside one who continues in their sin.

Matthew 18. That process is for what? Not to punish, like you were pointing out. But to restore that individual. We do so to bring him back to the right relationship with God. Where he strained off of or she strained off of.

It doesn't matter what way God brings us back. Either through trials or afflictions or blatant sin. God will work in a true believer to restore him to himself.

Make sense?

Okay.

It is the triune God who by thinking creates the word. Fulfilling the Holy Spirit is perfecting. The object of the Father's command and the spirit perfecting is what God has spoken through his word in his son.

We cannot condition what God knows but what human creatures think. Excuse me. God knows all things. Past, present, and future because of his omniscience. I'll just close with this quote here from Matthew Barrett again.

God acts and permits actions in accordance with his perfect knowledge of past, present, and future. Always achieving his sovereign will for his own glory and the highest good of his people. What God knows is something he has always known.

He has known it perfectly. His knowledge does not develop over time. He knows everything by one eternal act. Everything as if it were already presented before God. Even things that have not yet occurred or experienced because he knows through his omniscience.

The past, present, and future. We begin to see the remarkable woman that Hannah was. Hannah knew in her heart that she could entrust her son, Samuel, into God's loving and sovereign care. Her faith was anchored in the knowledge of God.

Do we understand how that is applied in our lives? Everyone looks blurry out there. Do we understand the essence of personal growth in Christ, maturing in Christ, and how God works through every circumstance to draw us to himself?

If we sin, God wants to restore us. If we sin, he will use that in some way in our lives to bring us back to himself. If we're unrepentant, then God will chasten us. All these things work together for good.

Even when we fail, as Carol pointed out this morning, we fail daily. There's no time when we're not, that we're free of the sinful flesh. But what we do with that sin is what is the key. Do we bring it before God in contrition?

Do we continue in our sin? As Paul pointed out in Romans 5, no. We don't continue our sin because grace abounds with sin. Then in chapter 6, of course, he says, May it not be. May genital. It should never be that we would continue in sin because we're wanting more of God's grace.

His grace is provided to us so that we may return to him in repentance. I want to close with a question and then perhaps an exhortation. That is, we learned from Hannah in this prayer, which we haven't completed.

We learned from Hannah that she came to a place of truly understanding the God that she served. She could trust him in any circumstance. She knew that she wanted only for his will to be done. Even through all her oppression, her sorrow, her tears, her sobbing.

Through all that, she could set that aside and understand. Even though God had answered her prayer, that wasn't the main praise that we find in chapter 2 from Hannah. It was her understanding of the great God that she serves.

And that's what we should be encouraged. How do we worship God? Do we worship him from a pure heart? How do we read and study and apply God's truths? Do we truly understand what God's word is telling us?

Are we doers of God's word? Are we understanding? Are we pouring ourselves into God's word daily? How do we know what God's will is without knowing his word? So, my exhortation to you would be, the best thing we can do as Christians is to draw close to God.

To know more of his word. To understand the mighty God that we serve. And to glorify him. When we come across people who disparage God's name, it does something to a true believer. It just breaks us inside.

It brings up righteous anger. It causes us sorrow to see God's name blasphemed. And even when we're dealing with an unbeliever to bring forth the gospel, we will sometimes be confronted with him or her blaspheming God's name.

We love this God who is the rock of our salvation. We need to understand that he desires us to obey him. And that's the way we show our love for him. Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for Hannah's prayer.

We do pray, Lord, that you would truly bring us to a place of honoring you in our lives. That you would give us the ability, through your grace, your almighty and powerful grace, to come to you when we have sinned and trespassed against your word.

We thank you that you are a God who is holy and just. We thank you that you're an all-knowing God. And we thank you, Father, that you're immutable. You never change. You're the same yesterday, today, and for all eternity.

We thank you for that, Lord. And we can trust you in and through all that you do for us or through us. And we ask, Lord, that you'd enable us to apply these truths to our lives for your glory. And we just ask this in Jesus' precious name.

Amen.