There came a day when Hannah’s heart sang a song to God in prayer.
The time had passed so quickly!
One day Samuel was born as such a tiny little miracle from God. In what seemed like the next day, he was a healthy, walking, talking two-year-old child. In only a few years Samuel was weened and old enough to leave his mother’s side. Hannah knew she could not prolong her vow another year. It was time to fulfill her promise to God. She must take Samuel to the Tabernacle to live as a servant of God for the rest of his life.
WELCOME
Thank you for joining in with us today at The IN SEASON Lifestyle blog. Every Thursday we continue walking through the scriptures of The Holy Bible with the heart of a child. We call this particular study COME AS A CHILD. Today we are studying 1 Samuel Chapters 1 and 2.
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SAYING GOODBYE TO SAMUEL
The feeling must have been overwhelming and a little bitter-sweet. Hannah was so grateful for having the opportunity to become Samuel’s mother. She was thankful for the few years that she had been able to spend with him.
Now she would learn to be thankful that he would be fulfilling his destiny as a servant of God. She told herself this all the way to the Tabernacle, but it still was not a bit easy to do this thing which she had vowed.
Once they arrived they offered up the sacrifices for their family. These were a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine.
Then they met with Eli, the priest, Hannah recalled her vows to him. Eli remembered. Samuel was left at the Tabernacle to live under Eli’s supervision.
THANKING AND HONORING GOD WITH PRAISE
Before she left the Tabernacle, Hannah had another prayer to offer. She knelt and prayed a very different type of prayer than she had prayed before the birth of Samuel.
In her previous prayers she had begged God to give her a son. The prayers today were nothing about what she wanted or needed.
Hannah was offering pure praise, honor and thanksgiving to God for His abundant provision. Her joyful words eloquently praised Him for His Divine Kingship as The Master of the Universe and the One who controls all things.
She began with these words: “My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, my horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over my enemies; because I rejoice in your salvation.”
Hannah was praising God for how he had strengthened her. In those days whenever it was said that someone’s horn was exalted” it meant that God had strengthened them against their enemies.
INDIVIDUAL STRENGTH AND NATIONAL STRENGTH
On a personal level, Hannah had been relieved of the chiding of Penninah, but this prayer was about so much more than that. Without knowing what she was proclaiming, Hannah was prophetically rejoicing over the victory that would come to Israel by way of God’s deliverence.
Hannah’s personal life was just one small part of that victory. What the life of her son would provide to the nation of Israel was the most amazing blessing. This intensive prayer went much further than Hannah’s own personal feelings.
God was there in every little detail. He blessed Hannah by giving her heart’s desire. God also blessed Israel by giving them a new godly leader in Samuel.
I hope and pray there are mothers like Hannah today. I speak of women who cherish the honor of bearing a child from God and raising them up to be leaders in God’s Kingdom. Our nation is in desperate need of a whole generation of Samuels.
Hannah praised God for how He had attended to her heart’s needs. She also saw into the future and spoke of how the answer to her prayers would bless her nation.
PRAISE AND FAITH FOR THE PROMISE OF MESSIAH
Still at the Tabernacle on that feast day, Hannah continues to pray.
She speaks of salvation in the opening lines of her prayer. It is like a prophetic utterance which voices the fact that a Messiah is coming to God’s people.
Hannah had seen a small taste of this answer. It played out like an apetizer before a delicious well-prepared meal set before one who had been starving.
Israel’s Messiah would come.
Hannah clearly recognized this and praised God for the fact that He had a plan for salvation for His people.
A strong new sense of maturity had come into the relationship which Hannah shared with God. She had moved beyond her own needs. Hannah was now resting into the will of God, both for her own personal life as well as the life of her son and her nation. Hannah’s faith had been restored. She was nothing but joyful in her humble and sincere offerings of praise.
A FORSHADOWING OF THE MAGNIFICAT
Hannah’s prayer of praise sounds very familiar to those of us who have studied the scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments. Even from the very beginning, discerning ears could tell that Hannah’s prayer was a foreshadowing of Mary’s Magnificat.
Both Hannah and Mary were blessed with a special child who would influence and change the history of Israel.
Hannah’s child was part of the paving of a long road which would introduce the Child of Mary, Our Savior, to the world. Each woman received a miracle from God. Both women gave a joyful prayer of thanksgiving for what God had done for and through them and their children.
TWO MOTHERS SERVING GOD
Hannah, then Mary, felt the call of God as they lived into the blessings of Motherhood. They each knew that what they did and how they lived as they raised their child was an important part of the fulfilling of God’s plan for the world.
At the feast where Hannah rejoiced and paised God, the congregation celebrated the coronation of The King who would come to change the destiny of the world. This was celebrated every year on Rosh Hashanah, also called The Feast of Trumpets.
Little did Hannah know or realize how much her child was about be used by God to change the world. She had a sense, but did not know any details. It was just a feeling inside her spirit which she faithfully obeyed.
HOW THE WORLD WAS CHANGED
Samuel would grow up to annoint the first King of Israel. He would have many prophetic words from God to give to King Saul during his reign.
Later; Samuel would annoint the King who became a man after God’s heart; David. This King would begin a line of heritage from which Messiah would come. From the mother’s heart came the annointer of kings. From one annointed king came The King of all Kings.
Neither of these two women realized that what they did mattered so much. They were simply faithful and obedient servants of God who realized the importance of motherhood. However; God knew how important they were for His plan for mankind. He had planned each woman’s destiny before they were born.
Mary and Hannah merely knew they were called of God to be good Mothers. God would bring the rest of the story in His own good time. We can’t think of the plight of Hannah or Mary without realizing how often God has used so many other godly mother’s hearts to change the world.
WE NEED MODERN DAY HANNAHS
One example stands out in considering the formation of the history of America. In the recent movie called Reagan, we see a portrayal of how Ronald Reagan’s mother was a huge influence toward all the good that he did while leading American as a nation.
Thank you Nelle Wilson Reagan for being such a modern-day Hannah. Our lives would have been very different if not for you and the goodness you instilled in your son. You were like a modern-day Hannah.
We can only pray for other such godly and obedient mothers to be faithful to the calling of God in their lives. Our nation needs many more women like this. Without them we have nothing to offer to the future of our country and our heritage as a people.
Looking through the pages of history we can see endless other examples of how a mother has trained and influenced a son’s life. We can follow their stories and see how a mother’s godly influence left a lasting impression in their characters which rippled out to many others, even to the point of the saving of nations. The godly mother’s influence may not at first be evident to the public. It is hidden within the known character of the son; but it is there.
God sees.
THANKFUL FOR GODLY SONS
Hannah’s Song/Prayer intensified as she continued to speak under the direction of God’s Holy Spirit. Three times during Hannah’s prayer she called herself “the handmaiden of The Lord.” Moving through the timeline toward the future, we also hear Mary speaking of herself in this same way.
God kept his promises to both of these women. Hannah gave birth to a son and then she gave him back to God.
As Mary is spoken about in the scriptures we hear the words “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Mary was called upon by God to give the life of her Son to save the world. She was obedient beyond imagination.
Some believe that Mary knew the scriptures; though women were not allowed to study in those days. Many think she had memorized the words of Hannah’s Song and hidden them inside her memory and her heart. The life of Hannah and her love, honor and praise for God had greatly influenced the life of Mary. Mary’s life in turn served to help implement the work of Christ, which Hannah had faith to believe ahead of time.
A BEAUTIFUL CONNECTION
What a beautiful connection of two strong and godly women.
Both loved God. Also; both loved the sons they had to give up for God’s will to be accomplished.
Today; as we see women coming into more and more roles of power as leaders of our nations, we must pray that they possess these traits of Hannah. First; the duty to love God with all of their hearts and next, to love their sons unconditionally. It seems the opposite is in the minds of many women who aspire to lead nations today. Let us hope and be prayerful to see a change here.
The One who gives strength to all leaders knows and is in control, dispite the way they sometimes wish to tear God down. These women who look on men as weak and do not wish for sons at all will be overcome.
If we wish to have a godly nation, they cannot prevail. We must aspire for more women like Hannah and Mary.
TWO BEAUTIFUL PRAYERS
I admonish you to take out your bible and turn to 1 Samuel Chapter 2 to read the prayer of Hannah. Next, turn over to Luke and read the prayer of Mary.
If you take Hannah’s Song found in 1 Samuel Chapter 2 and Mary’s Song found in The Book of Luke and compare them side by side; you will notice they say almost the same things. One prayer/song is like an echo of the other. These two women were one in their faith in God.
May their specific type of leadership begin to prevail in the formation of all of our female leaders today. Such women would help to remove our nation from the curse of sin and bring us back into the promises and blessings of God.
From such hearts; we will again gain great leaders.
Note to the reader: If you are enjoying the commentary from these lessons in The Book of Samuel, you might also enjoy reading Gail Landgraf’s most recent book called EXODUS TO FREEDOM. Many of the characters and stories presented are in agreement with the type of godly leadership we see from Hannah in today’s lesson. You can order the book at Amazon.com. It would be a good companion to read as we study The Book of Samuel further.