1 Samuel 2:1-11 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 2:1-11. As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
1 Samuel 2:1-2 (NIV)
1 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.
2 “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
On verses 1-2: As Hannah surrenders her son Samuel to the Lord, it must have been a difficult and complicated moment for her. Yet instead of worrying, she worships. She says, “My heart rejoices in the Lord…There is no rock like our God”. And while she worships, Hannah prays a prayer that contains so much insight into who God is and what He does.
Praise God that in our most difficult and complicated moments, we have the Lord — His presence, His promises and His faithfulness — to rejoice in and worship. Hannah’s example shows us that when we choose to worship instead of worry, God gives us a peace that sustains us, a joy that will overflow, and deeper insight into who He is.
1 Samuel 2:3-5 (NIV)
3 “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.
4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 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.
On verses 3-5: When I read this part of Hannah’s prayer, I think about the many other parts of the Bible that warn us against pride and encourage us toward humility. There’s Mary, who upon receiving news that she would be pregnant with Jesus, sings a song that echoes Hannah’s prayer (see Luke 1:46-55). There’s Jesus, who would famously teach that “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled; and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12) There’s Solomon, James and Peter who would all write, “The Lord opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)
In a way, Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2 is a summary of what God did in her own life. It also foreshadows what God would do with the lives of Samuel, Saul, and David as God would take them from humble beginnings and exalt them. It also negatively foreshadows what would happen with Eli the priest and his sons.
The lesson here is clear: Don’t be prideful, thinking that the world revolves around you and that you don’t need to be accountable to anyone. Instead, be humble.
A leader in my life once shared that in the kingdom of God, all the entrance doors are very small: that’s not because God’s people are short. It’s because you need to bend down and humble yourself if you want to get in and experience its blessings.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. Humility is acknowledging that God is God and we are not, and that we depend on Him for life. He knows everything that we think, say and do. So let’s live with humility and reverence of Him.
1 Samuel 2:6-8 (NIV)
6 “The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
8 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.
On verses 6-8: God is sovereign. He always has the final say.
1 Samuel 2:9 (NIV)
9 He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness…
On verse 9a: Those who trust in the Lord have God’s ultimate protection, while those who refuse to submit to God will remain in the dark.
1 Samuel 2:9 (NIV)
9 …It is not by strength that one prevails;
On verse 9b: Any success we enjoy is not by our ability and hard work alone (“It is not by strength that one prevails” – v9). Ultimately, it is because our gracious God decided to make it happen (v9-10). As Paul says, it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:8). So be humble before God, recognizing that without Him we would not have anything good in our lives.
1 Samuel 2:10 (NIV)
10 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.”
On verse 10: Here Hannah describes the LORD as the unbeatable one, so powerful that nothing can stand against Him, and the one who will judge the earth one day. Then in this last part of Hannah’s song, it’s interesting that Hannah sings “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed”. Keep in mind that at this time Israel had no king, other than God Himself. So when Hannah sings “He [God] will give strength to his king…his anointed”, if truly Hannah is singing this in real time when she gives up Samuel, it’s as if God has given Hannah a revelation about the king, even the Messiah, that God would send to His people one day.
1 Samuel 2:11 (NIV)
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.
On verse 11: Here we see the importance of mentoring. Young Samuel needed a mentor who could teach him how to serve God. That mentor was Eli. Eli was far from perfect, but he was the leader that God provided to Samuel so that Samuel could learn, grow and step into his God-given calling. Likewise, we all need people more experienced than us whom we can learn from. Do you actively seek the advice of people more experienced than you? Do you have a teachable heart that desires to learn from others? If you want to step into our God-given calling, a teachable, humble heart that is willing to place yourself under the tutelage of others is just what you need.
God, thank You for being…
– the source of our joy (v1)
– our deliverer (v1)
– holy like no other (v2)
– a rock beyond compare (v2)
– the One who knows everything that we do (v3) and weighs our actions (v3)
– the One who holds the power of life and death in His hands (v6)
– the One who can take a person’s breath away, or raise them from the dead as He pleases (v6)
– the One who chooses who will be humbled and who will be exalted, and who will be rich and who will be poor (v6-8).
Thank You that You don’t do these things arbitrarily, but Your heart is to help the humble and to oppose the proud (v9).
Thank You for also being…
– the Creator who made the world’s foundations (v8).
– the One who is just, protecting the feet of those who trust in You (v9) while silencing those who oppose You (v10).
– the Most High (v10), the one who thunders from heaven (v10).
– the judge of all the earth (v10) and
– the One who strengthens His leaders (v10)
God, we worship You and thank You for being all of these things to us today and every day. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
