First Samuel 2:1

The Bible says in First Samuel 2:1-10, “And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.[2] There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.[3] Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.[4] The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.[5] They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.[6] The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.[7] The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.[8] He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.[9] He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.[10] The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.” In verse one the first thing that Hannah said in her prayer was, “My heart rejoiceth in the LORD.” You are on top of the world spiritually speaking if you can truly rejoice in the Lord. That is one of the things that heaven is going to be all about. The reason that Hannah was able to rejoice in the Lord is because of the victory and the answer to prayer that God gave her. The goal is to be able to see the victory before it happens because the same God who answered Hannah’s prayers will answer yours also. In the middle of verse one Hannah said, “mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies…” She knew what God had done for her. Hannah was a believer, and she had enemies. We all do. But in the midst of her sufferings, she turned to the Lord consistently, and so when things turned around for her, she knew it was the Lord who turned things around. One of Hannah’s enemies was the other woman in her home. Hannah was constantly looked down upon because she had no children, but the Lord changed that in His time for His purposes. The best way to be lifted up is when the Lord lifts you up.

It is interesting that at the end of verse one Hannah says that her victory was “because I rejoice in thy salvation.” We have the victory, not because of what happens around us or even because of what happens to our enemies, but because of what happens in our hearts. We have the victory if the joy of the Lord rules our hearts. It is no wonder that David cries out in Psalm 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation…” Our salvation took place when we accepted Jesus as our Savior and called upon His name. Christians are told to “rejoice in the Lord always.” Jesus is the Lord.

In verse two Hannah says three things about God. He is holy. There is none like God. He is a rock. Because God is holy, He will always do the right thing. And so if you seek what is right and good, you know that you are on God’s side. That is where you want to be. The more that you learn about God, the more that you will appreciate Him and love Him. There is no one like God. People might disappoint you, but God never will. People are limited. God has no limit. He can do anything. No one will love you as much as God loves you. He sent His Son to die for you. There is none like God. God is also a rock. That means that He is a firm foundation. You can lean on Him and He will never fail you. Be careful what you use as your foundation. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-27, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.[24] Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:[25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.[26] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:[27] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Hannah’s enemies were those that were proud and arrogant, especially the other woman. The other woman had children, but Hannah did not. Evidently, the other woman took credit to herself for the children that she had. She was proud about it and did not give credit to God for the good things that happened to her. Many people are like that. But God sees and God knows. He only lets the proud go for a time in their pride. Hannah experienced seeing what the Lord did to the proud and the arrogant, and so Hannah said in verse three, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly.” It says in Proverbs, “Pride goeth before a fall.” That is because God does not like the pride of man.

Hannah said in verse four, “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.” The Lord can turn the tables even before the judgment comes. Put your trust in Him who is merciful and who loves His children. Those that are mighty can be broken if and when God decides to break them. The rest of Hannah’s prayer is on this theme. God is in control, not man. God will cast down and lift up when He decides to do so. God has everything at his disposal: even life and death. And the judgment is coming when justice shall be given out to all who do not have the Savior. Hannah described hell in verse nine by saying, “the wicked shall be silent in darkness.” There are a lot of lies and arrogant words in this world, but the Lord knows how to shut them up. He has a place where they will be shut up. Jesus also described that place as a place of darkness. Jesus said in Matthew 25:29-30, “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.[30] And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The Bible says in First Samuel 2:11, “And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.” We see how Hannah’s plan for her son was working really well. Samuel was now old enough to perform the tasks that Eli the priest had for him, and thus Samuel was exposed to the work of God and the teachings of God. The equivalent of that today would be parents who make sure that their children are involved in a good Bible teaching church. The best life possible is to start hearing the Word of God as early as possible.

Unfortunately, some are given that opportunity, but they do not benefit from it. How terrible to be born into a Christian home, but to not get saved or to not live a life of faith in Christ. The Bible says in First Samuel 2:12, “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.” Of course, we do not know what is going to happen with children, no matter how good the parents are. That is because everyone has a free will. Ultimately, everyone makes their own choices even concerning God. Adam and Eve had two sons. The firstborn, Cain, became a murderer. Abel was a true believer and served God according to the light that was given to him. One of the reasons that Cain killed his brother Abel was because Abel served the Lord but Cain did not. Why were the sons of Eli so evil? The answer is clear: “they knew not the LORD.” The true worship of God is having a personal relationship with Him through faith in Christ.

The Bible says in First Samuel 2:13-17, “And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;[14] And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.[15] Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.[16] And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.[17] Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.” Notice the last phrase of verse sixteen that says, “Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.” That is what the sons of Eli would say when people brought their sacrifices to the priests. In other words, the sons of Eli corrupted their office for the sake of their own material gain. This was a terrible thing not only because of their corruption, but also because it made people not want to come to the place of worship to offer their sacrifices. We have seen the exact same problem in our day and age. Yes, it is good for preachers to be supported by the offerings of believers. It says in First Timothy 5:18, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” But when preachers abuse their position from a financial or material standpoint, they cause great damage. There are people who will not go to church any more because of their own lack of wisdom and lack of love for Christ, and it is a shame that some of them are hindered by what some preachers have done. It is good when possible to follow the example of the Apostle Paul who was a tent maker so that he would not have to burden some Christians with his financial needs. Get all the education that you can in learning the Bible, and get all the theological degrees that the Lord helps you to obtain, but also get a practical skill that you can use for your material needs. If you can do it, then do it. Do not become like the sons of Eli, and do not give the impression that you are like them either.

The Bible says in First Samuel 2:18-21, “But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.[19] Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.[20] And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.[21] And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.” Notice the first phrase of verse eighteen: “But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child…” That is how to prepare someone for a life of faith and service to God. Get them started early. Train them up. Send them to a Christian school. The public schools of the world are full of secularism, socialism, immorality, animosity to Christianity, and many other harmful things. Children need all the help they can get. Samuel got just the right amount of help because of what God put on his mother’s heart. Basically, Hannah said, “This is a special child, a gift from God. I need to do everything that I can to see that this child is raised to serve the Lord and is given back to the Lord.” God honored her desire and made it happen, and God used Eli, the priest, in Samuels’ upbringing. It did not work out for Eli’s own sons. Sometimes it happens that way in Christian families. There are some children that are born into a Christian family, and then they reject what their parents taught them, maybe because the children never become true Christians. Each person makes their own decision. But If you keep serving the Lord, God might give you spiritual children to make up for your own children who perhaps rejected the Lord. Hannah and God gave Samuel to Eli, and worked out very well.

Because Hannah dedicated her first son to God and his service, in effect she gave her son back to God. You cannot out-give God. And so God gave to Hannah “three sons and two daughters” after Samuel went to be with Eli.

Notice what is said about Samuel and his upbringing in the last part of verse twenty-one, “And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.” Once again that is a great statement about child-rearing. You want your child to be exposed to the teachings of the Lord and to the Bible. That is why it says in Ephesians 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” To bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, requires a regular exposure to the Bible, to the gospel, and to the teachings of Christ. A good Bible teaching church will help a lot in this regard. A good Christian school or Christian home schooling can help a lot. And then going to a good Christian college can be extremely important.

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