1 Samuel 1

Judges Period Comes to a Close

With the beginning of the book of Samuel, the final years of the Judge’s is recorded and enters into days of the kings.  Much of what we understand about Christ and His kingly role is built on the prophetic typology of these “anointed” ones.  But with the birth of Samuel we haven’t quite arrived to the discussion of kings just yet. First we must deal with Samuel and the prophetic picture of Christ he gives us.

Hannah’s Prayer

First we are given family background of Elkanah and Hannah.  Eklanah had another wife, Peninnah, who would taunt Hannah for not being able to have children (v7). Being grieved by this, Hannah prays with a heavy heart near the tabernacle of the Lord (v9).  The content of Hannah’s prayer is closely related to scripture, Exodus 22:29.  What may look like bargain between her and the Lord is actually a pray that is only offering what the Lord has already decreed, that children already belong to God.    Pagan religions pray and make bargain with their finite gods trading off what the god needs for a blessing.  There is nothing that the God of the bible needs.

We should be cautious of how we pray and careful to not merely use prayer like bargaining system to get what we want.  Hannah’s mind was on the Scriptures in her distress. She isn’t making random requests without any thought to the Lord’s plan. She poured out her heart before the Lord in accordance with what God had already said.  She asked God to consider her sorrow as a result of her inability to have children, and if the Lord should show grant her request, she will dedicate the child in accordance with what God has already spoken (Ex. 22:29).

So Hannah, unable to have children, prays for a son and the Lord answers.  Does this mean everyone who prays this prayer will receive the same answer? This kind of praying isn’t a gimmick or a mathematical equation to get what you want out of the Lord, but rather she is acknowledging the Lord in her sadness.  The Lord alone is where she has put her trust and she understands that whatever result happens is completely in the Lord’s good judgement.  God was never obligated to grant her request.

God doesn’t need anything Hannah could supply Him, rather Hannah needs Him and is praying according what the Lord has already said in Scripture.  She finally leaves the results of the prayer up to His sovereign goodness (v18).   By doing so, God uses her request in a grander plan (v19).  It is very unlikely that Hannah could imagine how God would use Samuel to be anointed himself as a type of Christ in His priestly role, or consider that Samuel would become a wise judge of Israel that will anoint her first king.  So God uses our prayers, in spite of how short sighted we may be, but it pleases the Lord to use His people.

One final observation over Hannah’s prayer.  Since she could not have foreseen the results of her answered request, it can hardly be said that Hannah’s wisdom and knowledge played any part at all to how events actually turned out.  What is more obvious is this was the Lord’s will all along.  What we might learn from Hanna is to meditate on what the Lord has already said and pray accordingly. When we pray according to what God has already said,  we will find the consolation we are searching for and very well may find ourselves being blessed beyond what we thought we were asking for.