I Samuel 2:1-11
Dear RTB’ers,
I suspect that many Bible readers are familiar with “Hannah’s prayer” primarily because of it being cited in relation to Mary’s prayer, “the Magnificat” in Luke 1:46-55 (as our STS note mentions). That result is not unexpected, in that most of us spend more time in the New Testament than in the Old Testament, so we would be reading Mary’s prayer more often, especially around Christmas-time.
That said, however, Hannah’s prayer/song is itself worthy of serious reflection. The one item that strikes me most in this prayer is that there is no mention of Samuel’s birth. This is not a typical prayer of thanksgiving, because his birth is never mentioned. Her prayer is straightforward praise to God for who He is and what He has done. Just now I read Mary’s “Magnificat” and saw parallels between her prayer and Hannah’s prayer. Mary’s prayer is also straightforward praise to God. I encourage you to read it, Luke 1:45-55, then come back and read Hannah’s prayer. A good morning activity…!
Blessings!
Two years ago in my “one more thing” I suggested that when we got to Luke and Mary’s Magnificat, we should look back at Hannah’s prayer. Naturally, when we finally did get to Luke, we were racing so fast that we didn’t do that lookback, so I am very glad that Fred is having us make that comparison now. Take the time this morning and do it and meditate on the words of these godly women and the praise they offer to our mighty God. Then add some praise of your own.