"The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up." (1 Samuel 2:6) This verse illustrates Hannah's belief in the resurrection of the dead. It also may be a reference to the "deadness" of her womb before the Lord enabled her to bear a child. In addition I think this verse points to the sovereignty of the Lord who is in control of all things. In fact, I think if we had to choose a theme for the second half of Hannah's prayer it would be "The Sovereignty Of The Lord".
We were told earlier in the book of 1 Samuel that the Lord had "closed" Hannah's womb. He didn't do this because He had anything against Hannah or as punishment for any sins; I believe He did it (or allowed it) for the same reason that He caused or allowed the man of John 9 to be born blind, which was "so that the works of God might be displayed in him". (John 9:3b) Jesus plainly told His disciples in John 9 that the man was born blind not because of any sins his parents had committed but so that the Lord would be glorified by his healing. Jesus then proceeded to give the man his sight. I think we can apply the same explanation as to why Hannah was previously barren: so the Lord could be glorified by the miracle of giving her a son. In addition, this well-known miracle will help to legitimize and strengthen the authority of Samuel when he becomes a judge and prophet in Israel.
Hannah continues with the theme of the Lord's sovereignty. "The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. 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; on them He has set the world." (1 Samuel 2:7-8) As King Nebuchadnezzar said, after the Lord humbled him and brought him low for his extreme arrogance and pride: "He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: 'What have You done?'" (Daniel 4:35b) Nebuchadnezzar wasn't accusing the Lord of capriciously playing with people's lives for His own amusement; he was saying that none of us has full control over our lives or over the world we live in. The Lord created the world and everyone in it and everything in it and He is sovereign over the whole creation. He has plans that no human efforts and no human mistakes can ever alter. As the prophet Daniel said, "Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others." (Daniel 2:20-21a)
The Lord's sovereignty can be a hard pill to swallow when His plans and purposes aren't in line with our own plans and desires. His plans and purposes for Hannah's life weren't in line with her own plans and desires earlier in the book of 1 Samuel. Hannah wanted and expected to bear a child within the first couple of years of marriage. But year after year went by without her being able to conceive. Finally so many years had passed that she and her husband and everyone who knew them came to the obvious conclusion that she was completely barren. At that time her husband took a second wife in order to continue his family line and continue his family's inheritance rights in the promised land for generations to come. His second wife was extremely fertile, producing sons and daughters one after the other. His second wife was also extremely jealous of his first wife and said many hurtful words to Hannah regarding her barren state. None of these things fit with Hannah's plans for her life. None of these things were what she hoped for or dreamed about. But the sovereign Lord closed her womb for all those years in order to perform a miracle for her that we are still talking about thousands of years later. And now, as Hannah offers her beautiful prayer of praise, she is thankful for the sovereignty of the One who knew what was best for her. This is how we make peace with the Lord's sovereignty: by trusting that He knows what's best for us.
His plans may not line up with ours. The circumstances He allows into our lives may not be what we hoped for or dreamed about. But when we are able to trust that He loves us---and that because He loves us, anything He allows into our lives is for our ultimate good---we will find it in us to praise His sovereignty even when we don't understand it. Many times we are able to look back on hardships and see the reason the Lord allowed them. We can even thank Him for not giving us what we wanted because we can see now that it would have been wrong for us. But there are some things I don't think we'll really understand until we are home with Him when this life is over. That calls for faith on our part: the faith to believe that everything that comes into our lives is given by a loving hand.
The one who trusts the Lord is vindicated by the Lord, just as Hannah was. In her era and in her culture, a childless woman was pitied. A childless woman also came under suspicion, for it was thought that a woman living a life pleasing to the Lord would be blessed with sons and daughters. But in giving Hannah a son the Lord rewarded her trust in Him and silenced all the wagging tongues that gossiped about her. The one who trusts in the Lord is not only vindicated by Him but is also protected by Him from the wicked. Hannah was tormented for a very long time by the wicked jealousy of her rival but now Hannah is more blessed and more famous than the one who produced many children, for the Lord granted her a miracle of conception that is being talked about far more than her barrenness ever was. Hannah is now looked upon as highly favored by the Lord, more so than the woman in the household who easily and effortlessly conceived child after child. Hannah praises the Lord for taking away her reproach and for raising her from the ash heap of despair. And in her praise it is clear that she believes that He rewards all who trust in Him. "He will guard the feet of His faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness." (1 Samuel 2:9a)
It sometimes appears as if powerful and wicked people are running things on this earth. It sometimes appears as if the poor and those without influence have no chance. But Hannah says it's the other way around: those who trust in the Lord are backed by His awesome power. They have a mighty defender. Those who oppose the Lord and who mistreat His people will be judged by Him. "It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth." (1 Samuel 2:9b-10a)
Hannah's prayer concludes with a prophetic reference to the coming era of the kings of Israel and perhaps also to the coming King of kings: the Messiah. "He will give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed." (1 Samuel 2:10b) The Lord will be sovereign when it comes to the rulers of Israel. As Daniel said, "He deposes kings and raises up others." The Apostle Paul agreed with Daniel and urged the members of the Christian church to honor the Lord by being law-abiding citizens: "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." (Romans 13:1) This doesn't mean every ruler of every nation will be a good person. It doesn't mean the people will find the behaviors of their government leaders likable. It just means that these offices are under the power and control of Almighty God who raises up leaders and deposes leaders according to His plans and purposes. This is what the Lord meant when He told Pharaoh that He had raised him up to sit on the throne of Egypt. He placed him there only for the purpose of displaying His awesome power in Egypt so that His name would be believed on and proclaimed by many people on the earth. (Exodus 9:16, Romans 9:17) The pharaoh of the exodus was a wicked man but the Lord allowed him to come to power because He intended to use this man's wicked ways for the glory of His name and for the rescue of His people Israel. If Pharaoh had not been an evil man, the signs and wonders of the book of Exodus would not have needed to be performed, and this means that the faith of the Israelites would not have been bolstered by the signs and wonders they witnessed. It means that the mixed multitude who came out of Egypt with Israel might not have ever heard about or placed their faith in the Lord.
We may or may not be happy with the way local or national elections turn out. But wailing about it and complaining about it accomplishes nothing. Our time would be better spent praying that the Lord's will would be done. It would be a better use of our energy to pray that the Lord would change the hearts of any leader who is living in opposition to His laws and commandments.
Having completed her prayer of praise at the end of the religious holiday, it is time for Hannah and her family to leave Shiloh. Her husband gathers everyone together, with the exception of Samuel, to make the journey home. "Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest." (1 Samuel 2:11) The family will see Samuel every time they come up to Shiloh and the Lord will bless Hannah with three more sons and two daughters. Though it must have been very difficult for Hannah to leave Samuel at the house of the Lord, she knows in her heart that the Lord has great plans for him and that these plans involve him growing up at the Lord's house under the authority of the high priest. She may have no idea at this time that Samuel will become a prophet and the final judge of Israel or that he will have the honor of anointing two of the kings of Israel. But she trusts the Lord's will for Samuel's life. She knows Samuel is safe in His hands.
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