What Hannah Starts, David Finishes

I'm reading in 2 Samuel 22.2,3, this morning. David lists 9 characteristics of God, describing all that God is in his life. It's a list that would take a lot of meditation time to get through. According to David, the Lord is: my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my shield, my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, my savior. At any rate Thomas Constable points out the similarities between David's song and Hannah's song. It's as if the author meant to make Hannah's song the starting point of his great book about God's working through Israel, and David's song as the ending point (ya think?). He writes: This psalm records David’s own expression of the theological message the writer of Samuel expounded historically. Yahweh is King, and He blesses those who submit to His authority in many ways.

It's an important point for interpretation of the book of Samuel (In the original it is all one, large book). The author put the two songs there for a purpose, and undoubtedly to understand the book, we have to understand why he did that. It was not an accident. Certainly, we must start where Hannah and David started: That the Lord is strong; that the Lord is my rock; and that the Lord will deliver his people. Vital words and life-sustaining strength to all of God's people.