Hannah

I am in Samuel 1, this morning, and struck again with the character of Hannah. As the New American Commentary points out, this is no accident. The narrative is constructed to point out Hannah's character in such a way that we do not miss it.

Hannah is portrayed as the most pious woman in the Old Testament. Here she is shown going up to the Lord’s house; no other woman in the Old Testament is mentioned doing this. In addition, Hannah is the only woman shown making and fulfilling a vow to the Lord; she is also the only woman who is specifically said to pray (Hb. pll; 1:10, 12, 26–27; 2:1); her prayer is also among the longest recorded in the Old Testament. Furthermore, her prayer includes the most recorded utterances of Yahweh’s name by a woman (eighteen). She is shown avoiding the faults of the first infertile covenant woman by seeking help from Yahweh rather than pursuing crafty schemes (cf. Gen 16:2). She also avoided the fault of Jephthah, who likewise made a vow that separated him from his child; whereas Jephthah gave his daughter as a burnt offering, Hannah gave her child as a living sacrifice (cf. Rom 12:1). NAC

In addition there is also a mystery here. What is the point in emphasizing Hannah's barrenness which the writer specifically says came from the Lord?

The Lord had closed Hannah’s womb. This surprising affirmation—without parallel in Hebrew narrative regarding the Lord’s people (but see Gen 18:20)—appears twice in these verses (vv. 5–6). Hannah’s infertility was no accident of nature; it was the deliberate work of the Lord. There is an inescapable irony in these statements. The same God who in the Torah commanded humanity, and specifically Israel, to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1:28; 9:1; 35:11) had made Hannah the Israelite incapable of fulfilling the divine command. The text’s statement that it was God who closed Hannah’s womb is significant here, for biblical narratives usually use God’s personal name when they describe activities that are significant in Israel’s covenantal relationship with God. Yet in this pair of statements lies a mystery: What good covenantal purposes can be accomplished through a woman’s sterility? NAC

Don't be fooled into thinking that this is an accident; that the writer did not understand what he was doing. He fully understands the tension between God's command (Be fruitful and multiply) and God's action (he closes Hannah's womb). That is exactly the point. He wants us to see the difficulty here.

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.

A "Graced" Woman and a Servant of The King

Two compelling biblical characters today. First from 1 Samuel 1.20, we see Hannah whose name means "grace." She thought that her name was a mockery, since she was childless which was about the worst thing that could happen to a Hebrew wife. Yet in due time she who thought she was "graced-less" received a son of the Lord. He would be the greatest judge in Israel's history and a type of Christ (see Galatians 4.4). She who thought she was cursed of God discovered that her name was true. Hannah was graced by God in a marvelous and unmistakable way.

From Jeremiah 39.16 we find Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian whose name means merely "servant of the king." We aren't even told his Ethiopian name. Ebed saved the life of Jeremiah, no doubt because he believed Jeremiah's word and honored the God whom Jeremiah served. Ebed-melech is in some danger—he is fearful of those who oppose him at the (now destroyed by Babylon) court. Jeremiah promises him that he has nothing to fear because God will deliver him from these evil men. So the one who is nothing more than the "servant of the king," is proven to be the "servant of the True King."

Like Hannah, may we find God's grace in our greatest difficulties, and may we serve the True King with the devotion and commitment of Ebed-melech.