2: 1-10 Hannah Prayer

Introduction The story of Hannah, found in 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10, is often used as a sermon topic on Mother’s Day. While this extraordinary woman of the Scriptures personifies ideal motherhood, her prayer for a son and subsequent psalm of thanksgiving is indeed a splendid model today for a person’s petitions and response. In the Old Testament, Hannah’s prayer is the only prayer from a women. In fact, “until that point men did all liturgical speaking and prayer publicly, for the entire community, making Hannah‘s prayer a revolutionary act.” Therefore, her supplication for a son is an example to all, as a prayer that God answered. Yet, even more can be learned from Hannah’s psalm of thanksgiving. Therefore, this exposition of 1 Samuel 2:1-10 …show more content…
1 Samuel 2:2-3 states, “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” In these verses, Hannah declares God’s holiness. Holiness is one of God’s absolute attributes and “denotes the perfection of God in all that He is.” While this attribute may be one of the most difficult to completely understand, Hannah knew that God holiness implied separation. Her declaration that “there are none beside you” demonstrates her understanding of this separation. Additionally, the phrase “there is no rock like our God” infers her understanding of this separation from other gods, since “rock” is “employed as a symbol of God in the Old Testament.” Hannah then warns against being proud and arrogant. From her personal experience, she has witnessed God’s retribution on her enemies. Peninnah’s actions, alluded to in verse five had been weighed by God. She had been found guilty in her thoughts and deeds. MacDonald agrees noting, “the prayer seems to rebuke Peninnah for the many spiteful things she had said to Hannah.” In these verses, God’s omniscience is connected to Hannah’s humility and faith. At Shiloh, Hannah had humbled herself before El Roi (2 Chronicles 16:9). She only thought of herself as a maidservant. Her request was not to take away her reproach among women but rather to honor God by offering her son as a servant, giving all the days of his life to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:11). Additionally, Hannah believed that God had heard her humble prayer, since Eli had confirmed her plea by blessing her request (1 Samuel 1:17). Now, she warns others that their wickedness will be seen by God. He will indeed humble the prideful and arrogant (Isaiah