Hannah's Song

 If you could turn in your Bibles to the book of First Samuel. We're starting our advent series this morning, the songs of Advent. And, uh, just a little, uh, just an aside, uh, first Samuel. Uh, about 1100 bc So the context of one Samuel would be the close of the book of judges. If you've read the book of judges, it, it closes an a dismal, dismal conclusion.

It says, in those days, Israel had no king, and everyone did as they saw fit. And then there's a beautiful story of Ruth that's woven in. To the time of the judges, and that's the time that we pick up in First Samuel. Now, um, I love to come to Trinity early. I have to partly 'cause it's my job, but I, I, I love coming and seeing and watching.

It just does my heart. Good. The Lord has chosen to bless us from his gracious hand. He has poured out upon Trinity his wonderful blessing, this wonderful community. Uh, as I watch you come in, uh, I, I know some of your stories. We get to pray for you. We know some of the things that the Lord is doing, but do you know it's not that way for everybody?

In fact, for Hannah. 1100 BC it was not looked forward to at all. Every year the feast would come up and, and, and elna her husband and panina her rival As the text calls her and we, we call her, uh, fertile Myrtle,

they would come to worship together. And instead of it being a time really of a focus on the Lord and his goodness and, and, and a hope, we also know that Eli was the priest. His two sons were absolutely wicked and vile, and so all kinds of things were bad. There was not much of a reason for Hannah to get dressed and come to worship because part of the worship was a feast.

Now Canner, her husband. The text tells us in First Samuel chapter one that he loved her more than her rival. This is an aside, I don't think the Bible ever shows polygamy in a good sense, though it was done, it was a custom, and it happens. I just want to tell you that it, it, it never is portrayed as this wonderful communion of sister wives.

So when they came to worship, they'd sit around the table, they'd have a feast, and you could see pen his kids saying, Hey mama, how come she gets twice as much food? Well, you know what? The Lord's closed her womb, mama. Why is the Lord close her womb? Well, obviously he doesn't want to bless her, and so she would come.

One of the things I love about the song that we get, Tana would still come to worship. And I know for many of us at times, a Sunday morning, you are attempted to think I'm not in the right frame of mind. I'm a bit upset about what God has taken or what God has failed to give me. It wouldn't really be good for me to be there.

I don't feel like praising him at all. And yet our tech. Says year after year, she would come to worship the Lord, to take part in a sacrifice and what others praised as the blessing of God. Especially in those days. A son meant you had retirement, you had security, you had, you, you, you had a blessing from God.

It would be what you could show off. We, some of us do that. Right. We show up. Even now our kids are, but, but, but for her it was life and a very visible representation that God indeed loved her and cared for her and blessed her. And year after year she would come and she would pray. First Samuel one has this picture of her going to the temple, and she was so grieved.

By this, that she is at the, at the steps of the temple and she's praying out of deep sorrow and anguish. This text challenged me for years. 'cause there are times I know that even as a young pastor, I might have said to a woman like Hannah, oh, your son is an idol. You need to get over it. You need to move on.

And um, I don't think I ever did. But I may have thought that. And yet the Lord hears her prayer. There she is at the temple, praying, pleading. She makes it bow. God, if you would just give me a son and I'll give him back to you. All the days of his life, he will be, your text has lent to the Lord. That's not a great way of, uh, it.

It's more. Will be given over. I'll give him over to you if you would just grant this wish. So here she is in the steps of the temple praying, and Eli Caesar, I'm a better pastor than Eli, so I'm glad for that. And he goes and says, you might know this story. He goes and says, woman, how long will you go on being drunk?

Maybe she got a quadruple portion. How long ago about being drunk and she says, oh, don't take me as a worthless. I'm moved by Rachel. And he says, may the Lord give you what you desire. The Lord gives her a son named Samuel. Now, this is also special to me because our. Court son is named Samuel. 'cause we like maybe some of you told you probably wouldn't have children, and I said, I'm not as bad as Eli, but I'm close.

Remember telling Tammy after one year, after two years, if you don't get pregnant, I'll buy you a sports car. I didn't say what Nona said. Am I not more than 10 sons? If that was in Tupelo, Mississippi, we would've said, oh, bless your heart, elk, Hannah, I, but you're an idiot. Am I not more right? The husband's like, am I not more than 10?

She's like, of course not. No, you're not going 10, son, nothing. Can replace this desire. It's hard for us husbands, we would give what we could to make our wifes happy, to give them something that's good. That's right. That makes sense. But of God when we can,

and then the Lord hears her, so the name, same. Samuel means heard of God names your son Samuel. He is heard of God and she raises him and she's, uh, on her yearly trek to the temple. She states back and it's an interesting thing in verse 16 of chapter one, uh, I'm sorry, not verse 16 of chapter one, um, verse 22 of chapter one.

It says, Hannah didn't go. Uh, before she said to her husband, as soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever. Now, canna, her husband, said to her, do what seems best to you. Wait until you have weaned him. And then in verse 23, he reminds her of her promise only.

May the Lord establish his word. That's text for him saying, Hannah, you promise to give this child over to the Lord. Now, there's another thing. He may have been about three of the time they were weaning around three. My 3-year-old grandson was here for Thanksgiving. Have they ever told you about it? He is top tier and wonderful, right?

Tammy's got 4,000 pictures on her bone from the weekend, and, and as we put him to bed, he kisses us. Good night, and thanks the Lord for his new friends. I thought, could we take his child and leave him to the care? Of this evil priest with evil sons, could we do that? Surely I would have an excuse to keep him back until things were just a little bit better.

But her husband says, as you have trusted the Lord, as you have promised to him, as he has heard your cry and giving you this child, make sure you keep your vows to him. And she remained nursed her son until she weaned him. He was given over to the Lord. In chapter one, verse 26 and 28, she had asked of the Lord and he will be asked of the Lord his entire life for as long as he lives.

And then it ends with this. And Elana, her husband, worships the Lord there for her husband also. Gave up his son and worshiped the Lord Well, that's the context of our Psalm this morning. Here is her psalm. Here is her prayer. As she leaves her son, Samuel heard of the Lord and she leaves her son in the temple.

First Samuel chapter two verses one to 10. Let's stand for the reading of God's. Word

and Hannah pray and said, my heart exalts in the Lord. My horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice In your salvation there is none holy like the Lord. For there is none beside 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 a God of knowledge and by him actions are waived. The bowes of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. Those who were full hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The Baron has born seven. The she who has many children. Is for mourn.

The Lord kills and brings to life. He brings down to SHEEO and raises up The Lord. Makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy from the as heap. He makes them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. But the pillars of the earth are the Lords and on them he has set.

The world. He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces against them. He will thunder in heaven, the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.

The grass withers and the flower fades. The word of our God will stand forever. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated.

Father, we pray that the words of my mouth, the meditations of all of our hearts, would be pleasing and acceptable to you, for you are our strength and our redeemer through Jesus Christ. Amen. Moses was told to stop asking. In fact, it's an interesting thing. God says, uh, don't ask me again to get into the Promised Land.

We're done having this conversation, but what we pray for, what we long for, and even what we sing for, it expresses our longings. We, we cry out in sadness, but we also cry out in victory. There's two prayers in our text and on chapter one, there's that prayer of her over longing. And then we get the follow up prayer, the prayer of Thanksgiving and gratitude.

And for us as Christians, we must find comfort in this. We must find comfort that, that God hears our prayers. Now God hears our prayers and it's more than that. There used to be a comic strip that would say what he said and what she heard. See, you can laugh already, right? What he said. Where did you buy these beans?

What she heard? You hate my cooking. What he said, is that a new sweater? What she heard? Why don't you like it? God hears and understands. He hears the longings and, and we don't have to take it to an intermediary. And even in 1100 BC before Christ came, there was a sense that this woman knew God, would hear her done the sacrifices.

We've done all of those things. It's not about me going and doing some extra thing. I'm gonna trust myself. Friend God, and he will hear my prayers and he hears her prayers and he answers her rivals. It's an interesting thing, isn't it, that this other wife is just referred to as her rival. We have her name, but she is referred to as the rival.

Now, I don't wanna make too much of this, but it wouldn't have been easy to be heard.

That's the problem with idolatry and its systems. If Hannah is to believe that her work is only tied up to producing male children and she has a constant reminder of failure dependent is only, only worth is in the fact that she brought children, then why does her husband love the other one? More. What else can she do?

There's an answer in this prayer to our rivals, but before we get to that, I just want you to think about what does a rival do? So in in our text, her rival causes her to distrust God. She points out, God has not given you this, so why trust in him? I'll go to the temple with you. We all do all these things the same, but why trust in him?

By the way, Hannah, you are worthless because you are childless. We're belittled. We're mocked by our rivals. This being rivalry week,

our calendar even promotes it, doesn't it? Her calendar. Here it comes again. I'm gonna have to hear it again. Arrival, belittles and marks our faith and our trust in God. His covenant promises and arrivals. Mark, when God is apparently silent, our arrivals elevate the things that even God alone gives as if they produced it.

It's a result of his favor over another. Sarah and Hagar, they make the gifts of God their gods, such that those things then are used for replacing God and the dividing people. They use these things to create inner circles where you are included by what you have or what you've done. And excluded by what you don't have.

And in the midst of this, Hannah on giving her son over says in verse one, my heart exalts the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, my heart exalts in the Lord. Do you know what she's saying there? Not my heart. Exalts. In my son, it's beautiful. She lets her son be her son. She gets her son to belong to the Lord.

She doesn't promote her son as I've gotta hold him. I gotta keep pictures. I gotta be reminded all the time. My heart ex exalts in the Lord the cf. Kyle says that the name Samuel is an exposition of her experience. Her experience now is, is portrayed as God has heard, and my heart exalts in him and my mouth de rides my enemies.

My mouth speaks forth his truth and.

Who are against God and his ways, my horn is exalted. So verse one in verse 10 is the image of horn. And I think I've already done that. If not, I'll probably do it again. I have a, a shed ampler in my office, uh, and I keep it up on the shelf. Uh, though you may not know that antlers shed, horns don't shed, they keep growing.

But I have a, I have antler that came off a deer. Amazing antler, and I keep it up there to remind me of the fading glory of all things on earth. A buck grows a tremendous antler. And even if you're not a deer hunter or you don't care, if you look out into a field and you see one with a massive set of an words, you take note.

And so the Bible uses that in a sense to say, uh, everything that defines me who I am has now been exalted because of the Lord. Not in a prideful way for Hannah, but whenever you read it and you see in Revelation, the horn boasts this and the horn boasts that, and the horn of David, uh, it, it's to give us an image.

Of all that she relied on and all that she counted on, and she says Now her Lord has proved himself faithful. He has heard her, and my personal witness is that my horn has been exalted because of his salvation. It's a poetic emphasis that they put there. My horn has exalted because I rejoice in your salvation.

Clearly. She says Yahweh is. The Lord, not Samuel. It's good for you to think about that. How would you answer your rivals, those who would promote other gods or other systems that would elevate you above other people? How do you answer them? God's actions in her life are true judgment on human and satanic pride.

She answers her rivals. We're talking about the Lord's salvation, and she goes kind of from this personal, this is what has happened to me, Christians. We, we can do that in both ways. We can look at our lives at times as a, as a microcosm of God's saving acts throughout history. But then also apply it to the rest.

So, uh, the pronouns change from, uh, first person to second person, second person, plural, in verses two to eight. Not only does it answer my rivals, but I, I, I'm using this opportunity that you might know and affirm God's sovereignty. And so it starts with this kind of general statement in verse two. Because of this, I know, and you should know, there's no one like God.

There's no one holy and set apart and perfect in every aspect. There is none like him. She deposits her son. There's none like him, just so you know that. And then she lists all the ways, well, not all, but a pretty good list from three to eight of the ways our God sets himself apart and above all. Other Gods first and verse three.

Knowledge his knowledge, wisdom, his knowledge. God will knowledge save you? Talk no more. So proudly. Don't let arrogance come from your mouth because the Lord is the God of knowledge. And by him your actions are weighed. His strength, part of your horned might. Military personal power, not so fast. The bows of the mighty, or a better translation is, is is the, the, the Bowman, those who wield their, their strength in weaponry, uh, and might, they're broken, but the table bind on strength.

You see how she's taking just a personal application of her struggle saying, we need to, we need to take us in a apply generally across the board. Thirdly. Provisions. These Old Testament preppers built bigger barns were certain that the many knights wouldn't take their food. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread.

Those who took comfort, value and worth in security, what they could hold or what they had stored up. But those who were. Hungry have ceased a hunger and then very personal fertility progeny. The baron has born seven, but she who has many children is for one. We don't have time for this, but it's, it's interesting, um, to look at Leah and Rachel and the names of their children.

Uh, Leah's children's names follow a distinct path. Of her saying, uh, maybe now my husband take note of me. I have born him all these children, and her last child is next. Something like the Lord is sufficient. The Lord is strong. Um, in those days, progeny meant life and health. And, um, verse six, over life and death, the Lord kills.

The Lord brings to life. He brings it down to SHEEO and he raises up our wealth verses seven and eight. The Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and he exalts. You see this list of all the things that humans hold onto the grass that are gonna define me, that are gonna give me some worst lasting verse eight disposition in the society.

Position in church, position in family. He says he raises up the poor from the dust and he lists the needy from the ashe to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. And then it closes with this beautiful picture of creation. So you see in verse two, there's no one holy like the Lord.

There's none beside you. There is no rocking at the end of this verse for the pillars. The Earth are the Lords. And on them, he has set the world. My 3-year-old grandson is mesmerized by plants, so he always gets this same book. And when we get to earth and there's this blue marble looking thing, he's like, where do you live, opa?

And so point right there, where do I live? Right there. What is that? That's the sun. And Hannah says, oh, human beings, look at the world. Look at what God has created and said in order, and we work through planets together. And he, they look at the Tillman. One rotates this way, and one rotates that way. The beautiful design, Hannah says, oh, he's the one who has the person and holds.

World. Now, this would be amazing in our life, right? But what she experienced and what each and every believer experiences is not even temporal or physical, but it's eternal here. So she progresses from verse one. This is personally what happened to me to verses two to eight. This is how our God rules his world.

Take note. Be aware and be aware how you deal with the living and holy God. But then she gives us this hope that advent that we hold onto and we again stand at a better place. Than Hannah did. We have seen more, our God has yet exposed that he is to be trusted in all aspects of life and he sent his son, but she has this announcement in verses nine and 10.

It's interesting, as you read, various scholars, some deny that she could have written it and they deny it. She could have written it because they deny the supernatural. There's like, there's no way she could have been so particular. About David's rule about Christ coming. She wouldn't have known that. She wouldn't have hoped in that.

But for those of us believe that the inspired and errant word of God was breathed out through the Song of Hannah, we rejoice with her for there is a coming game. What she's experienced in the small realm of her own life, what Israel's experienced in thousands of years. This macro salvation is in promised 'cause.

The pronouns are changed and we're directed to him and he and what he will do. Verse nine, he will guard the feet of his faithful ones. The wicked will be cut off in darkness for not by might. Shall a man prevail, the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces against him. He will thunder in heaven.

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed. What we have from Hannah is divine revelation. What we have in verse nine, especially in verse 10. Is what gives her faith to fulfill her vows that she gave her son over to the Lord all the days of his life.

As far as we know, she'd only see him once a year and she'd bring him some new clothes if she admitted and she'd prayed over, I'm sure. How could she do that? Well, she knew. That the Lord would judge the ends of the earth and the Lord would give strength to his king, and the Lord would exalt his anointed.

John Calvin lost his wife, and after she passed away, he wrote in a letter to a friend, may the Lord Jesus support me under this heavy affliction, which would certainly have. Overcome me. Had not. He who raises about the prostrate strengthens the weak and refreshes the weary, stretched forth his hand from heaven to me.

Ralph Davis writes about this text that every time God lists you out of the and upon a rock. Of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Micro salvation instances in our lives feed this hope of full salvation. He said It is a down payment of the full deliverance, the macro salvation that will be yours at last, and so we save the date.

We look forward to that date when the anointed King returns to finish his work. To gather his elect. An advent to us proves that he is a God who hears advent to us, proves that he is a God whose promises are to be trusted, and Advent gives further credence. To our Saviors, return this practice.

Oh, father, we thank you for your holy word. Lord, we thank you that you haven't just given us a list of rules and principles that you have given us people, people just like us who have wrestled. Father with the daily annoyances, grievances, pains, and suffering of their lives, who have wrestled over and over with you when it seems that the wicked get whatever they want.

And the things we ask for, we promise to give to you. And yet it seems though you are silent. We are a people at times Father whose rivals seem to make fun of our savior. And those who would follow him. We know you are a God who keeps your promise and we have all people know that you are a God who provided righteousness through your son.

May we be people, faith and trust.

May Samuel be our middle name. Father all the time of our days, your God who hears. Therefore, we have peace.

You make it so in us, oh Lord, some of us read. This and, and to think that maybe he is going to do the same for me. Maybe he will give me what I long for, but Lord may we know that regardless of that, you will get. To your anointed that he will come wipe every tear away and right every single rock, maybe worship him above all his gifts.

Sermon transcript is computer generated.