Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:1-10

I. God’s king will defeat his arrogant enemies, but he will give victory to his faithful ones.

A. Hannah’s prayer begins with a focus on herself. Look at the personal pronoun she uses over and over again in vs. 1. But notice then who Hannah brags about in verse 2. She doesn’t brag about herself and her new ability to have children. She brags about the LORD. He was the one to give Samuel to her. So, Hannah had to praise the LORD for giving her a child and for finally shutting her enemy up (vs. 3). But Hannah is not just praying about her own experience of God saving her from her enemy and giving her victory.

B. Hannah’s story is a picture of Israel’s story. Like Hannah, Israel had some obnoxious enemies. In Hannah’s day, those enemies were the Philistines who lived near Israel and frequently went to battle against them. What was God going to do to these enemies of Israel? And what was he going to do to those who had a heart for God and remained faithful to him? God would defeat the arrogant enemies of Israel, and he would give victory to his faithful ones like Hannah (vs. 9).

II. God’s king will give children to the barren, but those with many children are abandoned.

A. In verse 4 we see that Hannah has shifted her attention from her personal situation to God’s people Israel. She prays in vs. 5, “The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.” God had given the barren Hannah the child she longed for. But it was not just herself that Hannah was praying about here. As we have seen, Hannah’s story is a picture of Israel’s story. How many barren women are part of the nation of Israel’s story? Many!

B. All throughout the story of Israel, God gives children to barren women. By doing so, God is indicating that salvation will be accomplished only by His power and grace. We cannot save ourselves. We need God to save us. In Romans 4:17 we read about Abraham and Sarah: “(God) gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” God gives life to dead wombs. God goes one better in the birth of the Savior of the world. The Savior, Jesus, is born to a virgin. And Mary sang a similar song to Hannah in Luke 1:52: “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” God was going to reverse the fortunes of the barren and the humble.

III. God’s king will give life to the dead, but bring judgment to those in power.

A. At the end of her prayer, in vs. 9-10, Hannah prays about what it will be like when God fully, visibly and completely rules the world. Much that Hannah prayed for has already happened to Jesus. She prayed in vs. 6, “(God) brings down to Sheol (the grave) and raises up.” God brought Jesus to the grave and raised him from the dead. God also brought Jesus into humility and then lifted him to the throne of heaven (vs. 7). Hannah prayed in vs. 8, “He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.” In bringing Jesus to that throne, we see that God has taken the first step in turning the world upside down. The humble will be exalted. And the proud will be brought low.

Application:
God’s king is coming and when he comes, he will turn the world upside down.

Sources:
The book of 1 Samuel
Commentaries on Samuel by Robert Bergen, Dale Ralph Davis, Tim Chester and Peter Leithart.

  sermon discussion questions

1) God promises to reverse the circumstances of the humble like Hannah. Which promise of God particularly encourages you from 1 Samuel 2?

2) Why do you think there are so many stories of barren women in Israel’s history? How can these stories encourage you when you need to be saved from an impossible situation?

3) How is your sin humbling you or the world rejecting you right now? Why can you still have hope in your humbling circumstances?