My heart exults in the Lord
1 Samuel 2:1-2 - When we are in the worst possible situations and everything seems bleak, we can rejoice in the Lord!
Hannah dedicating Samuel to the Lord. Image created by Dall-E 3
Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord ; My horn is exalted in the Lord , My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.”
1 Samuel 2:1-2 NASB95
The Lord is sending me down some fascinating paths this week, first with an exploration of verses from the minor prophet Amos and now with two verses from 1 Samuel. This side journey into the Old Testament is God’s way of reinforcing in our all-too-human minds that He has been and will always be the rock that we can cling to and the foundation we can build our lives on.
A quick refresher on Samuel: The two books of Samuel and the two books of Kings are actually one long book, separated in the Bible simply because the ancient scrolls could not physically be long enough to contain all of the writing. Samuel is the last of the judges, and these four books describe the history of the first kings who ruled first one nation, then the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The reigns of King Saul (who was not faithful to God) and King David (a man who loved and — for the most part — obeyed God) are described in detail, along with lesser descriptions of the reigns of many other kings.
Hannah is the mother of Samuel. She was barren for many years, prayed to the Lord in tears, and was blessed by a high priest (Eli) who told her “may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” (1 Samuel 1:17 NIV) She became pregnant, and after Samuel (his name means “heard by God”) was born, she promised to dedicate him to the Lord.
Here is a true servant of God! After her heartfelt prayer to bear a child was heard by God, Hannah promises to give her son up to the Lord by having him live and serve God alongside Eli. That’s where we are in 1 Samuel chapter 2, with Hannah praying to the Lord.
These words are astounding. Here is what might be considered a very tragic day, with Hannah giving up her only child at the tabernacle. While she may be sad about making that living sacrifice, she “exults in the Lord”. The Strong’s Definition of the ancient Hebrew word translated here as exult — עָלַץ or ʿālaṣ — includes the phrase “to jump for joy”.
This is probably one of the saddest days in Hannah’s life, but she “jumps for joy” in the Lord. When we are in the worst possible situations and everything seems bleak, we can rejoice in the Lord!
What is this “horn” Hannah speaks of in her prayer? In the Bible, the horn is a symbol of strength since the strength of a steer or an ox was typified by its magnificent horns. Hannah is plainly stating that her strength and courage is from the Lord, and that she rejoices in that certainty.
The enemies Hannah is speaking boldly against are the other wife of her husband Elkanah (named Peninnah) and other women who were cruel to Hannah for her childless state. Now she has vindication over Peninnah and others, as the Lord Himself has blessed her.
Hannah praises God in a short poem in verse 2. Enduring Word describes this verse as Hebrew poetry:
e. There is none holy like the LORD: This shows a classic form of Hebrew poetry — repetitive parallelism. To say the LORD is holy is to say He is completely set apart; that He is unique, and not like any other. When she continued in the same verse and said, “For there is none besides You,” she said the same thing as “There is none holy like the LORD,” only saying it in different words. When she said, “Nor is there any rock like our God,” she again says the same thing in different words.
i. In this, Hebrew poetry does not rhyme words by sound as much as it rhymes ideas. The ideas of the three lines of 1 Samuel 2:2 all rhyme together, having different words yet “sounding” the same.
About half of Chapter 2 of 1 Samuel is “Hannah’s Prayer”. It is a reminder to all with faith in the Lord to dedicate our lives to Him and to always praise Him for His blessings.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord in Heaven, when difficulties come upon me as they inevitably will, may Hannah’s prayer be a reminder to always rejoice in the many blessings You have given me at other times of my life. You are my rock and my redeemer! AMEN.