1 Sam. 2:1-10, Hannah, Woman of Grace

As we begin in 1 Samuel we are still in the times of the Judges.  Eli judged Israel for 40 years (1 Sam. 4:18) and Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life (7:15).  Since Samuel anointed both Saul and David, that would mean there was an overlap of the time of the Judges and the beginning of the Kingdom (Samuel died during the reign of Saul, before David took the throne).

There is a built-in outline of 1 & 2 Samuel.  There are several “summary” passages that seem to conclude one section and then transition to the next. 

SECTIONS          FOCUS           SUMMARY

1 Sam. 1-7                 Samuel               1 Sam. 7:15-17

1 Sam. 8-14               Saul                    1 Sam. 14:47-52

1 Sam. 15-2 Sam. 8   David I               2 Sam. 8:15-18

2 Sam. 9-20               David II             2 Sam. 20:23-26

2 Sam. 21-24             Kingdom          

The stories of the Judges were often conflicting in terms of righteousness.  Barak was afraid to go to war without Deborah.  Gideon needed a lot of encouragement (signs), and at the end of his life opened the door to idolatry.  Samson struggled with devotion to his calling until the very end.  Eli didn’t discipline his sons.  I’m sure you understand my point.  But we should note that there were some remarkable women: Deborah and Jael, Ruth and now Hannah (1 Sam. 1:1-2:11).  Hannah, pronounced “Channah” (hard “ch” sound), is the word for grace.  How appropriate!

It seems to me that both Elkanah (1:23), and without question Hannah (2:1), were righteous people with “Messianic expectation.”  That is, they were faithfully waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promise in Gen. 3:15.  It’s not hard to see some strong similarities between Hannah’s song of praise (2:1-10) and Mary’s (Lk. 1:46-55).  Both are humble women who were exalted by God.  And notice 2:10: Hannah’s song concludes with the anticipation of a King in Israel.  She would have known of this from the Messianic prophecies in Gen. 49:10 and Num. 24:17.

In one of our visits to Ancient Shiloh we heard an impassioned message from a rabbi who was talking with a Jewish group from So. California.  He noted how, for Jews, they were in a special place.  They have found the location of the Tabernacle, where the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant rested for several hundred years (from Joshua to Eli).  The rabbi noted that it was holy ground.  He encouraged his audience to think of Hannah when they think of Shiloh.  That is indeed worthy of our meditation.  Hannah is a bright light in the darkness.  In Scripture (e.g. Ps. 78), however, Shiloh is to be remembered as the place that God ultimately rejected in favor of Jerusalem and Mount Moriah, as the place where He would put His name.  It reminds us of another failure associated with the times of the Judges.

Let us seek the Lord, that we might be the light in the darkness of our world.

Site of the Tabernacle in Shiloh.

Sign noting Shiloh, Israel's first capital for 369 years.

Hannah's (Chana's) prayer in Hebrew and English, at Shiloh.

Blowing the Shofar at Shiloh.