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1 Samuel 2:1-10:

 

Hannah also prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the Lord;
    my strength is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
    because I rejoice in thy salvation.

 “There is none holy like the Lord,
    there is none besides thee;
    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 weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
    but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
    but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
    but she who has many children is forlorn.
The Lord kills and brings to life;
    he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
    he brings low, he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
    he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
    and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
    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 power of his anointed.”

 

This is Hannah's song of praise as she brings her son Samuel to the temple to leave him in the service of Eli, the priest. Hannah had been childless and forlorn. She prayed so desperately one day in the temple that Eli mistook her for being drunk. When she explained that she was "pouring out her soul before the Lord", Eli blessed her and prayed that God would grant her petition. (1 Samuel 1:12-18). Very soon after this blessing, Hannah conceived Samuel and, as soon as he was weaned, she brought him to the temple as she had promised God she would do. (1 Samuel 1:27-28).

 

Reading Hannah's prayer, one cannot help but think of Mary's Magnificat, they are so similar. The Bible is full of stories that foreshadow the Greatest Story, and for good reason. All the prior stories prepare the Jews to recognize and accept the Messiah when He came. The Jews were meant to see that Jesus was the fulfillment of everything in the Old Testament.

 

But Hannah's and Mary's songs also stand alone as heartfelt expressions of joy and wonder at God's power and goodness. Hannah and Mary were both women into whose lives God stepped in a special way to bless them with children. Their songs are similar because their experiences were similar, and they were both close enough to God to see Him working in miraculous ways in their lives and in the world. When we read their songs, we can share in their wonder and joy; the wonder and joy of God's Creation and the miracle of life. What a great reading for these days before Christmas!