Hannah’s Prayer
2:1 And Hannah 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 your salvation.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
3 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.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 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.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
8 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.
9 “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.
10 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.”
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy ministered to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
Eli’s Worthless Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.
18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.
21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the young man Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.
Eli Rebukes His Sons
22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.
26 Now the young man Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.
The Lord Rejects Eli’s Household
27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus the Lord has said, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men. 34 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. 35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’” (ESV)
ELLO… I read
I like this verse ,”My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.”
I like this verse because it talks about having compassion for your enemies. Whenever I hear of some murderer or rapist I hope for them to go to HELL. I need to put aside the facts that they have sinned and know that CHRIST died for everyone to give everyone a chance. I need to not just see what we do as a human but just as an opportunity to preach no matter who it is.
CYA
dude what are you doing up at four in the morning.
I don’t think we even want to know Austin
Wow, Hannah’s prayer is awesome and so encouraging! It is definitely a motivation for my prayer life. She has a heart that strives to please the Lord and has him is his rightful place. I want my prayer life to be way more than what it is now! This chapter motivates me to get down on my knees and really pray to the Lord and exalt his name! What really stuck out to me is that she rejoices in her salvation and she knows that there is no one like Christ! There is so much to be thankful for and to praise God for, and I want to take the time and really pray to him and thank him for all that he has done! God is good all the time, and I want my life to reflect Christ. Thank you Lord for my salvation and for continually showing your glory and how powerful you are! There is NO ONE like you God, and I want everyone to know how holy and perfect you are!!!! MARANATHA!!!!!
mmmmmm amen to that Brooke Brooke! :D It’s when we’re on our knees that makes us feel the closest to Him. :)
Good Morning!!
Verse 34 “And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day.”
This shows to me that GOD is omnicient(might be mispelled). Which means HE knows all things that happen and HE knows all things that have and will happen. HE is so amazing. HE not only knows what will happen but HE knows when and how and even where! Now that is some serious prophecy right there. I don’t think anyone should mess with our GOD. Just look what happened to Eli’s sons. LORD I thank you that I know YOU and love YOU. AMEN.
Way to be on every morning! Keep it up bro!!
9 “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.
Great verse the promise in the beginning is so amazing for Christians! God the creator of everything and has all the power in the world will guard his faithful ones. Nothing is more powerful or such a comforting promise. I am invincible till the Lord decides to take me home!
The second promise is scary for the people who are in darkness. The Lord will cut them off in the darkness what a scary thought! The last line is really cool too “for not by might shall a man prevail.” I instantly thought of might as a way people think of success today, since we obey God we will not prevail in the way the world thinks we should or they do but we will constantly worship the Lord because we have truly prevailed with the Lord!
1 Sam:6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
He is the one to fear – the giver and taker of life! As He meets the desires of Hannah and us we should clearly understand His character and be joyfully and fearfully reverent to Him. Thank You Lord for the provision of grace and mercy for life! Use me today for Your plan and not mine. Please come soon to fix this world. Let me do what You say and be ready at all times…
…this chapter is so amazing and intense!!!! Hannah is so beautiful in spirit…it reminded me of Mary when she prayed to the Lord. She was someone who knew the Old Testament by heart, someone who was favored in the eyes of the Lord. Hannah was also favored because she loved the Lord and praised Him. :) They are such beautiful woman, I can’t get over it. Her prayer sounded like a poem or a song. It just showed how beautiful the LORD is and how He is in control of all things. I strive to be like these women, but better yet, I strive to be like the Lord. He is holy and worthy of alllll my praise. He has so many good qualities, I can go on forever about them. Which is exactly what I’m going to do in my prayers. :)
The second part showed exactly what Hannah had said in her prayer; God’s power and judgement. He judges those that have sin and don’t. Eli’s children had sin in their lives and God took them out! This also reminded me of the message that Bobby had this weekend about obeying your parents. They did not obey, so instead of Eli taking them out orrrr bringing punishment, God does it for him. When I get in trouble, I must think “hmmmm at least I’m not going to be killed by God for this!” instead of being all poudy about it. It’s something to rejoice about because discipline brings righteousness. :D Hopefullyyyy though I won’t get in trouble because I will not sin against my parents! MARANATHA!
Yes, Bethany! As I read Hannah’s prayer my first thought was how similar it was to Mary’s Magnificat. Both of these godly women are people who we should aspire to be like!
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 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.
Hannah is letting out her prayer to God. And in her prayer we find her say this. She is saying that God gives to people and takes away, that he brings down those who try to exalt themselves, while he exalts those who make themselves low for his sake. She says that those who are poor, God raises up out of the dust, lifting the needy from the humblest of places to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor, for in Christ they will inherit honor. Very similar to these verses, Matthew 23:12 says, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” And sadly, so many people are living their lives just trying to exalt themselves. They want to be glorified above others, that everyone else’s eyes would fall on them and they would get the attention for being great. Yet God hates the arrogant. He will bring low all of those who try to lift themselves up.
Yet to the humble, he will raise up. To those who make themselves low for his sake, God will lift them up. It is the same when Jesus talks about whoever wants to gain their life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for the sake of Christ will live. I need to not be seeking the praise of man. I am not after the attention of everyone else around me, that I would receive glory and honor and praise from them. Instead, I need to be seeking to, in all situations, direct all the glory to God. I need to make myself low, for I haven’t done anything good or deserving of honor. All that I have done on my own is fall into sin. However, God is fully deserving of all praise! He created the whole world, he rules over his creation in heaven, he is perfect and holy, he sacrificed his son so that sinners could be saved. God is infinitely deserving of all of my praise, as well as the praise of everyone else! My life needs to be a detour arrow directing others back to God and away from the world, that they would live to glorify him not themselves! And so must I never get full of myself, but always staying humble, I lose my life for the sake of Christ!
Man, what a RADICAL post! Thanks for pouring out your heart, and sharing it with us. What you said gets me FIRED UP! I appfreciate your posts, Steffen…
Thanks so much! I really enjoy reading you posts too!
What stood out to me from this chapter is the highlighted contrast between the believers and trusters of God, and the disobedient and rotten rebellious ones who continue in their own pursuits. It led to me to remember and really think about how I have no excuse in, “my circumstances or my environment,” to be a crutch to any sin in my life.
Here is Samuel, a boy who was dropped very early in his life with a stranger and his rebellious sons; he could have chosen to feel sorry for himself and let those feelings fester, as sometimes we find ourselves tempted to do…”Poor me–WHY ME?!” or, “It’s not fair,” or anything else we self-absorbedly ask ourselves. He could have fallen way to the likes of his surrogate brothers. He could have given one of a thousand excuses or reasons why he couldn’t, wouldn’t, or shouldn’t make time for God. But like his mother who ALSO could have chosen to de-rail, Samuel stays SET APART. Regardless of our circumstances, we, TOO, are called to stay our coarse and path as we pursue our God. We, TOO, must remain resolute in being SET APART from the world around us, because we have been reserved by God, HimSELF. What an honor. I’m not going to let ANY offer Satan may have rob me of God’s beckoning.
I am with you Stacy in being SET APART! and not falling for one of Satan’s tricks! :]
1 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord.
Today’s passage again reminds me why Hannah is one of my Biblical heroes! Look at her response after she leaves her precious, only son behind to be raised by Eli. Her prayer is totally God-focussed! I see no attitude of “poor me” in there at all. Hannah know who God is and uses her prayer to exalt Him for His holy sovereignty and acknowledge Him for the reversal of human fortunes. My heart’s desire is to be like Hannah…so focussed on God, so close to Him. so knowledgeable about who He is that even the most difficult of circumstances lead me to cry out in praise to Him!
I will say one thing, as a parent it is Eli’s fault that he did not raise his sons up correctly. But as an eighteen year old adult now myself, these two sons were most likely not to much older than me which means that now it is not my parents fault if I do something wrong continuessly but it is my fault now and I dont answer to my parents but I answer to God. Since these two guys did not obey there fathers teachings they suffered the wrath of God with is far worst than suffering the wrath of my earthy father.
What a GREAT chapter wiht so much info!
I love Hannah’s prayer!
She pours her heart out to God and praises His name! She exalts His name and rejoices!
She is such a woman of God! A role model for all women, that she promised and followed through on what she promised to the LORD. I remember as a little kid praying to God and being like:
“God, I promise to obey my parents and pray everyday if you…” And I didn’t really follow through. Hannah had no children and wasn’t supposed to but when she did she gave Him back to God! She wasn’t afraid. She praised the LORD for what He did! I need to give God my all and not hold any part of me back. He gave His Son and His Son died for all. THe LEAST I could do is give myself.
I also think Eli’s sons are stupid! They need to realize, especially since they are priests, that God is the ONE and ONLY and being punished by Him is not going to be a picnic in the park. They are priest of the church and are supposed to be the role models, yet they aren’t and are leading people to the wrong ways. They are soon going to be punished and it’s not going to go down pretty. :]
***Praise the LORD! His love endures forever!!!***
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
I love Hannah’s prayer! Verse 2 stood out to me today because it reminds me of God’s sovereignty. He is PERFECT AND HOLY! No one can ever compare to our Lord, and that is something that I want to forever praise Him for. How amazing that we have such security in him through our trust and love for him! I am just amazed at how big he is and the things he does for us. I feel so silly sometimes for not fully trusting him in life. He already has it all planned out! I just need to walk by faith <3
Hannah’s prayer was so beautiful. She is the perfect example of a Christian woman who loved the Lord. Reading yesterday and today’s chapter made me realize how much she Trusted in the Lord. She was willing to give up her first child to God. And because she trusted God and gave him her only child he blessed her with more. There where a couple of verses in Hannah’s prayer that stood out to me the most. Verse two I found to be very beautiful!!
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
It is talking about God and how there is none like him!!!!!!!
verse 6 was a great example of how powerful God is!!!
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3<3<3
29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’
Although it was Eli’s sons who were doing all the messed up stuff, God holds Eli partly responsible because he failed to discipline them. Thus he was guilty of sin, a sin of omission. He knew the right thing to do, but did not do it. This is the other side of sin that I often forget. Failing to do the right thing is just as bad as doing the wrong thing. Standing by on the side lines is not an option. God wants me to take action.
3 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.
Hannah’s FERVOR and FEAR for the Lord is so inspiring! I want to fear our God as much as she did! I especially love this verse because its something we all struggle with daily. The first part talks about pride. I love the command “let not arrogance come from your mouth”. Everything I say should be glorifying to God- meaning that it should either be praise/worship or something that is beneficial to other people. Anything other than that is prideful and is a form of me loving myself and assuming that I know something God doesn’t. This ties in well with the next part- that God knows and controls everything that goes on in the universe. Because God is all knowing and ‘weighs’ all actions, I have absolutely no reason to be prideful whatsoever. I need to stop worrying and trying to do things without God’s help, because there is nothing I can control. God controls everything- and by acknowledging that through what I say and do, I can bring glory to Him!
12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.
worthless? hmmm…well I first thought that was a little arrogant. that’s what God thinks about people that don’t know him. that’s a little intense. well I could see God’s standpoint because people who don’t know God or live for him don’t do anything that benefits God’s kingdom. Say some man has a family. The man doesn’t work, but yet is supposed to support the family. His family or others will think that he is worthless because the family doesn’t need him for support.
Well I had an interesting talk today, I think it’s good to share. I was in tutorial today and there was three people in front of me talking about religion and what there family believes. Well I end in the conversation talking to this kid about Catholics. I didn’t judge him or arrogantly say that’s messed up. So I asked him, “how does Catholics believe they go to heaven?” (I already knew, but just wanted to see what he said) he tells me “by not sinning and going to church” then I was like “so it’s basically good works” he says “yeah” and then I’m like how about you go look up Ephesians 2:8 and then he was like okay, but I knew he wouldn’t do it so I told him the verse and it was just like silence. He like knew the verse, so it was interesing to see.
8 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.
Mmmm Hannah’s Prayer is awesome. What a declaration of praise to the LORD. We come into this world with nothing, and God gives us so much and blesses us abundantly. Even those who have nothing in this world and are saved will have a seat of honor in the Kingdom of heaven. God is the creator of this world, it is so unfathomable to think about. I haven’t traveled a lot, but what i’ve seen is extraordinary… and to think that God was the one who created it is awesome! Days like today make me so thankful, spontaneous bursts of rain and hail… then you see the sky with a rainbow in it. It is so awesome to think back on Genesis 9:13 where it says God has a covenant with the earth for it never to be destroyed with a flood again. God is in control of everything in the world, including the bad things. He is to be trusted in all sorts of situations, He will exalt the humble in Christ at His given time. I deserve hell, but God has spared my soul. He is so good, ALL the time! Come O’ LORD, Maranatha!
Hannah’s prayer is so much like Mary’s Song in Luke 1:46-55! Mary probably had heard Hannah’s prayer and it had an impact on her heart, that encourages me that these two women have qualities that I should pay attention to and imitate in my own life!
One of my favorite verses in her prayer is verse 2–“There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.”
It is so clear that Hannah knew God. She knew that he was perfect and the only God. I love how compares God to a rock. He was her strength, foundation and security. Her prayer really motivates me to call on the Lord not just when I’m in a situation that seems difficult to bear, but for who he is. He is to be praised!
9 “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.
This is a great verse that shows if you believe in God that you will succeed and prevail but if you sin and dont do the things the Lord is telling you will be shunned and cut off in darkness. I mean thats pretty scary and deep. I definitely dont want to be on that side of it:( So trust and follow the Lord and your life will be much better and happier:)
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
God has to be our mane part of our lives he is like a heavy rock that no one can take but him alone and no one should be able to lead us away form God we should be followers of God.
I am going to write my comment in spanish…because I feel like it. :p La oración de Hannah es increíble! Todo de la oración era para alabando nuestro Dios; nada era para ella. Hannah era muy humilde, y ella recibio recompensas en los hijos que Dios se dio! Yo quiero mis oraciónes ser como las oraciónes de Hannah! Nuestro Dios merece todo la gloria!! :D
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
I loved Hannah’s Pray the most for sure. It just shows the wonders of God, and al of his glory. This part stuck out because it shows how God is the only truley holy and perfect being. And i like when it says that he is a rock like that he is our protector and is always there. This whole passage is just very good. :)
21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the young man Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.
My family and I were talking about this in family devos yesterday. Hannah was faithful and prayed until she had samuel and after she was able to have more children. But still her first born she would only get to see once a year. That must have been so hard for her yet she stayed true to her original promise.
25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.
This is a good chapter! This verse stuck out to me though because with Christ, we don’t have to worry about this; about having to be put to do death for our sins. With Christ, we have already “died” in our sins and have been raised up, made new in him. I praise God for this awesome sacrifice for us and for His awesome patience!
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
I love this! The Lord deserves all of my praise, honor, and glory. Like this verse says there is no one like our God. The Lord is so perfect and holy no one compares to our Lord. I want daily thank the lord for who he is and his perfection !
Hannah knew the Lord.
After reading her prayer, it is clear that Hannah had an abundant knowledge of God. This knowledge of God didn’t puff her up or make her proud, rather it caused her to be humble and say things like:
“There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides 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 weighed”(1 Sam. 2:2-3).
Hannah knew the Lord, and I want to do the same. This knowledge shouldn’t cause me to be proud or speak arrogantly, but instead it will mold me to be humble and submissive before the Lord, as I should be. I plan on reading God’s Word for the rest of my life. The knowledge of God knowledge should transform me more and more to a person like Hannah, humble and contrite before the Lord. The Lord exalts the humble and has favor on the weak. I want to know the Lord and be humble like Hannah.
1 Samuel is awesome so far!
The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
8 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.
This whole section to me was so cool and showed how great and powerful god is.
I still cant imagine how someone can create the whole universe with such detail and perfection. im just in awe, God is amazing!
16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.
Hm.
People are so selfish.
Basically saying, “Ok, I’ll give ALL this to God, but I’m keeping this part.”
Nu uh. That isn’t gonna fly.
You have to give your absolute EVERYTHING to God!
I mean, He DID create you. And He granted you with eternal life.
And you think you can get by by only giving God almighty a portion of your everything?
Uhm… NO!
He deserves your all.
I know that sometimes I have trouble with this. Ad that’s most definitely not good.
Because then your sacrifice isn’t worth anything.
Jesus gave us the ultimate sacrifice.
Shouldn’t we be giving Him the same kind of sacrifice He gave us?
I need to be ready to go out and do anything for God at anytime.
Even if my life would be at stake, because He is SO beyond worth my life.
My goal is to give God my absolute all in everything I do.
Because He is more than enough!
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
This verse just makes me think about how powerful and awesome the Lord is. He has the power to create life but at the same time He has the power to end lives. We have no control over wether we live or die but the Lord does. This just shows that the Lord is the creator and we must fear Him.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
These verses are so encouraging for us as Christians. GOD is good to all those who follow him, and, unlike all others, he has the power to eternally bless those who follow him earnestly. GOD is good and will provide for us forever and ever amen.
12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.
So if someone does not know the Lord, that makes them worthless?…..according to this verse….yeah. I have talked to a few people who say they feel worthless…like thier lives dont even have a point…technically, if they are not saved yet, they really dont serve a point. This is where this verse comes in to play (im using it in a situation like this next time)…God says that if they dont know Him, that they are worthless….but the beautiful part about it is that they dont have to be there anymore. God calls us, as Christians, to tell others about how they should change thier life and start serving a purpose in God. God is the ONLY one who satisfies….LET PEOPLE KNOW!
I love Hannah’s Prayer. I definitely want to use this example of all-out praise to the Lord.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
It was obvi to me that Hannah was on her knees in thankfulness to the Lord. Every verse she praised him for his different attributes. This made me realize that God does so many good things for me, and yet I don’t praise him like Hannah did here! 1. I need to be more aware of God’s blessings, and 2. I need to get on my knees like Hannah did here and praise God for being so perfect and good!
30″…for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”
Wow, we really see these words in all of their truth in this chapter. Hannah, who struggles to have a single child, is rewarded for her faithfulness and praise of God: 21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the young man Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.
On the other side we see Eli’s sons, whose sin is “very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt” (17). Their diregard for God’s sanctity leads to His wrath. I know that I want to pattern my life after Hannah, giving glory to God for His goodness and recognizing His authority and might. It’s pretty intense to hear verse 25: “If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” That’s serious stuff. I thank God for not being cast away from Him, out of the reach and hope of any intercession.
alright…i love how hannah prays…she totally praises the Lord!!!
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
I love how she says this..its so true. God is our rock- he in unchanging and he is eternal. He is forever…just like His love for us!There is no one holy like the Lord. Angels have to cover their faces because He is so holy. It is utterly amazing and incredible when i think of how our God is blameless and Holy. He is opposite of us..our God is unlike any other thing- there is no one like Him! I love how Hannah praises God for being so firm and loving and strong.I need to pray more like Hannah!
Maranatha!
I read…
In this chapter the Lord establishes Himself even more firmly as a God that does not take sin lightly. In this chapter, Eli’s two sons were committing great sin and because of this the Lord said that He would kill them on the same day. I am reading through the book of Leviticus lately and that CLEARLY establishes this too. This is great motivation for me to kill sin whenever I see it. I am glad that the Lord has been having me read these lately because it will give me more fear of the Lord.
26 Now the young man Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.
:) That’s so awesome that he kept growing in favor with God!!! This contrasts with Eli’s sons who disobeyed their father (reminds me of the sermon last week which was great! ) and didn’t know the Lord. The consequences of their sin were really sad where on the other hand Samuel was a great godly man who brought glory to God!
9 “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.
I love this prayer! It is such a great example of what our prayer life could and should be like. Hannah is a great example of fervant and whole-hearted faith. She completely trusts in God, and constantly praises Him. That is something I need to do more often. I need to focus more on praise. Hannah is an excellent role model for me. As showed in yesterdays passage, she keeps God as her first priority, putting Him obove everything, and also she is so full of praise for the Lord. This is all due to her complete trust in the Lord. She demonstrates just part of God’s awesomeness in this verse. She also mentions how the wicked shall be cut off from the Lord, showing she understands God’s power and fears the Lord.
From Hannah’s prayer to Eli’s punishment…this is quite a chapter. I love the prayer with Hannah pouring out her heart to the Lord in thanksgiving. Eli’s family being punished for Eli’s sons’ disobedience and lack of reverence for the Lord gives me something to think about. As a new parent I want to be sure to raise Caleb in a way where he learns to fear the Lord. A parent is held responsible (Eli was in this chapter) for the behavior of the child.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
God will do whatever He wants with our lives. If he wants us to endure something that we think is a negative or bad thing, it was still meant for us and was still created by God. It seems as though only the good things in people’s life are said to be done by God but then the same people say the “bad” things, or the things they don’t necessarily want to have to deal with, are not done by God. This passage, however, just shows that God controls allllllll the aspects of our lives- so that means the “bad” things that happen to us are on-account of God’s plan.
12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.
These men were sons of the priest, and they did much in the house of the Lord. Yet because they did not know God, nothing that they did had any value at all. And indeed, that spilled over into their actions, and they became corrupt. This reminded me of how easy it can be to do the “right” things with the wrong motives. Whatever I do, I need to be doing it to bring God the glory, and with a heart that is wholly focused on Him alone. I need to resolve to make sure nothing gets in the way of this, and that I do not get caught up in the world and so take away the value of doing things for the Lord.
WOW!! Hannah definitely has the right attitude towards God! She really is an excellent example of someone that is pursuing Godliness and has an astronomically high view of God. I need to keep in check with having the highest view of God. There is noone better or more Holy! I also especially like this verse.
8 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.
The analogy used here is awesome. Without Jesus death on the cross we would be nothing but a heap of trash, a useless sinner on a one-way ticket to pain. God raised us from the death in our sins just like he raised Jesus from the dead! With Jesus we can now be alive in God and I want to keep worshipping him for it! Praise the LORD GOD for his son!
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Maranatha!! Have you signed up for Winter Revival yet?
1 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord.
Wow, hannah was such an amazing follower of God! She really is an inspiration for me in my own relationship with the Lord and my prayer life. She has just given away her only son to work for the Lord and she is rejoicing and exalting His name! She definitely knows who’s in control and praises Him for it in EVERY circumstance….
Hannah’s prayer shouts God’s sovereignty. Hannah trusted the Lord and realized that the gift of a son as well as everything else in life came from God. Hannah’s heart is overflowing with thanksgiving and her prayer displays her confidence in the Lord. I want to live my life in light of God’s control and may my prayers praise Him for it!
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
This prayer is amazing! it makes me think of what my prayers to God should be like! I think a lot of times, we pray asking God for things and thanking him when things go well. But i know for me i need to be praising God more for just who he is!
16) And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.”
17)Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.
When God gave this blessing to the people it was easy for him to seperate his loyal followers from the hipocrites and sinners. This was so easily seen to him because all of the men that took as much to eat as they wanted were basically taking advantadge of the Lord’s blessing. They were dishonering his gift and by doing that almost turning away from God and not taking his gift seriously. This can be said about anything that God may bless us with that we may take advantage of such as our families and food and shelter that we all require to live. Like Kelly was saying in the True North Campus lunch today it should be impossible to look outside and not realize that God was the creator and all of these things he has created should be considered blessings. So lets all look at his blessings and be thankful and know that this is why we praise and follow God=]
amen erin gray! =)
4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.
Hannah acknowledges a principle that is found throughout the Bible. many times in the Bible we see that God breaks the bows (or humbles) the mighty, and He binds on strength (gives grace to, protects) those who are feeble and weak. God didnt save me or choose to give me grace because i was strong, and God saw me and was pleased with me. rather He chose me because i He knew i was powerless and weak. Like James 4 says, God gives grace to the humble, but opposes the proud. i pray that even while i am saved i would keep this verse and other verses like it in mind. God builds me up not because i am worthy or strong, but because i am weak and lowly. i need to recognize this in my life and being humbly serving Him!
3 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.
Sometimes i have to laugh at how stupid i am. Whenever i think i know something better than someone else, or am acting arrogant, i am completely overlooking the fact that God is above all and there is no one with greater knowledge than Him. He created me, and my job is not to
(woops accidentalyl clicked submit) My job is not to think and speak for my own benefit but to live for God
NOICE comment Lawlzors!! I love how you applied it to your own life in this way, for the first will be last and the last will be first!! d:-/
What a great chapter! Hannah’s prayer to the Lord was so heartfelt, we know that she was a woman after God’s own heart. Like Christa said, this reminded me of Mary’s song in Luke! They are both great examples of things that I can apply to my own life. I want to be like Hannah and Mary and pour my heart out before the Lord as they did and really dwell on the complete supremacy of my God! Our God is so indescribable, I want to give Him all praise and glory for who He is!
35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.
This is the main theme of 1 Samuel. God is looking for people who are going to seek after his heart. The ultimate example of this is David who we will study at Revival Winter Edition. Can you believe that is only two weeks away? Make sure you have signed up or encourage others to sign up if you already have! I am praying that God will raise up a generation of young people who are After His Heart at our camp. I want to do all that is on God’s heart for me to do! May I live that way today!
Oh, I just posted a blog about our new series at True North: STREET CRED CHRISTIANITY! Check it out on the blog page and don’t miss the sermon this weekend!
9 “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.
God promises things to us when we are faithful to Him!!! Being a Christian is not always easy but when God promises to watch over us and also give us blessings we please and obey, it makes it a little les difficult and more of a willingness to always want to serve and obey Him!!!! We should be obeying and honoring God even if we werent getting anything in return because nothing can pay back the ultimate gift that Christ gave us!!!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Verses 9 and 10 are so encouraging! Our God is so amazing, and i am so excited that i am on his team, and i have him to back me up. He says that he will guard the feet of his faithful ones, and also that the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces. I want to learn as much as i can about the God that i am serving, and the God who is faithful to watch after me.
Throughout this entire passage the Lord continues to show his justice. The Lord is completely fair, and has a perfect will. I want to have discernment and be able to know the Lord’s will and follow it each and every day.
25 . . . But they would not listen to the voice of their father
How much more powerful of an example could there be? The time when Samuel lived must have been a really bad one, because even the priests were godless. They treated the sacrifices for God “with contempt,” not even performing their office in the right way, and were plainly known as immoral, corrupt men. But look what the writer adds to all of this: when their father tells them the right thing to do, when he warns them, they do not listen. And look what happens: the family of Eli ends up getting forbidden from being priests any longer and both of them (Hophni & Phinehas) get killed. Their choice resulted in the death of everyone in the family, and just like they had the choice to obey or ignore, so do I. This isn’t just an example; it really happened! And I’m sure it’s happened countless other times throughout history. God, please give me the humility and the strength to listen to and obey my parents!
25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.
Obviously, everyone has sinned, and everyone has no excuse for their sins- thus deserving punishment. Even though I am saved, I still sin sometimes, which I have absolutely NO excuse for. I should be hardly EVER sinning, being a model for others. This verse also makes me sad, in that there are SO many people who’s lives are full of sin, have no excuse, and aren’t saved. The world is filled with these kind of people, and they are all around me. Knowing that God could use what I say to someone to eventually make them saved is the best possible feeling, so I need to be constantly making the Word known. There is nothing better I can do for someone than tell them the Gospel, even if it means causing them to not like me anymore. They NEED it, and I NEED to tell them. God can do incredible things we even the smallest of actions, like having a little conversation with someone about the bible. So, I need to make sure I am doing two things: truely striving to abstain from sin, and rather pleasing the Lord, and making sure that I am constantly spreading the good news and evangelizing. I pray that God will really help me to grow in these two areas, as well in my overall devotion to him.
MARANATHA!
9 “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.
This verse is pretty self-explanatory, and I really like it. If I am faithful to God, He will protect me. If I am wicked I will be banished to darkness! And then the last phrase is so good because it is giving God all the credit. No person will come out on top in the end by anything they themselves do.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
This is so true. I love this verse it shows me how great my God is and how I should be thanking him and giving him all i have each day because He is God and there is none besides him.
10 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 verse reminded me to always remember that God is coming back! And we need to be ready and excited for that day! We need to tell others of the great news before it is to late! And we must always remember that it doesnt matter what others think, only what God thinks! :)
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in the Lord.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.—These verses encoruage me so much! There are going to be trials while living on this earth as a Christian and knowing that God is my stronghold and my refuge helps me so much! There is no one like God! There is no one else that is more powerful or more loving. God gives me so much grace and is so forgiving and I need to make sure that I am not taking that for granit. When I am having hard times like stressing over school or just worried about my family because they are not saved, I know that I can always give everything to the LORD and he will make things much better for me because he puts everything in my life for a reason! And I also need to remember that these hard times are what get me closer to God and I just need to put all of my strength in him!
MARANATHA!!
9 “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.
Having faith in God is really important. No matter how strong or wise a person is, if they don’t trust God and put their burdens on him then they cannot succeed. With the help of God anything is possible. God created everything in the universe and he can do anything. Since I am nothing compared to God I would much rather put my life in Gods hands then to try to make it on my own.
Maranatha!
1 Samuel 2
25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.
This verse is very direct and to the point. In verse 15 and 16 we see the evil done by the sons of Eli to the people of Israel who were giving sacrifices to the Lord. This was a direct sin against God. In verse 22 we read how the sons of Eli would sin against the women who were serving at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. God could mediate the sin against man but not the sin against God himself. They continued to disobey the instruction from their father Eli and were put to death. When I was reading this I thought back to True North last weekend and the Parents are for Life Series. The fifth Commandment came to mind.
Ex 20:12 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
We see Eli’s sons who not only were disobedient to their father a priest, but they were more importantly disobedient to God. Disobedience to God is death.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 18 “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, 20 and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
We need to be obedient to our parents because God has commanded us to do so. I’m sure that Eli’s sons did not think that their father had any words of wisdom for their personal gain. They were deadly wrong and unfortunately so are many young people who are disobedient to their parents. If you cannot submit to your parents then how can you submit to God?
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
the Lord is the one who gives and takes away, it is not what we do. The Lord is always in control. it says here that he makes poor the rich, and he brings low and he exalts. i have heard many stories of people who were humbled, like Job, God was in control, but he humbled him
c u all at church on saturday :)
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
Hannah was a great, faithful woman. i love this verse. My heart needs to delight and find joy in the Lord and i need to know that my strength comes directly from the Lord! I need to be more fervent in my faith and rejoice in my salvation as Hannah did! Her prayer in this chapter is awesome and she truly knew the Lord. It says in this chapter that those who do not know the Lord are worthless. I do not want to be worthless in Gods eyes and i want to get to Him (:
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
So I saw this movie the Book of Eli today and it just made me think about how precious the Word of God is. This verse here says that no one is like God, He is so far beyond anything else. God is the only one who is holy and perfect in all things and who holds power over all else. And this perfect God has given us His Word which He has told us is truth to live by. I was just convicted right now in thinking if I truly delight in the Law of the Lord. When David talks about his delight, he says he meditates on it day and night. I pray that God would develop a delight inside my heart for Him and His Word to the point that I would be meditating on His Word day and night, for God is perfect and there is no one like Him. I need to treasure the grace He has given me in His Word by diligently reading it like He wants me to.
My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
3 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.
I love these verses because Hannah is talking about the incomparable power, holiness, and knowledge of God. She acknowledges with all her heart the greatness of the LORD. She has such a love for God and she has so much faith in Him! Lately I havent been rejoicing in my salvation very much… and not being excited about my faith. I’m going to be like Hannah and show the joy i have in being a Christian so that others may see the power of the LORD!!
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
This verse is so legit!!! THere is truly none like our God!! This is such an awsome praise to our God. In our prayers we need to make sure that we are exhoulting God for who He truly is!!!
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
God is in charge! We don’t have to worry about anything or be afraid. We just need trust and faith, and Jesus Christ will lead the way. What an incredible promise!
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
This is such a fitting response to our reading yesterday! When I see how God provides for me (like Hannah did), I should respond with this same attitude of praise. And this thanksgiving should translate into confidence towards the future. No matter what may come my way, I know that there is no solid rock like our God!
2:1 And Hannah 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 your salvation.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
I love Hannah’s prayer which is so similar to Mary’s prayer in Luke 1!! Hannah prays to God and just focuses on who he is! She didn’t have her own copy of the Bible then, but she knew God and knew about him and who he is! I just love how she puts things in this prayer. She is so clear about what she is saying. I also love verse 2. God is holy and no one like him!!! Hannah knew that too. She wasn’t just saying a bunch of fluff, she was praising God for who he is and for his attributes. I want to be like Hannah in my prayers and praise God for who he is!
Ahh the Lord was so faithful to Hannah and how she worships Him in return by using her lips in the awesome prayer she prayed! It’s super encouraging and is totally going to affect the way I pray! First response when God does gives is praise! I just love that!! I want to worship God, first response for everything! Understanding that without Him, it would be nothing….
9 “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.”
It’s evident in Hannah’s prayer that she held the Father in high regard. Having a proper view of God’s attributes should affect the way I am living my life today. In this verse, Hannah knows that the Lord will protect her from disaster and trusts him completely. In light of this truth, my problems or issues should seem insignicant. The more I learn about Him, the more I should be trusting in Him completely.
3 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.
Everything that comes from our mouths should not be arrogant or rude but glorifiying to God. God knows everything and He created everything and by Him what we do is going to be judged on judgement day.