1 Samuel 1
Preceding 1 Samuel in the narrative context of 1 Samuel 1 is the book of Judges. Judges ends with this haunting line:
In those days, Israel had no king, and everyone did as they saw fit. (Judges 21:25)
In the book of Judges, we see Israel unraveling into moral chaos. Though they had the Judges, or tribal political leaders, to keep them accountable to their covenant with God, Israel continued to do what was right in their own eyes. Eventually, even the Judges themselves started to become corrupt.
This moral decay leaves God’s people hanging in the balance. How are they going to return to God’s design for their covenant? Who is going to lead Israel back to the ways of God? The last line of Judges creates an anticipation for a new leader to rise up.
And then, the book of 1 Samuel starts, opening up with a narrative about a troubled family. Could Israel’s new leader really come from an adulterous man, his rivalrous wife, and a barren woman?
This origin story seems to be analogous to the story of Abraham and Sarah. Though they were barren and abused Hagar, God still showed them mercy by giving them a son, Isaac, through whom came the nation of Israel. Though he had doubts and made flawed decisions, Abraham had faith in God, and it grew over time. He even became willing to give up Isaac, and trusted that God would keep his promise to make him a father of many nations.
In this text, Hannah demonstrates this same faith. In a tribe and family that is deeply flawed, she is the glimmer of hope. She sought God reverently, finding favor in his eyes. And when she had a son, she honored God by giving up Samuel as a future high priest to the Lord.
The story of Hannah’s faith and Samuel’s birth is not only a replay of Abraham’s story, but it also foreshadows a future high priest, born to a faithful woman without the natural ability to conceive at the time.
Throughout scripture, God uses people to trust in him, no matter how unlikely the circumstances. In this opening chapter of Samuel, God is paving the way for Israel to become a unified kingdom that honors the covenant that God established. These leaders will still have flaws and sin, and Israel will still fall short. But this book will show that God’s faithfulness is unwavering.
Hannah knows that she serves a faithful God. Her attitude and actions display her understanding of his character. God’s faithfulness to provide a leader and priest to reconcile all people to himself is made fully manifest in Jesus. And as followers of Him, we have the opportunity to have the same faith and trust as Hannah.
Is there something you are waiting on God for? How do your actions and attitude reflect your trust in his faithfulness?