One Man's Thoughts

Many times we read Scripture and we think one chapter proceeds after another because it is the natural procession of events that occurred during that time. But I’d like to offer that there is nothing natural about Scripture. It is imparted by the Holy Spirit.

In I Samuel, Hannah offers a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord (2:1-10). This is not merely recorded history. Hannah’s prayer is elevated to the standing of Scripture. This reveals a very great part of who our God is. Many times through the course of history that would make up what we know today as the books of the Bible, God chose to work through men. But when women believed upon the Lord and gave thanks to Him, they are remembered by God. The Father is gentle towards women and their faith impressed Him so much that He wrote down their words to be recounted by all following generations.

What use are Mankind’s words to the Almighty? He has no need for counselors among men or women. Are we who are on earth so mighty as to be considered by the Lord for our many works of speech? And yet the Lord allows Himself (perhaps cannot help Himself) but to be moved by our words that come from a heart of faith and thanksgiving from an earnest heart.

The text says that Hannah prayed after giving Samuel to the work of the house of the Lord under the priesthood of Eli. She was not at home so that she perhaps could have written her words down with a mind to keep them for later. In verse 11 we read: “Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the boy continued to attend to the service of the Lord before Eli the priest.”

From this we may deduce that when Hannah spoke the words of thanksgiving, she was still at Shiloh in the place where Eli and his sons were ministering before the Lord. Were there attendants to write down her words? It is not likely that they would have been close enough to hear her, let alone have writing implements near at hand when she uttered the words. Perhaps Samuel, her son, was present and remembered the words of his mother and later wrote them down in memory of her. This is also doubtful as he would have been between the ages of 2 and 5. Did Hannah then really say these words or were they poetic embellishment placed in the text at a later time in order to emphasize the events that led to the life of Samuel, the anointer of King David?

We are reminded of what Paul says in his letter to Timothy: “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching…” (2 Timothy 3:16). So then, we can be confident that these words were actually spoken by Hannah. But who heard them that they would later be able to be recorded for our benefit? The answer is that the words were heard by God and they touched Him so deeply that they were then imparted to the author of I Samuel by the Holy Spirit. Just as He imparted all Scripture to the various people over the centuries that form the whole of Biblical history.

And here is the point for us today: if we believe in the Spirit’s accuracy to impart lessons to us about such matters as grace and salvation, then should we not also trust Him to teach us from the words of a woman who cried out to God in the deep hurt of her heart and who then later glorified Him with her words when she was granted her request? Our God hears us and while our words are no longer recorded as Scripture, we can be confident that He treasures each of our prayers just as He did Hannah’s all those years ago.