Singing Joy
1 Samuel 2:1-10
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 2:2 –
“There is no Holy One like the LORD, no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.”
there is no Rock like our God.”
Have you ever been moved to write poetry? Some experiences are so powerful, emotional, or memorable that they cry out for something more than prose. We may feel moved to write poetry when crushed by grief, when flushed with love, or when awestruck by the grandeur of nature.
This is no new phenomenon, for the ancients also marked meaningful moments with poetry, including the Hebrews. The Bible is loaded with poetry, from the joyous praise and mournful laments of the psalms, to the pathos of Job’s soliloquies, the pithiness of the Proverbs, the bitter groans of Lamentations, and the hearth-throbbing rush of young love in the Song of Songs.
Hebrew prophets preached in poetic oracles, and narrative story-tellers often had their characters break forth in song. Such is the case with Hannah in our text for today, and if anyone ever had reason for lyrical exultation, it was Hannah.
When joy erupts (vv. 1-3)
Hannah’s story begins with hardship and sorrow (1 Samuel 1). The story is set sometime in the 11th century, BCE, as the Israelites were still getting settled in the land.
Hannah was first in order of marriage and first in her husband Elkanah’s affections – but sadly unable to bear children in a culture that valued women largely by their fecundity. Despite his love for Hannah, Elkanah took a second wife in hopes of fathering children.
Peninnah soon bore several children to Elkanah, though it was clear that Hannah remained his favorite. Stung by jealousy, Peninnah flaunted her children and taunted Hannah with cruel barbs.
Hannah’s misery reached a breaking point during a worship festival at Shiloh. Refusing to eat or be consoled, she went to the temple and fell prostrate, sobbing heavily as she swore a solemn vow that if Yahweh would grant her a son, she would devote the boy to God’s service for life. [DD]
God answered the prayer and Hannah soon conceived, giving birth to a son she named “Samuel,” meaning “heard of God.” Hannah had prayed, and God heard.
After Samuel had been weaned, probably near his third birthday, Hannah and Elkanah returned to Shiloh, where they offered a valuable three-year-old bull to be sacrificed – and presented young Samuel to remain and serve with Eli in the temple. [DD]
One would think that leaving her long-sought son behind would present an occasion for sadness and mourning for Hannah, and any of us would imagine that she left Shiloh in a somber mood – but for the narrator it was a moment of victory and fulfillment.
To emphasize the triumphant theme, the narrator inserted an ebullient psalm of praise that he attributed to Hannah. In truth, the psalm probably originated much later, likely in royal circles, but the narrator thought it a fitting way to commemorate Hannah’s triumph over childlessness while also foreshadowing future developments in Israel’s life (see “The Hardest Question” online for more).
While Hannah may never have sung this song, we will approach the text with an appreciation for the role it plays as presented to us. As we have it, Hannah not only sings, but sings both powerfully and prophetically. [DD]
The narrator knew that Hannah’s child would one day would become prophet and priest to Israel, a king-maker and a king-breaker. As such, he has her sing of enemies, victories, and the ascendancy of God’s anointed king. She sings of Yahweh as one who reverses fortunes, not just for individuals, but for nations. Yahweh guides Israel and gives the people victory, so long as they remain faithful. That message would become a common theme of Samuel’s preaching.
Like other songs in the Hebrew Bible, the “Song of Hannah” is a prayer (v. 1) composed as poetry. [DD] In form, it is similar to psalms characterized as “Hymns of Praise.” [DD]
The song begins in first person: Hannah “exults in the LORD” and derides her enemies because God has granted her victory (v 1). Read as Hannah’s song, “my enemies” would be a reference to her rival Peninnah, who had sneered at Hannah’s childlessness. In the larger context, it could refer to any of Israel’s enemies.
The song then declares Yahweh’s uniqueness in three ways: “There is no Holy One like the LORD, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” (v. 2). The reference to God as a rock is reminiscent of a psalm attributed to David in 2 Samuel 22, also found as Psalm 18.
In v. 3, the singer then instructs all who speak arrogantly to cease their proud talk before Yahweh, who knows and weighs all actions. Before bragging about the things we’ve done or the plans we’ve made, it’s important to remember that God has the last word.
When fortunes are reversed (vv. 4-8)
The next section highlights a “reversal of fortune” theme. The singer declares that the weapons of the mighty will be broken while the feeble grow strong; that those who were full will go begging for bread while the hungry grow fat with plunder; and that a once-barren woman would bear seven children, while the mother of many would be bereaved.
Only the last of these seems to match Hannah’s situation: though previously childless, she bore three sons and two daughters in addition to Samuel (1 Sam. 2:21). “Seven” was often used to indicate completeness, so it should not trouble the reader that Hannah had only six children; the point is that she was blessed with children by virtue of divine assistance.
We should not assume that Hannah was vindictive and wanted Peninnah to suffer the loss of her children, and there is no indication elsewhere that her rival was bereaved, but we recall that the song is really about far more than Hannah: it is a hymn about God’s power and potential blessings to Israel.
The “reversal of fortune” theme continues in vv. 6-8, but with the reversals specifically credited to Yahweh. Yahweh has the power to kill and make alive, to send someone to Sheol or bring them back. [DD] God can make people rich or poor, ignored or exalted, lifting even the poorest from the ashes to sit among royalty – a possible foreshadowing of David’s rise from shepherding to kingship.
God is able to do this, the song says, because “the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s, and on them he has set the world” (v. 8b). Though the translation of “pillars” is uncertain, the claim is clear: God created the world and has full power over it. [DD]
When salvation comes (vv. 9-10)
The closing section reflects a primary theme of the Deuteronomistic History, to which the books of Samuel belong: God protects and blesses the faithful, but punishes the wicked. The song declares that God prevails in the end, not human might.
The final verse contains the most obvious anachronism of the poem: it speaks of how God “will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed” (v. 10). Hannah’s son would grow up to anoint the first two kings of Israel, but when Hannah brought the boy to Shiloh, though there was no king in Israel. [DD]
Within its context, Hannah’s song reminds all readers that God is great and powerful enough to create the world and rule over it in every way – and yet also compassionate enough to care about barren women, uncertain soldiers, and the poorest of the land.
While those who are oppressed may sometimes feel their situation is hopeless, Hannah’s song is a reminder that God can reverse the fortunes of the downtrodden, raising the righteous to replace the wicked in places of wealth and power.
The song is a hymn of hope to those who are abused and mistreated in every generation, a reminder that God has a special concern for the poor, the homeless, and the hungry. A cursory reading of the New Testament shows that Jesus demonstrated these concerns in his own life and ministry.
The Gospel of Luke, for example, emphasizes Jesus’ special care for women (Luke 5:38-39; 8:2-3, 43-48), the poor (Luke 6:20-21), and the oppressed (Luke 5:12-14, 17-26; 8:26-39). Matthew preserves a tradition that Jesus taught his disciples to extend appropriate compassion to the hungry, the sick, and the imprisoned (Matthew 25).
A movement known as “Liberation Theology” has its roots precisely here: a belief that God is on the side of the world’s poor and oppressed, has not forgotten their plight, and will ultimately lift them up.
The stories we find in the books of Samuel show how God’s concern for the downtrodden could take the direct form of blessing a barren woman, or the more indirect avenue of calling out leaders and empowering them to defeat those who oppressed the Israelites.
In the same manner, Jesus often touched people directly, but also commissioned his followers to become channels of divine compassion. We are called to share the love of Jesus with people on every part of the social and economic spectrum, but give special attention to seeking justice for those who cannot compete within a system that is rigged in favor of the rich and powerful.
Concern for the poor might make us unpopular in some political circles – but we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus himself would fare no better.
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: 1 Samuel 2:1-10
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
Our students come in all shapes, sizes, colors, specialties, gifts, talents…Needless to say, they are all unique. Some of our students have advantages and privileges that other of our students don’t have. How do you encourage your students with privilege to advocate for those students who don’t have the same privileges? What opportunities do you provide for your students that you might be able to provide to one of their friends who don’t have the same privilege? Your students notice how they are treated by you, but they notice even more so how you treat their friends.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: 1 Samuel 2:1-10
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“Share…Care…Joy…” by Naik Foundation
Via www.youtube.com
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