Song of a Humble Heart

Song of a Humble Heart - 1 Samuel 2:1-10

1 Samuel 2:1–10 ESV

And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. “There is none holy like the Lord: for 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. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind 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 and he 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 horn of his anointed.”

PRAY

REVIEW:

The Story - Hannah and Peninnah - Elkanah - Hannah’s vow in prayer - Eli’s reaction and blessing - God gives Hannah a son, whom they name Samuel - After he is weaned, Hannah gives her toddler back to the Lord… presenting him as a living sacrifice to God, to serve Him all the days of his life.

What we learn:

God’s way: God works through the weak, not the strong.

Our part: What God desires from us is that we be wholly dependent on and fully surrendered to Him.

Hannah’s Plight (1:1-8)

Hannah recognized her helpless plight and knew that God was the answer. She evidently also recognized the condition of God’s people and knew that God’s purpose was the answer.

Hannah’s Plea (vv. 9-16)

So Hannah pleaded with God in a way that promoted the glory and purposes of God.

God’s Answer (vv. 17-20) & Hannah’s Son (vv. 21-28)

When God delivered by giving her a son, she surrendered that son back to the Lord, and declared God’s greatness.

God wants you to view him as he is, seeing yourself as completely dependent on his mercy so that you will turn to him with complete surrender and receive his grace. And God expects you to maintain that posture as his beloved child. When we do that and come to know God more fully, the result is joy in God that overflows in praise to Him.

Hannah’s Praise (2:1-10)

We’ll emphasize at least three elements of the song Hannah prays… in order to apply these truths to our own perspective and practice.

Hannah’s praise overflows with rejoicing in God’s deliverance (v. 1)

Praise: Joy in God Overflowing

The object of Hannah’s delight isn’t in herself or even in overcoming barrenness, but in the Lord himself. “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord.”

“My mouth derides my enemies…

What Hannah isn’t doing is gloating.

Proverbs 24:17–18 ESV

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.

vs. But she does genuinely have a desire arising in her to defend God’s honor against those who despise and dishonor him:

Psalm 139:21–22 ESV

Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

… because I rejoice in your salvation.”

Our praise of God is attached to our experience of His goodness.

Isaiah 61:10 ESV

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

BUT praise isn’t contingent upon a human experience that is free of sorrow and suffering. - Remember that even now Hannah was giving away her toddler to serve the Lord in the tabernacle with Eli all his days!

Rather...

Praise overflows from trusting God.

Even when feeling like all is not well: “How long, O Lord?”

Psalm 13:5–6 ESV

But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

And so...

Psalm 33:20–22 ESV

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

[especially v. 21]

Knowing God… Confident in Him

Hannah’s praise overflows with boasting in God’s character (vv. 2-8)

3 parts:

God’s uniqueness (v. 2)

Holy - there is no comparison to idols and gods of our own making

Exodus 15:11 ESV

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

Psalm 86:8 ESV

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.

Of course, there is only one God. There can only be one:

Deuteronomy 4:35 ESV

To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.

(similarly) “There is no Rock like our God” - emphasizing God’s strength and stability, his greatness and perfection, his justice and faithfulness—making him a secure refuge for those who trust in Him.

A Song of Moses near the end of his life...

Deuteronomy 32:3–4 ESV

For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

The words of David, at nearly the other bookend of 1&2 Samuel

2 Samuel 22:2–3 ESV

He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

2 Samuel 22:32 ESV

“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?

Warning to the proud (v. 3)

God’s complete knowledge means that he weighs even motives…

The next section, vv. 4-8, continues to elevate God and while expanding the warning at the same time:

God’s grace to the humble: 6 contrasts (vv. 4-8)

Hannah exalts the Lord for the way he magnifies His sovereign goodness by opposing the proud but giving grace to the humble (in Jam 4:6 and 1 Pet 5:5 quoting Prov 3:34).

the strong and the weak - (v. 4) mighty warriors (bows) broken; feeble/stumbling... bind on strength (are equipped/girded with strength)

(v. 5a) the full and the hungry

John 6:35 ESV

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

(5b) barren vs fertile - 7 children here represents a complete number; is forlorn (pines away, wastes away)

(6) The power of death and life is in God’s hands, bringing some down to the realm of the dead and raising others up - everything in between is in God’s hands

(vv. 7&8 double up and repeat the next two): makes poor, makes rich (God has power over provision) - He raises up the poor from the dust, from ashes he lifts the needy

So our outlooks should be...

Psalm 49:16–17 ESV

Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.

(also vv. 7-8) God brings down the haughty but elevates the meek. - to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor, bc God has authority over the very foundations of the earth

What the kids studied this past week in kids ministries:

Matthew 23:11–12 ESV

The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

In God’s kingdom the exalted are not those who seek their own glory, but those who rightly see themselves as weak, hungry, barren, dead, poor, and lowly. It is they who put their trust wholly in God.

God is a God who delivers the helpless and humble in heart — at the peak of our weakness, God comes through.

Praise finds its expression from what we know of God.

Psalm 96:7–10a ESV

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”

Hannah’s praise overflows with anticipation of God’s promises (vv. 9-10)

What we know of God applies to our unknown future as well!

God is a God who takes care of his own. And those who are his show themselves through faithful devotion. He guards the feet of his faithful ones.

Not assured in our steps bc of ourselves, but bc our confidence is in God. We walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). The righteous will live by faith (Rom 1:17).

The humble heart that trusts in the Lord walks on solid ground with sure footing, not matter the circumstances:

Psalm 46:1–2 ESV

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

BUT the wicked and haughty have every reason to fear. Without humbling themselves before God to receive his grace by faith, they will be cast into outer darkness. (Mt 25:30) - even those who think they are something by being Abraham’s physical descendants (Mt. 8:12), even those who try to sneak in under the guise of pretending to trust in God while they really want to keep on their unclean garments rather than putting on Christ… they too will be cast out (Mt 22:13).

So also v. 10…

God will break to pieces those who oppose him, but rewards those who seek him. (Heb. 11:6)

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth, and he does so in perfect justice: Psalm 96:10c and 13c “he will judge the peoples with equity” … “He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.”

By CONTRAST, and now Hannah’s Psalm is prophetic: (v. 10b)

In our praises we await with great expectation the fulfillment of God’s purposes.

Luke 1:46–56 ESV

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

CONCLUSION: Humble your heart before God, and sing his praises!

[Song of a Humble Heart]

God does all of these things for the feeble, the barren, the needy… who see themselves as such and come to him. He will raise up, bring to life, exalt… the one who is humble of heart and seeks him to supply the answer to our need.

Just as the Lord prophesied to the Jews about coming out of exile and captivity, so God remains for those who seek him by faith in His Son Jesus Christ:

Jeremiah 29:12–13 ESV

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

And...

Isaiah 55:6–7 ESV

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

From there we come full circle, the humble heart who sings the praises of the one who delivers us:

1 Samuel 2:1–2 NIV

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.