“Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by Him deeds are weighed.” I Samuel 2:3 (Chapter 1-3)
Hannah was the barren wife of Elkanah. She prayed for a child with the promise that her firstborn would be given to the LORD. Eli, the high priest blessed her and she conceived. The child, Samuel, was taken to the Tabernacle at Shiloh, while still a toddler, and there he grew to be one of Biblical history’s most noble men. Eli’s own two sons were so wicked they were killed in a single day and left the house of Eli cursed for all time. Eli was held accountable for knowing and ignoring their behavior.
Samuel came to be Israel’s last and greatest judge and the first great prophet after Moses. His story reveals, again and again, God’s divine ability to see mankind with complete transparency. There are no secrets from the One who created us. God knows each heart.
The verse above is part of Hannah’s song of praise for the gift of her blessed son. She recounts the wonder of God’s character. Her emptiness, misery, and shame are replaced with life, joy and honor and what God can do for one woman, He can do for all men.
Love,
Gretchen