“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honour.” (1 Samuel 2:8)
Hannah was praying with a song of joy. The Lord had answered her prayer!
Her barrenness had driven her to pray in desperation. At one point the priest Eli thought she was drunk and rebuked her. But her prayers were not unheard. God gave her the assurance that He would answer. She acted in faith and stopped weeping and started living. When her son, Samuel was conceived, she dedicated him to God for service in the temple. And when the child was finally weaned, she brought him to Eli.
She had learned that the Giver is greater than the gifts. She returned to the Lord what He had given her. Subsequently, she was blessed with three more sons and two daughters (v21). She could definitely burst out with her song of praise to the Lord.
In her song, she praised God who is able to lift even the poor and helpless like her from depths of despair to heights of great joy and delight to be seated on thrones with princes. While she used figurative expressions to portray her joy, many of us who have experienced the Lord working things out on our behalf can fully identify with her emotions. The results of things done in our own effort pale in comparison to those of when God works on our behalf.
Ultimately, all of us will come to the same conclusion: the Giver, rather than the gifts, is worthy of honour. What God can do for us is no comparison to Who He is to us. Hannah surrendered the gift that she received from the Lord back to the Giver.
How we need to learn this valuable lesson ... God is no man’s debtor. He gives far more in return when we dedicate our gifts to Him.
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