1 Samuel 2:1-2 -
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.”
It’s remarkable how much Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2 is like Mary’s song in Luke 1. Mary begins her song by saying “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Hannah was a barren woman who was given the gift of life in her son Samuel. God continuing his plan of growing the people of God and raising up his servants even when women are barren is a common theme in the Old Testament, because the plan is not dependent on us, but only on the Lord. Mary is not barren, but a virgin, and her conception is every bit as miraculous! Both women rejoice in the Lord’s plan of salvation because our God is a god of mercy. Samuel will be like Christ in that he will be a prophet of the Lord, speaking truth as God’s mouthpiece, not perfectly, of course, but faithfully.
Jesus Christ who would come is not only king of all the earth, but also the final prophet of God. Look at what the book of Hebrews (ch.1) says about Jesus the prophet: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”
Rejoice in the Lord’s salvation today as Hannah did and Mary did! The Savior has come!
Hymn of Reflection: O Holy Night. Here’s a Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJw-ey1DPRA