There are two threads that run through Hannah's prayer. The first strand is the rule of God. The second is the reversal of human fortunes. She weaves both strands together into a thread that runs through the entire story of 1 Samuel: the Rise of a King. Her song begins and ends with similar images, though perhaps the image is

There are two threads that run through Hannah's prayer, and she weaves them together into one cord that sets the scene for the entire story. The first strand is the rule of God. The second is the reversal of human fortunes.In v4-5 we're given three things God rules over: (military) Force, Food, and Fertility. But he's not just the great

There are two threads that run through Hannah's prayer, and she weaves them together into one cord that sets the scene for the entire story. The first strand is the rule of God.Hannah begins with her personal joy in God's salvation (v1) then moves to describes the God who saves. She starts with the incomparable God (v2): he is holy,

James Bond films follow a certain formula: near-death experiences, explosions, chases, pretty girls, almost comical villains, flash cars, high tech gadgets, all-action pre-title opening scene, and the theme song with the opening credits. If you watch the title sequence closely and listen to the lyrics of the theme tune you can get an idea of the characters, themes, and direction

This whole chapter sets before us God's way of working. His plan is to bless His needy and rebellious people with a King who would bring peace, blessing, and prosperity. The whole story has a very ordinary beginning. God works to send his king through the domestic problems of an insignificant family. A childless woman (Hannah) gives birth to a

The LORD remembered Hannah (v19). That doesn't mean He'd forgotten her. It's the writer's way of saying he acted positively towards her. She bears a son. He gives her a son. After he is weaned (around the age of 3 or 4, as fresh water was a scarcer commodity) Hannah fulfils her vow and takes him up to the Tabernacle

On the surface, these verses are a bit strange. Hannah leaves the doorposts of the Temple no longer sad. She seems to have received some sort of assurance. Why? Because God's priest has spoken to her (v17).It was Eli's job as God's High Priest to bring the people before God and to pray for them to God. He stood as

At one of the annual feasts, after Peninnah's been poking Hannah's wound repeatedly, it gets too much for Hannah. She can't take it anymore. Her soul is bitter, she's in pain and agony and her heart is breaking. As she sobs uncontrollably she pours out her heart to God (v11). She makes a vow: "If you will look upon me,

1 Samuel picks up almost where Ruth left off - focusing on one particular family in Israel, and the problem of childlessness. A man, Elkanah, has 2 wives. One, Peninnah, has children, One, Hannah, does not. It is possible that Hannah was his first wife, and when she didn't bear children he took a second wife. In the Old Testament,

We are now going to be looking at the book of 1 Samuel with notes written by Rev. Joel Loughridge. If the news is anything to go by, the identity of our leaders is important. Before the current wall to wall coverage of the fever, we had feverish coverage of elections. For months we'd been tracking the Democratic nomination - Bloomberg