Not By Might Shall One Prevail: Daily Thoughts from 1 Samuel (1 Samuel 2:1-11)

James A. Garfield was our 20th president and served only 6 and a half months because he was shot by an assassin four months into his presidency. But even more remarkable than this is how he became president. He didn’t seek his party’s nomination, was even slated to give the nomination speech for a party member, but received such acclaim that when the two main nominees could not garner enough votes to win, the party switched to nominating him. The other two candidates exalted themselves as nominees, Garfield did not. But he got the nomination. He did not run the race for president against the other party’s candidate with self-aggrandizement, yet handily won the election.

Hannah has experienced much the same kind of exaltation because of her humility before the Lord. And now she sings of God’s grace. Songs in Scripture are often the textual key to understanding the theme of the narrative they are contained in.

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.”

Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest. (1 Samuel 2:1-11, ESV)

Hannah’s prayer is extraordinary. She has been on the receiving end of her rival’s taunts and arrogant boasts for years but now God has reversed her fortunes. She exults in her heart because of her son born to her and she sees her horn, her position and power, made greater by God. She acknowledges Him as the one who weighs the actions of the proud and arrogant and breaks their power, bringing them down even as He lifts up those they oppressed. He exalts and He abases by His sovereign determination and based on the attitude of gratitude or pride. The needy, those who realize how dependent they are on God, are the ones He raises up.

Yahweh will guard the feet of those who are faithful. They will not prevail because of their own might but because of God’s might. Everything people do is intended to increase their might because they believe that personal might is the key to succeeding in life. But that is wicked and merits God’s judgment. It is not by one’s strength that one prevails, but the meek shall inherit the earth. Do we really believe that?

Hannah acts the prophetess in her last line of her prayer. There is no king in Israel at this time. Yahweh is ruling through judges like Deborah, Gideon and Samson. But Hannah predicts that Yahweh will exalt the king who rules in humility, whose strength comes from Him and does not pursue his own might. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this prediction. Jesus was the one who never exalted himself, was even quiet before those in whose hands were his fate, life or death. Now he rules far above all powers and at his name all knees shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Jesus taught that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

If we would live like Jesus, we must give up the normal human tendency to seek personal strength as the means to prevailing. Seeking power, money, education, influence, position, relationships, etc., as means to prevailing in life will only lead to being humbled.