"And what
shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of … Jephthah, of David
also, and Samuel and of the prophets" (Heb. 11:32).

                           Jephthah

"Now
Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor … When the children of Ammon
made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the
land of Tob; and they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may
fight with the children of Ammon" (Judg. 11:1-6).

Even though he
was an experienced military man, Jephthah did not rely upon his experience,
expertise, and courage when faced with this new challenge. Rather, he first
sent a lengthy appeal to the king of Ammon as to why the Ammonites should leave
Israel alone. He concluded by saying, "I have not sinned against you, but
you do me wrong to war against me; the LORD the Judge be judge this day between
the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. Howbeit the king of Ammon
hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him" (11:27,28).

Jephthah in
this way cast the whole matter of conflict between Israel and Ammon into the
lap of the LORD. As a result, "the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah
… and the LORD delivered them into his hands. And he smote them … with a
very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the
children of Israel" (11:29-33).

You doctors,
dentists, lawyers, engineers, teachers, biostatisticians, and other
professionals, do you rely solely upon your years of college instruction and
hands-on experience as you perform your daily occupation? You auto mechanics,
bakers, florists, cabinet makers, construction workers, and other tradesmen, do
you depend only upon your natural abilities and acquired skills in carrying out
your trade? You pastors, teachers, and evangelists, do you rely solely upon
your spiritual gift and your natural abilities in public speaking when you
preach a sermon or minister to individuals? Or do all of you, in spite of your
abilities, training, and many years of experience, still cry out to the Lord
for help in every endeavor of your daily occupation (at work or at home) and
service for the Lord?

The lesson of
faith is this:Faith does not depend upon one’s natural or acquired
abilities, spiritual gift, or experience, but still depends upon the Lord for
wisdom, help, and guidance in every endeavor of life.

                             David

"Behold,
there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the
armies of the Philistines … and all the men of Israel, when they saw the man,
fled from him, and were sore afraid … David [said] … Who is this
uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? …
And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant
will go and fight with this Philistine" (1 Sam. 17:23-32). Every man in
Israel was deathly afraid of Goliath and ran away whenever the giant presented
a challenge. However, David did not allow this universal pattern of fear and
cowardice on the part of others to influence his own response to the situation.

Neither did
David have the attitude so prevalent today, "Let George do it" or
"someone else can do it better than I can." How often do we see
someone in need and pass by without offering to help? How often in the assembly
meetings does the Holy Spirit bring a hymn, a scripture, a prayer, or an
expression of praise and worship to our mind, and we do not give it out to
share with others? David, in contrast, saw what needed to be done and he set
about to do it. He lived by the rule given in James 4:17:"To him who
knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin."

David then
explained the basis of his confidence to King Saul:"The LORD who
delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will
deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine" (1 Sam. 17:23-37).

Have you ever
fantasized about being a hero or heroine? Lots of people—both children and
adults—do this, whether it is about killing a giant, scoring the winning
touchdown, turning the tables on a robber, or winning a debate with a very
intelligent person. (Every day we encounter people on the expressway who seem
to be fantasizing about driving in the Indianapolis 500.) Such macho fantasies
are a product of our egos, our pride, our desire for others to look up to us.

David became a
hero of the highest magnitude when he killed Goliath. But David was not brash,
arrogant, self-confident, or foolhardy in his engagement with the giant. He did
not pretend to be stronger, quicker, or a more expert marksman than the
soldiers of Israel. He was not on a suicidal, do-or-die, ego trip. He had
learned from personal experience—with the lion and the bear—the power and grace
of the LORD. He discerned that God was dishonored by this Philistine defying
His armies. He placed his full trust and dependence upon the LORD when facing
Goliath with only a sling and five smooth stones. He was in God’s will, and God
gave him a great victory. Following that victory, he maintained a humble
attitude when he told King Saul who he was:"I am the son of your servant
Jesse the Bethlehemite" (1 Sam. 17:58).

There are
several lessons of faith here. First, faith does not follow the example and
pattern of man, but looks to Almighty God for wisdom and strength to carry out
His will. Second, faith, in dependence upon the Lord, does what needs to
be done without waiting for someone better qualified to do it. Third,

faith is not blind and
irrational, but takes account of previous evidences of God’s power and grace
when facing new challenges.

Scripture gives
an extraordinary amount of space to the history of David.   Let us consider two
more incidents in which David spared the life of King Saul who jealously sought
to kill him. The first occurred in a cave where David and his men were hiding
from Saul. "Saul went in to cover his feet, and David and his men remained
in the sides of the cave … Then David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul’s
robe privily" (1 Sam. 24:3,4). The second occurred when Saul and his men
were asleep in a field. "David said to Abishai, Destroy him [Saul] not,
for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be
guiltless? … David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s bolster,
and they got away, and no man saw it nor knew it" (1 Sam. 26:9-12).

King Saul was
insanely jealous of David over all the honor the people gave him for killing
Goliath. He pursued David incessantly, seeking to kill him. On two separate
occasions David was given perfect opportunities to rid himself of his enemy. On
both occasions he disregarded the urging of his body guards to kill Saul. He
responded both times, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my
master, the LORD’s anointed" (1 Sam. 24:6; 26:11). Here the lesson of
faith is this:Faith does what is right before God even at risk to one’s own
personal safety and convenience.

                    Samuel and
the Prophets

Most of us were
taught the story of the little boy Samuel when we were little children. We
remember how the LORD repeatedly called Samuel, and the fourth time
"Samuel answered, Speak, for Thy servant heareth" (1 Sam. 3:10). The
LORD had a message for young Samuel to deliver to 98-year-old Eli, the high
priest of Israel. It was not an easy message but a harsh one. It spoke of
judgment upon the house of Eli because of the unrestrained wickedness of his
sons. Nevertheless, "Samuel told [Eli] every whit, and hid nothing from
him" (3:18). Faith does not allow age barriers or generation gaps to
keep one from obeying God.

It is good to
see that Eli encouraged Samuel to tell him the message he had received from the
LORD and that Eli accepted it as from the LORD. I have seen Christian men and
women reject gentle entreaties (1 Tim. 5:1) by younger Christians simply
because of their respective ages. Let this not be! We dare not reject the
Lord’s message, whoever and however old the messenger may be! "He who
refuses reproof errs … is brutish … shall die" (Prov. 10:17; 12:1;
15:10).

Samuel’s
faithfulness in delivering the LORD’s message when he was young enabled the
LORD to entrust him with other messages— including some difficult and touchy
ones—to the king of Israel when he was older. On one occasion "Samuel said
to Saul, You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD
your God which He commanded you" (1 Sam. 13:13). On another occasion,
"Samuel said unto Saul … Why did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but
did fly upon the spoil and did evil in the sight of the LORD? … Rebellion is as
the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because
you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being
king" (1 Sam. 15:16-23).

Speaking in
such a way to the king of a nation can be very risky and dangerous. Saul had
great respect for Samuel, so did not harm him. However, other prophets of the
LORD did not fare so well.

The prophet
Hanani reproved King Asa and was rewarded with imprisonment (2 Chron. 16:7-10).
King Joash had the priest’s son Zechariah stoned to death for daring to rebuke
his fellow Israelites for transgressing the commandments of the LORD (2 Chron.
24:19-22). Jeremiah was put in prison and then in a dungeon for prophesying the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Jer. 37,38). These men were
willing to lose the favor of others—and even their freedom or their very
lives—by reproving them by the Word of God.

This is a work
that God may call Christians today to do:"Brethren, if a man be overtaken
in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of
meekness; considering yourself, lest you also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). It
takes one who is spiritual and meek to carry out God’s work of reproof and
correction of sinners. It is also a work that requires the courage and boldness
of faith. We may lose the favor and friendship of others—and maybe
worse—through such work. But let us be diligent in faithfully carrying out all
of the work that the Lord wants us to do, whether easy or difficult, safe or
risky.

The lesson,
then, is that faith is willing to lose the favor of others by bringing God’s
words of reproof and correction to them.

What event do you remember best
about David of the Bible? No doubt, his heroic contest with the giant Goliath.
Do you remember any other incidents in David’s life? Perhaps you recall his
sinful behavior many years later concerning Bathsheba, leading to adultery and
murder. These, surely, were the high and low points of David’s life. But the
Bible tells us much more about the life of David between these two points in
time. If we trace his history, we will find it to be like a roller coaster.

Here is an outline of David’s life
between Goliath and Bathsheba. Up and down arrows indicate which part of the
roller coaster track David is on.

­
Depends upon the LORD, kills Goliath (1 Sam. 17:34-51).

­
Behaves himself wisely (18:14).

¯
Asks Jonathan to tell a lie for him (20:6).

¯
Lies to Ahimelech the priest (21:2).

¯
Lies again to Ahimelech (21:8), ultimately resulting in the death of Ahimelech
and 84 other priests of Israel (22:9-19).

¯
Foolishly flees with Goliath’s sword to Gath, the former home of Goliath
(21:10).

¯
Pretends to be a madman (21:13,14).

­
Inquires of the LORD (23:2)

­
Inquires of the LORD (23:4).

­
Inquires of the LORD (23:10,11).

­
Inquires of the LORD (23:12).

­
Spares Saul’s life (24:3-7).

¯
Vengefully determines to kill Nabal and all the men in his compound
(25:13,21,22).

­
Humbly listens to Abigail’s advice (25:32,33).

­
Spares Saul’s life again (26:8-11).

¯
Faithlessly despairs of his life (27:1).

¯
Lies to Achish (27:10).

¯
Slaughters innocent people to cover up his lies to Achish (27:9,11).

¯
Pretends to join the Philistines in fighting against Israel (29:1-8).

­
Inquires of the LORD (30:8).

­
Inquires of the LORD (2 Sam. 2:1).

¯
Takes more wives (3:3).

¯
Takes Michal away from her husband to be his wife (3:13-16).

¯
Takes even more wives and concubines (5:13).

­
Inquires of the LORD (5:19).

­
Inquires of the LORD (5:23).

¯
Is displeased with the LORD (6:8).

­
Worships the LORD (7:18-29).

­
Shows kindness to the house of Saul (9:1-7),

­
Tries to show kindness to Hanun, king of Ammon (10:1-4).

¯
Commits adultery with Bathsheba and has her husband Uriah killed (11:2-17).

Every time David took matters into
his own hands he humiliated himself, he behaved foolishly, he told lies, he
caused misery to come upon himself and others, and he even caused the death of
others.

Every time he humbled himself,
depended upon the LORD, and asked the LORD for directions, the LORD blessed
him, protected him, gave him back what had been taken away, gave him victory
over his enemies, and even gave him the kingdom.

Is your life like a roller
coaster? Perhaps you need to stop doing your own thing (Isa. 53:6) and stop
taking matters into your own hands. And it is almost certain that you need to
humble yourself, depend upon the Lord, and ask the Lord continually for
directions in your everyday life.

Keep your focus continually on
Christ. Each morning when you get out of bed, remember what the Lord Jesus
Christ suffered for you on the cross and thank him afresh for His sacrifice for
you. Remember His great love for you. You will find that the love of Christ for
you is powerful. It will compel you and motivate you to live the day for Him
who died for you and rose again, and not to live unto yourself (see 2 Cor.
5:14,15).

Finally, we notice in Acts 13:22
that the Lord calls David—in spite of all his failures—"a man after My own
heart." This, I believe, was due to David’s keen awareness of his
failures, leading him to confess and repent of those sins to the LORD (2 Sam.
12:13; 24:10; Psa. 32:5; 51:1-19; 139:23,24).

May the Lord help every one of us
to keep our focus consistently and continually on Himself. May we in this way
be delivered from roller coaster lives, and may we live before the Lord in such
a way that He will be pleased to regard us as men and women after His own
heart. May we "do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).

"There was a man in Maon, …
Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail; and she was a woman of good
understanding and of a beautiful countenance, but the man was churlish [or
stingy] and evil in his doings" (1 Sam. 25:2,3).

Most of us are familiar with the story
of Nabal’s refusal to help David and David’s angry, vengeful response:
"Gird you on, every man, his sword … [Nabal] has requited me evil for
good" (25:13,21,22).

At this point Abigail, the wife of
Nabal, comes on the scene. She is described as "a woman of good
understanding and of a beautiful countenance." This is a noble testimony,
surely, and one that shows that grace can manifest itself in the most untoward
circumstances. The house of the stingy Nabal must have been an oppressive,
depressing scene to one like Abigail; but she waited on God and, as we shall
see, was not disappointed.

The story of this remarkable woman
is full of encouragement and instruction to all who may find themselves cramped
and hindered by unavoidable connections and associations. To all such the
history of Abigail simply says, "Be patient, wait on God, do not suppose
yourself void of all opportunity for testimony. The Lord will be much glorified
by meek subjection and surely will give relief and victory in the end."
True, some may have to reproach themselves for having formed such connections,
or having entered into such associations; but even so, if the folly and evil
are really felt, confessed, and judged before God, and the soul brought into an
attitude of thorough subduedness, the end will be blessing and peace.

In Abigail we see one who was used
by God to correct no less a personage than David himself. It may be that her
course, up to the time at which the sacred historian introduces her to our
notice, had been marked by much that was painful and trying; indeed, it could
hardly have been otherwise, associated with such an one as Nabal. Time,
however, brought to light the grace that was in her. She had suffered in
obscurity, and was now about to be raised to an unusually high elevation. Few
had seen her patient service and testimony; but many beheld her exaltation. The
burden that she had borne in secret was about to drop off before many
witnesses. The preciousness of Abigail’s service did not consist in her having
saved Nabal from the sword of David so much as in keeping David from drawing
the sword at all.

"Now David had said, Surely
in vain have I kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing
was missed of all that pertained unto him; and he has requited me evil for
good" (25:21). This was terrible! David was rashly taking himself out of
the place of dependence—the only happy, the only holy place. Nor was it on
behalf of the congregation of the LORD. No, it was to avenge himself on one who
had treated him badly. Sad mistake! Happy was it for him that there was an
Abigail in the house of Nabal who was about to be used of God to keep him from
answering "a fool according to his folly" (Prov. 26:4). This is just
what the enemy desired. Nabal’s selfishness was used by Satan to ensnare David,
and Abigail was the Lord’s instrument to deliver him.

It is well when the man of God can
detect Satan’s working; to be able to do so, he must be much in the presence of
God, for there alone can he find light and spiritual power to enable him to
cope with such a foe. When out of communion, the soul becomes distracted by
looking at secondary causes and subordinate agents, just as David was
distracted by looking at Nabal. Had he paused to view the matter calmly before
God, we should not have had such words as, "In vain have I kept all that
this fellow has in the wilderness." He would have passed on and left
"this fellow" to himself. Faith imparts real superiority over the
petty circumstances of this transient scene. Those who know themselves as
pilgrims and strangers will remember that the sorrows as well as the joys of
this life are evanescent, and they will not be inordinately affected by either
the one or the other. "Passing away" is written on everything; the
man of faith must, therefore, look upward and onward.

Abigail, by the grace of God,
delivered David from the unhappy influence of the present by leading his
soul onward into the future. We learn this from her exquisite address to
him:"And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and
fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and fell at his
feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be; and let your
handmaid, I pray you, speak in your audience, and hear the words of your
handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray you, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal:
for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I
your handmaid saw not the young men of my lord whom you sent. Now, therefore, my
lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, seeing the LORD has withheld
you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hand,
now let your enemies, and those who seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal … The
LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights the
battles of the LORD, and evil has not been found in you all your days. Yet
a man is risen to pursue you, and to seek your soul; but the soul of my lord
shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord your God; and the souls
of your enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. And
it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to
all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and shall have appointed you ruler
over Israel, that this shall be no grief unto you, nor offense of heart
unto my lord, either that you have shed blood causeless, or that my lord has
avenged himself; but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then
remember your handmaid" (25:23-31).

We can hardly conceive anything
more touching than this address; every point in it was calculated to touch the
heart. She presents to him the evil of seeking to avenge himself and the
weakness and folly of the object of his revenge. She reminds him of his proper
occupation, namely, fighting the Lord’s battles. This must have brought
home to his heart the humiliating circumstances in which Abigail met him, even
rushing on to fight his own battle.

However, the reader will perceive
that the leading point in this address is the special reference to the future.
"The Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house." "The
soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord your
God." "When the Lord shall have done to my lord … and shall
have appointed you ruler over Israel." All these allusions to David’s
future blessing and glory were eminently calculated to withdraw his heart from
his present grievance. The sure house, the bundle of life, and the kingdom were
far better than Nabal’s flocks and herds; and in view of these glories, David
could well afford to leave him to his portion, and his portion to him. To the
heir of a kingdom, a few sheep could have but little attraction; and one who
knew that he had the anointing oil of the Lord upon his head might easily bear
to be called a runaway servant. All these things Abigail knew—knew as matters
of faith. She knew David, and knew his high destinies. By faith she recognized
in the despised outcast the future king of Israel. Nabal knew not David. He was
a man of the world, swallowed up with present things. With him there was
nothing more important, nothing more influential, than "my bread, my
flesh, my shearers"; it was all self; there was no room for David
or his claims. This might be expected from such an one; but surely it was not
for David to go down from his elevation to grapple with a poor worldling about
his perishable possessions. Ah, no; the kingdom should have filled his eye and
engaged his thoughts, and lifted his spirit about all lower influences,

Look at the Master Himself as He
stood before Pilate—the creation of His own hand. How did He conduct Himself?
Did He call upon His little band of followers to gird on every man his sword?
Did He say of the man who dared to sit as His judge, "In vain have I
imparted unto this fellow all he is and all he has?" No, He looked above
and beyond Pilate, Herod, the chief priests, and scribes. He could say,
"The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?" This
kept His spirit tranquil, while, at the same time, He could look forward into
the future and say, "Hereafter shall you see the Son of Man sitting on the
right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matt. 26:64).
Here was real power over present things. The millennial kingdom, with all its
untold joys, with all its heights and depths of glory, glistened in the
distance with everlasting light and brilliancy, and the eye of the Man of
Sorrows rested upon it in that dark hour when the scoffs and sneers, the taunts
and reproaches of guilty sinners were falling upon His blessed Person.

Dear Christian reader, this is our
model; thus ought we to meet the trials and difficulties, the reproach, abuse,
and desertion of this present time. We should view all in the light of
"hereafter." "Our light affliction," says an eminent
sufferer, "which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17). Again, "The God of all
grace, who has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you
have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you"
(1 Pet. 5:10). "O fools, an slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into
his glory?" (Luke 24:25,26).

Yes, suffering must come first and
glory afterward. Anyone who, by his own hand, would seek to take the edge off
of present suffering and reproach proves that the kingdom is not filling the
vision of his soul—that now is more important to him than hereafter.

How we ought to bless our God for
having opened to us such a vista of glory in the ages to come! How it enables
us to tread, with a buoyant step, our rugged path through the wilderness! How
it lifts us above the things that engross the children of this world!

May we prove the sacred reality of
this more as we pass through this vale of tears. Truly the heart would sink and
the spirit faint, were we not sustained by hope—even "the hope of
glory" (Col. 1:27).

(From "Life and Times of
David" in Miscellaneous Writings, Volume 6.)

David was far from sinless, but
God describes him as a "man after His own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14). He
saw something in David that called forth His divine approval (1 Sam. 16:7). So
David’s heart should be a subject of intense interest to any who desire to please
the Lord.

In Psalm 63 we find the
opportunity of just such a study of David’s heart. At the outset (verses 1 and
2) we note a yearning for God in the heart of David. It was a very personal
matter; God was his God. So intense was the yearning that he sought, he
thirsted for, he longed for God. In fact, God was first in his life:
"Early will I seek Thee." God’s interests are uppermost in his mind.

Next (verses 3 and 4) we observe
an attitude of praise in his heart. This man had experienced the lovingkindness
of God and found that it was better than life itself. This was the source of
his praise.

God’s lovingkindness had produced
a deep sense of satisfaction in David’s heart (verse 5). It was as real as
physical satisfaction. David very appropriately compared it with the pleasure
produced by physical food. We enjoy a good meal, well prepared. But do we enjoy
the experience of fellowship with God, the sweetness of His love, the delight
of His joy, the depth of His peace? Here alone is satisfaction.

Meditation held a prominent place
in the heart of David (verse 6). Contemplation of God was a necessity to this
man. It was his life, and it is our life too (John 6:57).

One of the most precious thoughts
that came to David’s heart as he meditated was the fact of his security in God
(verse 7). God had been his help many a time. What security is in Christ our
Saviour, who died to deliver us from the wrath of God upon our sins, and to
raise us up to a heavenly position in Himself!

David was running a race (verse
8). If you had looked into David’s heart, you would have found that his soul
was following hard after God.

Finally, David’s heart was filled
with joy (verse 11). He rejoiced not only in his security and in his privilege
of praise, but simply in God Himself. How prominent this thought is in the New
Testament! We are to "joy in God" and to "rejoice in the
Lord." In fact, our joy in Him whom we have not seen and yet believe is
"joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8).

Are these experiences of David’s
heart actually your experiences? They can be. In fact, they must be if you are
to live to the glory of God.

We are not told how long Hannah
had been married without having children. Possibly ten years or longer, for
Elkanah had had time to marry a second wife and have sons and daughters by her
(1 Sam. 1:4). Elkanah’s polygamy was acceptable in the culture of his time but
was hardly the way to assure peace in his household or convince Hannah of his
love for her. It would seem that Peninnah’s taunting had gone on for some years
(1 Sam. 1:7). Had Hannah prayed for a child before? Or was it the insensitivity
displayed by Elkanah’s remarks in verse 8 that drove her to prayer?

Hannah prayed and prayed
earnestly, perhaps desperately. She wept; she was oblivious to onlookers. She
uttered no words aloud and when rebuked by Eli for what he assumed to be
drunkenness, she admitted to having poured out her soul to the LORD but did not
tell Eli the nature of her problem. Perhaps she was afraid of being
misunderstood again. Perhaps she considered her problem too personal to be
discussed with a man outside her family. She evidently believed God would
answer the prayer because she was no longer sad and could enjoy the feast
(verses 9-18).

We learn some things about prayer
from Hannah’s experience. First, we can take any problem to God. Matters that
we would be embarrassed or reluctant to tell anyone—even our spouses or
physicians or best friends—can be taken to God without fear. He always
understands and never rejects us. He will hear and provide answers.

Second, we learn something of the
richness of God’s grace. In Ephesians 3:20 we read that God "is able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Hannah’s experience
gives practical evidence that He is not only able but willing. Hannah asked for
one son. God gave her a total of four sons plus two daughters (2 Sam. 2:21).

Hannah also prayed in thanksgiving
after Samuel was born (1 Sam. 2:1-10). The tone of this prayer is, naturally,
much different from the first, but it is as intense as the first. Again, Hannah
did not hold anything back from the Lord, but poured out her soul to Him.

So pray earnestly, deeply,
intensely. Make God your primary confidante in trouble and in success, in good
times and bad. He can enter into all of our circumstances and understand them
better than any human friend.

Not only does Hannah provide us
with lessons on prayer, she shows us how to respond to a husband or any other
person who is not "sensitive" or "understanding." I have
often thought that if Elkanah had said to me as he did to Hannah, "Why is your
heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?" (1 Sam. 1:8), I probably
would have responded, "You are a fine one to talk! I wasn’t better to you
than ten sons! My grief is all your fault! If you had prayed as our ancestor
Isaac did in a similar situation (Gen. 25:21) instead of getting yourself a
second wife, perhaps I would have had a son and I would not have to deal with
Peninnah who has caused me nothing but trouble since her first child was
born!"

Thankfully, Hannah did not say
anything like that (and none of us, including myself, should react that way in
similar situations). In fact, it is not recorded that she said anything at all,
even to Peninnah who was really hurtful. Instead Hannah prayed, as we
have discussed above. Our homes and marriages would be far more peaceful if we
responded to our spouses’ insensitive remarks with prayer instead of tongue
lashings.

All of our relationship with
others would benefit by the application of Hannah’s gentle spirit when people
say things we find distressing and irritating.

"A soft answer turns away
wrath, but grievous words stir up anger" (Prov. 15:1).

"By long forbearing is a
prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaks the bone" (Prov. 25:15).

"And Hannah prayed" (1
Sam. 2:1). In chapter 1 Hannah prayed for a son. God graciously answered her
prayer and gave her Samuel. She now pours out her soul in worship before the
LORD, not as a suppliant now, but fully satisfied, her desire fully met.

Her song begins with the
celebration of the glorious perfections of Jehovah. "My heart rejoices in
the LORD," she sings. Her joy was not so much in the gift
(Samuel) as in God the Giver. Her’s was not a merely natural joy, but
the joy of the Lord, a joy of the Spirit. How often we are more occupied with
the thing given than with Him who graciously gave it. Not so with Hannah here;
much as she might and did rejoice over the child of her vows and prayers, she
rises above the level of nature to Jehovah Himself.

Having made brief mention of her
own joy, she makes no more mention of herself; it is all Jehovah in His
character and wondrous ways. She speaks His name nine times in her song of ten
verses. She seems wholly lost in Him, and scarcely alludes to herself or circumstances,
or that particular mercy (the gift of Samuel) that had prompted her anthem of
praise. In their praises and thanksgivings to God, believers may be too much
occupied with what concerns themselves—their necessities and circumstances.
This is not the highest form of worship; it is not what occupies Hannah here;
she rises above her own blessings; she is absorbed in the varied and majestic
attributes of the Divine Being. She alludes to His holiness, His omniscience,
His sovereignty, His omnipotence, His faithfulness, and
His justice.

His holiness is first:
"There is none holy as the LORD." Holiness has first place in this
cluster of glories. It is, we may say, one of the essential attributes
of Deity; and without it, who could adore or even reverence Him? Yet it is the
very trait of His nature to which men are most averse, and which they are most
likely to overlook. He has therefore reminded us over and over again in His
Word that He is holy. In this attribute of His being He is incomparable. The
seraphim veil themselves as they cry one to another, "Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 6:3). "There is none beside Thee; neither is
there any rock like our God," she sings. "Who is like unto Thee, O
LORD, among the gods? who is like Thee, glorious in holiness?" sang Moses
at the Red Sea (Exod. 15:11). "Give thanks at the remembrance of His
holiness" (Psa. 30:4), said the "sweet psalmist of Israel." This
very unpopular doctrine of the perfect holiness of God is the very truth that
the Spirit of Christ in David calls upon His saints to give thanks for. Thirty
times in the Old Testament is Jehovah called "the Holy One of
Israel."

Hannah next alludes to God’s omniscience:
"Talk no more exceeding proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth:
for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed." Being
omniscient He is unerring in His estimate of men; and not merely does He take
knowledge of their doings, but weighs their thoughts in the
balances of the sanctuary. He reads the heart and weighs motives rather
than outward acts. "Judge not according to appearance," says our
Lord, the appointed Judge of all (John 7:24). And in 1 Cor. 4:5, the apostle
Paul forcibly reminds us that He will in "that day," the day of the
revelation of the thoughts of many hearts, make manifest motives—He will weigh
purposes as well as actions. O reader, let this solemnize our hearts and
make us less careful of what men may think or judge, and cause us to be anxious
only to please but One. There is no more beautiful description anywhere of
God’s omniscience (and His omnipresence, too) than that given by David in the
139th psalm. It is little wonder that he, a man like ourselves, should in
deepest humility say, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me" (Psa.
139:6).

Hannah dilates on God’s sovereignty,
and then she enumerates the sudden changes, the felicities and vicissitudes of
life:the seemingly invincible mighty ones suffer defeat, and those who stumble
in weakness as if about to fall rise suddenly to strength and victory.
"The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded
with strength." The men of the world, in their self-sufficiency, say with
Napoleon that "God is on the side of the heaviest battalions"; but
no; when it is agreeable to His purpose, "the lame take the
prey" (Isa. 33:23).

In men’s circumstances of life
also the sovereignty of God is seen:"Those who were full have hired
themselves out for bread; and those who were hungry ceased [to be so]."
This is not always because the former are improvident or wasteful, and the
latter have superior industry or frugality. These are often but secondary
causes, and behind all is the purpose of the supreme Ruler of the universe,
without whom not one insignificant sparrow falls dead to the ground. It is not
"luck" or "fortune," good or ill, nor are these mutations
in the circumstances of men to be ascribed solely to themselves, their wisdom
or their folly, or chance or opportunity. "I went out full and the Lord
has brought me home again empty," said the sorrowful Naomi (Ruth 1:21).
She acknowledged the sovereignty of God in her altered circumstances, and
Scripture abounds with illustrations of this bed-rock truth. God is sovereign,
controlling the ups and downs of life.

This is further enlarged upon in
what immediately follows:"So that the barren has borne seven; and she who
has many children is waxed feeble." Once flourishing and influential
families become diminished, even to extinction sometimes, while others increase
to a multitude. It is He, the Lord, who "makes the barren woman to keep
house, and to be a joyful mother of children" (Psa. 113:9). This will be
demonstrated in Israel in the coming day of her promised increase (Isa.
54:1-6). "Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD, and the fruit of the
womb is His reward" (Psa. 127:3). Would that this word were pondered more
in this age of increasingly small families.

This thought is closely connected
with the question of life and death:"The LORD kills, and makes alive; He
brings down to the grave, and brings up." Not only is our coming into the
world completely under God’s control, but when born, our life is in His hand;
death, too, is amenable to His will. This is the sobering declaration of the
prophet Daniel before the impious king Belshazzar:"The God in whose hand
your breath is" (Dan. 5:23). He is the sovereign Lord of life and death.
It is He who "turns man to destruction, and says, Return, you
children of men" (Psa. 90:3), and who in "the last day" will
cause His voice to be heard by all who sleep in the grave. He "makes
alive" and "brings up" from the grave. Resurrection is the
sovereign act of His power.

Riches, too, and poverty, are
alike at His disposal:"The Lord makes poor, and makes rich; He brings
low, and lifts up." He gives the one or the other as suits His purpose.
The knowledge of this should keep the rich humble, and make the poor content.
Beloved fellow-believer, let us, as Scripture admonishes us, "be content
with such things as we have," for our God, who has revealed Himself to us
in grace, has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb.
13:5).

"He raises up the poor out of
the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill," again says Hannah,
"to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of
glory." We have illustrations of this in Scripture all the way from Joseph
to Lazarus. The former was raised up from the condition of a slave to rule over
Egypt; the latter, a beggar on earth, was taken to "Abraham’s bosom"
in paradise.

Hannah next ascribes to God almighty
power or omnipotence:"For the pillars of the earth are the
LORD’s, and He has set the world upon them." This is a poetic figure of
speech, though none the less forceful for that. Who but He whose strength is
infinite could suspend and sustain this globe in its circuits as if it had no
more weight than "the small dust of the balance" (Isa. 40:15; see
also Job 26:7)?

Concerning God’s faithfulness,
in His wisdom, grace, and power He is able to keep us without falling:"He
will keep the feet of His saints," Hannah says confidently. O child of
God, weak, failing, and needing much mercy, rejoice in this that our Saviour
has said:"They shall never perish, neither shall any one pluck them out
of my hand" (John 10:28). And may the certainty of this make you, not more
careless in your walk, but the more careful not to grieve such love; for
if He keep the feet of His saints, His eye is upon them to see every misstep
they make, and observes when they wander into forbidden paths.

His justice is the next
attribute noticed:"The wicked shall be silent in darkness, for by
strength shall no man prevail." The judgment of the sinner is sure, though
God bear long with him in his rebellion and unbelief. "Where is the God of
judgment?" men ask today, as they unbelievingly asked of old (Mal. 2:17).
We answer, He is bearing long with man’s impenitence, but His Word declares He
"will by no means clear the guilty!" (Exod. 34:7). His righteousness
is one of His many glories; even the gospel of His grace declares it
(Rom. 1:16,17). "It is," as another has aptly expressed it, "the
rectitude of His nature, His infinite agreement with Himself, and the equity of
His government and judgment in the administration of both." Puny man would
thwart the execution of His judgments; but though they join hands to resist the
purposes of God, though they bind themselves with an oath, as it were, to keep
the earth for themselves in their pride at the exclusion of God’s Christ, its
rightful Heir, "by strength shall no man prevail." "Though hand
join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished" (Prov. 11:21). "The
adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; out of heaven shall He
thunder upon them."

Here is the grand finale of
Hannah’s oratorio:"The LORD shall judge the ends of the earth, and He
shall give strength unto His King, and exalt the horn of His anointed."
This is not Saul, nor even David, but He whom David in Spirit called
"Lord." This "King" to whom Jehovah gives
"strength" is He who "was crucified through weakness" (2
Cor. 13:4). Now, all power on earth and in heaven is in His hand, and in the
coming day of His kingdom and power, the horn of His royalty will be exalted
above the kings of the earth, as it is written in Psalm 2.

So the song closes with that one
only Name that strikes an answering chord in every loyal heart, both Jewish and
Christian:"His Anointed." It is Hannah’s, as it is God’s last
word to man. "What think ye of Christ?" (Matt. 22:42). This is the
test. Reader, what is He to you?

(From Life and Times of Samuel
the Prophet, published by Believers Bookshelf, Sunbury, Pennsylvania.)