Hannah’s Prayer of Rejoicing

(mother of Samuel, 13^th judge & first prophet of Israel)

Note:  Read about Hannah’s story in I Samuel chapters 1-2

 

Hannah prayed and said; my heart rejoices in Yahweh/LORD, mine horn is exalted in Him, my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD; there is none beside thee, neither is there any rock like our GOD.

 

Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth; for Yahweh is a GOD of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread, and they that were hungry ceased so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

 

The LORD kills, and makes alive. He brings down to the grave, and brings up. The LORD makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, and lifts up. He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory. The pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and He hath set the world upon them.

 

He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness, for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them.  The LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed. (I Samuel 2:1-10) KJV

 

Questions:

 

Why was Hannah rejoicing?

Who may have been the woman who had waxed feeble?

Who was Hannah’s first child and Hannah’s circumstances before his birth?

What was Hannah’s ultimate and resulting joy?

 

 Questions and Information to Ponder

 Question: Who was Hannah and what was extraordinarily significant about her life?

 

 

 

Question:  Who played the part of the antagonist or adversary within her life and why?

 

 

In the above scriptural passage, Hannah is expressing Joy in the LORD and admonishing readers to be humble before the LORD.  Humility is a distinguishingly blessed virtue. 

 

Question:  How did humility play a part in Hannah’s life?

 

 

Hannah’s name means grace and grace is favor. 

 

Question:  How was Hannah favored in the Book of I Samuel within the first few chapters?

 

 

According to Hannah’s prayerful song, the LORD GOD is all powerful.  He is the One Who gives power.  Hannah needed a Powerful GOD and she called Him the LORD of Hosts.

 

Question:  What is the Hebrew Name for the LORD of Hosts and what is the meaning of the Name?

 

The YHVH’s Provisions in Hidden Places

Lesson:  I Kings 17 KJV

I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold,

I am gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it for me and my son that we may eat it, and die.

 The Word

 Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As YHVH  of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. The Word of Yahweh came unto him, saying, get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. It shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

 

 

So he went and did according unto the Word of YHVH, for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. The Word of the LORD came unto him, saying, arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there; behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

 So he arose and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering sticks; and he called to her, and said, fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel that I may drink. As she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. She said, as the LORD thy GOD liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse; and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

 Note:  Notice that the widow woman who was to sustain Elijah with food and water, was beyond poverty-stricken.  Read on.

 Elijah said unto her, fear not; go and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me and after make for thee and for thy son, for thus saith the Yahweh GOD of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that He sends rain upon the earth.  She went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she, and Elijah, and her house, did eat many days!!  The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the Word of Yahweh, which He spoke by Elijah.

 Review Note:  This is a WONDERFUL TESTIMONY of Yahweh’s provisions in hidden or unsuspected places.  Because of sinful conditions of the Israelites, there would be no rain (Deuteronomy 11:17; Deuteronomy 28:23-24) as spoken by Yahweh GOD through His prophet Elijah.  Now that Elijah had prophesied to the evil king Ahab regarding no rain, He was told by Yahweh to abide by the river Cherith, and ravens would bring him food, and Elijah could drink water from the brook.   As a result of no rain, the brook finally dried up, and Elijah is told by Yahweh to go to Zarephath (called Sarepta within the New Testament see Luke 4:26) because He had commanded a widow woman to sustain Elijah.

 

What Happened?

 

Elijah finds the widow woman in Zarephath, and instantly identified her as the woman who would sustain him during the drought!  Elijah notices her condition, she is very poor and only has enough food for one meal, after which there would be no more food.  By faith, she listened to Elijah, the Prophet of the GOD of gods, and LORD of lords, a Great GOD, a Mighty and a Terrible (Awesome) who regards not persons, nor take reward, (Deuteronomy 10:17) whose Name is Yahweh (Exodus 6:3, note  Name Jehovah is an incorrect translation of the Hebrew Name YHVH). 

 

Note:  Read the whole chapters of Deuteronomy 10 & 28

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.  There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.   Now the name of the man was 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 and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

David Seeks an Act of Kindness from Nabal (very much needed)

David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep. David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. Thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.   Now I have heard that thou hast shearers; now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.   Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes, for we come in a good day.  Give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

 When David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.  Nabal answered David's servants, and said, who is David? and who is the son of Jesse?  There be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.  Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?  So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.  David said unto his men, gird ye on every man his sword; And they girded on every man his sword, and David also girded on his sword, and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.

Note:  Unofficially, David and his men had watched over Nabal's servants as they went about the business of caring for Nabal's cattle.

 One of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master and he railed on them.  The men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields. They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.   

Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household,  for he is such a son of belial, that a man cannot speak to him.  Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.   She said unto her servants, go on before me; behold, I come after you. She told not her husband Nabal.

Note:  David  was hurt and angry regarding the mistreatment of his men, and himself by Nabal

And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert on the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her, and she met them.   Now David had said, surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him, and he hath requited me evil for good.  So and more also do GOD unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisses against the wall.

Abigail  Pleads with David

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 thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.  Let not my lord, I pray thee, 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 thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.  Now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.  I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid, for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.  

Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy GOD; and the souls of thine 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 hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel,   That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself.  When the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.

David Blesses YHVH and Acknowledges that He sent Abigail 

David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD GOD of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me.  Blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.   In very deed, as the LORD GOD of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pissed against the wall.  So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

The  End  of Wickedness

Abigail came to Nabal, and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.  It came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone!  And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.  When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil, for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

Note: Humility and Great Faith of Abigail, which equates to "good understanding".

 When the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.  She arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.  Abigail hasted, and arose and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife. 

I Samuel 25

Belial: churlish, evil and accompanied with folly