1 Samuel 2:1-10: a reflection

1Hannah prayed, and said, “My heart exults in the LORD! My horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. 2There is no one as holy as the LORD, for there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God. 3“Don’t keep talking so exceedingly proudly. Don’t let arrogance come out of your mouth, for the LORD is a God of knowledge. By him actions are weighed. 4“The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength. 5Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. Those who were hungry are satisfied. Yes, the barren has borne seven. She who has many children languishes. 6“The LORD kills and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and brings up. 7The LORD makes poor and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up. 8He raises up the poor out of the dust. He lifts up the needy from the dunghill to make them sit with princes and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s. He has set the world on them. 9He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness; for no man will prevail by strength. 10Those who strive with the LORD shall be broken to pieces. He will thunder against them in the sky. “The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

In her song of praise, Hannah rejoices in a God who reverses fortunes, bringing low the proud and lifting up the lowly, raising the poor from the dust to sit with princes. The LORD kills and makes alive, Hannah sings; he brings down to the grave and brings up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also lifts up. He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes. Hannah, once barren and lowly, now rejoicing in God's gift, sings of a God who overturns the world's order: who humbles the proud and the strong, and lifts up the lowly, the poor, the weak, the humble; who raises the needy from the dust to places of honor. God lifts up the lowly and brings down the proud. This shows that God brings low the proud and lifts up the lowly. God brings low the proud and lifts up the lowly. Take hope, if you are low, in the God who lifts up the humble. Take heed, if you are exalted, from the God who brings down the proud. God overturns the world's order, raising the needy and humbling the strong.

Notice the reversals Hannah sings of. She had been barren, lowly, in distress; and God had lifted her up, giving her a son. Out of this experience, she sings of a God who reverses fortunes across the board. The bows of the strong are broken, while the stumbling are armed with strength; the full hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry are satisfied; the barren bears seven, while she who had many languishes. The LORD brings low and lifts up; he raises the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap to sit with princes and inherit a throne of glory. God is not bound by the world's order, in which the strong and rich stay up and the weak and poor stay down; he overturns it, humbling the proud and exalting the lowly. This holds both hope and warning. For those who are low, humble, poor, weak, overlooked, there is hope: the God Hannah praises lifts up the lowly, raises the needy from the dust, exalts the humble. Our low estate is not the end; God is able to lift up. And for those who are exalted, strong, proud, there is a warning: God brings down the proud and the strong; our high estate is no security if we are proud, for God humbles the proud. This reshapes how we hold both low and high estate: with hope in the God who lifts up the lowly, and with humility before the God who brings down the proud. We do well to take hope, if we are low, in the God who lifts up the humble, and to take heed, if we are exalted, from the God who brings down the proud. Take hope, if you are low, in the God who lifts up the lowly and humble. Take heed, if you are exalted, from the God who brings down the proud. God overturns the world's order, raising the needy and humbling the strong. Hold both low and high estate before the God who lifts up and brings down.

That is worth taking to heart, for God brings low the proud and lifts up the lowly, and this gives hope to the low and warning to the exalted, as Hannah sings. We can think the strong stay up and the weak stay down; but Hannah praises the God who brings low and lifts up, raising the poor from the dust. God overturns it. If you are low, take hope in the God who lifts up the humble; if you are exalted, take heed from the God who brings down the proud. Take hope, if you are low, in the God who lifts up the lowly, and take heed, if you are exalted, from the God who brings down the proud, as in her song of praise Hannah rejoiced in a God who reverses fortunes, bringing low the proud and lifting up the lowly and raising the poor from the dust to sit with princes, singing that the LORD kills and makes alive, makes poor and makes rich, brings low and lifts up, and raises the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap; for Hannah, once barren and lowly and now rejoicing in God's gift, sings of a God who overturns the world's order, humbling the proud and strong and lifting up the lowly, poor, weak, and humble and raising the needy from the dust to places of honor, so that God lifts up the lowly and brings down the proud, which holds both hope and warning, since for those who are low, humble, poor, and overlooked there is hope that the God Hannah praises lifts up the lowly and exalts the humble so that our low estate is not the end, and for those who are exalted, strong, and proud there is a warning that God brings down the proud so that our high estate is no security if we are proud, which reshapes how we hold both low and high estate, with hope in the God who lifts up the lowly and humility before the God who brings down the proud, so that we do well to take hope if we are low and take heed if we are exalted.

Lord, in her song of praise, Hannah rejoices in you, a God who reverses fortunes, bringing low the proud and lifting up the lowly, raising the poor from the dust to sit with princes. The LORD kills and makes alive, Hannah sings; he brings down to the grave and brings up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also lifts up. He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes. Hannah, once barren and lowly, now rejoicing in your gift, sings of a God who overturns the world's order: who humbles the proud and the strong, and lifts up the lowly, the poor, the weak, the humble. You lift up the lowly and bring down the proud. Show me the reversals Hannah sings of. She had been barren, lowly, in distress; and you had lifted her up, giving her a son. Out of this, she sings of a God who reverses fortunes: the bows of the strong broken, the stumbling armed with strength; the hungry satisfied; the barren bearing many. You bring low and lift up; you raise the poor from the dust to sit with princes. You are not bound by the world's order, in which the strong stay up and the weak stay down; you overturn it, humbling the proud and exalting the lowly. This holds both hope and warning. For me, if I am low, humble, poor, overlooked, there is hope: you lift up the lowly, raise the needy from the dust. My low estate is not the end. And if I am exalted, strong, tempted to pride, there is a warning: you bring down the proud; my high estate is no security if I am proud. Take that to my heart. If I am low, help me take hope in you, Lord, who lift up the lowly and humble; and if I am exalted, help me take heed from you, who bring down the proud, holding both low and high estate before you, who overturn the world's order, raising the needy and humbling the strong, with hope in your lifting and humility before your bringing down.