Unseen Hand

by Pastor Meng Cham

3 Levels of Narrative:
3. The universal plan of God for creation
2. The story of God's covenant with His people
1. The individual stories of Bible characters

To understand OT narratives, we have to see that there are 3 levels operating concurrently. Everytime you read the OT stories and narratives, there are 3 levels operating concurrently. At the lowest the first level are the stories of Bible characters that you know and love like Abraham, like Joseph, Moses, David. These are the stories of these characters and their faith you know the testing of their faith and how in or through their faithfulness they were able to overcome and they become models for us that's the first and lowest level.

The middle level and the second level is about God's dealing with his people, the covenantal people of God which is Israel as a nation and we see how all these individuals at the lower level impact the second level, but at the third and the top level is called the meta Narrative this is the dealings of God - the universal ultimate plan of God the Creator for whole of creation.

Opening three chapters of 1 Samuel introduced to us Samuel the judge, the prophet, the kingmaker who anointed Israel's first and second Kings. That's the first level and it is his mother Hannah who connects the first, second and third levels of this narrative.

Hannah could see God's unseen hand as the Divine and Sovereign orchestrator, engineer and architect who brings about the Redemption of Israel.

Big idea:
God and not human beings is to be recognized as the ultimate King maker

He is the ultimate kingmaker not just for Israel but of all Humanity. God is the king maker. This is what we'll learn looking at Hannah's Prayer in 1st Samuel chapter 2:1-10. We will learn something about this truth that God is the ultimate King maker but before we look at the prayer, two further things to note is that when you look at the 10 verses is technically not a prayer, because there's no formal request that Hannah makes to Yahweh. It's rather a poem or a song perhaps and a prophetic declaration that God that Yahweh is the God who is unstoppable has all powers and he does what he pleases, so nine out of the 10 times in these 10 verses Yahweh is mentioned by name that's the first thing to note the second thing to note is that this 10 verses are carefully structured so that the contents of verse 1 and two is mirrored in verse 10.

Verse 3 to 5 contents is also mirrored in verse 8 and 9 and finally at the center verse 6 and 7 that's the main thrust of this prayer, so you understand where we're trying to go. First Hannah could number one, exalt in God's Deliverance 1 Samuel 2:1-2 and then 10 right say Deliverance. Now what's the meaning of this word exalt, why use such a word exalt, means to Rejoice to celebrate is because that's what Hannah did so let's look at verse 1. Hannah prayed and said my heart exalts in the Lord my horn is exalted in the Lord my mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation. Verse 2 there is none holy like the Lord for there is none besides you there is no one no Rock like our God. Whatever Hannah was going through she was in great distress and contrary to her name Hannah means favored. She was feeling far from her name, she was feeling abandoned she was at a loss and she could turn to No One except the Lord and God came through for her that's why she could say I rejoice in your salvation my heart exalts in the Lord. The Lord did not just deliver her but caused her to lift her head up with dignity. She said my horn is exalted in the Lord.

Have you seen animals lock horns in a fatal battle? You know the one that emerges as the victor would raise the horn, to show strength and victory. So in the same way because of the Lord's Deliverance Hannah's head was no longer hanging down but was lifted up in Triumph. Something about her mouth, once silenced was now wide, so wide that she could swallow up her enemies. So who were Hannah's enemies? 3 levels enemies came:

1. her husband's second wife name Penina
- In Chapter 1 Verse 6 she's called the rival of Hannah
- In the ancient near East it was not uncommon for husbands to take a second wife when the first wife was unable unable to fulfill her duties including childbearing
- Hannah was barren perhaps that was the reason why Hannah her husband married panina to have Offspring
- to add insult to injury Penina's name means fruitful and she was rather fertile so every year the family will gather together to go to Shiloh to worship to sacrifice to the Lord and to worship Him. Each time Penina would taunt Hannah for her barreness
- Each year Hannah would get this you know it would be a constant annual reminder of Hannah's ineptness and disqualification as a good and productive wife so Penina was like an enemy to her

2. Hannah societal or social displeasure
- Penina was not Hannah's only cause of grief because barrenness was never just a personal tragedy
- it was a disgrace to the family. It stigmatized her. Was there something inherently wrong with Hannah? Some secret sin perhaps was a barreness the result of God's disapproval judgment? Was it a result of God's judgment on her? Hannah probably imagined the community wagging their fingers at her thinking the worst of her
- this simple cause and effect theology that if you are good and faithful God was will bless you. If God doesn't bless you you must be in sin
- this cause infect theology was damaging to her self-image and to her self worth

3. Hannah's husband's hollow comfort
- in verse 8 of chapter 1, Elkanah her husband said to her "Hannah why do You weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than 10 Sons?
- Elkanah is portrayed here as a Godly Man in contrast to the spiritual condition of his surroundings yet to him Hannah just needed some sympathy. You know he was trying to soothe her by compensating her life with other things. So what's more devastating and having your dignity squashed and your heart broken beyond words
- The disappointment with Your loved ones failure to empathize and to understand. What do you do when you have nowhere to turn and no one to turn to when you feel unjustly judged when you're misunderstood and mistreated and your enemies are after you?

Hannah persisted in look to Yahweh and she was rewarded for her faith because the Lord heard her cry of desperation and had compassion on her and she experienced his deliverance from her enemies. The Lord not only rewarded her with the birth of Samuel but also blessed her with three other sons and two daughters so Yahweh delivered Hannah as she delivered Samuel. Because she exhibited this believing loyalty, she could testify in verse 2 there is none holy like the Lord. She's not thinking here but she's experiencing it here, there is none holy like the Lord for there is none besides you there is no Rock like our God. Our God has no rival, we too can testify that there is none as good, as faithful, as loyal, as loving, as compassionate, as able, as mighty, as trustworthy, as holy as our Lord.

He is our rock on which we stand in times of anxiety and depend on in times of uncertainty. He is our Rock, sure stable solid and strong.

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. The words are repeated, horn and exalt so from what we have learned from the Book of Judges, Israel faced a similar situation of barrenness like Hannah. Instead of proudly carrying the name of Yahweh to the Nations she became spiritually wavered instead of flourishing and providing an example for the Nations to follow. She herself had fallen into idolatry and broken yahweh's Covenant with her, she became the Laughing stork of her enemies bringing dishonor to yahweh's name.

But just as the Lord had exalted Hannah's horn by delivering her from her enemies, He would certainly do the same for Israel if only Israel turned to him, He would swiftly Thunder against the enemies. Even before Israel had a king Hannah prophesied here that Yahweh already had one in mind, the one that he would give strength to, the one in whose horn he will exalt, the one who is his anointed and you know the word anointed is Messiah. In the New Testament is Christ so in verse 10 you see that Hannah was not just seeing Saul - Israel's first king, not even David. She was looking at God's anointed Christ Jesus the Christ. This connection was not lost to the gospel writer to Luke. In Luke chapter 1 he records Mary song which is called the magnificant and you see similar themes and phrases between Hannah - the mother of the king maker and Mary the highly favorite one - the mother of the great king.

Hannah's Prayer and Hannah's Declaration was a foreshadow of what was to come. She already prophesied about this anointed so it is remarkable that of all those in Hannah's day, only a few like her were able to testify of the Unseen hand of God working on Israel's behalf and once again it took a woman who distinguished herself before Yahweh. Just like Rahab The Prostitute, Deborah the prophetess and Ruth the Moabite who showed their faithfulness at pivotal times in Israel's history. They stood out in their faithfulness as an indictment against Israel's stubborn and persistent Rebellion. You make a difference, you know God can and will certainly bless your efforts and your prayers and your intercessions and will use you to accomplish purposes even beyond your own life touching the people of his kingdom.

Having experienced Yahweh's Deliverance, Hannah could then readily say the next thing she could express confidence in God's justice. 1 Samuel 2:3 to 5 and then verse 8 and 9.

Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth for the Lord is the God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed, the bows of the mighty are broken but the feeble bind on strength. Those who are fool have hired themselves out for bread but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger, the barren has born seven but she who has many children is for to be sure

There's nothing wrong with being strong, well fed, clever or Rich. You know this all come from God but it's wrong to leverage on our God-given strengths sufficiency and wealth to look down and to despise on those who have not. Our blessings should not cause us to be proud and arrogant. Our blessings are intended for us to reach and to lift up those who are weak, vulnerable and poor.

Hannah had confidence that Yahweh the righteous judge the Lord of hosts, the God of Angel Armies would defend her. For no one knows our intentions, sees our hearts, weighs our actions like God can. God's knowledge is perfect and who we truly are and what we do is in his Plain View, therefore, the pure in heart has nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Hannah has the biblical warrant and the historical presidence of Sarai the wife of Abraham, of Rebecca the wife of Isaac and Rachel the wife of Jacob. Why? Because all these three wives were at one time Barren until the Lord opened their wombs and so Hannah knew as the Lord Vindicated these wives, the Lord will vindicate her also.

The name Samuel means "what I asked the Lord for him". Hannah was a loyal believer of Yahweh, God saw the sincerity and the earnestness of her heart. God saw nothing like this attitude and spirit in Israel for all the provocations of her enemies, Israel still refused to appeal to God for his Deliverance but continued the downward spiral and as we had learned from judges, the levitical priests, those who were so-called spiritual leaders did nothing much to turn things around. They were no longer mediating between the people and God and this was the same here. Eli was the Covenant priest and his sons were called hophni and Phinehas. They treated their calling with disdain. Instead of carefully obeying the strict protocol of handling sacrifices, they took the choiced raw meat for themselves, the first cut and then they left the remains to be burned as an offering to Yahweh in 1 Samuel 2:1-17

Thus the sins of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. Their fatal mistake was to assume that because they could not see God, God could not see them. God sees but flagrantly abused their Authority, took advantage of the people, they went as far as to have sex with the women who served at the entrance to the Tabernacle and this was was not done in secret. This was widely known so this was Hophni and Phinehas. What about their father Eli? not so much better. Eli had become insensitive to the workings of the Lord. When Hannah went to the temple desperately Seeking God to remove her barreness, she was so grieved that when she prayed, while her lips moved no sound Was Heard and Eli mistook the silent prayer as her being intoxicated. How sad that he couldn't discern which influence she was under. Was it the big S Spirit or the small s spirit? He was insensitive to the workings of the lord but not only that, he was indifferent to his sons atrocities. He merely let them off with a verbal warning with no further consequences even though he knew full well that God who sees all, would weigh their wicked actions.

Before God no PDPA can prevent the full disclosure of who we are to him. PDPA will not stop and no deep fakes will fool God. Before him we are an open book. Eli should have known that but because of Eli's insensitivity and indifference no wonder Yahweh bypassed him totally and spoke directly to Samuel although Samuel was just a boy serving in the temple. This was what Yahweh told Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:12. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have I have spoken concerning his house from beginning to end and I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever for the iniquity that he knew because his sons were blaspheming God and he did not restrain them, verse 14 he said therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.

This is a warning and reminder to all of us who are spiritual leaders and spiritual parents you not to take God's work likely but always with due reverence and due care and caution because the Lord will hold us accountable. It's better to repent now than to be rebuked later if you think you're unlimited and can define gravity. No matter what our calling is or what our position of leadership we hold, we are never Beyond giving accountability to God, not above his word, so this same thought of Yahweh meting out his Justice and meting out his judgment is echoed in verse 8 and 9. 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 ends of the Earth are the Lord's and on them he has set the world. Verse 9 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 pillars of God are set on the world on this Earth. The wicked and the proud no matter how strong how secure will be cut off and pulled down by the holy and just God. He will not turn a blind eye to sin nor Injustice regardless of a person's office or stature. We might only see this played out every now and then but we don't despair because we must have full confidence in God's justice on the final day because on that day eventually God will what he will reverse the order he will invert the outcomes so that blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven, for those who mourn for they shall be comforted, for the meek for they shall inherit the earth, for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied and for the pure in heart for they will see God. So God's voice had been calling out to Israel time and again but she failed repeatedly to recognize and hid his voice just as God had totally rejected and withdrew his Covenant from Eli and his sons, Israel would have faced a similar fate had Hannah not risen to the occasion.

Thank God for Hannah, the son she had asked the Lord for would be instrumental in turning Israel around and so knowing that Yahweh's unseen hand was always at work. Hannah was able to finally do the third thing and Trust herself to God's sovereignty. The Lord kills and brings to life he brings down to sheol and he raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich, he brings low and he exalt.

God is Sovereign in determining and in deciding the outcomes of life whether we are able to trace his unseen hand or not. The Bible teaches us that ultimately God's will, good and perfect will is done. No one can stand against, no one can stall and no one can stop God's will. This much Hannah understood and admitted to that life and death were in Yahweh's Sovereign hand because twice in this narrative it was mentioned that it was the Lord who had closed her womb. It was also the Lord who heard her prayer, remembered her and opened her womb that she was finally able to conceive a son, not any son but a priest prophet and judge all rolled into one. Samuel would be a kingmaker under the great king Maker. Often when you and I face adversities, when our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears, when we cannot see what lies ahead, that's the time when we need to learn to trust in God's sovereignty that God knows what is best for us, he has our best interest always at heart.

Hannah's desperation for a child was due to the distress she was suffering from the provocation of rival. She was basically saying "Lord, please get her off my back. Do what you need to do but get her off my back. Every year she's just provoking me, taunting me, tormenting me." That was the push factor but the Turning Point came only when she prayed this. She prayed finally verse 11 of chapter 1. She said "if you will remember me and not forget your servant but will give to your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life"

Why would someone pray this to ask God for an answer, and then instead of getting answered and satisfied, she gives the the answer away? Who would do that imagine you're in dire Financial need you you pray Lord remember your servant please Grant him the amount that he needs you and then when God gives you the amount you say oh I pledge it to missions? What did Hannah gain from this prayer?

Actually she gained something - the satisfaction that Hannah received was not the gift of a son but the knowing that Yahweh had not abandoned in her. As others had surmised in her that he remembered her and was with her. She prayed "Lord if you remember your servant then do this and after you do this I give him back to you". Just to know that she was remembered that God had not forsaken her - that meant a world of difference to her that God cared, God noticed and that she was well within God's Sovereign will.

Israel's Destiny was also in Yahweh's hand if only she sought Yahweh like Hannah.