The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 152
SECT. CLII.
THeſe things being done, Hannah now in a ſolemn manner praiſes the Lord for giving her a Son, and prays*Orandi gen… Euchariſticum ut Luc. 1.46.68 unto him to continue his life, and to bleſs him; ſhe begins her Song (a)There is in many paſſages a great harmony between this Song and that of the Bleſſed Virgin, Luk. 1.46.thus, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine born is exalted in the Lord; whereby ſhe intimates that through the Lords goodneſs to her in giving her a Son, ſhe was become ſtronger and more renowned than before, (for children are the ſtrength and glory of their Parents), and that ſhe had cauſe now to triumph over her enemies who had before upbraided her for her barrenneſs. My heart is enlarged over mine enemies; whereby ſhe intimates that ſhe had enough now to ſay wherewith to ſtop the mouth of her inſulting adverſaries. There is none holy as the Lord, for there is none beſides thee; that is, there is none eſſentially and perfectly holy beſides the Lord, who is the fountain of all the holineſs that is in others. For there is no God beſides thee, neither is there any rock like our God: He is our only refuge in all our troubles, and he only can deliver us out of them all. He is the rock (ſays ſhe) on which I reſted and relyed when I was ready to ſink in the time of my trouble. Let not my adverſaries therefore (Peninnah or any others) talk any more ſo exceeding proudly againſt me, let not arrogancy come out of their lips; for the Lord is a God of Knowledg; that is, He knows all that in your pride and arrogancy you think or ſpeak, or attempt againſt his poor ſervants. And by him actions are weighed; that is, He exactly ponders all the actions of men, and will therefore as a juſt Judg recompence them as he finds them good or evil, yea according to the degree of goodneſs or badneſs that he finds in them. Then ſhe goes on to ſhew what ſtrange and unexpected alterations God maketh among men; By him (ſays ſhe) the bows of the mighty are broken; that is, God doth many times break the ſtrength of the mighty, and blaſt their attempts, and makes them ſucceſsleſs juſt as when the bow of a mighty man breaks, all his endeavours to ſhoot come to nothing. And on the other hand they that ſtumbled are girt with ſtrength; that is, He many times ſo ſtrengthens the feeble that of themſelves were ready to ſtumble, or at leaſt ſo proſper their weak endeavours that unexpectly they bring mighty things to paſs, and ſo thoſe that were weak and feeble in themſelves, (being ſtrengthened by the power of God) overcome great difficulties, even ſuch as by the power of nature they were not able to overcome, as I my ſelf can abundantly teſtifie. They that were full have hired out themſelves for bread; that is, they that were rich he ſometimes brings to poverty ſo that they are fain to work like hired ſervants to relieve their wants, and they that were hungry ceaſed to be ſo, and were plentifully provided for. She that was barren has born many Seven in Scripture is uſually put for many, as Deut. 28.7.children, and they that have had many children are either grown weak, and ſo through feebleneſs have left off bearing, or elſe have buried the children they have had, and ſo have loſt their ſtrength, as children are eſteemed to be to their Parents. Poſſibly Hannah had aſſurance by the Spirit of Propheſie that God would give her many children more, as indeed we find, v. 21. of this Chapter, that ſhe had after this three Sons, and two Daughters. The Lord killeth and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up: that is, the Lord bringeth ſome into deſperate dangers, into grievous and heavy afflictions, and yet delivereth them out of them, [See Ch. 20.3. Hoſ. 6.2. Iſa. 26.17.] and Gods power is moſt manifeſted when men are recovered from ſuch deſperate diſtreſſes. God doth ſometimes ſeem to kill men, and then revives them again. He maketh poor and maketh rich: He bringeth low and raiſeth up: He raiſeth up the poor out of the duſt, and lifteth the beggar from the dunghill, to ſet them among Princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory; that is, He raiſeth ſome from beggery to Soveraignty, and from the dunghill to the throne. For the pillars of the earth are the Lords, and he hath ſet the world upon them: that is, Though the earth hangs in the midſt of the air having nothing to ſupport it but the Almighty power of God, yet it ſtands firm(c)Habet terra ſuos polos, quibus aut ſuſtinet ſe, in quiete, aut (ut alii volunt) in motu ſe librat. Gr. and faſt upon its center as if it were ſupported with pillars, and therefore 'tis no wonder God ſhould ſometimes turn things upſide down in the government of the world, ſince he that made the world at firſt, muſt needs be of power ſufficient to do what he will; for with his own why ſhould he not do what himſelf pleaſeth? He will keep the feet of his Saints: that is, He will guide and protect his people, and keep them from falling. And the wicked ſhall be ſilent in darkneſs; that is, overwhelmed with confuſion and aſtoniſhment in the great calamities that ſhall befall them, (Eccleſ. 5.17. Zeph. 1.15. Jer. 8.14.) or cut off from the land of the living, for ſuch are ſaid to dwell in ſilence, Pſal. 94.17. For by ſtrength ſhall no man prevail: that is, by his own ſtrength. For if the Lord did not preſerve his Saints, by their own ſtrength they could not keep themſelves; neither can the wicked by their own ſtrength ſecure themſelves againſt Gods hand. And if any man prevail in any of his enterpriſes, let him not aſſume the glory of it to himſelf, but aſcribe it intirely unto God. The adverſaries of the Lord ſhall be broken in pieces, out of heaven ſhall he thunder upon them. This clauſe ſeems to be a Propheſie, and may have reference to that particular judgment upon the enemies of Gods people in the time of Samuels Government, 1 Sam. 7.10. when the Lord thundered with a great thunder on the Philiſtines, and diſcomfited them, and they were ſmitten before Iſrael; yet it may be meant generally of the Lords pouring down vengeance on his adverſaries. See 2 Sam. 22.14, 15. And becauſe God deſtroyed his enemies often by thunder, it grew (it ſeems) into a Proverb, that the Lord would thunder upon them, when he meant terribly to deſtroy them. The Lord ſhall judg the ends of the earth, and he ſhall give ſtrength unto his King, and exalt the horn of his Anointed: This ſeems to be a Propheſie concerning the Exaltation and Kingdom of the Meſſiah; and 'tis the firſt place in the Old Teſtament where he is mentioned under that name. The Lord will rule the world, and judg all the inhabitants of the world, and particularly thoſe that are in the uttermoſt parts of the earth by the Meſſiah his Anointed King; who though he ſhall at firſt live in a low and mean condition, yet when he hath finiſhed the work of mans Redemption, he ſhall then be exalted above all Principalities and Powers, and ſhall ſit down at the right hand of his Father, all power being given unto him both in heaven and earth; he ſhall gather his people from all Nations, and govern them by his Word and Spirit, and deſtroy his and their enemies.
Hannah having ended her Song, Elkanah and ſhe departed to their houſe at Ramah, and left their young Son Samuel to miniſter unto the Lord before Eli the Prieſt, to wit, in ſuch ſervices of the Tabernacle, as by degrees he grew able to perform. The Levites indeed did not enter on that ſervice till they were twenty-five years old, as we ſhewed before; but Samuels caſe was extraordinary, becauſe by the ſpecial vow of a Nazarite, he was even from his tender years conſecrated to the ſervice of the Lord. And though by the Law there were no linnen Ephods appointed for the Levites, but for the inferior Prieſts only, (Exod. 39.27.) either therefore afterwards when the Tabernacle came to be ſetled in the land of Canaan it was ſo ordered by the Lord that the Levites ſhould alſo wear ſuch linnen Ephods when they attended upon the ſervice of the Tabernacle, or elſe Samuel was by ſpecial diſpenſation, becauſe of the Nazarites vow, or ſome other reaſon, appointed to wear this holy veſtment, which yet ſeems not very probable, becauſe the linnen Ephod was ſo commonly worn by all that were employed in holy ſervices, that even David when he danced before the Ark, 2 Sam. 6.14. was girded with a linnen Ephod. But however it was, 'tis plain that Samuel in his younger years did attend upon the ſervice of the Tabernacle, viz. in ſuch ſervices as he could then perform, and that before Eli the Prieſt, that is, as he was ordered and directed by him, who undertook it training of him up, and upon whom he chiefly attended in the ſervice he performed. And his mother when ſhe came to Shiloh with her husband to offer the yearly Sacrifice uſed to bring him a new coat as a pledg of her motherly love to him; and there Eli bleſſed Elkanah and his wife, and ſaid unto him, The Lord give thee ſeed of this woman, for the Son thou haſt lent to the Lord. And the Lord viſited*Viſitare hic ſumitur in bonam partem. Hannah in mercy, and according to Eli's bleſſing made her fruitful, ſo that for that one Son ſhe had given to the Lord, he gave her three Sons and two Daughters more; ſo powerful are the prayers of ſuch good men as Eli was. And the child Samuel as he grew in years, ſo he grew in grace and godlineſs, whereby he became acceptable both to God and man, ſee Luk. 2.52.
1 Sam. Ch. 2. from v. 1. to 12. and v. 18, 19, 20, 21.