People who think “good guys end up last” need to listen to the thrilling words of Hannah’s song.
A paean is a song of enthusiastic praise or a celebratory poem of joyful triumph. The second chapter of 1 Samuel includes one of the greatest examples. Anyone studying the first ten verses of 1 Samuel 2 can immediately see the focus of Hannah’s prayer. Without question, it is the Lord. She begins with the delightful declaration, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord” (v 1). She knows her heart can only be truly satisfied when rejoicing in Him; and her horn (speaking of her sphere of influence with others) has been elevated in the Lord. How crucial this is to see. The two highest motivators in life are passion and purpose. These both find their true objective not by looking inward but upward. As a blessed by-product, she declares, “I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.” When the Lord’s smile is upon us, how little the world’s frowns matter. She delights in His deliverance, His holiness, His uniqueness, His dependability, His knowledge, and His judgment (see vv 1-3). She then draws a series of contrasts between human intentions and sovereign interventions. The mighty are neutralized and the weak are mobilized (v 4). So the story goes. Hannah reveals what will be repeated in various forms throughout Scripture. “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong” (Eccl 9:11). “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and…the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Cor 1:27). The way up is down. Before honor is humility. And the greatest example of this? The last word in the song is the first occurrence in Scripture of the Anointed, the Messiah, the Christ. Hannah is honored to introduce Him to us!