1 Samuel 2:9 Commentary and Bible Study

This too is in Hanah’s prayer: if God’s people seem to fall and even to die in poverty and yet they love the Lord, then it is all going to be put right. She is thinking of the ultimate state of believers, for she describes the ultimate state of the wicked. The saints will not fall into ruin. They may stumble and trip; they may fall – ‘For a just man falleth seven times’, but they will rise up again, however ‘the wicked shall fall into mischief’ (Proverbs 24:16). The Lord has his eye on every detail of their lives. Nothing can happen to them without his permission, and what he allows, he allows for their good, even the hard things. Their safe keeping is not a result of their own skill or strength – ‘For by strength shall no man prevail.’ The wicked are ready to use any means available to prevail. It is easy for them to lie to bring about their earthly advantage, for they don’t believe they will face any consequences for doing so. But the righteous fear God, and can never cut corners. They wait on the Lord to exalt them, and dare not take matters into their own hands.Judgement is reflected in verse 10: ‘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’ – ultimately a reference to Christ, surely. When you get that grand climax of a verse, you are aware that all the way through Hannah has been not only referring to literal earthly blessings which the people of God may enjoy, but also to spiritual blessings, blessings of salvation and eternal life.