Hannah’s Prayer (Part 2 of 2)

Have you ever hung upside down branch or a playground bar. It gives you a different perspective on the world does not today on Truth for Life will find out how God turns worldly values upside down to give us a proper perspective on life and death.

Alister Greg concludes his message titled Hannah's prayer today is teaching from first Samuel chapter 2 were in verses one, so first of all, then what God has done from the personal perspective of Hannah after all. Although this goes beyond her immediate circumstances, it certainly includes the and she is writing out of the fullness of her heart. You will notice that there are three mice in verse one.

My my my.

First of all my heart. She says exults in the Lord.

Secondly, she then goes on essentially to give us. If you like a view of the world which is distinctly biblical.

I put in that way to begin so that if were tempted to lose our way through this we can have that as a kind of anger. Not only is God holy and powerful, but she wants us to know in verse three, which is a kind of bridge verse that the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are way you remember how Belshazzar discovered this back in our studies in Daniel.

Some of us will recall in chapter 5 about Shatzer was having this amazing feast with a thousand of his folks, drinking wine, using the that the materials that had been stolen from the temple of the Lord.

When the and snatch the people up and taken them into exile in Babylon and how I see I went about his business in the middle of all of their carousing from the presence of the God of knowledge and was sent and a hand appears on the wall and writes someone says well. The best hope you have is in Daniel who comes. Of course, and speaks to him and tells about Shatzer. Let me tell you exactly what this is.

God has written this and God has written it in order that you might know about Shatzer that you can carry on like this that you think you're a big shot you think that you and your friends can continue just to go on your way and reject the idea of the living God, and I want you to know that it can't happen. He says you know that God rules over all of heaven under that God rules the kingdoms of mankind, and he says people in position as he chooses you praise the gods of silver and gold of bronze, iron, mood stone, which don't see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath and whose are all your ways you have not honored.

That is the word of declaration and what is the word that is said to him you have been weighed in the balance and you have been found wanting the hand from his presence was sent as you read the end of the chapter and that very night Bell Shatzer die done now. The balance of this section having sounded out her warning is simply a catalog of the ways in which God turns human estimates of significance and power upside down. If you want to just get a hold of the sort of prevailing notion look at the final phrase of verse nine for not buying might shall a man prevail for not by might, shall a man prevail man?

No man or woman will eventually prevail as a result of their human and innate abilities and so what she does.

She unpacks that now we could have a low series on this which were not going to have and and I will disappoint some and encourage others by trying to move through it as quickly as I can look thus for the bows of the mighty are broken but the feeble bind on strength were not going to have to wait very long before we have a wonderful illustration of this plan. The Philistines are sent running for their life's not because of the massive power of the Israeli army because all they were doing was standing there every morning looking as the giant came out to Toronto know what did God do. He reached down for the feeble boy for a young fellow for the ruddy faced boy, who had a sling and five stones and you will see there.

This is what he does.

The feeble bind on strength.

You remember, weekend and weekend anticipated all but you remember how Saul's is how you should wear my armor because you you get killed if you know where my armor and and he tries on the armor needs. This is ridiculous and so he takes it all off again and and and sells a look I were you going to do is allow this to what I normally do is day five stones will go from there. I can present so watching him walk out the door to his dad had no question that he wants to do the listed that's okay. The Philistines go running down the street. Those who were full have become beggars notice verse five now there on the streets saying Buddy could you lend me a dime, the hungry, and I have been fed. Incidentally, as you read this song will make you think of other songs we've already had Miriam thousand years on, you will have the Magnificat the song of Mary in Luke chapter 1 verse 46 and following.

She doubtless knew this season I think is it is his borrowed some items we might say. Remember, she declares on that occasion, he has filled the hungry with good things. But the rich he has sent empty away. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones by the humble. He is exalted. That's exactly what she's saying here.

The barren has borne 77 a picture of perfection as he does in F7, yet maybe she did. I don't know but what she's saying is emptiness is been replaced by fullness the person who has had many children and things because they had many children, everything will be hunky-dory may actually discover that it is a source of pain security does not lie in prosperity doesn't lie in numbers lies in God, who is God, he is the rock there's no rock like our Yahweh is in charge.

You will notice of life and death. The Lord kills and brings life. Here is a saliency striking statement, doesn't it, because our culture is focused on wellness should be ever not to the extent that it is not our preoccupation with wellness is grounded in large measure in the view of the world which has us at the center. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that we are around for as long as we could possibly be because after all were needed really. We hide from death we deny its prospect.

When we think of death we ignore God who raises the dead, and in that respect, our ideas of reality are just distorted the distorted because one out of one dies all the days of your life were written in his book before one of them came to be. You don't die early. You don't dilate, and the God who brings about our demise is the God who raises us from the debt if he was in the Old Testament you don't of the resurrection voluntary what Hannah believed in the resurrection. That's what she saying here.

The Lord kills and brings life. He brings down to shale in the raises up goodness gracious is raise me up from chapter 1 into chapter 2. Look at me, my mouth, my strength, my words and one day he will raise me a I think she would be very happy to join is in our song, and when I face that final day he will not leave me in the grave.

Why, because he is the God who gave who kills and gives life, he is the God who raises us from our distraction. He makes poor and he makes rich put that in your pocket and think about it for a while. He brings Laurel and he exults. What is he said what she said she seen this poverty and prosperity. Obscurity and popularity are in his hand. He determines this.

He raises up the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy to sit with princes in the place of honor. So your money is not about a government and essentially not about the stock market. It's actually not about your viewer. My view of political economic theory, whatever that might be God sovereignly determines this thereby impose case allowing them to say I have learned, in whatsoever state I am there and to be content because he realizes that whether he abounds or whether he is a base.

The fact is that God is constant in his faithfulness that doesn't make poverty something special and well something horrible.

It simply puts them in their place and you find again. The same thing when you listen to Mary say what picture this is. He lifts the needy from the ash heap. The times this morning in London.

I know because I read it last night because it was already this morning when I read it, but it it focuses once again on the opioid crisis in in in Great Britain which is which is at a level that is almost unassailable. And as you just go through the headlines in the newspaper you think about your culture is it's it's it's almost like an ash heap you see those lives lost and wasted see the destruction of things you see the chaos you hear the politicians explain. If we do this will fix that. If we can adjust this, we will deal with that you watch the chaos of the unfolding drama in relationship to you.

You turn your gaze upon our own nation here and what you discover that unless there is a God who is able to raise people up out of the ashy it to able to bring us up out of our poverty and in our need to shores our need and so on. Then there is no hope were without hope in the world. The ashy is where Job is in Job chapter 2. Remember when his friends come to him that he's outside the city wall. He's he's at the he's at the place down here on Harper & Row that big mound of staying. That's where he is. I know is not streamers should say stinking and in church, but in some it's it is. It is disguised staying the landfill. He raises people up from the landfills. How does he do or where was Jesus.

Where was Jesus crucified outside the city wall in the city dump. He was dumped so that those of us who realize ourselves to be done may be raised up may be made new.

There is a green hill far away outside of city wall where their dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all.

While we must hasten to a close, but you will notice that Hannah writes sayings praise out of an unshakable conviction that God is in control their seat be for the pillars of the earth or the Lords and on. Then he has set the world. I don't really understand what all that means, but I like it sounds good.

Every so often when you do building bricks with your grandchildren you. You try as best as you can to build a solid foundation with the Lego and it's only a matter of time before some little customer comes along and had some a mighty swipe and all disintegrates within the go everywhere you say to yourself I should never even bothered in the first place, but God never says that for the pillars of the air pillars of the earth. The social, physical, moral, intellectual, scientific, artistic pillars of the earth are grounded in God the creator. How vastly different this that from the preoccupation of our culture.

We teach our grandchildren.

Simple songs, wonderful song from 1870 written by a merchant's wife in Sheffield so that in the Sunday school. The children might have their hearts and their heads filled with truth God who made the air. The air sky to see who gave the light its birth, cares for me to see how our view of the world absolutely matters so that as 1870s.

Her children saw. I grew up singing somehow or another I believed what an amazing grace. Unnumbered comforts to my soul.

His tender care bestowed before my infant heart conceived from whom those comforts float some of you have come along the path we are on the pathway of agnosticism and atheism, and so want God in his providence is dealing with that. Some of us have never been there.

God needs to save you out of that God in his mercy has saved me from that. I believe that God made the air, the sky, the sea, that he gave the light its birth, and that he cares for me, using or do you want to go with the film, the Thomas Crown affair version 1 with Steve McQueen now version 2 with peers frozen version 1. The song that won the Oscar for the best song in a film in 1969 when McQueen is flying that glider and there's no dialogue.

There's just the words round like a circle in a spiral like a wheel within a wheel never ending or beginning on an ever spinning wheel like a snowflake down a mountain order care something something balloon Linda sent in the room the room to grow and there's just the most unbelievable nonsense never considered in your life that there is no beginning, and there is no end and everything that's in the middle is just completely out of control and chaotic and there's no way you can fix it so let's just either smoke dope and die or let's become crazy radicals or let's just become inquisitive or let's just get at least a wooden idol for goodness sake that will be able to satisfy our longings as opposed to my soul exults in the Lord you made me he cares for me and he's actually going to finally and ultimately matters to write. Let me give to you. Verses nine and 10. What is he saying there. What is she saying there she saying that there comes a day of separation. The faithful ones will be guarded as those who have trusted in him who've taken him at his word. The wicked will be cut off in darkness, the adversaries, which is a parallelism for the wicked will be broken to pieces, the faithful will be welcome and the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king to his king will have a king all but were expecting one Hannah had some inkling that somehow or another and the gift of this boy. We were on our way. In fact, the word that is used here in Hebrew for anointed is the word Messiah and his you find that this is the first time that is used in connection with the king, he will give strength to his king, he will exalt the horn of his Messiah. This Messiah who step down into the ashes in order that he might lift us up into glory. If there is a missing note in some of our preaching, and some of our thinking. It is surely the note of God's judgment and justice is not easy to proclaim. It's not easy to hear.

It is absolutely central to the truth of the Bible. Here is a quote from a him that we have in the in our in our records.

It goes like this, but sinners filled with guilty fear shall see God's wrath.

Prevailing and they will rise and find their tears are wholly unavailing. The day of grace is past and gone. They trembling stand before his throne. All unprepared to meet. Would you meet him, unprepared, what is it who is that stands in between you and me and that reality Jesus the cross in order to get there you have to sidestep Jesus step over Jesus ignored Jesus ignored the king. Maybe that's where you been doing. Maybe today God says hey that's enough because, listen, my love's don't go here and say I wanted my own way and I'm going to have it my own way because God may actually say to go ahead. Having your own way. Quite a prayer that is Alistair Begg challenging us to face coming judgment with confidence by trusting in the Messiah listing to Truth for Life. Please keep listening. Alister will return to close in prayer. If you'd like to know more about the Messiah about God's plan for redemption will be encouraged to take a few minutes to watch a couple of free videos available on our website.

Visit Truth for Life.org/learn more. We been learning how important it is for us to trust God and not rely on self effort, regardless of our circumstances. And this is an important lesson for all of us, even for young children. That's why were recommending to you a book called little pilgrims big journey.

Too often people believe that the Christian life is supposed to be easy, but that's not what the Bible teaches little pilgrims big journey, introduces children to the common struggles, trials, obstacles, and distractions that face us in our Christian journey, but more importantly, this book points children to the many ways God helps us persevere along the way request the book little pilgrims big journey. When you donate today. Visit us online at truthforlife.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884.

If you'd rather mail your donation along with your request for the book right to Truth for Life at PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139. Now, here is Alister to close with prayer Lord our God look upon us, in your mercy and grace we pray, help us, even in these final moments and in our song as our hearts are uncovered before you since you know the beginning and the Lord found that we might turn from ourselves and turn to your dearly beloved son, for we pray in his precious name. Amen about the pain. Thanks for listing. You know it's possible to be heavily involved in church and not actually know God happens more often than you think. Find out more when you join us tomorrow. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life learning is really