A Verse
1 Samuel 2:6-7
The LORD kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich:
he brings low and exalts.
A Comment
In verses 6-7, Hannah’s prayer of praise is somewhat startling. She praises the Lord as the One who both kills and resurrects. The One who makes poor and rich. The One who humbles and exalts. Our tendency, at least here in the West, is only to want to focus on the Lord who resurrects, makes rich, and exalts. But if we focus on one aspect of the Lord’s work to the neglect of another, we will not see the fullness of His majesty.
Our God is the One who has complete sovereignty over life and death. Complete sovereignty over poverty and riches. Complete sovereignty over humbling and exalting. And these realities are not in tension with one another. Both life and death, poverty and riches are in His hands. And He is worthy of our praise for His marvelous works.
When Hannah uses the language of “death” and “life,” of “poverty and riches,” we need to see that the point here is God’s sovereign rule over all. We call this type of language a “merismus,” which refers to a rhetorical device (a figure of speech) that “describes the whole of something by specifying its two extremes, such as contrasting or complementary parts.” By considering these two extremes, death and life or poverty and riches, we see that nothing is outside of God’s power.
As uncomfortable as this thought might be to some of us this morning, we need to see that if we are a praying people, we already believe this to one degree. If you have ever prayed that God would preserve or save someone’s life, then you already believe what our passage is saying. If you have ever prayed for God’s justice to be carried out on the wicked, then you already believe these truths.
God is God over all. If He is not, then He is no god at all. And while aspects of this prayer of praise might make us skirm a little, we need to see that God’s sovereignty is actually for our good. In fact, it is a belief in His sovereignty over all that enables us to pray and entrust ourselves and others to Him. It is this kind of sovereignty that helps us to read passages like Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
There is nothing outside of God’s control that He is not working for the good of His people in Jesus Christ. We can rest in His power this morning, and pray accordingly, because He truly is the God who rules over all aspects of our life!
A Prayer
Would you pray with me?
A Blessing
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Gives and Takes Away: Unveiling the Majesty of God in 1 Samuel 2:6-7