Just as Hannah was faithful and responsive to God, so Mary is faithful and dedicated to God - trusting God through a pregnancy she could not explain and praising the God who works mysteriously and miraculously in our lives. Both Hannah and Mary burst into spontaneous songs of praise and Mary's song has many similarities to Hannah's. They are women of great faith, courage and devotion. Joseph, like Elkanah, is loving and attentive. He loves Mary and when she falls pregnant he aims to divorce her quietly - not wishing her any harm - indicating his deep love for her. His attentiveness is shown when God speaks to him numerous times in dreams: confirming Mary's miraculous pregnancy, urging him to flee to Egypt, prompting him to return to Israel and warning him to go to Nazareth and not Judea. Samuel is the child who brings God's word to the people after there had been a long period in which words from the Lord had been "very rare" (See ch.3) Likewise, Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God. He is God's "final word" (Heb.1). When one sees parallels like this, the main event (Jesus' birth) being foreshadowed more than 1000 years before it happens by Samuel's birth, one can only conclude that this is not just a story, but His story. The last thought that this parallel brings to me is that when God calls people to accomplish His purposes in the world, He seems to find ordinary people who then do extra-ordinary things with His help. Hannah and Elkanah along with Mary and Joseph are remarkable parents to God's prophet and God's Son. They display remarkable devotion and attentiveness to God and He helps them do these great things.Parallel
The story of Hannah, Elkanah and Samuel is a foreshadowing of another beautiful story - the birth of Jesus. Luke 1:38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her
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Matthew 1:24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
May it be that we also will be available to God like they were!
