Parallel
The account of the birth of Jesus has a beautiful parallel and foreshadowing in birth of Samuel to Hannah and her husband Elkanah.
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) The announcement of the coming of John the Baptist and the imminent Messiah came to Zechariah after "400 silent years." In another sense, Jesus Himself 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 History.
Another 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 ordinary people who step up to be 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.
May it be that we also will be available to God like they were!
| 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. 11 And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." (1Samuel1:4-11) ---------------------------- Luk1:38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her ---------------- 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. |
