The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
The very God who grants Hannah's prayer at Shiloh is now here in the flesh, teaching and preaching. The one who can give daughters to the barren has himself become the son of Mary. The people of Israel are familiar with a God who has power to work miracles. But they've never seen such close connection between, a life, a message, and power. They've never seen anything like Jesus before.
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.
It is easy to see how his fame spreads through the land. It isn't just a compelling message. The people have heard compelling messages before. It is that this message carries within it the obvious power to change the world. It has the power to release those in bondage to darkness.
Hannah is willing to offer so much to a God she can't see through a representative that misunderstands her.
Eli, thinking her drunk, said to her,
"How long will you make a drunken show of yourself?
Sober up from your wine!"
"It isn't that, my lord," Hannah answered.
"I am an unhappy woman.
I have had neither wine nor liquor;
I was only pouring out my troubles to the LORD.
How much more should we be ready to bring all of our needs to Jesus? How much more confidence ought we to have than Hannah? Infinitely more. We will not be misunderstood by Jesus even if the world can't make sense of our sorrow. He understands us and remembers us.
"He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage."
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