She saw the King.

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces;

against them he will thunder in heaven.

The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;

he will give strength to his king

and exalt the horn of his anointed.

1 Samuel 2:10

This is how the prayer of Hannah ends as she leaves her son Samuel with Eli the priest. God answered her broken-hearted prayer for a son with the gift of Samuel. She vowed to give that son back to God to serve Him in His tabernacle. She leaves the boy in service to the Lord in order to fulfill this vow. She worships God in a a prophetic, personal, poetic prayer as she completes her vow.

And the prayer ends with this powerful, prophetic voice. Hannah trusts that God will raise up a delivering king. Where did she get that idea? At this point in Israel’s story there has never been a king. The events of Samuel’s early life really occur during the time of the judges. There is no king in Israel. Yet Hannah boldly trusts that God will bring His strength to judge all the earth through His anointed King. It appears her prophetic words look all the way ahead to the Messiah. Yes... Hannah is given through the Holy Spirit’s revelation a glimpse of Jesus in her faith. She praised God for His provision and grace in a son that she devoted to God’s service. And in that moment, she saw the King... Jesus... who was to come in God’s plan.

Hannah lived in a broken world yet she trusted in a King to come and by faith believed that God could heal all the divisions around her. Her home was chaotic... married to a polygamous husband in a painful rivalry with his second wife. Hannah knew the heart-breaking disappointment of infertility. Yet she trusted a sovereign God Who weighs the actions of all people, sees injustice and acts, answers prayer, and does as He pleases despite what people do. She experienced His providing grace and power that lifted her broken heart. She trusted that God does this not just personally, but also on a worldwide scale for His glory. And she looked for the day when His Anointed One, the King, would rule the world rightly forever.