Hannah’s song reminds us of Mary’s in Luke 1:46-55. The main theme addresses the soon coming deliverance that will result from the birth of the deliverer. Hannah boasts in the Lord telling of the reversals He brings about. Though the mighty may exalt themselves now the Lord controls the way things will turn out. There is no real reason for anyone to boast except in the Lord.
Her boast comes into sharp focus as we see the sons of Eli. Although they were priests before the Lord in the tabernacle, they were evil. They stole from the Lord’s offerings to suit their fleshly appetites. They used their holy office as an excuse to misuse and abuse women and satisfy their lust. Eli was warned about them by a nameless prophet but he did nothing to stop them other than issue a mild rebuke. Their evil behavior resulted from his lack of parental discipline and perhaps from his selfish behavior as well. His obesity may have been due to his stealing the things that were meant for the Lord or the poor. Despite the evil and compromising behavior, in sharp contrast Samuel grew into a godly young man and served in the temple. Hannah ministered to him to insure that he grew up with respect and love for the Lord.
These examples demonstrate that parental care and discipline, or the lack of both are often directly responsible for the way children behave. Selfish parents raise selfish children; those who are godly set a good example that their children will most likely follow. Therefore the Lord would hold parents accountable for the sins and crimes of their children, even if temporal law does not.
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