Today we read a most remarkable prayer and we will benefit from meditating on the depth of its meaning. It is a prayer by the mother of the child Samuel. It is more than a prayer of thanksgiving. Let’s pick out some of the more significant parts, starting from 1 Samuel 2 v.2. “… there is no rock like our God. Talk no more very proudly … for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed” [v.3] What does it mean, that he is “a God of knowledge”? The fact that the prayer continues that “by him actions are weighed” shows he is a God of knowing all that is happening … everywhere. And we have seen in Revelation that the exalted Son of God had and used this power. Hannah, the mother of the child Samuel goes on to pray, “The LORD kills and brings to life … the LORD makes poor and makes rich” [v.7] This is a result of him weighing our actions, and knowing our true motives.

Further on in the chapter we read, “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD” [v.12]. They served, as Levites, in the tabernacle at Shiloh, but they did not have a living relationship with him, they served themselves, they did not realize that Israel’s God knew everything.

We thought of this even more as we read Revelation 4. Here is a remarkable symbolic picture of the Almighty seeing all things. Consider the vision of God’s throne room, “and around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind” [v.6]. This pictures for us the all-seeing nature of the great Creator God over his creation.

An integral part of the oversight of God is the angelic hosts, for John “heard around the throne the living creatures and the elders, the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.” [5 v.11] Truly, we serve an all knowing “God of knowledge” let us not be like the sons of Eli. Indeed let us be the opposite, we should see the life of Samuel is an inspiring example to us.