“But look at those last two lines. Hannah ends her song with a crescendo. She identifies two figures who had yet to arrive. The king and the anointed one. In Hebrew, the melek and the messiah. Hannah moves from praise to prophecy. Israel had not yet demanded a king, yet Hannah declares that one was coming and that God would give him power. This, by itself is a great work of grace. Because when Israel demanded a king they were, in one sense, divorcing themselves from God’s rule over their nation. And yet, the Lord would not abandon them. He gave a king. He empowered the king. And when that king failed, God provided a better king.
But more than a king would be needed. God’s people and all people would need a Messiah. The Anointed One, the Christ. A deliverer. And in this book we will see how David on his very best day was only a dim shadow of what the Son of David is yesterday, today, and forever.“
