Hannah's Prayer In The New Testament

I am deeply concerned with any attempt to disregard a majority of the biblical text text, especially when that desire is rooted in a misunderstanding of the nature of that text. The statement that the god of the Hebrew Bible is not a god of mercy or grace is equally disturbing. While one could say that there are stories in which God comes off as less-than-gracious, that understanding is shortsighted. To blanketly ascribe that sole characteristic to the god of the Hebrew Bible is to ignore both the human influences that shape the final form of the Hebrew Bible and the multitude of stories present in the text that reflect the graciousness of God. Instead, it is only with an understanding of the Hebrew Bible that a reading of the New Testament
The deep struggle and pain that accompanies Hannah’s prayer at the temple in Shiloh is reminiscent of the struggle felt by the slaves in Egypt in the Exodus narrative. So too is Hannah’s prayer, a cry to God. “In her wretchedness, she prayed to the LORD, weeping all the while (1 Samuel 1:10).” Hannah is not, however, destined for this pain the rest of her life. Instead, just as is said in God’s interaction with Moses in Exodus 3, God hears Hannah’s cry. The one who was barren is given a child, and God is proven faithful to those who are faithful. Hannah’s prayer declares the goodness and faithfulness of God. Hannah says, “There is no holy one like the LORD, Truly, there is none beside You; There is no rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:1). Neither the actions of God nor Hannah’s prayer point to a God who is angry with humanity, looking to respond to its request with fury. In the story of Hannah and Samuel’s birth, God does exactly what Christian believers would want God to do. It is a story that also speaks to God’s intervention in the life of the community. Not only does a barren woman receive a son, but because of God’s merciful act in providing Hannah a child, the community receives a leader who was given to them by God. In the end, the story of Hannah and the birth of Samuel is yet another story in the Hebrew Bible where God hears, God sees, and God responds on behalf of God’s people. “New Testament Christians” certainly believe that these are things God does. If not, why bother praying? Instead, “for Christian readers...it is unmistakable that the story of Samuel’s birth and emergence as a leader in Israel is the model for the story of Jesus as presented in Luke 1 and 2” (Brueggemann and Linafelt, 165). Not only does the narrative carry some of the same themes that show up in the New Testament, the plot itself is very similar to the birth story of