Messianic Prophecies in 1 Samuel 1-2

Right away in 1 Samuel the reader encounters a couple of beautiful Messianic prophecies. The first is found in "Hannah's Prayer," the song of thanks to God by Samuel's mother for the blessing of a son. It is clear Hannah has incredible faith; her perspective of God sounds like it's coming from a woman living in New Testament times. She talks about a God who makes the first last and the last first (reference Jesus' Sermon on the Mount), who raises the dead, and who judges deeds. The climax of her prayer, however, is at the very end where she says, "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed." This line is prophetic in that Israel did not have a king yet. The commentaries say her use of the Hebrew word for "anointed" or "Messiah" is the first time this word is found in the Bible. This looks ahead to King David and ultimately to Jesus himself.

The other Messianic prophecy is found in God's curse of Eli's household in 1 Samuel 2:34-36. The "faithful priest" looks ahead to Zadok, the priest during the time of David, and ultimately to Jesus. Verse 35 says, "He [Jesus] will minister before my anointed one always." So who is the anointed one then? According to the Kretzmann commentary this is Jesus as well. Jesus is Prophet and Priest in one person.