I am always staggered by Hannah, a mere wife an mother in Isreal, her change of heart in chapter one, and then her prayer in chapter two. What incredible knowledge of God, Biblical theology, and her profound prayer.
Then Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in the Lord,
My mouth speaks boldly against
my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Thy
salvation.
“There is no one holy like the
Lord,
Indeed there is no one besides
Thee,
Nor is there any rock like our
God.
That is the Gospel. That is the prayer planted in Hannah’s heart by the Holy Spirit, directed to the God of her salvation—the Lord.
No, she didn’t have “Christian” on her name tag, but it was stamped on her heart.
She also didn't believe in, profess, or proclaim the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
How do I know this?
Because, when she lived it hadn't happened yet.
Nobody's denigrating the holiness of various Old Testament people, nor denying their faith in God as He revealed Himself to them, nor suggesting that they didn't live in hope of a Messiah.
We merely point out that it hadn't happened yet, when they lived and died.
It's a simple, Biblical fact that St. Stephen was the first person to be killed for proclaiming the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
That shouldn't be a big issue. Post #4 was simply uncalled for.