The first time the title “Lord of Hosts” appears in the Old Testament is in the story of an Israelite woman named Hannah. She cries out to God in “bitterness of soul” (1 Samuel 1:10), using this title at the temple in Shiloh. Hannah suffered from one major affliction and two ancillary ones. The main one: she was childless. The ancillary ones: her husband’s other wife, whom the narrator calls her “adversary” (1 Samuel 1:6), speaks unkindly to her, while her husband shows little empathy for her sorrow. Here is her prayer:
O Lord of hosts,
1 Samuel 1:11
if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid,
and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid,
but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child,
then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life,
and there shall no razor come upon his head.
Why did Hannah use this title for God? The imagery of a military commander leading numerous warriors seems inconsistent with a prayer for a baby, particularly a baby whose life will be dedicated to religious service. But from Hannah’s perspective, the title may have represented the enormity of her petition. By calling Him “Lord of Hosts,” she might have been describing a God of unfathomable power. She may have felt that she required seemingly infinite power to overcome her afflictions.
This title appears many times in the Book of Mormon, usually in the context of quotations or paraphrases of Old Testament prophets. But the prophet Jacob uses the title in a way that echoes Hannah’s plea. Speaking to the men of his people who have been unfaithful to their wives, Jacob says:
I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Jacob 2:32-33
For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Like Hannah, Jacob appears to be using this title to emphasize the might of God, which He employs on behalf of the vulnerable, including women who are being mistreated.
As Hannah prays silently near the doorpost of the temple, she suffers another slight. The high priest, Eli, sees her moving her lips but making no sound and assumes she’s drunk. He reproves her, and she defends herself: “I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord,” she says (1 Samuel 1:15).
The juxtaposition of the accusation with the reality is poetic. Eli accuses her of drinking excessively; Hannah replies that she has “poured out” her soul to God.
Eli quickly recovers from the misunderstanding. “Go in peace,” he says, “and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him” (1 Samuel 1:17). Immediately, Hannah is comforted. She has been fasting and mourning. Now, she eats and rejoices. This reassurance that her prayer has been heard is enough to calm her anxiety.
In the Book of Mormon, a group of people similarly pray silently, pouring out their souls to God. After Alma and his people become slaves to the Lamanites, they begin to “cry mightily to God” (Mosiah 24:10). Their taskmasters forbid them from doing so, on pain of death. Consequently, “Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts” (Mosiah 24:12). God comforts them, promising to ease their burdens. Even though He didn’t immediately deliver them from their captors, their hearts were comforted, and “they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord” (Mosiah 24:15).
Like Hannah, Alma’s people experience peace and comfort when they recognize that God has heard them, even before they receive the full blessing they have sought. In both cases, the full blessing eventually arrives. Hannah gives birth to a son, whom she names Samuel (Shemuel: שְׁמוּאֵל), which means “heard of God” (1 Samuel 1:19-20). Alma and his people are eventually miraculously delivered from their captors, after which they “pour out” their thanks to God (Mosiah 24:16-21).
Today, I will follow Hannah’s example. I will pour out my soul to God, and I will find comfort in the assurance that He has heard me, even before I receive the blessings I seek.
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