After years of backsliding, Israel was a spiritually fruitless nation—and, as Alistair Begg explains, Hannah’s barren condition mirrored her people’s predicament. When the Lord granted Hannah a son, then, He answered more than a mother’s prayers: Samuel’s arrival fulfilled God’s covenant promise to establish His Word by providing leadership for Israel. God did not intervene because Hannah or the Israelites earned His favor. Rather, He always acts according to His unfolding plan of redemption and care for His people.