"The Horn Of Salvation"

"And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in Thy Salvation." (1 Samuel 2:1) There is something about what Hannah is proclaiming here which we should take notice of; besides the fact that she trusted God, and was a woman of great faith; she also had great insight into the Working's of God. Within the first verse is a word which is easily overlooked, and can mean a lot more than one might think; the word is 'horn'. Our very first thought of what this word might imply within this text, might be to picture it of something like a megaphone, because in the very next breath, she says, "my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies". This very well might be the point she was trying to make; however, we are talking about God's Word here; which means that the words which are written here in this Book, are not necessarily the word's of the characters who are speaking them. In verse 10, we see another reference to this 'horn', "The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of Heaven shall He thunder upon them: The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His King, and exalt the Horn of His anointed." The Hebrew word that is used here is 'qeren', and the primary meaning is 'A Horn'; but the implications are various: a flask, a cornet, an elephant's tooth, a corner of the Alter, a peak of a mountain, a ray of light; Power. The Greek word for horn is 'Keras', and it means 'A Horn'. Horns are emblems of strength, power, or glory; which comes from the strength or force exhibited in the horns of animals, whether for offence or defence. The symbol is also applied to Jesus Christ, who is called a "Horn of Salvation", meaning a mighty and glorious Savior. It also refers to any extremity or projecting point resembling a horn, as upon the four corners of the Jewish altars. Now; for the moment, picture this 'Horn' to be something like a megaphone, which would imply that it was something which we could pick up and use in a fashion to proclaim God's Salvation; what do you think that megaphone would represent? How about God's Love? I cannot help but go back to my very first posting; in which I addressed a question: 'Are we motivated by fear or by love?' Both of which are a horn to a certain degree; one is used for defence, and the other for offence. "I will love Thee, O Lord, my Strength. The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer: My God, my Strength in whom I will trust; my Buckler, and the Horn of my Salvation, and my High Tower." (Psalms 18:1 & 2)