1 Samuel is the 9 th book of the Old Testament. It is 31 chapters long. And it covers a period of approximately 100 years of Israel s history.

Transcription

1 ROUTE 66 Destination: 1 Samuel 1-15 Tonight we are embarking on the 12 th leg of our road trip through the 66 books of the Bible. Our destination tonight is the book of 1 Samuel. 1 Samuel is the 9 th book of the Old Testament. It is 31 chapters long. And it covers a period of approximately 100 years of Israel s history. Now just a little heads up. We re trying to go through a book of the Bible a week to give the big idea of the book; to give these are the reasons why God the Holy Spirit has inspired these books, and has preserved these books for us. Last week when I began to prepare for tonight it dawned on me that we spent 38 Monday nights going through 1 Samuel in that s 38 hours to cover this book. Tonight we re going to drive through half the book in 60 minutes. So buckle up! 1 Samuel is also the 4 th book in the section of the Old Testament known as The Historical Books. And so let s get a real quick review of the structure of the Old Testament 1. Genesis to Deuteronomy The Pentateuch / The 5 Books / The Law. 2. The next section - Joshua to Esther Those are the Historical Books. And they give to us the narrative of Israel s history. And within that a. Joshua to Ruth is the time of the Theocracy in Israel. b. 1 Samuel to 2 Chronicles is the time of the Monarchy in Israel. Page 1 of 44

2 Now within the subset of the Historical Books, 1 Samuel belongs to a collection of writings called the Double Books - We have 1 st and 2 nd Samuel. We have 1 st and 2 nd Kings. We have 1 st and 2 nd Chronicles. Now in the Hebrew manuscripts the books of 1 st and 2 nd Samuel are actually just one book. And the same is true in the Hebrew manuscripts for 1 st and 2 nd Kings, and 1 st and 2 nd Chronicles. Their division into 2 books had its origin with the Septuagint (the Greek Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament around BC). And here s the reason why a guy named Bob Utley gives us this bit of information - The Hebrew language of the Biblical period did not write symbols for vowel sounds in words. When the Hebrew was translated into the Greek language the vowel letters virtually doubled the size of the scroll. Hence to make the use of the scroll more manageable, the material in each case was somewhat arbitrarily divided into two separate scrolls. So they essentially doubled the number of characters. So instead of having one scroll containing one book of 1 st Samuel, the scroll would have been so big, so cumbersome, they said we need to break this into two parts. And it was done arbitrarily by the translators. The division of these books was not divinely inspired. In the Septuagint, the books of 1 st and 2 nd Samuel, and 1 st and 2 nd Kings are called The 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Books of the Kingdoms. - plural because Israel would be split into two kingdoms in the North Israel in the South - Judah. Page 2 of 44

3 Later, in the 4 th century AD, the Latin Vulgate (Jerome's famous translation of the entire Bible into Latin) continues the division of these books in the same form as the Septuagint; only they are called The 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Books of the Kings, rather than the Kingdoms. And eventually, by the time the Authorized Version (KJV) rolls out in about 1611, there were sub-titles to these 4 books like under the title The First Book of Samuel in the 1611 translation of the King James Version it would say Otherwise called the first Book of the Kings. By the time you get to the Revised Version, the sub-titles are dropped. So we re looking at these Double Books, if you would. And the first of the Double Books is named after the main characters of the book we re studying tonight. The division of Samuel into 2 books essentially does two things 1. First 1 st Samuel marks off a clear very important division in Israel's history. Now you might be thinking Am I in a classroom? What is this about? No, it s very important stuff to understand so that we know exactly why and where the Holy Spirit is coming from in these books st Samuel marks off a clear division in Israel's history the end of the period of the Judges, and the beginning of the Monarchy. 1 st Samuel goes from the birth of Samuel, who would be the last of the Judges. Remember there is a book of Judges. Ruth followed that book. It was taking place during the book of Judges. So Samuel is the last of the Judges in Israel. So 1 st Samuel goes Page 3 of 44

4 from the birth of the last of the Judges, Samuel, to the first of Israel's kings, Saul. And it records the death of the first king of Israel, Saul, and the calling of a young man named David. 2. The second thing that this book does is it gives us a view that era of Israel s history as being all about and this is very important and you ll see this as we continue this week, and through 2 nd Samuel in the following week after that it s really dividing this portion of Israel s history into the rise of King David (1 st Samuel), and the reign of King David (2 nd Samuel). Authorship and Theme Who is the author of 1 st and 2 nd Samuel? It s very possible, and Jewish tradition has it, that 1 st Samuel was written by Samuel himself. But it s obvious that he could not have written the whole of 1 st Samuel or any of 2 nd Samuel because Samuel dies in 1 Samuel 25, right? So he s not going to even finish the book. And Jewish tradition holds that Samuel was the author - assisted by Nathan and Gad. And we ll be introduced to those guys as we study through 1 st Samuel, 2 nd Samuel. But here s the deal It s a really big deal We might not know who penned the book; But we do know that the Holy Spirit inspired the book. That trumps everything. As we drive through this book, and the remainder of those Double Books, we are going to see the mega themes of leadership and influence. Would you just write down those two words? Page 4 of 44

5 leadership, influence. All along that stretch of Route 66, these Double Books, the Holy Spirit is going to challenge us by way of the lives found in these books giants, if you would, who teach us giant lessons, some by way of giant failure, others by way of giant faith and giant victory. And, again, we should be getting very familiar with this passage of the Bible - 1 Corinthians 10: 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. So now let s really set the stage with some - Historical Context. And I love how one guy framed it. He said For a moment, would you imagine that you are on an airplane. You re at cruising altitude. And then you hear the voice of the captain come over the intercom, saying something to this effect - "We want you to know that due to system failures (plural) we have been flying without the benefit of radio, compass, radar or navigation for the past three hours. And we need to inform you that we are. lost! That s the word - We re lost! We not only don't know where we are; We don't even know which way we re going! But the good news is that we are making excellent time!" Wow! You have no idea where you re going - but hey, you are right on time. That is the situation in the nation of Israel at the start of 1 st Samuel. The opening chapters of 1 st Samuel are still in the period of the Judges. As a nation, Israel was without direction because they had walked away from the Lord, right? The last verse of the last chapter of the book of Judges And every man was doing what was right in his own Page 5 of 44

6 eyes. So Israel at this time is actually on course to captivity; and they re going to get there in 586 BC. And as we drive through these Double Books we re going to see examples of good and bad leadership along the way. Somebody said this on leadership There are three kinds of people: those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who have no idea what's happening. And we re going to see all three categories in the pages of 1 st Samuel, and then in 2 nd Samuel, and 1 st and 2 nd Kings, and 1 st and 2 nd Chronicles. 1 st Samuel introduces us to some of the most amazing characters and some of the most amazing stories - in all of human history. It s an amazing cast of heroes and villains The stars are - Samuel, Saul, David. They re joined by a supporting cast characters like - Hannah, Eli, Jonathan, Joab, Abishai, Abner; with guest appearances by the likes of Goliath, Abigail, Nabal and Doeg. A big cast heroes, villains abounding. The Flow of the Book Interwoven within the historical fabric of 1 st Samuel are the biographies of three significant personalities. 1 st Samuel really is the story of Page 6 of 44

7 Samuel, Saul, and David. So that is a big idea you want to walk away with tonight. Why should I visit 1 st Samuel? Why is it important to me? Because it is the story of these three guys. Samuel, Saul, and David. The Book is divided around their lives - 1 Samuel Samuel is the main figure. 1 Samuel Saul is the main figure. 1 Samuel David is the main figure. Now these are not like stark divisions. These three lives overlap across these divisions. Samuel is going to live well into the reign of King Saul. Samuel will see David rise to prominence, while Saul continues to usurp the throne and persecute David until David is about thirty years old. And yet despite the overlapping of these leading characters, the division of the book along these lines still holds true. In the first seven chapters (1 st Samuel 1-7) - Samuel is the prominent figure. The focus is on him. Think of one of those tight focus moments in movies; and everybody in the back is kind of blurred; they re not in focus. The focus is on Samuel. Page 7 of 44

8 In the next eight chapters (1 st Samuel 8-15) the focus is on Saul. Samuel is in the background. He s there. He s not gone. But he s not the focal point. In the remaining 16 chapters (1 st Samuel 16-31), though Saul is still reigning, there is no mistaking that the center of attention is now on David. The Transition from Theocracy to Monarchy And these three characters play major roles in a major transition in the history of the nation of Israel as it transitions from Theocracy to Monarchy Samuel - the last of the Judges; Saul - the first of the Kings; David - the greatest of the Kings. In fact, as we get further on in these Double Books, God will always measure the kings of Israel against David. And if somebody is a good king, it will say, He was a man like David. And when they were a bad king, it will say, This man did not walk in the ways of David. David was the gold standard for kings in Israel. Now you might be thinking, Okay, we re getting some history here But how is that relevant? What are the implications and applications to me in the 21 st century? Page 8 of 44

9 Well, it s radically relevant. And there are powerful implications and applications to you and I in the 21 st century. God had called Israel into a unique relationship with Himself. God desired to be the centerpiece and the focal point of the nation. And you remember in our drive through the book of Numbers how God commanded the nation how to camp they were to place the tabernacle in the center of their encampment. Every tent door opened facing the tabernacle. God Himself was Israel's King invisible. But in 1 st Samuel we find the nation complaining about the fact that they had no human and visible king as the surrounding nations had. The fateful moment of this transition is recorded in 1 st Samuel 8. Now here s something that struck me last week. And I want to encourage you guys that are thinking, I want to be a student of the Bible. And you re studying the Bible. And you re digging stuff up. And you re seeing stuff. And you re kind of getting really clear in an area. And maybe three years later, five years later, ten years later, I m telling you for me it s thirty plus years later, you see something in the Bible that s always been there; but you never saw it in a particular light. And suddenly the Holy Spirit kind of shines line through that; and it s like a prism; and you see something that you ve never seen. This struck me last week. And it me really start thinking concerning talking about it tonight. Was it the will of God for Israel to have a king? In light of Genesis 49 it appears that it was always God's plan that He would rule Israel through a king. From the King James Version - Genesis 49: 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. The scepter was an ornamental staff. It was the symbol of the authority of a king. So God is saying, There is going to be a king in Judah. 700 years before the birth of Jesus Isaiah gives this prophecy concerning the Messiah of Israel. Page 9 of 44

10 From the New Living Translation - Isaiah 9: 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from this is very important - the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. So there s coming a king that s going to have an everlasting rule. But there s going to come a moment when He s going to rule from the throne of David. That s going to take place at the end of the book of Revelation during a one thousand year period of time after Jesus returns to the Earth. But notice this Jesus is going to sit on a throne, a very specific throne, the throne of his ancestor David. Remember this book is about Samuel, Saul and David. And it says - Isaiah 9: 7 The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven s Armies will make this happen! Now let s put a topper on that one - When Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced to her that she was going to be the mother of Jesus, he said this - Luke 1: 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. There s a kingly lineage that s going to be in Israel. So was a king in Israel in the will of God? Yes. Now how does this fit with Israel saying We don t want to have God be the invisible King; We just want to have a guy that we can see, touch and feel? Even though God said that He would eventually put a king in place, and from that king there would finally come the King of kings, even though God said that He would put a king in place at this point in time everything was wrong about the desire to have a king at that moment! If you want to look at it like this - 1. They were about ten years to soon. David was the man who was called a man after God's own heart, not Saul. Page 10 of 44

11 2. This king was from the wrong tribe. Saul was from the wrong tribe. In Genesis 49 God declared that Judah would be the kingly tribe in Israel. And then we see Isaiah speak of David s throne. We see the angel Gabriel speak of David s throne. God declared that the King of kings would come from the house of David. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. Now I want you to think a little bit out in front here and my brain went running out there right away this afternoon Saul is form the tribe of Benjamin. He has a son, who is the rightful heir to his throne, not David. That son s name is Jonathan. And what does Jonathan want to do? Give the throne to David how epic of a guy is Jonathan! Jonathan s heart was beating with the heart of God for the throne to be coming from David, and even though Jonathan s dad was this scoundrel of a guy named Saul. And we ll see what a scoundrel he was Lord willing. So big stuff! So we need to remember the opening of 1 st Samuel overlaps the period of the Judges in Israel. During that time - there was no king in Israel; and every man was doing that which was right in his own eyes. It was out of that spiritual chaos, the moral chaos of the period of the Judges that the people demanded to have a human ruler. 1 st Samuel records the moment in Israel s history when the people decided that life would be easier, and they would feel better, if they had a king right then and right there regardless of what God thought. They had no faith to wait for God s timing and God s king. Christians, this is why 1 st Samuel is really important for us. It teaches us something about faith. Trusting Jesus is not the easy way to live. If somebody is telling you, Come to Jesus, everything is going to get easy they don t know Jesus; they don t know what it means to follow Jesus. Page 11 of 44

12 Trusting in Jesus is not the easy way to live your life. But the life of faith is God s best way for anyone to live. In fact, the life of faith is the only way you can live, because Jesus is the only way to be born again. And Jesus is the only way to provide for us what He said - life and that abundantly. So the life of faith is the only way you can live in and enjoy all that Jesus died for you to have. There is nothing of God s best for your life that is experienced by way of human wisdom or mere human emotions. The peace that passes understanding, joy unspeakable and full of glory, life in abundance - all of that is wrapped up in and experienced by way of trusting God. Let s look at a few verses together - Romans 1: 17 The just shall live by faith. Those who have been justified by faith in Jesus will live by faith in Jesus. Galatians 2: 20 The life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. 2 Corinthians 5: 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. The whole of the Christian life begins with faith; and it s lived by faith. 1 Timothy 1: 17 To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. But Israel did what so many of us do Israel gave up God's best; and settled for second best. And, guys, there is an infinite gulf between God s best, and second best. Page 12 of 44

13 And they would soon discover that instead of getting rid of their old problems they were going to get a bunch of new problems through the very king they had demanded. 1 st Samuel is a really crucial stretch along Route 66 because it teaches us this, guys, that the seemingly easier way which always appeals to our fallen human wisdom; always appeals to our flesh, the seemingly easier way is always the lower way. And troubles increase when we choose that way in preference to God's way. Troubles increase when we settle for less than God's best. God has His best things for the few who dare to stand the test; God has His second choice for those who will not take His best. It is not always open ill that risks the promised rest; The better often is the foe that keeps us from the best. And others make the highest choice, but when by trials pressed, They shrink, they yield, they shun the cross, and so they lose the best. One of the devil s greatest tools to rip you off is to get you to settle for good, not best; because God has an excellent for you. Faith takes the position that God has an excellent for us! And faith waits for it! Here s how Paul wrote that to the Philippians in the New Testament - Philippians 1: 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Paul is saying, I m praying that you re going to prove what s excellent. And that means to prove it after testing, to put it to the test of Scripture. Scripture is the litmus test for us. Page 13 of 44

14 So once again the outline of the book 1 st Samuel 1-7 it s about Samuel. 1 st Samuel 8-15 it s about Saul. 1 st Samuel it s about David. As we move into this first division, as a character study Samuel has few peers. In light of the role that he plays in the early growth of his nation he is actually equaled only by Moses in the Old Testament. The ministry of Samuel marks the institution of the prophetic office. Now there were those in Israel, before Samuel, who did prophesy. We see it in - Numbers 11: 25 we read of how the spirit rested upon the seventy elders and they prophesied. Judges 4: 4 And Deborah, a prophetess Judges 6: 7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, 8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, Moses himself is called a prophet - Deuteronomy 17: 18. But there was no organized prophetic office. In a very real sense Samuel is the first of the prophets. And that distinction is actually recognized in the New Testament Acts 3: 24., and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, Samuel was a big deal in God s dealings with Israel. F. B. Meyer, an old Englishman, said Samuel the Prophet" thus practically bridges the gulf between Samson the Judge and David the King: and there is deep significance in the fact that his name is identified with the two Books of Scripture which describe this great transitional period, every event of which was affected by his influence. He ends the period of the Judges. Page 14 of 44

15 He heads the order of the prophets. He places Israel's first king on the throne. So he s a giant, guys. He s a giant in the Scriptures. He s important for us. God the Holy Spirit says, Look at this guy. So there s our ground work. So, figuratively speaking, let s buckle up and start our drive through the first division of the book. 1 st SAMUEL 1 deals with the birth of this really amazing guy named Samuel. The whole of the story begins with an average man and a notable woman in a real critical time. The King James Version begins 1 st Samuel 1 with the word Now. That now is about 1,100 years before Jesus. And during that time the Israelites were being plagued by the Philistines. How badly? The Pulpit Commentary says this - "Never did time seem more hopeless than when Samuel arose. The Philistines, strengthened not merely by a constant influx of immigrants, but by the importation of arms from Greece, were fast reducing Israel to the condition of a subject race. So it s a big moment of crisis. 1 st Samuel 1: 1 Now (KJV) there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. So at this strategic time, a dark time, a threatening time, there s a people group that threatens their very existence; there s an existential threat that s the way we would put it in contemporary language facing the nation of Israel at this strategic time and place God begins His plan in the way that He almost always does. Now get this, guys- He begins with a certain man. When you read through the Bible and that s what I love about this Route 66, because we re reading through the Bible; we re moving through it Page 15 of 44

16 at a really great pace to get a big picture When we go through the Bible we see God, who created the universe out of nothing constantly looking for a man, constantly looking for a woman. And He s not looking because He is impotent, or He is limited in resources. He is looking for a man; He s looking for a woman because - get this - He loves to be with us; And He loves for us to be with Him. Did you know that when God created the heavens and the earth, when He created the physical universe, that He was really kind of detached? He just spoke it into existence from nothing. But when it came to creating man, we could say that God got His hands dirty, right? He formed man out of the dust. God could be detached from His universe; But He would not be detached from man, even in man s creation. Why? Because God wanted to be intimate with man, even in man s creation. Guys, you and I were made for relationship with our Creator. So when God works, He chooses to use men and women, not of necessity, because He s God. He needs no one. He is self-existent. He is self-sufficient. Page 16 of 44

17 But when He works He chooses to use men and women because of His desire for fellowship with us. And it s in His working out His plans and His purposes where He fellowships with us, where He grows us and conforms us to the image of His Son. So here in 1 st Samuel 1, about 1,100 years before Jesus, the Philistines have now poured into the land that was promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their descendants. What are the Philistines trying to do? They are trying to subdue and eliminate the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And what s big about that? Well, God had promised that the Savior of the world would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So the whole plan of salvation is being attacked. And God, at this moment of crisis, finds for Himself a certain man - and we re going to see in just a minute not just a certain man, but a certain women. 1 Sameul 1: 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah (which means - Grace), and the name of the other, Peninnah (which means - Ruby). Now he had two wives. And a lot of people go Whoa! What s up with that? Well, the Bible doesn't condone polygamy. It s just honest to say that s what was going on. And wherever we find polygamy in the Bible the Holy Spirit is really good to let us see the outcome of polygamy. It s always surrounded by strife and conflict. In this account, the relationship between the two wives is strained over the issue of children. Peninnah had children; And Hannah did not. And it became a very hostile environment in the home. 1 Samuel 1: 6 And her rival (Hannah s rival Peninnah) used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, - Why? because the Lord had closed Hannah s womb. Page 17 of 44

18 Remember in our close of the book of Ruth Ruth 4: 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife.and the Lord gave her conception, Here we see that the Lord closed the womb of Hannah. And we want to keep in mind why this was so grievous. In that time of history bareness was considered to be a curse from God. Now the natural question would be Why should Peninnah, who seems to be mean and contentious, be blessed with children; While Hannah, who 1 st Samuel declares to be very godly, would be cursed with barrenness? Well, here s the truth, guys - We do not understand God's ways until He has finished accomplishing His purposes. That s so helpful for us to remember. When we re in the thick of it, who can understand what God is doing. A lot of people think I think God is doing this. I think God is doing that. Well, God s obviously doing this. Well, unless you have something directly from the Lord saying that, the truth is that while we are in the middle of it we don t really understand God s ways until He s finished. And then with perfect hindsight, we look back, and think Here s where I am. And that s where I came from. Oh, I see it. So here s Hannah She doesn t understand the pain of being childless. God has a purpose in it. The Lord was going to use the pain of being childless to bring Hannah into line with God s plan and God s purposes. Let s put that thought on hold for a moment. But note this. It s interesting that Elkanah, her husband, was sensitive to Hannah s grief. He would go out of his way to try to lighten her burden. But he could never seem to be the answer to her grief. Page 18 of 44

19 Here s a big lesson for us men If you re single, I hope it sinks in deep. If you re married, I hope it s like a two-by-four of God s grace that just whacks you on the side of the head, because we need it. I know this might seem a bit hard to understand; but, husbands, we re not as great as we would like to think we are. Your wife has needs that you cannot fulfill. And when you run into that, instead of throwing your arms up in the air, and just quitting, or talking to yourself in the car you know what that s like, men, when stuff is happening at the house, and you try lighten your wife s burden; and she s not getting it; and you re missing the target completely; and you re so exasperated by it all you get in the car; and you start talking to yourself instead of doing that, throw yourself on the mercies of God concerning those needs in the life of your spouse that are beyond you. That s the lesson for men. Big lesson for women - Your husband cannot fulfill all of your needs. Elkanah could not help Hannah, because he was not God. Remember Ruth 4 the Lord God gave her conception. Elkanah couldn t do anything about the barrenness, the closed womb of his wife. Only God could. God s the giver of life. Wives, let me suggest to you that in many cases your husband cannot help you simply because he s not God. Now you wives might be thinking, Like I don t I know that? But if you do know that, then why do look at him as though he s the one that is going to meet your need in certain moments? I m not saying every moment. Husbands, you better be there for your wife. And even when it s beyond you, I hope you re trying to meet that need, as you discover that s a need that s outside of your scope. Like Hannah s husband, you need to understand your husband might desire to help you; he might try to help you, but fail miserably. Big lesson for singles - Our culture has made marriage out to be the end all. Just find the person that shares your 97 dimensions of compatibility; and you ll discover true romance, true life, and true happiness. No - Marriage is God s plan, not God s replacement. God won t be replaced by a human being. Hannah had a lot of problems. Her husband s heart was divided, right? He had bought into the whole polygamy thing. Her home was a place of trials instead of a place of rest. She was misunderstood by her husband. Her hope had been crushed. The whole of her peers were looking at her like, Page 19 of 44

20 You re cursed by God. Yet in all those things don t miss this - Hannah did right things she wept bitterly, and she prayed passionately! And old commentator said this - "Prayers and tears are the saints' best weapons." 1 st Samuel 1: 11 And she vowed a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head. Of course, that goes back to what we studied in the Pentateuch about the vow of the Nazerite, which is a vow of consecration. Now a question - Is she trying to bribe God in order to have a son? When we read the whole story, the answer to that is No. It is this very vow that qualified her to conceive and give birth to a child who would be one of the greatest men in the history of Israel. And I hope we can get our hearts and heads around this, guys - This vow was really the very purpose of God in closing her womb and allowing her to experience such pain and such disappointment. God needed a man and I say that in terms of God s economy, God wanting to use men and women in His saving plans and purposes. He doesn t need man in the sense that He s run out of ideas, or run out of resources. But in working in human affairs, God says, I m going to use human instruments. So God needed a man to lead the Children of Israel at this very critical time spiritually, politically, morally. And there was no man in Israel that God found usable. It wasn t the first time; It wouldn t be the last time. Later in the history of the nation God would say through Ezekiel, the prophet - Page 20 of 44

21 Ezekiel 22: 30 And I sought for a man among them, who would stand in the gap, and who would fill in the hedge, but I found none: and therefore my judgment had to come. And so not finding a man I love this God found a woman God found a woman whose heart was brought into line with the plans and purposes of God. How did God bring her heart into line with God s plans and purposes? - By way of pain and desperation. Hannah comes to the place of consecrating a son completely to the plans and purposes of God. God wanted a man. Hannah said, If God would ever give me a son I will give him back to God for his life. That s why God allowed Hannah to go through such a desperate time, so that her heart would be ready to say, God, my son can be your man. There s a book called, Crowded to Christ. It s written by a man named Maxwell. It was published by Eerdmans in 1950). It speaks about how often times we are crowded to Jesus through trials, through adversity. It was God s purpose to raise up a man in Israel. But first He had to move Hannah to be in alignment with His purposes, to get His man, if you would. And in this vow we see Hannah crowded unto God by the problems that she had. And God used her to bring forth a son that He could use for His purposes. Now was God forcing her to dedicate her son completely to His plans and purpose? The answer is no, because many people have experienced the kind of pain and difficulty that Hannah faced; but rather than saying, Lord, I m all yours; and whatever you give me is all yours ; they raise their fist to heaven, and say, If this is the way you re going to treat me, God, then I m never going to live for you; and nothing I have will be yours. So God didn t force her to do anything. 1 st Samuel 1: 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, I have asked for him from the Lord. So Samuel means Asked of God. Make a note of this - The book of Samuel Page 21 of 44

22 opens with prayer, and closes with prayer. Prayer is mentioned or prayer is seen in the narrative 30 times between the opening and the closing of the book. The Holy Spirit says, This is an important book, because it speaks so much about prayer. Prayer is what people do in distress. This afternoon, just thinking about this, and meditating on it, I thought of the Psalms. You read the Psalms, and how many times do we read the Psalmist saying, in distress, or in my distress time and time and time again. 1 st Samuel 1: 27 For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD. So when she s saying, lent him to the Lord, it doesn t mean, Okay, Lord, you can have this little guy for awhile. I ll be back in a little bit to pick him up. When she says I m lending this child to the Lord, it s like, This little guy is yours for his life, God. So why is 1 st Samuel such a big deal? How is it so relevant to us today? It s a really big deal for us, it s radically relevant to us, because in it the Holy Spirit shows us that Elkanah s and Hannah s greatest desire for Samuel was not for Samuel to be the richest guy or the smartest guy and or to go to the best universities. Their greatest desire for their son was to see him love God and serve God. That is huge stuff. Parents, I think it s awesome when you can walk with your kids through life, and see them become the people God made them to be, and to see their talents developed and nurtured, and how they can live with those talents for God s glory, and to see them have their successes, to see them have opportunities. Val and I love our kids dearly. We re just so proud of them. It s so incredible to see them moving forward in Jesus, to see their lives and their talents coming into full development for God s glory, for God s purposes. And don t we pray that every time we dedicate a child Lord, this little child Page 22 of 44

23 is fearfully and wonderfully made. And we pray that every talent that you ve woven into the fabric of this little person would be developed to its fullest for your glory. Guys, all this couple wanted was for Samuel to love the Lord and serve the Lord. And that s so radical because this was in the midst of that era when everyone was doing what was right in their own sight. This couple wanted their son to grow up loving God, and desiring to do what was right in the eyes of God, not what was right in their own eyes. And so sometime between the age of 3 and 5 they bring Samuel to the tabernacle, so that he would for the rest of his life serve the Lord. 1 st SAMUEL 2 talks about Samuel s childhood In the first 11 verses of 1 st Samuel 2 we have the account of Hannah responding to the goodness of God in worshipping, in this beautiful declaration of worship, and a prayer. And she dedicates Samuel to the Lord in prayer there in 1 st Samuel 2, which, again, is the Biblical basis for why we dedicate our children to the Lord. 1 st Samuel 2: 11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy ministered to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest. Now we don't know how old he was when he started ministering to the Lord. Most believe that he was a teenager. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus tells us that Samuel was 12 years old when he started in the ministry. This is huge. Here is a twelve-year old learning ministry. Guys, God is in the business of youth movements. God is always looking for anybody at any age to serve him. It s not exclusive to youth; but it seems that God loves to get a hold of hearts when they are young. Jeremiah was just a young man. How do we know that? - Because when God called Jeremiah into the prophetic ministry, Jeremiah protested the call of God on his life by saying, "You can t use me, I'm just a kid." In the New Testament we know that Timothy was a young man; so young that older believers were unwilling to follow him. And Paul wrote to Timothy and said, "Don't let anybody look down on you because you're young, " (1 Timothy 4:12). Page 23 of 44

24 Now I m not saying that God looks exclusively for young people. Moses, we know, was 80 years old when God used him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt; and for the next 40 years till he was 120 he led the Children of Israel in the wilderness. Caleb was 85-years old when he set out to take possession of his inheritance in the land. But here s the deal and this is striking - As a rule, a young person is more pliable and open than people who are chronologically older than them. In the New Testament Jesus talked about old wineskins and new wineskins, and how old wineskins become inflexible - they can t contain new wine. Wine in the Scripture is a picture of the Holy Spirit. And some guys that were so usable by God in their youth, as they get older they somehow just get stiff and inflexible. And God just goes, You can t hold the new work of the Spirit that I m going to do. I ve got to put it in a new skin. My prayer is that I will always stay flexible and yielded to the Holy Spirit. I want to be spiritually youthful, if you would, so that I would never be unusable by the Lord. And I want to tell you this, guys - It s crucial that we be concerned to reach young men and women because statistically most decisions for Christ come at a young age. Check this out - Only 1 in 5,000 are converted at the age of 25. Only 1 in 25,000 are converted at the age of 35. Only 1 in 60,000 are converted at the age of 45. Only 1 in 125,000 come to faith in Jesus at the age of 55. And conversion at the age of 75 is, statistically, almost unheard of. So if you re young tonight, and you don t know Jesus, don t leave here without knowing Jesus, because every day you put that off you re not getting closer to receiving Jesus, statistically, you re getting further from receiving Jesus. That s big stuff! Dwight Moody, the famous American evangelist, he came home one night after a service. And his wife, who was unable to make the service, said to her husband, "Dwight, how many came forward to give their lives to Jesus tonight?" And Moody said, Page 24 of 44

25 "Two and a half people got saved tonight." She said, "Two and one-half? Do you mean two adults and one child?" He said, "No, two children and one adult - that adult wasted half of his life already; but these kids have their whole life ahead of them." So here s God He s going to call this twelve-year old kid. 1 st Samuel 2: 12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. The King James Version actually reads this as "They were sons of Belial." In other words - They were the Devil's kids. Maybe you ve heard of the term P.K. pastor s kid. These guys were PK's They were priests' kids. They were sons of a priest. They worked in the tabernacle. But they were Godless. 1 st SAMUEL 3 The Call of Samuel 1 st Samuel 3: 1 Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. In contrast to the sons of Eli, Samuel loved God and worshipped God in his responsibilities in the house of God. Eli's sons were in the ministry for themselves. They were horrible guys. When people would bring their meat offerings, they would take the best meat, and give God the trash. They were having sex with the ladies at the door of the tabernacle. It was so wretched that people didn t even want to go to the tabernacle anymore. They said, Forget church, if you would; I m not going to go there. These guys were turning people away from God, left and right. Eli s sons were in the ministry to get. They just took and took and took. Samuel was in the ministry to give. He wanted to give to the Lord. And he wanted to serve and give to the Lord s people. Page 25 of 44

26 1 st Samuel 3: 1 And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. Now, again, the historical context of 1 st Samuel - It s the end of the period of the Judges. It wasn t that God wasn t speaking. It s because there were so few people listening. And we see the same thing today. I want you to think about this In 21 st century Western Christianity there is no lack of access to the Word of God in print or electronic media. I have the Word of God up here in three forms. There is no lack of access to it. And in the 21 st century in Western Christianity there s no lack of access to solid teaching from the Word of God. But in comparison to the abundance and the ease of access to the Scriptures and solid teaching it is rare for people to put themselves within earshot of the Word of God; it s rare for people to access the Word of God, and open themselves to the influence of the Word of God. So when we find Samuel in the house of the Lord at the age of 12 there were very few people listening to God. And that always paints a dark picture for any culture at any period of history because the Word of God is the source of light in this spiritually and morally dark world. Psalm 119: 30 The entrance of your word brings light; and gives understanding to the simple. Now though the Word of the Lord was rare in those days, God was not silent. Check this out. Do you think we have things bad today? In the midst of a corrupt government, a corrupt religious system, and a corrupt population, there is a single 12-year old boy who is going to begin to change the course of a nation. Page 26 of 44

27 This 12-year old boy he doesn t have the writing genius of Isaiah; he doesn t have the demonstrations of divine power in his ministry as Elijah did, who called fire down from heaven. But what Samuel does possess is an amazing character, character that is shaped by his love for the Lord. He was a man of prayer. In Jeremiah 15:1 the Lord speaks of how Moses and Samuel were guys who stood before Him interceding, pleading for the nation of Israel. In 1 st Samuel 12 Samuel himself will say, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. Samuel will become the greatest influence upon the nation of Israel since Moses. And it was all way of his character. Character matters. He had no agenda of his own. His agenda was for God to be glorified in the mind and heart of every Israelite. His agenda was for the nation of Israel to be found loving the Lord. 1 st Samuel 12: 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. And because of the degree of his personal consecration to the Lord Samuel would be used by God to bring a nation under conviction. Metro, I want you to think about this - Through the course of a week there are about 200 kids under the age of 12 that pass through the hallways of this facility. Do you know what 1 st Samuel tells us we should be about? Serve them. Love them. Pray for them. Page 27 of 44

28 Pray for those lives, that the Lord would give us Samuels; would give us Ruths; would give us Hannahs; would give us Davids. Because when God gets hold of their young hearts we re going to see God change homes; we re going to see God change neighborhoods; we re going to see God change elementary schools, and middle schools, and high schools; we ll see God, through them change a nation! 1 st Samuel 3: 4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, Here I am! 5 and ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. But he said, I did not call; lie down again. So he went and lay down. I Love this! Here is the God of the universe calling this 12-year old boy. And He calls him with such tenderness that Samuel thought it was the voice of the 90-year old man, Eli, who loved him so much. God could have shaken Shiloh with His voice. But He spoke ever so gently to this boy. We know in 1 Kings 19:12 that He spoke to Elijah in a still small voice. And I love this too! How many parents have middle school kids? God can speak to a 12-year old yes! God can speak to a 12-year old! You might think, Who can get through to my 12-year old? God can! We need to be encouraging our kids to listen to God. We need to do all that we can to help them to be familiar with the Word of God. Because, you see, God speaks in His Word. And the more familiar they are with His Page 28 of 44

29 Word the better they will know His voice. That s so crucial because there will come a day, like it did for Samuel, when they are going to have to respond to voice of the Lord; and they re going to have to own the Lord, not as being their moms and dads, but as their own. 1 st Samuel 3: 10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel said, Speak, for your servant hears. 1 st SAMUEL 4-6 Samuel s Ministry Samuel begins his ministry in radically dark times. 1 st Samuel 4: 1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? In other words - Why is God treating us like this? Well, the answer is - because every man was doing that which was right in their own eyes! Alexander Maclaren - again, an old commentator- "There are plenty of Christians, like these, who, when they find themselves beaten by the world and the devil, puzzle their brains to invent all sorts of reasons for God's smiting, except the true one, their own departure from Him." You see, whom the Lord loves He chastens. So working from that state of heart and mind, every man doing what was right in their own eyes, they come up with what they thought was a brilliant plan. 1 Samuel 4: 3. Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies. Page 29 of 44

30 What s going to save us? not God, but it, this box that God told Moses to construct in the wilderness that was in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle there at Shiloh. 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. These people had zero regard for, and zero confidence in, the true and living God who manifested His glory above that very ark, that box in the tabernacle. Remember God said, And there I will meet you, there above the mercy seat between the two cherubim that were carved - the graven images that were on top of that box. They had zero confidence in the true and living God who manifested His glory above the ark. But they had total confidence in the box itself. And here s the picture - It s a common reality in a lot of churches. This is nothing less than resorting to religion to save you. It is saying God has to help me because I was baptized. God has to help me because I received communion. Baptism and Communion are both instituted by God. God delights in meeting the believer in baptism, meeting the believer at the communion table. But neither baptism nor communion nor any religious activity can save. Our confidence must be in God alone because it is God alone who can save. These people were essentially hardcore pragmatic people. Pragmatic means Do this because it works. What works? That s pragmatic. And they re saying - the ark works. Page 30 of 44

31 After all, the ark had gone before them when Joshua was leading their ancestors across the Jordan River at flood season. And when the feet of the priests touched the water the river stood up in heaps. And they crossed over on dry ground. After all, the ark had gone into battle before. Moses told the priests to carry the ark into battle against the Midianites (Numbers 31:6). The ark went in front of the Israelites as they marched around the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:6-8). The ark works. And here s the picture - The minute we place our confidence in some method or some thing, even something designed by God, we have misplaced our trust; and we have become like these Israelites. I m telling you, guys, I was trying to think about this - We can t begin to calculate the millions of dollars spent by ministers and ministries on conferences where they hope to discover the next new method for church growth. They sign up in droves. They pay their money. And they get a new pragmatic methodology. And they go home thinking this is what works. The contemporary relevance gets even bigger - 1 Samuel 4: 5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. Guys, that s just like the response of so many to the pragmatism in the Church today when the next big event roles in, the next big personality arrives, the next big program roles out huge crowds and big shouts! It didn t end well. Page 31 of 44