Sunday, June 3, 2018 1 Samuel 3:1-10 Theme: "TRANSITIONS-" The book of Samuel is centered around Israel's last judge, Samuel... Samuel served the Lord as priest and prophet... This book discusses Israel's cry for a king that resulted into Saul's selection as their first king... It discusses the king's failure and the growing contest between Saul and David... The book also discusses Israel's highs and lows; successes and failures... **The central theme of Samuel traces God's gracious overruling sovereignty in the sad state of Israel's affairs... **Righteous leaders like Samuel and David would be selected to unite the nation into an instrument of God's grace... Despite Israel's rejection of God as King, God would prove faithful and enter into an everlasting covenant... This covenant would see the appointment of a Godly King, David... This covenant would also affect the destiny of both Israel and the world... We know that because through David came Israel's King, Messiah and Savior of the world, Jesus Christ... Discipleship Ministries provided a wonderful resource for us today as we explore this scripture... WHAT? When used as a pronoun, then we are seeking information... (e.g. What is your name?) When used as an exclamation, then we are emphasizing something either surprising or remarkable... (e.g. What! as long as you have been here at FUMC you mean he didn't yet know the LORD)! Can we fail and reject God and God still remains faithful and loving to us... Can God hear our cry, overturn our sadness and answer our prayers... The answer is a resounding YES!!!!
(Consider Hannah) Her womb was closed... Her mate laughed at her... She felt inadequate... Her heart was grieved... Her soul was saddened... She wept in anguished... She prayed in her heart that the LORD would remember her, look upon her affliction and give her a male child... She prayed that if the LORD did, she would give the child back to the LORD for His service... Eli, the priest, saw her praying without verbalizing her prayer... **He thought she was drunk because he didn't hear anything, only her lips were moving... *It is not always good to let others know what you are praying for or about... Anyway she told Eli that she was not drunk, but that her spirit was GRIEVED... Eli blessed her and sent her away with the hope that the God of Israel would grant her petition... The child was born and Hannah remembered her promised to the LORD... ***What does it mean to remember a promise to the LORD... ***We wake up with horrible news... ***Violence... ***Tragedy... ***Confused about life's conditions... Remember God's promise to the Israelites... (Deuteronomy 8:3) So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD... Hannah remembered God's promise and so she would keep her promise... She took the child to the Temple where Eli, the priest, would nurture him... Eli's sons were corrupt and did not know the LORD...
While they were engaged in corrupt practices, Samuel grew in faith and ministered before the LORD... Eli received word of his son's corrupt actions... He warned them of their actions, but they did not listen to him... So it was revealed to Eli that his sons would die and the LORD would raise up a faithful priest... Eli was now old; his eyesight was dim Both he and Samuel were lying down when Samuel heard a call... When Samuel heard the first and second call, he went to Eli, but Eli told Samuel to go back to bed... Samuel heard God s voice as Eli s voice... So on the third call, Eli knew that it was the LORD so he instructed Samuel to answer if he heard the call again... Notice that on the fourth call, the LORD CAME, STOOD, and CALLED Samuel... Eli taught Samuel how to respond... (First by LISTENING) Which voices are we listening to... Samuel heard a voice he was not used to hearing... But he sought advice from whom he thought was calling... The LORD is persistent in His pursuit of us... Keep listening until the WHAT makes sense to you... Keep listening until you find out where the WHAT is coming from... Keep listening until you find our where the WHAT is leading you... And if you determine that the WHAT is meant for someone else, teach that person how to respond... Learn how to distinguish God's voice from other voices... (Second, by being in RELATIONSHIP) Samuel had not yet know the LORD...
The LORD speaks to us through Scripture, Revelation, and each other... We do not have to be ready to come to the LORD... But we must cultivate our faith and make ourselves readily available so that when the LORD calls us we might be ready... (Third, by being ready for a TRANSITION) Samuel had learned from Eli... So the LORD came, stood, and called Samuel answered: "Speak, for Your servant hears" Don't we feel valued when we are called by our names... Samuel heard his name, but this time he was now ready for the transition... He followed Eli's direction... The voice of the LORD was revealed... He had been nurtured by Eli and he was ready to answer the call... Passing the torch from Eli to Samuel was initiated... The TRANSITION was about to happen... Eli's eyes had begun to grow dim... But just prior to the lamp of God going out in the tabernacle of the LORD, a transition took place... God will not allow God's people to remain in darkness... God will raise up someone... Is there a light in your life that is about to go dim... Are there transitions taking peace in your life today... Regardless of what they are, know that God is faithful in spite of our faithfulness... From a little known child, Samuel became a priest and a prophet... Do not be in disbelief; God can use even the simplest person to do God's work... God is speaking to us today, but are we listening...
*I hope so because God has established His creditability... Our Deliverer... Our Provider... Our Comforter... Our Sustainer... Our Way-maker Our Light & Salvation... The TRANSITION was to take place and Samuel was a future leader... God needed Samuel to listen because no one else was listening at that time, "for the Word of the LORD was rare in those days... Many who preach from this scripture might suggest that Eli was a sloppy father... That as a priest, he was a failure; he failed to prevent his sons from the shame and destruction they caused... *Rather than being resentful and assigning failure, guilt, and shame, I salute Eli for not giving up on Samuel in spite of his sons' failure... Because he nurtured Samuel, when Samuel heard the voice of the LORD he was able to recognize it... Samuel "hung out at the local synagogue... He slept near the the ark of the LORD... When we stay close to the church, and "Hang out where the word of God is spoken, we give ourselves the opportunity to hear God speak to us... God's voice is THE voice of authority, come and "hang out" here. God just might be speaking to you... As we transition to the Lord's Table, think about your call and the WHAT that can be associated with it... Amen!