1 Samuel Series Wk 5 - “Abiding in The King”

  Have you ever heard a really good inspiring speech that got you onboard with whatever the person was selling? A politician said something so compelling that you decided to vote for them? A salesman sold you that car? You believed someone’s story because they told it so well? Whatever they said, they swayed you from one idea to their cause. Costco is one of those places that has so many free samples to get you to buy a product they’re trying to move. We’ve boughten so many of those things because we were persuaded to, either by the sales people or our kids. 

Well it’s this idea of being swayed to something, that brings us back to summer series where we’ll be picking it back up in First Samuel chapter 7, verse 3, as we wrap up the first section of the book of of First Samuel. Now as we open to First Samuel 7:3, lets recap the last four weeks. 

In our first week, we discussed how God was narrowing his work to bring about the Messiah and he did this by granting the heartfelt desire of Hannah as it aligned with his will. It would be through the Prophet and Judge, Samuel, that God would call David and through his lineage, bring Jesus to the cross. 

Following this, we saw how we must keep our eyes on Jesus, because when people get into power, they can easily become spiritual abusers. By looking to Jesus as the source for our spiritual life, we better see spiritual abusers and can call them out when needed. 

In our third week, we walked through the calling of the boy Samuel. Through his calling we saw four lessons: First, we must learn to hear God; God desires to speak to us as individuals directly and we need to learn his voice. Second, we need spiritual mentors who will point us to Jesus, showing us what it means to put him first in our lives. The third thing we talked about was how sometimes God’s messages to us are bad news, whether because we are under discipline, or because life sometimes brings pain; so we need to be willing to hear those hard messages he has for us. Finally, we talked about how sometimes those hard messages God shares with us are for other people, and we need to gracefully share them as the Holy Spirit leads. 

Finally, last week, we saw how the nation of Israel had turned the ark of the covenant into an idol. Because of this, God allowed his ark and the symbol of his presence to leave Israel. Yet the point of Israel’s defeat was to show God’s holiness. He did this through the destruction of Dagon’s idol, and the judgment of tumors upon the Philistines. God’s holiness was also shown to the Israelites when men tried to look inside the ark and were struck down. A holy fear and reverence moved through the Philistine and Israel nations after these events, and led to what happens in our passage today.

Like last week, we are covering multiple chapters to see the bigger picture of what is happening. In this case we are covering chapters 7 and 8. Since we are covering so much to read in one setting, your default challenge is to go back and re-read these two chapters this week.

With that said, let’s read together starting in chapter 7, verse 3, of First Samuel.

3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.

5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.

15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord.

v.7:3-11 - The holy fear and reverence that God displayed through the capturing of the ark that we looked at last week, has led the people of Israel to finally do what they should have done before: sought God through God’s prophet Samuel. 

Seeking God should have been the default response that the Israelites took, but instead they sought an idol to help them. But now, as they have a new reverence for God, they are now seeking his prophet, and thus, seeking God.

Samuel’s question “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart … (v.3)” is a reference to the Shema of Deuteronomy 6, where Moses told the Israelites, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (v.4-6)”

Samuel’s if-then statement of, if they seek God with all their heart, then they must destroy the idols of Baal and Ashtaroth; two Canaanite deities that had become imbedded into Israelite culture and have led the Israelites away from their God. This isn’t the first time, there has been a call to destroy these idols, we saw it in the book of Judges, and it won’t be the last, when we will see it again during the time of the prophets before Israel is sent away into captivity. 

In response to Samuel calling the people to repent and destroy the Canaanite idols that they have been worshiping, they comply. Samuel calls them to gather to worship God and make atonement for their sin at Mizpha, and they comply. If we read through the book of Judges into Samuel, this is the first time in almost two generations that the people have finally stopped seeking after idols and chosen to follow God. We cannot fully appreciate this moment without seeing all the rebellion and destruction Israel’s sin has caused for almost a hundred years. 

However, the Philistines take this as an opportunity to come attack the Israel. Here we can see the difference in the response of the Israelites. Just a few chapters back, the people sought after an idol and went out to battle, this led to their defeat. Yet this time, instead of seeking the idol and fighting, they seek God through Samuel. It is God who then defeats the Philistines. It is God who sends the something that confuses and causes the Philistines to scatter, allowing the Israelites to win the day. Just as it was God who brought his ark back to Israel, it is God who defeats the Philistines. 

v.12-17 - It is then that the Israelites make a memorial to God for what he has done. They place a stone and call it Ebenezer, which means stone of help, because it was the Living God, not a lifeless idol who helps the Israelites. 

From here God restores the lands that the Philistines had taken, leading to Samuel and most of Israel to live in relative peace for the next several decades. 

And if we were to end there, we finally have a moment of hopefulness in Israel. Everything is as God intended: Israel is restored, both politically and spiritually. Yet, we must see the contrast between this moment and the next. 

Dropping down to chapter 8, verse 1, we see that at the end of Samuel’s life, things begin to spiral down once again. 

Reading in First Samuel 8:1 we read, “1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.

“4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

8:1-9 - We find out that there are things that have begun simmering below the surface for years. The peaceful time that is thought to have been going on, was brewing sin. Like Eli before him, Samuel’s sons were abusing their spiritual office. Again, whether Samuel, like Eli, didn’t know, or turned a blind eye towards the abuse, we don’t know. What we do know is that because of this abuse, the people call on Samuel to appoint a king. 

The reasoning of the people was twofold: First, they were upset that Samuel’s sons were spiritual abusers, a trend that has come multiple times from the Judges. And twice from the most recent ones. Second, the people wanted to be like other nations, such as Egypt. 

However the people aren’t thinking through their request and the problems that it will bring. See, God’s Judge system was only supposed to be one generation of lineage. God would call a person to live out the call of Judge and then call a different person after them. These were only called when necessary due to internal or external strife. The sons of the Judge were not to take over their parent’s position, yet as we saw with Gideon, this idea had begun to take root, and had already created a mindset of a semi-monarchy; something that wasn’t God’s intention. 

The second problem with their request, was that the people were unwittingly inshrining into their governmental system a lineage approach that would not allow for the replacing of a son who was bad. Whereas the Judge wasn’t a king and therefore his children had no divine appointment, a king’s lineage would. They weren’t stuck with a Judge’s son, but they would be stuck with a king’s. The problems would show themselves in Solomon’s son Rehoboam in 1 Kings 12, where his defiance would lead to the nation of Israel separating into two.

It is here that we get an interesting insight into Samuel. He felt that their request was wrong instinctively and yet, he still took the request to God. Samuel is putting into practice what Proverbs 3:5 would later state, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Though Samuel knew that the people’s request was outside of God’s desire, he still took the request to God to see if it was in his plan. 

And it’s a good thing that Samuel did this, because God explains that Israel was rejecting him and not Samuel. They were rejecting God’s governmental system. They were rejecting God’s position as king in that system. They were calling for an amendment to the covenant they had with God. They were rejecting that God is going to fulfill his side of the covenant. And they were wanting to look to a man, rather than to God.

How vastly different than just a chapter earlier. In one chapter, and several decades of time earlier, the people were ready to follow God as he led. They were willing to recognize their sin, and trust God for his help rather than look else where. But now, with having a cycle of Judges or their kids turning out bad, the people want a change. God’s help isn’t enough, they want some one else. 

We might think that this is something out of the blue, but God had foreseen this happening and had already put a provision for a king within his covenant way back in Deuteronomy 17. God knew this day would come and prepared for it in his law. 

v.10-18 - So God grants their request, but in verses 10-18, he communicates through Samuel just what that will look like. Samuel begins this list in verse 11, saying, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you …”

The list goes like this: Some sons will be be made warriors, while others will be made to plow and reap the king’s harvest and not their own, while still other sons will be called upon to make weapons. The daughters will be made to serve as food prepares. The king will take the best land for himself, and on top of that will take a tenth of their production as tax. The king will also take the peoples’ servants and animals and a tenth of the flocks. 

In other words, the king is going to become an oppressor over the people, and then when they cry out to God, he will not answer because they have chosen this path. As the old saying goes, they will have made their bed, and now, they have to sleep in it. All this will end up coming about as the kings progressively get worse until God does step in and exiles the people from the land. However, this is a part of the God’s plan to show the lack of ability in human kings, that we might seek Jesus, the King of kings, when he descends.

v.19-22 - In verse 19 we get the people’s response to God’s word through Samuel, “But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, ‘No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.’(v.19-20)” 

The people have rose colored glasses on about how the king will treat them. They are not seeking God as they did in the last chapter, and we can see how quickly within one lifetime society can drastically turn away from God. Something that we have seen in our lifetimes today.

It is here that we come to the end of the first section of Samuel’s book, as Samuel brings the peoples’ response back to God. “And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.’ (v.21-22)”

The section doesn’t end as the last chapter did, on a high note, but on an almost ominous one. Who is this king that is to come? Where will he be from? What will his lineage produce? Is this the hope for the nation that was hinted to in Ruth? Is this David? 

The tone is ambiguous, yet there is an underlying truth that the people think that by looking to a man they will experience greater freedom and peace, when God knows, that this will lead to both their spiritual and physical bondage. 

And this is the reality that we are to walk away with. In chapter 7, when the people turned their hearts to God, God fought for them and brought peace. One chapter, and several decades later, the people sought another king which would lead them in strife.

How easily this happens in our lives? We do not need decades for our heart to be swayed from God, someone’s mean glance, a news article’s inflammatory headline, a headache, can send us to seek a new king to help us.

It’s because of this tendency to have our hearts swayed away from God that Jesus speaks these words in John 15, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (v.1-11)”

We are to live in the joy of the Lord. Even when we struggle against sin, or the weight of the world is pressed against us, we are to find joy in Jesus. But that joy comes from a constant reminder to abide in him. We are to abide when that mean glance comes our way. We are to abide when we read that headline. We are to abide when we get those physical alignments. 

And how do we abide? By putting into practice God’s word. We see Samuel, though he knew the request from the Israelites was wrong, he still did not lean on his own understanding and took it before God. What would have happened if Samuel just responded, “No?” Would there have been another civil war? Would God’s plan changed in how he brought about David’s lineage? We don’t know. What we do know is that Samuel abided in God and sought him. 

The Israelites didn’t abide in God, and though God would work it out to bring about Jesus’ cross and the forgiveness of sins, it led to hundreds of years of bondage for them. 

God desires that we abide in him, seeking after him above all other things; above idols, and above people. And when we are abiding in him, seeking his will, like Hannah, our desire will match his, and he answers us in those godly desires. 

My challenge for you this week is to have this word “abide” on your lips when you wake up, and throughout the day. When you wake up let it be one of the first things you request of God, “Lord, let me abide in you today.” When you get that glance, “Lord, let me abide in you.” When you read that headline, “Lord, let me abide in you.” And when you have those physical alignments, say it with me, “Lord, let me abide in you today.”

Let us be an abiding people, who find joy in the Lord no matter the circumstance. Amen.

1 Samuel Series Wk 4 - “Knowing God As Holy”

 When Marika and I first got married, we talked about our dream home. If we could build our own house, what would we put in it? I took all the ideas and made a three bedroom, two and a half bath, open floor plan, yellow farmhouse with a wraparound porch. It had an office but I added something a little extra. There’s a trope of dad’s meeting their daughter’s boyfriend with a gun. Singers sing about it, shows show it. But I thought ,that was a little on the light side. 

My idea came was put into our dream floor plan. There would be a short hallway to the office. In that hallway would be animal heads, and weapons with little notes on them: “This sword was from the battle of such-and-such,” “This gun was used in such-and-such war.” The hallway would be dimly lit to create an uneasy atmosphere. Then the office would be open with books and weapons on the walls. No words would need to be spoke of what those weapons could be used for. The ambiance would speak for itself. 

We never built that house, and missed out on a golden opportunity. But the idea of daddy’s cleaning their guns in front of a boy taking their daughter out is based on the idea of healthy respectful fear. Fear that the dad has the ability to take out the boy if the boy takes advantage of the daughter. 

And it’s this idea of a healthy respectful fear that brings us back to our summer series in the books of Samuel, where we’ll be picking it back up in First Samuel chapter 4, verse 1. As we pick up First Samuel 4:1, let’s recap where we are so far.

In our first week, we saw how the books of Samuel begin to narrow the work of God to bring about the Savior. Through Hannah’s heartfelt desire aligning with God’s will, God shows that he is taking his big plan of bringing salvation to all the earth and narrowing his work to bring about Jesus. It was in this first week, that we talked about how we need to seek God’s will and that when our heartfelt desire aligns with it, we see great works of God.

Following this, we saw how the spiritual abuse of Eli’s sons was under God’s judgment and that God was raising up a new Prophet and Judge in the boy Samuel. Because of this, we talked about how we need to make sure our focus is on God rather than those who are in authority over us. When we look to people instead of God as our end to spiritual authority, abuse of that office of authority can easily happen. Yet when our eyes are on Jesus, we can see when spiritual abuse happens and call it out.

Finally, last week, we looked at the call of Samuel. The passage had started out with letting us know that God’s speaking was rare, but through Samuel it became a regular occurrence. This is because, Samuel fulfilled his calling to share even hard messages. This is where we talked about four lessons: first, we need to take time to hear from God. Second, we need spiritual mentors in our lives that will point us to God. Third, God doesn’t always send messages of comfort, so we need to be willing to hear those messages. Finally, sometimes God calls us to share those uncomfortable message with others. 

All this leads up to several chapters of God displaying his holiness. This happens from chapter 4 through the beginning of chapter 7. Because our summer series are focused on the big connecting thoughts of the books we study, we have to cover these three chapters. Due to this, your default challenge is to read the chapters we’ll be covering today in their entirety, as we will only be reading snippets of them.

Let’s being with reading from chapter 4, starting in verse 1.

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 before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? 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.” 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.

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. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”

10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

v.1-11 - This passage starts out in someways where the book of Judges ended. The last we heard about the Philistines, they had capture Samson, and he, in a last moment of God’s mercy and judgment, killed many of their leaders. The battle we just read about is happening roughly forty plus years later, since we learn later in the passage that that’s how long Eli had judged Israel. (v.18) 

The war between the two nations had not ceased, but rather halted for a time, as it seems the Philistines were regrouping due to their lost of their leadership and the power vacuum that most likely occurred afterwards. It is here that the Philistines come out against Israel and the Israelites loose. 

There are three verses that we need to point out here as we understand this passages, and we start with verse 3. After their defeat, the people ask, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?” The question is only natural, because, who can defeat the God of Israel if he is all-powerful? If we’ve been paying attention as we have read through Joshua and Judges, we would understand that it’s due to Israel’s sin. They have not turned back and repented. They are several generations deep into it and show no signs of turning back to God. The only thing keeping them afloat is God’s faithfulness on his side of the covenant relationship. 

But instead of repenting, instead of seeking God, which Samuel was already known to be hearing from, the elders decide that they should take the ark of the covenant out to the battlefield. This is important, because the ark represents the presence of God in Israel. Where the ark is, there is God; at least that is the mindset of the people. In this mindset, they have take the concept to far, and made the ark an idol, and so look to it to save them, rather than to the living God.

Verse 4 shows how this sin of not seeking God and instead using a relic as an idol is bolstered by Eli’s sons who go with the ark without questioning if they should. They are the keepers of the ark, and yet in their sin, they participate in idol worship with the rest of Israel. 

In verse 7, we see from the perspective of the Philistines who also associate the ark as an idol, for they say, “… A god has come into the camp.” Yet, the idol does not work as the Israelites had hoped. They loose the battle, the ark is taken by the Philistines, and verse 11 is one part of the fulfillment to God’s message to Eli through the unnamed prophet and Samuel, that Eli’s sons would died. 

We then drop down to after Eli hears the message that his sons have died and he himself falls off his chair, breaking his neck, and dying himself. 

Though this is an important moment, we are quickly taken from that to Eli’s daughter-in-law who dies in childbirth after hearing of her husband and father-in-law’s death. It is here that we get an important declaration. In the naming of her son before she dies, we are given a hint into the state of Israel. The baby’s name is Ichabod, which is two words meaning “no glory.” In her mind, since the ark has left Israelite possession, God’s glory has left Israel. However that’s an idolatry mindset. God’s presence is still there, we will see then when God speaks through Samuel as he has now become the next Judge after Eli. It would be more appropriate to say that God’s protection has left Israel. The reason Israel has suffered defeat and lost the ark, is because of their multiple sins, which are encapsulated in the idolatry they just revealed. Idolatry was forbidden and due to this, God was in his right to not protect the people against their adversaries.

This is judgment against Israel, that they are left, for a time, in defeat without God’s present protection. But God is not defeated, which we will see in the next two chapters.

In chapter 5 we’re told how the Philistines take the captured god and bring him to their god, Dagon. While the ark is present with the idol of Dagon, we’re told that the first night Dagon falls prostrate in front of the ark. The second night Dagon’s statute’s head and hands had been severed. This scares the priests and they begin to avoid the area altogether.

Verse 6 of chapter 5 lets us know of God’s judgment against the people in Ashdod where the ark is being housed. We learn two things: First, God is active in other people groups, not just Israel. Second, these people, like Israel are under God’s judgment, one reason being idol worship. 

Apart of this judgment was the people of Ashdod were being afflicted with tumors. This has actually led some people in modern times to believe that the ark is a nuclear weapon of some sort. It due to the tumors, the people send the ark to another Philistine city, this time Gath, but God sends judgment there as well, and tumors continue to spread. The ark is moved for a third time, this time to Ekron. It is not clear if the people of Ekron were also afflicted with tumors, or they just had heard what had happened, but either way, everyone agreed to send the ark back to Israel. 

This is where we pick up in chapter 6, where we find out that the ark, and its three Philistine city tour, all occurs within seven months. 

It’s in verse 6 of chapter 6, that we get an important interaction between the Philistine people as they are discussing what to do with the ark. We read, “Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?”

It had been a few hundred years since the exodus of Israel out of Egypt, yet the stories of God’s work there, are still known to the people of Canaan. The Philistines reference this work of God to conclude that if they would just get ride of the ark, then the Israelite God would leave them alone. 

However, even after concluding that they need to give the ark back, the Philistines do not take the ark back to Shiloh. This is probably for two reasons: One it’s pretty far north of where it is now, and the Philistines want to gone fast, and two, Shiloh is destroyed due to the battle seven months earlier. 

So they take it to a closer location and with it, they bring statues golden mice and tumors as a peace offering to the God of Israel. When the cart carrying the ark arrived in a field at Beth-shemesh, the Levites offered sacrifices to the Lord in thanksgiving. The Philistines leave thankful to be rid of the ark and probably hoping that the Israelite God is happy to be home. Even though they’re tide heavily into idol worship, God has used that belief that to show how he is more powerful than their gods.

However, something goes wrong. God strikes down some of the men from town. The ESV makes it sound like the men died simply because they looked at the ark, but the wording here reveals that they took to the top off to look inside. This was a bad thing to do, and was forbidden in Numbers 4 (v.20), where not even those chosen to take care of the holy things of God in the tabernacle were to open the ark. 

This might sound extreme for God to strike down some guys just for looking into the ark, but this whole section, from the sins of Eli’s sons, the sins of Israel, and the sins of the Philistines all go back to this one idea: no one took God’s holiness seriously. In the case of Eli’s sons, they abused their offices which God had set aside to be holy and honoring to him.  The Israelites rebelled against God’s restriction of idolatry, and sought a box over the living presence of God. The Philistines thought they had overpowered the God of Israel and now he was subject to their god. 

No one took the holiness of God seriously. Yet Eli’s sons fell just as God had decreed. The Israelites lost their battle and lost the symbol of God’s presence with them. The Philistines experienced embarrassment of Dagon and plague among their people. God is a holy God and we cannot undercut that reality.

This moment of God’s striking down the Israelite men due to their lack of reverence to God snaps the community to humility. Others respond to this moment in verse 20, “Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, ‘Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?’” 

A holy fear and respect was gained that day by everyone who saw and heard of what had happened. Even the people of God were not allowed to be flippant with their reverence to the God of all things. 

As a response, the people of Beth-shemesh send the ark away yet again, and in chapter 7, verses 1-3, the people commission and consecrate Eleazar to take care of the ark. The ark is back with Israel and the Israelites experience a holy fear of their God, who by his own hand, has brought his ark back to the people. There is a sign of grace here, that God has returned, by his own will, to the people he made a covenant with.

This large section points us to the holiness of God. Time and time again throughout the Scriptures there is a call to the people of God to live in his holiness. Peter picks this up in his first letter where he writes, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ (1 Pet. 1:13-16)”

We who call on Jesus, and hold onto the name of Christian, are to be a holy people. This calling of God to the Israelites is no different than his calling to us in his Church. In fact, it is a greater calling because his Holy Spirit rest, not just on us, but lives within every disciple of Christ. We must take seriously the holiness of God. Yes, he is loving, yes he is merciful, but he is also holy and we can never downplay that attribute of him. If we do, we will find ourselves under God’s discipline. Though we are not condemned as disciples of Jesus, because we have Christ, God will not allow us to live in rebellion against his holiness. 

The modern Christian song, “What Do I Know of Holy,” sings this very question, in the chorus and bridge:

What do I know of You, Who spoke me into motion?

Where have I even stood, But the shore along Your ocean?

Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?

What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?

And a God who gave life it's name?

What do I know of Holy? Of the One who the angels praise?

All creation knows Your name On earth and heaven above

What do I know of this love?

My challenge for you this week, on top of reading through the chapters we covered today, is to take a moment and go before God, taking the lyrics of “What Do I know of Holy,” and asking the simple question, “What do I really know of Your holiness, God? Let me be more reverent to You.”

Let us be a holy people worshiping our holy God. Amen.

1 Samuel Series Wk 3 - “Something Hard to Say”

 In 1999 Tracy Lawrence wrote a song with a couple of guys called “Lessons Learned.” The first verse talks about a young boy stealing some candy and his dad giving him a spanking for it. The second verse shares about the boy playing catch and learning to drive with his grandfather; but the boy laments that he didn’t listen to the wisdom his grandfather gave and then the man passed away. 

The chorus that ties it all together reads,

Lessons learned, man they sure run deep

They don't go away and they don't come cheap

Oh theres no way around it

Cause this world turns on lessons learned.

We all learn some hard lessons in our lives. Mostly out of our own foolishness, but one of the reasons the Scriptures were given to us, is so that we can learn lessons through others people’s lives, that way we can avoid the downside of learning the lessons through our foolishness. 

So let’s learn a few lessons today as we come back to our series in the books of Samuel, where we’ll be picking it back up in the first verse of the third chapter in First Samuel. As we open to First Samuel 3:1, let’s take a quick look at where we are in the series. 

In our first week we talked about the books of Samuel show the narrowing of God’s work in bringing about his redemption to the whole world. This is kicked off by Hannah’s heartfelt desire for a son, which aligned with God’s will in redemption. In this we saw how God calls us to have our desires conform to his will. When this happens, we begin to see the work of God explode in our lives. 

Last week, we then looked at Eli’s sons who were abusing their spiritual offices by taking more from the people than was allotted to them, and also taking advantage of women who came to worship God. Due to their sin, God had spoken through a prophet that he was judging them. This reminded us that we are to only look at human leaders as supplements to Jesus who is our first in everything. If we had no one else, Jesus would be enough. When Jesus is in his rightful place in our lives, we can then see and expose leaders who cause spiritual abuse. 

With these things refreshed in our minds, we can move on to our passage in First Samuel 3:1. Let’s read together.

1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

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.

6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”

19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

v.1 - The passage begins by telling us that Samuel was ministering, or serving God under the guidance of Eli. However, it is made clear that people were not hearing directly from God in this time. So the prophet that came to Eli in the last chapter was a rare occurrence, and could be why their name was not recorded; it might have been their only time prophesying. 

But why was God’s speaking rare in those days? Could it be due to Israel’s rebellion in the latter part of Judges? Could it be the sin of the people as seen through the Judges themselves, and especially Samson? For whatever reason, God had not been speaking and so, to hear from him was a a true event. And yet, God hadn’t stop speaking, as can be seen in the unnamed prophet. So God wasn’t done with Israel, but kept silent for his own purposes. 

v.2-9 - This leads us into God speaking. We’re given the time and the location of God’s communication with Samuel. It’s sometime before dawn, because the lamp in the tabernacle was still burning. Samuel is sleeping close to the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was housed. 

Then we’re given a little insight into Samuel’s spiritual state. We’re told that at this point in Samuel’s life he doesn’t know the Lord yet. It’s interesting that the same language is used of Eli’s sons in chapter 2. Both the sons, and Samuel do not know, or have an intimate relationship with God. However, Eli’s sons, who should know God, were rebelling against him purposefully, whereas Samuel was still young. How young? Some commenters believe he is about twelve, which is the time of manhood in Jewish tradition. Due to youth, Samuel is still innocent in knowing God because he has not yet learned about him. He had not yet encountered God’s word. And so the difference between the sons not knowing God and Samuel, is that former had access to the knowledge of God and was responsible for that knowledge, while the latter was just now coming into his own. But after this morning, everything changes.

In God’s calling, we get a three-fold repetition which connects to the idea of God’s completeness. In other words, this is truly a divine calling. The call is similar to that of Moses who is called to the burning bush. However, this calling is quieter. Whereas the bush is an overwhelming marvel, this is the still small voice that Elijah experiences on the mountain in First Kings 19.

In response to the calling, Samuel instinctively goes to Eli, because, who could be calling Samuel at this hour? It must be Eli. But Eli wasn’t the caller, and after the third time this happens, Eli realizes that God is calling out to Samuel, and the mentor instructs the young man to respond humbly as a servant.

v.10-18 When the third call comes, Samuel does as Eli instructs and then we read a curious statement, “And the Lord came and stood …” Is this a theophany? Is Samuel seeing a being before him, or is it a presence that is so tangible that Samuel feels it? It’s not clear, but what is clear is the message God has for Samuel. 

Samuel is told of the judgment of God upon Eli’s sons, which is going to be soon. This first encounter with God is not a calling of hope, but a word of despair. And what is Samuel’s response? To spend the rest of the time laying in his bed until it’s morning. Why? Because Samuel was afraid of what God had said to him, because it was judgment against his guardian and mentor Eli, and Eli’s sons.

But Eli wanted to hear what God had said, and though Samuel was reluctant, needing a little harsh word from Eli to share, Samuel did tell him. It is here that we again see, that even though Eli had his faults in turning a blind eye to his sons’ evil deeds, he was still accepting of God’s will. 

v.19-21 - The chapter closes with us being told for a third time in two chapters, that Samuel was growing, except this time, all Israel took notice that God was with him. The chapter begins with God speaking being a rare event, and it ends with God’s word being known through a new prophet, Samuel.

There are a few of lessons to glean from this portion of Scripture, and each lesson could be its own sermon. 

The first half of the passage focuses on listening for God. We need to be listening for God to speak. Even if we have never heard him, even if it seems rare, we need to have our ears open to it. How can we do this? By doing what we know he already wants. We don’t need to know the intricacies of the doctrine of the Trinity, or a clear picture of how the full divine presence of God the Son combines with the fully human experience producing the God-man Jesus. If we know we are to love God and love others as ourselves, we already have a full life of duties to engage in. So let us be about those things that God has already called us to, with the expectation of more from him in the future.

We see this in Samuel’s life, he was growing in God’s presence even before he heard from God. How was that possible? Because he was honoring both his parents and his guardian by performing service to God in the tabernacle. 

Another lesson is that we need mentors in our lives who can direct us when we don’t know what’s going on. Samuel didn’t know what God’s voice was like, but Eli did. So Eli, though he wasn’t perfect and he himself was under judgment, was able to direct his mentee to what a proper response to God’s call was like. We need mentor’s in our lives that can direct us into the deeper things of the faith, because they have walked there themselves. 

Does that mean we look to them instead of God? No! It means we take their advice and incorporate it in our pursuit of Jesus. Even in someone’s failings, we can still be directed to God, we just have to be on our guard that we are seeking God and not them.

 

A third lesson we can glean from this, is that God doesn’t always give messages of hope, sometimes the message is one of judgment. We all want good news, but sometimes we can’t avoid the bad. When it comes to God getting us back to him, sometimes we have to hear the hard truths. 

This would be a failing later on in history when prophets would show up speaking all sorts of good things, but giving out false hope. In Jeremiah 23:16 we’re told, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.’”

Paul would warn against this in Second Timothy 4:3, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”  

Say what you will about Eli, he took the bad news and trusted in the will of God. If we’re doing something bad, we need to be willing to hear it. We need to be willing to be corrected, so that we may grow in our relationship with God. As Proverbs 27:6 states, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” 

If we are going to grow in our relationship with Jesus, there will be many, many times when we have to be corrected. In order to see the greater work of God, we must be accepting of that correction. Not one of us has made it to being fully conformed to the image of Jesus, so until that time, we all have things that God is working on and we need to be mindful of that.

A final lesson we can glean from this passages is from Samuel at the end. He was afraid to give the bad news; it kept him up for the rest of the night. It’s hard enough to hear bad news, but it’s also hard to share that bad news with a friend. 

Too often I have had to be the one to share bad news with people, only for them to fly off the handle and never speak to me again. This happened within the first few months after I came to Quartzsite. We had a teen in the youth group that was a part of our leadership team. One day in the van, as we were picking up teens, she was gossiping and bashing another teenager. When we arrived at the church, I told her that as a Christian, and especially as a leader, that was unacceptable. Maybe it was the way I said it, not enough grace perhaps, but she never came back to the youth group or the church. I have only seen her at a distance, and we have never talked. 

It hurts, but it wouldn’t be the last time. In fact, I have to speak to someone this week about something they are doing that is not in keeping with the clear teaching of the Scriptures, and I’ve been praying it goes well. I never want to share bad news, but sometimes we have to and let God work in the shattered pieces that happens from it.

In this one chapter, we can see at least four lessons that we can learn. My challenge for you this week is to seek the Holy Spirit in which of these four lessons he wants you to work on. Do you need to work on listening God? Do you need mentors or fellows believers to help point you to the deeper things of God? Do you need to be accepting of bad news and correction? Do you need courage to speak bad news to someone? 

Seek the Holy Spirit to reveal which of these four lessons he wants to work in you this week, as he brings you closer to the image of Jesus.

Let us be a people who do not merely hear the words of Scripture, but work them out in our lives to the glory of God. Amen.