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Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. Well, it's

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Speaker 1: good to see everybody this morning. So glad you're able

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Speaker 1: to be here with us. This morning we are continuing

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Speaker 1: our look at the book of 1 Samuel. We just

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Speaker 1: began this book last week, and so today we're continuing this.

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Speaker 1: Today we're going to be in portions of chapter 2

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Speaker 1: and also portions of chapter 3. So we're going to

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Speaker 1: be looking at sections from each chapter. but I'm going

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Speaker 1: to start us off this morning by reading from chapter 2,

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Speaker 1: specifically verses 18 through 21. I'll start us off with that,

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Speaker 1: and then we're going to be looking at some other verses.

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Speaker 1: But in this portion of Scripture, there's a variety of

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Speaker 1: things that we'll see, but one of the things we're

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Speaker 1: going to see is Eli, who is the high priest

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Speaker 1: at the time that these things are taking place. His

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Speaker 1: sons reject God, and in the midst of that, God

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Speaker 1: calls Samuel. Now, last week we had the opportunity to

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Speaker 1: witnessed the context in which Samuel was born. And at

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Speaker 1: this point of the story, Samuel is still, he's young,

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Speaker 1: he's a boy. He's referred to as a boy in

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Speaker 1: this context. And Eli's sons, the high priest's sons, reject God,

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Speaker 1: and God's going to call Samuel. So if you would

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Speaker 1: take your Bibles, turn with me to 1 Samuel 2.

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Speaker 1: I'm going to read for starters verses 18 to 21.

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Speaker 1: This is what it says. It says, Samuel was ministering

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Speaker 1: before the Lord. a boy clothed with a linen ephod.

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Speaker 1: And his mother used to make for him a little

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Speaker 1: robe and take it to him each year when she

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Speaker 1: went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

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Speaker 1: Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say,

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Speaker 1: may the Lord give you children by this woman for

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Speaker 1: the petition she asked of the Lord. So then they

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Speaker 1: would return to their home. Then it says in verse 21, indeed,

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Speaker 1: the Lord visited Hannah and she conceived and bore three

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Speaker 1: sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in

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Speaker 1: the presence of the Lord. Let's pray together. Father, thank

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Speaker 1: you so much for the privilege that it is to

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Speaker 1: be able to look at this portion of your word

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Speaker 1: today as we continue our study of the book of

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Speaker 1: 1 Samuel. And Lord, we know that as we continue

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Speaker 1: watching how this narrative develops, one of the things that

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Speaker 1: we'll be seeing is that the people of Israel demonstrate

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Speaker 1: a longing in their hearts for a king. They're on

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Speaker 1: this search for a king. They have this desire for

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Speaker 1: a king. And some of their desire was selfish, but

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Speaker 1: some of their desire was certainly something that we could

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Speaker 1: look at and say it illustrates the desire that's within

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Speaker 1: the heart of every human being. We desire a king,

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Speaker 1: but that ultimate satisfaction that we find in that concept

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Speaker 1: is only met through your son, Jesus Christ, our ultimate king.

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Speaker 1: So Father, we pray that as we work our way

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Speaker 1: through 1 Samuel, as we see the longings of the

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Speaker 1: people of Israel, as we see the ways in which

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Speaker 1: the narrative here develops, that we would understand that this

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Speaker 1: is ultimately trying to point our hearts toward your son,

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Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. So we pray, Father, that that's the direction

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Speaker 1: you would point our hearts right now as we study

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Speaker 1: your word. We thank you, Lord, for the privilege to

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Speaker 1: be able to do so together. And we pray this

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Speaker 1: all in Jesus' name. Amen. So let me ask just

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Speaker 1: a couple questions just as we kind of start off today.

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Speaker 1: One of the first questions is, I want you to

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Speaker 1: just think about for a moment before we get into

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Speaker 1: some of the content here is on a personal level,

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Speaker 1: how do you tend to respond to God? So just

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Speaker 1: answer that question in your own mind, in your own heart.

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Speaker 1: How do you respond to God? And I'll give you

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Speaker 1: a few options. Would you say when it comes to

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Speaker 1: your response to God, do you respect him? Do you

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Speaker 1: believe that you respect God? Do you honor God? Or

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Speaker 1: would you say that sometimes if you're honest with yourself,

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Speaker 1: you minimize the concepts of his power and minimize the

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Speaker 1: concept of his holiness in your mind? Where do we

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Speaker 1: land on that? I was thinking about this a lot yesterday.

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Speaker 1: Just yesterday, my wife and I, we were spending the

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Speaker 1: day together and visiting one of our favorite places. And

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Speaker 1: while we were there, a lot of people around and

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Speaker 1: Everybody's got a T-shirt on that represents something. You can

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Speaker 1: tell a lot about what people believe by the T-shirts

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Speaker 1: that they wear. Wouldn't you agree? You know, the things

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Speaker 1: that we wear, I look around, I see a lot

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Speaker 1: of people representing a football team that I am in

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Speaker 1: favor of you representing. That's fine. We also have one

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Speaker 1: of our Pittsburgh brethren right over here. That's fine, you know.

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Speaker 1: But yesterday I saw one particular individual. I saw a

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Speaker 1: young man. If I had to guess, I think he

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Speaker 1: was probably in his upper 20s, maybe somewhere around there.

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Speaker 1: And he had a t-shirt with a saying printed on

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Speaker 1: the back. Now, I'm not going to tell you the

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Speaker 1: exact saying, but I'll give you the meaning of the saying.

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Speaker 1: It was a religious statement that he had on the

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Speaker 1: back of his shirt. And the essence of what that

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Speaker 1: statement tried to convey was that he believed that God

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Speaker 1: is a concept invented by man. So that's what he

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Speaker 1: conveyed with his shirt. It was almost like a religious criticism.

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Speaker 1: He believed that God is a concept invented by man.

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Speaker 1: So apparently he doesn't believe that God is a real

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Speaker 1: personal God, that he is imminently present with us. So

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Speaker 1: probably also wouldn't surprise you to know that I've been

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Speaker 1: praying for him since yesterday that the Lord would soften

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Speaker 1: his heart and open his eyes so that he could

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Speaker 1: see the truth. But his shirt made it very clear

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Speaker 1: how he is presently responding to God, that his heart

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Speaker 1: is hard toward God. that he does not respect God,

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Speaker 1: that he does not honor God, that he minimizes the

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Speaker 1: idea of God having power, that he minimizes the idea

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Speaker 1: of God being holy. And his shirt demonstrated that. And

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Speaker 1: when you look at the portion of Scripture that we're

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Speaker 1: in today, in 1 Samuel 2 and also in chapter 3,

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Speaker 1: the opening chapters of 1 Samuel that we're in right

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Speaker 1: now present two very different responses to God. One of

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Speaker 1: the responses that we're going to see in some detail

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Speaker 1: today as we look at them is the response of

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Speaker 1: Eli's sons. Now, Eli was the high priest. He had

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Speaker 1: two sons. Their names were Hophni and Phinehas. And they

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Speaker 1: served as priests. But even though they served as priests,

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Speaker 1: they treated God's commands with contempt, which seems odd, but

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Speaker 1: it's true. That's exactly what they did. Now, Samuel at

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Speaker 1: this point in the story here is still a boy,

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Speaker 1: but he learned to listen when God spoke. So one group,

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Speaker 1: Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, they possessed religious authority,

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Speaker 1: but they didn't know God. Whereas Samuel, at this point,

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Speaker 1: he's still a boy, and yet he comes to know God,

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Speaker 1: and God reveals himself to him and speaks his word

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Speaker 1: to him. And when you look at this chapter, it

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Speaker 1: tells us some interesting things. Now, one of the things

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Speaker 1: we see is given to us right away in verse 12.

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Speaker 1: And it gives us a description of Eli's sons. It says,

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Speaker 1: now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did

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Speaker 1: not know the Lord. Now, I don't know what you

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Speaker 1: would want said about you, especially if you got highlighted

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Speaker 1: in scripture. But this is what it says of them.

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Speaker 1: It also says other things about them that we'll get

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Speaker 1: to in a moment. But it says, now the sons

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Speaker 1: of Eli were worthless men. So think about these individuals here,

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Speaker 1: Hophni and Phinehas. And I'll kind of summarize some of

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Speaker 1: this for us. But they were priests by family connections.

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Speaker 1: So based on the fact that they were descendants of Eli,

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Speaker 1: they served in the role as priest. That's how the

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Speaker 1: priesthood worked in that era of history. So they're serving

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Speaker 1: as priests by family connection, but their hearts are very

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Speaker 1: far from God. That means that they're participating in worship

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Speaker 1: ceremonies and they're holding on to respected positions among the people,

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Speaker 1: but they didn't know the Lord. Seems so odd to us,

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Speaker 1: doesn't it? But it happens. It's not just a thing

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Speaker 1: for them. It's something that happens now. But their lives,

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Speaker 1: when you look at their lives, their lives demonstrate that

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Speaker 1: religious activity is not the same as genuine faith. And

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Speaker 1: there are many people that get involved in all sorts

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Speaker 1: of religious activities, but they don't know the Lord at all.

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Speaker 1: And Hophni and Phinehas were very much in that category.

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Speaker 1: And their conduct corrupted Israel's worship. The ways they operated,

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Speaker 1: the ways they behaved, it was a corrupting influence. God

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Speaker 1: had established very specific instructions. When you go through the

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Speaker 1: books of the law, when you see how the Lord

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Speaker 1: had established that he would be worshipped by the covenant

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Speaker 1: community of Israel, he had established very specific instructions regarding

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Speaker 1: all sorts of things, including sacrifices. So these animal sacrifices

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Speaker 1: that were done to honor him, they were also sacrifices

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Speaker 1: that would be used to feed the priests and the

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Speaker 1: priest's household. But Hophni and Phinehas ignored the specific way

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Speaker 1: this was supposed to be done, the way the sacrifices

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Speaker 1: were supposed to be given, and the way in which

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Speaker 1: their lives were supposed to be taken care of. And

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Speaker 1: what they would do is they would send their servants

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Speaker 1: to demand the meat from these sacrifices before they were

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Speaker 1: properly offered to the Lord, meaning before the fat was

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Speaker 1: burned up they wanted it raw, they would threaten to

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Speaker 1: take it by force, by the way, if the worshiper

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Speaker 1: resisted in any way, they would threaten people. So people

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Speaker 1: would bring these sacrifices, and yeah, Hophni and Phinehas would

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Speaker 1: just send people out to threaten them and say, just

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Speaker 1: give that to us. They're just taking what was meant

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Speaker 1: for the Lord, and they're taking it for themselves. And

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Speaker 1: Scripture explains the seriousness of their sin when you look

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Speaker 1: at verse 17. Verse 17 says, thus the sin of

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Speaker 1: the young men, so it's referencing those that partnered with them,

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Speaker 1: and Hophni and Phinehas and this activity that they were

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Speaker 1: engaged in. Thus, the sin of the young men was

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Speaker 1: very great in the sight of the Lord, for the

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Speaker 1: men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. They

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Speaker 1: treated it with contempt. Now, these sacrifices were meant to

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Speaker 1: point to God's holiness. They're also meant to illustrate the

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Speaker 1: seriousness of sin and the need for atonement. This is

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Speaker 1: the purpose of these sacrifices under the old covenant. But

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Speaker 1: Hophni and Phinehas used the worship of God as an

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Speaker 1: opportunity to satisfy their own appetites. That's what they were doing.

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Speaker 1: That was the pattern. These were spiritual leaders in Israel,

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Speaker 1: and this is the way they were stewarding that position.

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Speaker 1: So instead of helping people approach God according to his

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Speaker 1: commands that he had clearly revealed, they were exploiting those

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Speaker 1: who had come to worship God and treating them disrespectfully.

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Speaker 1: And again, I look at that and I think their

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Speaker 1: behavior reminds us that spiritual leadership carries serious responsibility. As

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Speaker 1: I look at our church family right now, there are

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Speaker 1: quite a few of us who have different roles of

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Speaker 1: spiritual leadership. Some of you serve in youth ministries, children's ministries,

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Speaker 1: nursery ministries, hospitality ministries. Some of you volunteer with summer

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Speaker 1: camping ministries and other mission efforts. With spiritual leadership comes

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Speaker 1: serious responsibility. And when a leader, so think about this

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Speaker 1: in a personal, just a personal way to challenge all

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Speaker 1: of us. If the Lord raises you up to a

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Speaker 1: position of spiritual leadership, never use it as something that

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Speaker 1: you use for your personal advantage. That's not how it

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Speaker 1: should be stewarded. And when leaders use ministry for personal advantage,

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Speaker 1: What they're actually doing is they're misrepresenting God to the

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Speaker 1: people that they're supposed to be serving. And it's not

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Speaker 1: just a problem back in the days of Eli. It's

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Speaker 1: not just a problem back in the days of Samuel

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Speaker 1: or Hophni or Phineas. That's something that very much takes

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Speaker 1: place right now. And wouldn't you say that that's one

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Speaker 1: of those things that turns the unbelieving world away from

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Speaker 1: even considering Christian faith when they observe the hypocrisy of

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Speaker 1: something like that taking place? Because they see people basically

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Speaker 1: trying to satisfy their own appetites at the expense of

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Speaker 1: those who have tried to sincerely worship the Lord. You

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Speaker 1: have people who've been entrusted with positions they're supposed to

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Speaker 1: be stewarding, and then they misrepresent the God they're supposed

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Speaker 1: to be representing. So here in this context, Hophni and

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Speaker 1: Phinehas had positions that gave them influence. And having those

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Speaker 1: positions that gave them influence, that meant that they had

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Speaker 1: greater accountability before the Lord for how they stewarded that influence.

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Speaker 1: and they misrepresented God to the people they were supposed

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Speaker 1: to be serving. But the account here, it's going to

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Speaker 1: give us more details about Hophni and Phinehas, and it's

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Speaker 1: not pretty, it's not good, but the account also tells us,

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Speaker 1: in a contrasting way, the ways in which the Lord

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Speaker 1: was working through Samuel. So you see Hophni and Phinehas,

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Speaker 1: very low spiritually, but you see Samuel very open to

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Speaker 1: what the Lord wanted to do in his life. When

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Speaker 1: you look at verse 18, it says, Samuel was ministering

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Speaker 1: before the Lord, and he's just a boy at this point.

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Speaker 1: It says, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. His

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Speaker 1: service is such a contrast to what Hophni and Phinehas

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Speaker 1: were doing. They were grown men with official authority, and

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Speaker 1: they rejected God. Samuel was a child, but he's serving

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Speaker 1: God faithfully. Now, his relationship with the Lord is about

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Speaker 1: to develop and grow, but even as a child, he's

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Speaker 1: providing a better example than those that are older and

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Speaker 1: should be an example for him, or for them, for everybody.

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Speaker 1: And it's kind of interesting. I had a conversation recently

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Speaker 1: with somebody who's on the young side of life, and

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Speaker 1: they're wondering, you know, how's the Lord going to utilize

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Speaker 1: me in ministry? And what does Scripture say? Your age

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Speaker 1: is not something that disqualifies you from being used of God.

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Speaker 1: What was Timothy told by the Apostle Paul? The Apostle

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Speaker 1: Paul told Timothy, set an example. Set an example in

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Speaker 1: your life, in your faith, in your speech, in your purity.

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Speaker 1: Set an example, and you can set that example regardless

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Speaker 1: of of whatever your age may be, and you see

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Speaker 1: Samuel setting that kind of an example. He was a child,

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Speaker 1: and he served God more faithfully than these adults who

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Speaker 1: had official titles and responsibilities in the culture at the time. Now,

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Speaker 1: each year, last week we had the opportunity to be

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Speaker 1: introduced to Hannah. Hannah was Samuel's mother, and each year

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Speaker 1: Hannah would make Samuel a little robe, and then she

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Speaker 1: would bring it to him when she and her husband

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Speaker 1: Elkanah would come to offer their yearly sacrifice. And I

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Speaker 1: love reading that aspect of this story because that simple

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Speaker 1: act shows that continuing love between Hannah and her son.

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Speaker 1: She dedicated him to the Lord's service. He's serving there

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Speaker 1: with Eli and she doesn't get to see him, I imagine,

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Speaker 1: as much as she would like to. But each year

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Speaker 1: she'd bring him a new robe and she would fulfill

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Speaker 1: her vow by dedicating Samuel to God's service, but also

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Speaker 1: by not forgetting him. And scripture reveals to us that

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Speaker 1: God also blessed Hannah with additional children. Eli prayed that

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Speaker 1: God would give her children in place of Samuel. She eventually,

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Speaker 1: we're told, gave birth to three sons and two daughters.

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Speaker 1: And God graciously provided for Hannah while Samuel continued to

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Speaker 1: grow in the Lord's presence. Verse 21 says this, and

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Speaker 1: the young man Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.

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Speaker 1: But meanwhile, while all this is taking place, so you

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Speaker 1: see Hannah taking care of Samuel each year with this robe,

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Speaker 1: and you see Samuel growing in the presence of the Lord.

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Speaker 1: And at the same time, you have Eli's sons, Hophni

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Speaker 1: and Phinehas, doing the exact opposite. And some of this

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Speaker 1: starts to reach Eli's ears. Eli starts hearing disturbing reports

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Speaker 1: about his sons. And in addition to the fact that

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Speaker 1: they were abusing the sacrificial system, the scripture also reveals

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Speaker 1: that they were committing sexual sin with the women who

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Speaker 1: served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So basically,

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Speaker 1: if you want to characterize Hophni and Phinehas, they were

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Speaker 1: people who had No disciplined ability to curb their appetites.

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Speaker 1: Wherever their sin nature was prodding them to go, they

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Speaker 1: would go in that direction. They weren't men who listened

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Speaker 1: to the voice of the Lord. They weren't men who

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Speaker 1: submitted themselves to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. They

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Speaker 1: would go in the direction of whatever sinful appetite captured

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Speaker 1: their attention on any given day. So this was starting

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Speaker 1: to come back to Eli, and Eli actually confronted them,

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Speaker 1: and he said to them, like, why are you doing this?

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Speaker 1: Why are you doing such evil things? And he even

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Speaker 1: warned them in verse 25. He said, if someone sins

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Speaker 1: against a man, God will mediate for him. But if

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Speaker 1: someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?

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Speaker 1: It's like, you guys don't even understand what you're doing.

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Speaker 1: Why are you doing this, sons? Eli recognized that his

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Speaker 1: sons were conducting very evil lives, but his response to

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Speaker 1: them was inadequate. He went as far as confronting it,

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Speaker 1: He spoke to them, but he also should have removed

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Speaker 1: them from priestly service. He should have taken them out

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Speaker 1: of that position. He should have restrained their behavior, not

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Speaker 1: just spoken to them. He had the authority to restrain

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Speaker 1: their behavior, and he should have done that. And later,

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Speaker 1: God would actually accuse Eli of basically honoring his sons

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Speaker 1: more than honoring him. Now, here's kind of an interesting

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Speaker 1: scenario that you find here, and there's a good example

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Speaker 1: of this for us to think about for a second.

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Speaker 1: Parents can't control the decisions that their adult children make.

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Speaker 1: That's just the reality of life. As much as you

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Speaker 1: would like to be able to control that, you can't

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Speaker 1: control that. But also understand that in Eli's context here,

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Speaker 1: he served as Israel's high priest. So he's the high priest. Yes,

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Speaker 1: I agree. Eli can't necessarily control the decisions that Hophni

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Speaker 1: and Phinehas are making, but he also has a responsibility here.

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Speaker 1: And his responsibility is to protect the worship of God

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Speaker 1: from corruption. That's what he's supposed to be doing. And

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Speaker 1: so when you look at his family loyalty here, and

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Speaker 1: family loyalty is something I certainly value, and I'm sure

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Speaker 1: you value it as well, but his family loyalty, unfortunately,

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Speaker 1: was also a blind spot that prevented him from taking

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Speaker 1: necessary action. He was supposed to take action on this,

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Speaker 1: not just use words, but also take action. Verse 25

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Speaker 1: also adds that Hophni and Phinehas wouldn't listen to their father.

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Speaker 1: And it says this, oh, I don't have a slide

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Speaker 1: for it, but in verse 25, it says, for it

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Speaker 1: was the will of the Lord to put them to

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Speaker 1: death It's the will of the Lord to put them

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Speaker 1: to death. Now, again, this doesn't mean that God prevented

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Speaker 1: repentant men from trusting in him. God certainly gave them

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Speaker 1: plenty of opportunity to repent. But their repeated sin reveals

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Speaker 1: hearts that were already hardened. Their hearts were hardened against

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Speaker 1: the Lord. And God's decision to judge them confronted the

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Speaker 1: path that they had chosen. They had chosen this. Their

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Speaker 1: hearts were hardened. They were on a path that they

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Speaker 1: had selected. But now Samuel's social and spiritual development keeps

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Speaker 1: standing in contrast with the rebellion of Hophni and Phinehas.

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Speaker 1: And it's there on purpose for us to notice the contrast.

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Speaker 1: Their rebellion seems to highlight his obedience more and more.

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Speaker 1: But there's a deeper reason we're being shown these things.

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Speaker 1: And I want to show you something. I want you

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Speaker 1: to think about this with me. In 1 Samuel 2,

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Speaker 1: verse 26, it makes this statement about Samuel. It says,

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Speaker 1: now the young man, so again, it's saying this in contrast,

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Speaker 1: now the young man Samuel continued to grow both in

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Speaker 1: stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man. Now,

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Speaker 1: that's an interesting statement. Let's just make this personal for

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Speaker 1: a second, and then I want to take this on

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Speaker 1: a deeper theological segue. As you look at your life,

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Speaker 1: I don't know how long you've known the Lord. Maybe

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Speaker 1: you've only known the Lord for a short period of time,

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Speaker 1: or maybe you've known the Lord for a long period

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Speaker 1: of time. But can you trace the hand of God

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Speaker 1: at work in your life, developing your faith? helping you

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Speaker 1: go from someone who didn't know him to someone who

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Speaker 1: knew him. And then as you know him to someone

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Speaker 1: who's growing in him, you watch him reforming your character.

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Speaker 1: You watch him making you understand things about life and

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Speaker 1: how life works in a way that you didn't understand before.

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Speaker 1: You watch as the Lord helps you see beyond the

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Speaker 1: moment you're in, and you start to view things with

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Speaker 1: his eyes, which gives you a more eternal perspective. And

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Speaker 1: so you start thinking in a long-term kind of way.

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Speaker 1: And then you look And do you ever come across

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Speaker 1: a picture of yourself from an earlier season of life,

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Speaker 1: and you're reminded as you look at the picture of life?

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Speaker 1: how you used to think and live at that season?

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Speaker 1: And you think to yourself, it's like, yeah, the Lord's

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Speaker 1: done a work in me. You can trace his hand

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Speaker 1: in your life. And I hope that for each of us,

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Speaker 1: when we trace the hand of God in our life,

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Speaker 1: we say thank you to him, because we can see

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Speaker 1: that he's helping us to grow. And here, Samuel, we're told,

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Speaker 1: he continues to grow both in stature and in favor

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Speaker 1: with the Lord and also with man. Those of you

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Speaker 1: that are parents, I know that you pray for your

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Speaker 1: children constantly. Isn't it a joy when you watch that development,

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Speaker 1: that spiritual development take place in your children? Sometimes you

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Speaker 1: see it when they're young. Sometimes it seems like it's

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Speaker 1: stunted at different seasons of life. But then when you

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Speaker 1: see if it was stunted, when it returns, and then

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Speaker 1: you watch how it grows, and it brings such delight

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Speaker 1: to our hearts. Well, here Samuel continues to grow. He's

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Speaker 1: growing as a man, so socially he's growing. But he's

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Speaker 1: also growing, it says, in favor with the Lord and

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Speaker 1: also with man. Why am I bringing that up? What's

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Speaker 1: the longer aspect of this that I want us to notice,

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Speaker 1: even when we see this description of Samuel and his development?

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Speaker 1: Certainly there's a personal application, but there's also a Christ-centered

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Speaker 1: application that I hope we'll catch here. Because this description

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Speaker 1: describes what Luke later says about Jesus himself. In Luke

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Speaker 1: chapter 2, we read this. Well, I'm doing a really

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Speaker 1: good job of having slides ready for you today. I

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Speaker 1: don't know how I goofed that up. I'll just read

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Speaker 1: it for us. In Luke chapter 2, verse 52, it says,

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Speaker 1: and Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in

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Speaker 1: favor with God and man. That's what it says in

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Speaker 1: Luke 2, 52. Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature

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Speaker 1: and in favor with God and man. Now, Samuel isn't Jesus.

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Speaker 1: But his life is actually meant to provide an early

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Speaker 1: picture for us of a faithful servant growing under God's

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Speaker 1: favor while surrounded by corruption. It's a foretaste of what

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Speaker 1: we would ultimately see accomplished in Jesus himself. Well, coming

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Speaker 1: back to 1 Samuel, what God ends up doing here

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Speaker 1: is he sends a prophet to confront Eli about all

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Speaker 1: these things that are going on. And the prophet reminds

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Speaker 1: him that God hadn't chosen Aaron's family, which Eli was

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Speaker 1: a descendant of, that God hadn't chosen Aaron's family for

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Speaker 1: priestly service and provided, or excuse me, that God had

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Speaker 1: chosen Aaron's family for priestly service. Eli was part of that,

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Speaker 1: but he hadn't chosen them to just misrepresent him. And

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Speaker 1: Eli and his sons were basically responding to that privilege

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Speaker 1: with dishonor. As descendants of Aaron, they were looking at

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Speaker 1: this and they were not making a big deal about it.

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Speaker 1: They were wasting this opportunity. They were wasting this this

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Speaker 1: chance to be stewards of God's great blessing. It was

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Speaker 1: a unique thing that God was doing in their lives.

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Speaker 1: And in verse 29, it says, why then do you

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Speaker 1: scorn my sacrifices? So as the Lord is speaking this,

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Speaker 1: why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings

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Speaker 1: that I commanded for my dwelling? And honor your sons

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Speaker 1: above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of

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Speaker 1: every offering, my people Israel. A little foreshadowing there. Eli

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Speaker 1: was an extremely obese man. And I was thinking about

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Speaker 1: this this week in a way that I don't know

428
00:23:07,330 --> 00:23:11,149
Speaker 1: that I really thought about it before. When he passed away,

429
00:23:11,170 --> 00:23:14,330
Speaker 1: he actually falls off a chair and in his obesity,

430
00:23:14,369 --> 00:23:17,929
Speaker 1: it breaks his neck. And you look at this and

431
00:23:17,970 --> 00:23:19,869
Speaker 1: what does the Lord tell him as he confronts him?

432
00:23:20,170 --> 00:23:23,670
Speaker 1: What are you doing, Eli? You scorn my sacrifices. You

433
00:23:23,850 --> 00:23:29,210
Speaker 1: fatten yourself on the choicest parts of every offering. You're

434
00:23:29,270 --> 00:23:33,930
Speaker 1: fattening yourself instead of honoring me. And that comes back

435
00:23:33,950 --> 00:23:36,780
Speaker 1: to haunt him. You have Eli participating in the benefits

436
00:23:36,820 --> 00:23:41,109
Speaker 1: of his son's sin. So his failure wasn't just limited

437
00:23:41,130 --> 00:23:44,850
Speaker 1: to weak discipline. It's more than that. He shared in

438
00:23:44,910 --> 00:23:47,910
Speaker 1: what they took from the sacrifices, which then also allowed

439
00:23:47,970 --> 00:23:52,110
Speaker 1: their actions to continue. So Eli is also culpable of this.

440
00:23:53,730 --> 00:23:55,650
Speaker 1: And so God announces that judgment was going to come

441
00:23:55,710 --> 00:23:58,070
Speaker 1: upon Eli's household. Both of his sons would die on

442
00:23:58,109 --> 00:24:01,290
Speaker 1: the same day. The Lord reveals his family's priestly influence

443
00:24:01,310 --> 00:24:04,090
Speaker 1: would also come to an end. But God also promised

444
00:24:04,130 --> 00:24:06,510
Speaker 1: something better. And that's one of the things that I

445
00:24:06,550 --> 00:24:08,869
Speaker 1: really appreciate about what the Lord's revealed to us in

446
00:24:08,930 --> 00:24:12,000
Speaker 1: his word. Because sometimes as we look at culture, we

447
00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:13,820
Speaker 1: look at things and sometimes we think it looks like

448
00:24:13,859 --> 00:24:17,879
Speaker 1: it's going in a bad direction. And even when we

449
00:24:17,900 --> 00:24:19,680
Speaker 1: look at certain things in our own life, we're like, Lord,

450
00:24:19,700 --> 00:24:22,500
Speaker 1: this is a hard stretch. But when you look at

451
00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:24,920
Speaker 1: the total narrative of scripture, you realize that the Lord's

452
00:24:24,940 --> 00:24:27,719
Speaker 1: going to work things out for our good and for

453
00:24:27,770 --> 00:24:30,390
Speaker 1: his glory, that the end result is going to be good.

454
00:24:31,310 --> 00:24:33,389
Speaker 1: And the Lord reveals, even in this context, when you

455
00:24:33,410 --> 00:24:35,740
Speaker 1: get to verse 35, he says, I will raise up

456
00:24:35,780 --> 00:24:39,419
Speaker 1: for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to

457
00:24:39,460 --> 00:24:41,840
Speaker 1: what is in my heart and in my mind. So

458
00:24:41,940 --> 00:24:45,720
Speaker 1: contrast to Eli, contrast to Hophni and Phinehas. And he says,

459
00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:47,419
Speaker 1: and I will build him a sure house and he

460
00:24:47,460 --> 00:24:52,609
Speaker 1: shall go in and out before my anointed forever. Now,

461
00:24:53,330 --> 00:24:55,570
Speaker 1: a lot of these prophetic promises that you see in

462
00:24:55,609 --> 00:24:59,010
Speaker 1: scripture have kind of a twofold fulfillment. And this is

463
00:24:59,030 --> 00:25:03,510
Speaker 1: something that sometimes people miss about prophetic scripture. Sometimes there's

464
00:25:03,530 --> 00:25:08,480
Speaker 1: a fulfillment in the moment that also has a greater

465
00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:13,560
Speaker 1: fulfillment at a later time. So this specific promise had

466
00:25:13,619 --> 00:25:17,960
Speaker 1: an immediate historical fulfillment through the priestly line of Zadok.

467
00:25:19,270 --> 00:25:24,050
Speaker 1: And that priestly line later replaced Eli's family. But it

468
00:25:24,530 --> 00:25:29,170
Speaker 1: also directs our attention beyond Zadok To Jesus Christ, our

469
00:25:29,450 --> 00:25:35,220
Speaker 1: perfect and eternal high priest. So here you have, think

470
00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:40,060
Speaker 1: of the contrast here. Hophni and Phinehas, they took sacrifices

471
00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,000
Speaker 1: from the people for themselves. They just took it from

472
00:25:43,020 --> 00:25:45,409
Speaker 1: the people because they wanted it for themselves. But what

473
00:25:45,450 --> 00:25:49,330
Speaker 1: did Jesus do? He offered himself as the sacrifice for

474
00:25:49,410 --> 00:25:52,369
Speaker 1: his people. Do you see the contrast? Hophni and Phinehas

475
00:25:52,410 --> 00:25:55,909
Speaker 1: taking things for themselves. Jesus offering himself as a sacrifice

476
00:25:55,990 --> 00:26:02,350
Speaker 1: for his people. Eli and ultimately his sons, so we'll

477
00:26:02,390 --> 00:26:05,880
Speaker 1: say Hophni and Phinehas, they used their position to serve themselves.

478
00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:10,560
Speaker 1: But Jesus did what? Mark 10.45, it tells us Jesus

479
00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:15,639
Speaker 1: came not to be served, but to serve and to

480
00:26:15,700 --> 00:26:20,520
Speaker 1: give his life as a ransom for many. Totally different perspective.

481
00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:24,320
Speaker 1: But then we get into chapter 3. And chapter 3

482
00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:27,869
Speaker 1: begins by describing the spiritual condition of Israel that Hophni

483
00:26:27,910 --> 00:26:30,889
Speaker 1: and Phinehas were contributing to the issues there. But it

484
00:26:30,930 --> 00:26:35,770
Speaker 1: tells us when we get to verse 1 of chapter 3,

485
00:26:35,750 --> 00:26:38,909
Speaker 1: it says, And the word of the Lord was rare

486
00:26:39,050 --> 00:26:43,440
Speaker 1: in those days. There was no frequent vision. The word

487
00:26:43,460 --> 00:26:45,219
Speaker 1: of the Lord was rare in those days. There was

488
00:26:45,260 --> 00:26:48,119
Speaker 1: no frequent vision. God's word was rare, but God had

489
00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:51,840
Speaker 1: not abandoned his people. He was preparing Samuel to serve

490
00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,510
Speaker 1: as his prophet. We're told that one night Samuel was

491
00:26:54,550 --> 00:26:56,250
Speaker 1: lying down in the temple of the Lord near the

492
00:26:56,310 --> 00:26:58,910
Speaker 1: Ark of the Covenant, and he heard someone call his name,

493
00:26:58,930 --> 00:27:01,690
Speaker 1: and he assumed it was Eli. And so Samuel ran

494
00:27:01,730 --> 00:27:04,030
Speaker 1: to him and said, here I am, for you called me.

495
00:27:04,750 --> 00:27:06,729
Speaker 1: Here I am, for you called me. Now, I don't

496
00:27:06,770 --> 00:27:10,409
Speaker 1: know about you. Anyone here afraid of the dark? You

497
00:27:10,430 --> 00:27:13,870
Speaker 1: don't have to admit that. Any of you? I don't know.

498
00:27:13,950 --> 00:27:17,230
Speaker 1: I mean, like if you were resting, especially in a

499
00:27:17,270 --> 00:27:19,610
Speaker 1: public place, do you ever... You know, like when you're

500
00:27:19,630 --> 00:27:21,350
Speaker 1: growing up, do you ever have like a lock-in or

501
00:27:21,369 --> 00:27:24,010
Speaker 1: anything like that at your home church? Or we've done

502
00:27:24,050 --> 00:27:26,369
Speaker 1: some things like that here. And it's kind of interesting,

503
00:27:26,390 --> 00:27:30,200
Speaker 1: but imagine you're locked in. Well, I'll even say this

504
00:27:30,260 --> 00:27:31,699
Speaker 1: of myself. There are a lot of times when I'm

505
00:27:31,740 --> 00:27:34,960
Speaker 1: here at the church and it's just me. And buildings

506
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:39,139
Speaker 1: like this make sounds, right? Especially when wind blows in

507
00:27:39,180 --> 00:27:41,500
Speaker 1: this direction, you'll just hear stuff and you'll just be thinking,

508
00:27:41,540 --> 00:27:43,629
Speaker 1: what am I hearing? And there are a lot of

509
00:27:43,660 --> 00:27:45,330
Speaker 1: times that I've been here at the church in the

510
00:27:45,470 --> 00:27:47,369
Speaker 1: evening and I don't have all the lights on in

511
00:27:47,410 --> 00:27:49,320
Speaker 1: the building. I'll just have like the lights on right

512
00:27:49,380 --> 00:27:50,800
Speaker 1: up here in front, and the rest of the building's

513
00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:53,440
Speaker 1: completely dark. And then the wind will blow, or the

514
00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:55,840
Speaker 1: building will settle, or there'll be something, and I'll think

515
00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:58,300
Speaker 1: I'll hear something. I'm like, what am I hearing? I'll

516
00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:01,879
Speaker 1: be like, what am I hearing? What is this? Well,

517
00:28:01,900 --> 00:28:03,710
Speaker 1: do you think if you were just kind of sleeping

518
00:28:03,750 --> 00:28:07,209
Speaker 1: at night, and you heard a voice, that that would

519
00:28:07,250 --> 00:28:09,450
Speaker 1: have some sort of an impact on you emotionally? Do

520
00:28:10,410 --> 00:28:12,070
Speaker 1: you think you'd be like, wait, what is this? Now,

521
00:28:12,310 --> 00:28:15,990
Speaker 1: Samuel hears a voice. And he thinks that it's Eli.

522
00:28:16,350 --> 00:28:18,450
Speaker 1: And again, he's young. He's a boy at this time

523
00:28:18,730 --> 00:28:22,290
Speaker 1: when you tend to be most terrified of the dark, right?

524
00:28:22,310 --> 00:28:25,100
Speaker 1: And he's like, oh, Eli's calling me. He says, here

525
00:28:25,170 --> 00:28:26,780
Speaker 1: I am for you called me. It says that in

526
00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:30,300
Speaker 1: verse five. And Eli's like, I didn't call you. What

527
00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,520
Speaker 1: are you talking about? I didn't call you. And he's like,

528
00:28:32,540 --> 00:28:35,120
Speaker 1: go lay down. I think in Eli's mind at this point,

529
00:28:35,140 --> 00:28:37,600
Speaker 1: he's thinking you're just hearing stuff. It's wind. It's something

530
00:28:37,619 --> 00:28:40,630
Speaker 1: you're just having dreams, Samuel. Go lay down. It's like, okay.

531
00:28:40,670 --> 00:28:43,709
Speaker 1: But then the same thing happens a second time. Samuel

532
00:28:43,750 --> 00:28:48,280
Speaker 1: hears his name. And he goes to Eli. And Eli's like,

533
00:28:48,340 --> 00:28:51,610
Speaker 1: go back to bed. Parents, how many times have you

534
00:28:51,630 --> 00:28:55,030
Speaker 1: said that? Go back to bed. Go back to bed.

535
00:28:55,050 --> 00:28:56,370
Speaker 1: I don't have her permission to say this, but I

536
00:28:56,370 --> 00:29:01,030
Speaker 1: think she'll be okay with me saying this. My daughter, Julia,

537
00:29:01,770 --> 00:29:04,250
Speaker 1: who's a mom herself now, can identify with this on

538
00:29:04,270 --> 00:29:08,590
Speaker 1: a new level. When she was little and she had

539
00:29:08,610 --> 00:29:13,110
Speaker 1: a bottom bunk, she was upstairs and my wife and

540
00:29:13,170 --> 00:29:15,410
Speaker 1: I'd be sitting downstairs after the kids were supposed to

541
00:29:15,450 --> 00:29:17,989
Speaker 1: be sent to bed, and we would hear something. We'd

542
00:29:18,010 --> 00:29:19,830
Speaker 1: be like, well, hold on. We'd like mute the TV,

543
00:29:20,230 --> 00:29:24,570
Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, we'd just hear, and we'd

544
00:29:24,590 --> 00:29:27,970
Speaker 1: look at each other. We're like, is she up? She's up,

545
00:29:28,930 --> 00:29:31,410
Speaker 1: and then I'd go, Julia, and then all of a sudden,

546
00:29:31,430 --> 00:29:34,469
Speaker 1: you'd hear, and she'd run back to me. We're like,

547
00:29:34,510 --> 00:29:37,110
Speaker 1: that was Julia. That was definitely her. It would happen

548
00:29:37,350 --> 00:29:42,500
Speaker 1: every night, every night, and so Eli is looking at Samuel.

549
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:44,820
Speaker 1: He's like, Samuel, what are you doing? What do you

550
00:29:44,860 --> 00:29:49,040
Speaker 1: just go back to bed? And the, the passage explains

551
00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:52,200
Speaker 1: that Samuel doesn't understand what's happening from Samuel's perspective. He's

552
00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,320
Speaker 1: hearing a voice. He's thinking it's gotta be Eli. He

553
00:29:55,340 --> 00:29:58,150
Speaker 1: keeps calling my name. Verse 7 says it this way.

554
00:29:58,170 --> 00:30:00,310
Speaker 1: It says, now Samuel did not yet know the Lord,

555
00:30:00,330 --> 00:30:01,650
Speaker 1: and the word of the Lord had not yet been

556
00:30:01,710 --> 00:30:04,930
Speaker 1: revealed to him. So he's not understanding that this is

557
00:30:04,970 --> 00:30:07,510
Speaker 1: the Lord speaking to him in a, you know, you

558
00:30:07,550 --> 00:30:10,670
Speaker 1: would say in a prophetic way. Samuel, at this point,

559
00:30:10,710 --> 00:30:13,590
Speaker 1: he served in God's house, but at this point, he

560
00:30:13,610 --> 00:30:17,190
Speaker 1: has not yet received prophetic revelation from God. So he

561
00:30:17,270 --> 00:30:21,080
Speaker 1: needed to learn how to recognize God's voice. And when

562
00:30:21,130 --> 00:30:26,040
Speaker 1: God called him a third time, Eli, the high priest,

563
00:30:26,470 --> 00:30:31,460
Speaker 1: finally realizes what happened. He realizes what's happening at this point,

564
00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:35,100
Speaker 1: and he gives Samuel good instruction. He instructs Samuel to

565
00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:37,760
Speaker 1: return to bed. He says, if you hear that again,

566
00:30:38,060 --> 00:30:41,920
Speaker 1: if you get called again, say this, speak, Lord, for

567
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:46,780
Speaker 1: your servant hears. Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. Well,

568
00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:49,239
Speaker 1: God came and called him again. In verse 10, we

569
00:30:49,290 --> 00:30:56,630
Speaker 1: read this. It Before I even finish reading that statement,

570
00:30:57,690 --> 00:31:01,880
Speaker 1: I don't know exactly how that would have sounded. But

571
00:31:01,890 --> 00:31:05,120
Speaker 1: to audibly hear the voice of God, I mean, that

572
00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,620
Speaker 1: just sounds so wonderful and also something that in my

573
00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:14,610
Speaker 1: mind produces shivers. And here, Samuel, Samuel, Samuel said, speak

574
00:31:15,010 --> 00:31:18,830
Speaker 1: for your servant hears. Speak for your servant hears. That

575
00:31:18,870 --> 00:31:23,100
Speaker 1: is a beautiful verse in this passage. that I hope

576
00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:26,840
Speaker 1: will notice because Samuel's response expresses the posture, the heart

577
00:31:26,900 --> 00:31:32,510
Speaker 1: posture that every Christian should possess. He was available. He

578
00:31:32,550 --> 00:31:37,450
Speaker 1: was attentive and he was ready to obey. Samuel was

579
00:31:37,510 --> 00:31:39,990
Speaker 1: available to the Lord. He was attentive to the Lord's

580
00:31:40,010 --> 00:31:43,090
Speaker 1: voice and he was ready to obey whatever direction the

581
00:31:43,130 --> 00:31:45,150
Speaker 1: Lord gave him. Is that not something that we can

582
00:31:45,190 --> 00:31:50,709
Speaker 1: learn from? If the Lord speaks to you, are you

583
00:31:50,780 --> 00:31:55,580
Speaker 1: available to listen? Are you actually listening for His voice?

584
00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:57,520
Speaker 1: And I'm not saying in an audible way, because the

585
00:31:57,540 --> 00:32:00,440
Speaker 1: primary way God speaks to us in this generation isn't

586
00:32:00,500 --> 00:32:04,440
Speaker 1: with an audible voice. It's very unlikely that that's how

587
00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:06,120
Speaker 1: God's going to speak to you, but He'll still speak

588
00:32:06,140 --> 00:32:10,090
Speaker 1: to you. He'll speak to your conscience, and He'll speak

589
00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:12,890
Speaker 1: to you through His Word, and He'll also speak to

590
00:32:12,930 --> 00:32:15,450
Speaker 1: you through the brothers and sisters in Christ that He's

591
00:32:15,510 --> 00:32:20,760
Speaker 1: surrounded you with. Are you available? Are you attentive? Are

592
00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:25,680
Speaker 1: you ready to obey? Samuel was absolutely all three. He

593
00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:28,209
Speaker 1: didn't ask God to confirm his personal plans. That's not

594
00:32:28,230 --> 00:32:30,770
Speaker 1: where he went with this. He just places himself under

595
00:32:30,810 --> 00:32:34,530
Speaker 1: God's authority and he listens. And God's message wasn't easy

596
00:32:34,630 --> 00:32:36,570
Speaker 1: for Samuel to hear because when we look at what

597
00:32:36,650 --> 00:32:39,190
Speaker 1: God said to him, he tells him some hard stuff

598
00:32:39,410 --> 00:32:42,570
Speaker 1: right away. And in a sense, it sort of proves

599
00:32:42,610 --> 00:32:45,410
Speaker 1: to be a test. God tells Samuel, this is what

600
00:32:45,430 --> 00:32:47,770
Speaker 1: he reveals to him. He reveals to him that judgment

601
00:32:47,810 --> 00:32:51,430
Speaker 1: was about to come upon Eli's family. Because Eli knew

602
00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:57,040
Speaker 1: about his son's sins and failed to restrain them. He

603
00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:00,320
Speaker 1: reveals that their guilt would not be removed through sacrifices

604
00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:02,980
Speaker 1: or through offerings, that it was going to have a

605
00:33:03,020 --> 00:33:08,340
Speaker 1: moment of being dealt with. The scripture reveals to us

606
00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:11,440
Speaker 1: that Samuel remained in bed till morning, and he was

607
00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:13,910
Speaker 1: afraid to tell Eli what God said because it didn't

608
00:33:13,930 --> 00:33:17,050
Speaker 1: sound like delightful news. And I think that fear is understandable.

609
00:33:17,090 --> 00:33:20,060
Speaker 1: He was young. Eli is serving as his mentor here.

610
00:33:20,100 --> 00:33:22,680
Speaker 1: He's the high priest. And the message basically is a

611
00:33:22,700 --> 00:33:26,960
Speaker 1: summary of the downfall of Eli's family. But Eli insisted

612
00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:29,000
Speaker 1: that Samuel tell him everything. He's like, you have to

613
00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:31,700
Speaker 1: tell me every single thing that the Lord told you.

614
00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:34,540
Speaker 1: He said, you have to tell me no matter what

615
00:33:34,580 --> 00:33:37,940
Speaker 1: it is. And so Samuel tells him. He faithfully repeats

616
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,200
Speaker 1: God's message and he doesn't hide any of it. So

617
00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,840
Speaker 1: that means, think about this through the lens of a test.

618
00:33:44,780 --> 00:33:53,469
Speaker 1: Samuel's first recorded prophetic assignment required courage and honesty. He

619
00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:55,620
Speaker 1: had to do what prophets are often called to do,

620
00:33:56,060 --> 00:33:59,440
Speaker 1: tell people what they don't want to hear, tell people

621
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,880
Speaker 1: the hard news that's harder to hear than what would seem,

622
00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:07,090
Speaker 1: you know, delightful. But it's interesting when you look at

623
00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:11,170
Speaker 1: how Eli responds. He says, after he hears this about

624
00:34:11,210 --> 00:34:14,430
Speaker 1: the downfall of his family, as it's prophetically revealed to him,

625
00:34:14,489 --> 00:34:16,569
Speaker 1: not for the first time, but it's now confirmed to him.

626
00:34:17,610 --> 00:34:19,360
Speaker 1: He says, it is the Lord. Let him do what

627
00:34:19,390 --> 00:34:23,359
Speaker 1: seems good to him. That's up to him. If that's

628
00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:27,419
Speaker 1: what he decides, that's what he decides. So God decrees this,

629
00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:31,000
Speaker 1: and Eli accepted the justice of God's decision, and it

630
00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,890
Speaker 1: very much came to pass. Now, his response doesn't undo

631
00:34:34,989 --> 00:34:39,100
Speaker 1: previous failures and acts of rebellion. But he does recognize

632
00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,319
Speaker 1: that God has the right to judge his household, and

633
00:34:41,340 --> 00:34:42,960
Speaker 1: he says, it is the Lord, let him do what

634
00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:47,580
Speaker 1: seems good to him. But now Samuel continues growing. In

635
00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:50,230
Speaker 1: the midst of all this, Samuel continues to develop, and

636
00:34:50,250 --> 00:34:53,710
Speaker 1: God remains with him. Verse 19 tells us, and Samuel grew,

637
00:34:54,110 --> 00:34:56,290
Speaker 1: and the Lord was with him, and let none of

638
00:34:56,330 --> 00:35:00,690
Speaker 1: his words fall to the ground. So God confirms Samuel

639
00:35:00,710 --> 00:35:04,300
Speaker 1: is a prophet. He brings his words to fulfillment. From

640
00:35:04,380 --> 00:35:07,140
Speaker 1: Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, Israel

641
00:35:07,219 --> 00:35:11,680
Speaker 1: recognizes that God has established Samuel as a prophet. They

642
00:35:11,700 --> 00:35:13,979
Speaker 1: start seeing him as the authority that God had raised

643
00:35:14,020 --> 00:35:16,420
Speaker 1: him up to be. And the word of the Lord,

644
00:35:16,460 --> 00:35:19,779
Speaker 1: which seemed rare in that generation, no longer seemed rare

645
00:35:19,820 --> 00:35:24,500
Speaker 1: because God revealed himself through Samuel to the people. So

646
00:35:24,540 --> 00:35:28,260
Speaker 1: now God is speaking to the people regularly through Samuel.

647
00:35:28,980 --> 00:35:31,200
Speaker 1: And I think Samuel's calling is very interesting to look

648
00:35:31,260 --> 00:35:32,870
Speaker 1: at in a portion of Scripture like this because it

649
00:35:32,910 --> 00:35:36,150
Speaker 1: shows that God could raise up a faithful servant in

650
00:35:36,170 --> 00:35:40,590
Speaker 1: the midst of widespread spiritual corruption. Isn't that a useful

651
00:35:40,650 --> 00:35:42,739
Speaker 1: thing to just keep in mind in the midst of

652
00:35:42,900 --> 00:35:46,980
Speaker 1: every generation? That God can and does raise up faithful

653
00:35:47,020 --> 00:35:52,280
Speaker 1: servants in the midst of widespread spiritual corruption at His will.

654
00:35:53,500 --> 00:35:56,040
Speaker 1: Here you have Hophni and Phinehas. They hold the priestly

655
00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:58,960
Speaker 1: offices that you would expect that they would steward well,

656
00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:01,700
Speaker 1: but they don't. And so what does God do? He

657
00:36:01,739 --> 00:36:04,190
Speaker 1: chooses to speak through a boy who is willing to listen.

658
00:36:05,630 --> 00:36:09,270
Speaker 1: That's who God speaks through, a boy. At this point,

659
00:36:09,489 --> 00:36:12,230
Speaker 1: he's a boy. But the passage here, I think, is

660
00:36:12,450 --> 00:36:15,270
Speaker 1: also preparing us to understand our need for Jesus Christ.

661
00:36:15,830 --> 00:36:18,610
Speaker 1: Let me explain what I mean by that. Israel needed

662
00:36:18,850 --> 00:36:25,009
Speaker 1: a faithful priest. Israel needed an obedient prophet. Israel needed, ultimately,

663
00:36:25,030 --> 00:36:30,740
Speaker 1: a good king. Jesus is all three. Samuel served faithfully

664
00:36:30,780 --> 00:36:32,980
Speaker 1: during his life and during his generation, but his ministry

665
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:37,840
Speaker 1: couldn't provide final atonement for sin. Zadok, his priestly line,

666
00:36:37,940 --> 00:36:42,299
Speaker 1: couldn't do that either. Jesus fulfills what Israel's priests and

667
00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:46,270
Speaker 1: prophets could only look forward to. Jesus is the faithful

668
00:36:46,330 --> 00:36:51,049
Speaker 1: priest who always perfectly does the Father's will. He doesn't

669
00:36:51,090 --> 00:36:54,280
Speaker 1: exploit worshipers, and he doesn't take from those who approach God.

670
00:36:54,980 --> 00:36:58,100
Speaker 1: He gives himself to bring sinners into God's presence. I

671
00:36:58,140 --> 00:37:00,759
Speaker 1: love what Hebrews 7 happens to tell us. Hebrews 7,

672
00:37:00,739 --> 00:37:04,219
Speaker 1: 26 says, For it was indeed fitting that we should

673
00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:09,160
Speaker 1: have such a high priest, speaking of Jesus, holy, innocent, unstained,

674
00:37:09,719 --> 00:37:15,590
Speaker 1: separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. But Scripture

675
00:37:15,630 --> 00:37:18,070
Speaker 1: also reveals to us, so Jesus fulfills. So in the

676
00:37:18,110 --> 00:37:19,950
Speaker 1: Old Testament, you have prophets, you have priests, and you

677
00:37:19,969 --> 00:37:25,290
Speaker 1: have kings. And Jesus, being God himself, perfectly fulfills what

678
00:37:25,469 --> 00:37:29,350
Speaker 1: all of those rules were ultimately pointing toward. So Jesus

679
00:37:29,410 --> 00:37:33,190
Speaker 1: is also the perfect prophet who reveals the Father to us.

680
00:37:34,090 --> 00:37:36,710
Speaker 1: Here you have Samuel speaking words that God gave him.

681
00:37:37,700 --> 00:37:41,400
Speaker 1: But understand who Jesus is. Jesus, Scripture reveals, as the divine,

682
00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:45,819
Speaker 1: eternal Word of God who became flesh. Meaning he doesn't

683
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:48,339
Speaker 1: just deliver a message from God, he makes God known

684
00:37:48,380 --> 00:37:50,920
Speaker 1: because he is God. That's what scripture is trying to

685
00:37:50,940 --> 00:37:54,840
Speaker 1: help us to understand. Jesus is eternally one in essence

686
00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:57,120
Speaker 1: with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, and he

687
00:37:57,200 --> 00:38:00,420
Speaker 1: makes God known to us. I love what the Father

688
00:38:00,460 --> 00:38:05,739
Speaker 1: said at the transfiguration of Jesus. Matthew 17, 5, we

689
00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:08,140
Speaker 1: see this. The Father says, this is my beloved son

690
00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:15,259
Speaker 1: with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him, right?

691
00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,080
Speaker 1: Samuel teaches us to say, speak for your servant hears.

692
00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:22,680
Speaker 1: But God commands that now, what do we do? Listen

693
00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:25,960
Speaker 1: to his son. Listen to his son. That's the command

694
00:38:25,980 --> 00:38:28,060
Speaker 1: of God for us. If we want to be the

695
00:38:28,100 --> 00:38:30,320
Speaker 1: people who listen to the voice of God, what is

696
00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:32,300
Speaker 1: he telling us? He's saying, this is my beloved son

697
00:38:32,860 --> 00:38:35,779
Speaker 1: with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. Well,

698
00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:41,819
Speaker 1: how do we hear Jesus? Now, if you're somebody that

699
00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:45,060
Speaker 1: desires to hear his voice, how do we hear him? Again,

700
00:38:45,100 --> 00:38:46,960
Speaker 1: the primary way you're going to hear him is through

701
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:50,210
Speaker 1: the revealed word of God. Through the Scriptures. That's why

702
00:38:50,230 --> 00:38:53,690
Speaker 1: we spend so much time studying Scripture together, teaching the

703
00:38:53,730 --> 00:38:57,680
Speaker 1: children the Scriptures together. When you attend a worship service

704
00:38:57,700 --> 00:38:59,120
Speaker 1: here with us, what do we do? We spend a

705
00:38:59,219 --> 00:39:02,580
Speaker 1: large portion of time directly looking at what the Word

706
00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,400
Speaker 1: of God happens to say. We hear Jesus through His Word.

707
00:39:05,860 --> 00:39:08,739
Speaker 1: We hear Jesus through the Scriptures. You don't have to

708
00:39:08,780 --> 00:39:10,730
Speaker 1: wait for an audible voice to show up in the

709
00:39:10,770 --> 00:39:12,049
Speaker 1: middle of the night, and I think most of us

710
00:39:12,070 --> 00:39:14,549
Speaker 1: would prefer maybe for things not to operate that way.

711
00:39:15,170 --> 00:39:19,200
Speaker 1: That sounds pretty frightening. Delightful and frightening at the same time.

712
00:39:19,739 --> 00:39:22,200
Speaker 1: But what has God done for us? He's spoken to us.

713
00:39:22,730 --> 00:39:28,470
Speaker 1: He's spoken through his son. And think about the ministry

714
00:39:28,489 --> 00:39:31,290
Speaker 1: of the Holy Spirit in this generation. What is he doing?

715
00:39:31,330 --> 00:39:35,239
Speaker 1: He's using the written word to teach us, to correct us,

716
00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:38,060
Speaker 1: to encourage us, to shape us, so that we would

717
00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:39,980
Speaker 1: understand more and more what it looks like for you

718
00:39:40,020 --> 00:39:42,360
Speaker 1: and me to reflect the heart of Christ in our

719
00:39:42,380 --> 00:39:45,580
Speaker 1: day-to-day lives. When you look at 1 Samuel chapter 2,

720
00:39:45,580 --> 00:39:48,080
Speaker 1: which we looked at today, and when you segue into

721
00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,670
Speaker 1: chapter 3, You're actually given a couple things here. You're

722
00:39:51,690 --> 00:39:54,330
Speaker 1: given both a warning and a promise. Did you notice both?

723
00:39:56,219 --> 00:40:01,600
Speaker 1: Hophni and Phinehas warn us against participating in religious activity

724
00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:05,879
Speaker 1: while refusing to actually know and obey God. So they're

725
00:40:05,900 --> 00:40:08,379
Speaker 1: a warning of what it looks like to just go

726
00:40:08,420 --> 00:40:11,040
Speaker 1: through the motions but not actually have a heart that

727
00:40:11,100 --> 00:40:15,819
Speaker 1: honors the Lord. But Samuel shows us the beauty of

728
00:40:15,860 --> 00:40:19,279
Speaker 1: a heart that is ready to hear God's word. And

729
00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:21,920
Speaker 1: then the greater promise that we could take from a

730
00:40:21,940 --> 00:40:24,040
Speaker 1: passage of Scripture like this is that God has given

731
00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:26,739
Speaker 1: us the faithful priest and the perfect prophet that we

732
00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:31,140
Speaker 1: need in Jesus Christ. He fulfills ultimately both roles. God

733
00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:34,040
Speaker 1: is the one who fulfills the roles that He demonstrates

734
00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:37,100
Speaker 1: under the Old Covenant. We have Jesus, who is God

735
00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:41,489
Speaker 1: the Son, offering the sacrifice that fully atones for our

736
00:40:41,570 --> 00:40:46,750
Speaker 1: sin and speaking the words of eternal life and bringing

737
00:40:46,910 --> 00:40:51,320
Speaker 1: everyone who trusts in Him into the presence of God forever.

738
00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:55,040
Speaker 1: That's the Savior we serve. That's the Savior that a

739
00:40:55,080 --> 00:40:57,489
Speaker 1: portion of Scripture like this is ultimately teaching us to

740
00:40:57,530 --> 00:41:00,950
Speaker 1: long for. And the totality of God's Word is telling

741
00:41:00,989 --> 00:41:05,109
Speaker 1: us that you have that Savior in Jesus Christ. So

742
00:41:05,150 --> 00:41:08,240
Speaker 1: looking at this, if I could just give one quick

743
00:41:08,340 --> 00:41:11,500
Speaker 1: final challenge today before we finish. The quick challenge is this.

744
00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:19,089
Speaker 1: Be authentically God's child. Someone who knows him, someone who

745
00:41:19,140 --> 00:41:22,150
Speaker 1: loves him, someone who isn't just visibly going through the motions,

746
00:41:23,290 --> 00:41:25,710
Speaker 1: but then trying your best to stay distant from him

747
00:41:25,770 --> 00:41:28,410
Speaker 1: because there's something that you want to just keep for yourself.

748
00:41:29,250 --> 00:41:35,210
Speaker 1: Hophni and Phinehas were basically just consuming as much as

749
00:41:35,250 --> 00:41:38,730
Speaker 1: they could consume. And Eli was, you could say, living

750
00:41:38,790 --> 00:41:42,220
Speaker 1: off the fat of the land as well. And basically

751
00:41:42,260 --> 00:41:44,759
Speaker 1: taking what was meant to be something that belonged to

752
00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:46,800
Speaker 1: the Lord, and they were just coveting it and desiring

753
00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:51,680
Speaker 1: it for themselves and just living in such a way

754
00:41:51,739 --> 00:41:54,930
Speaker 1: that they provided a terrible example for Israel during a

755
00:41:54,989 --> 00:41:58,129
Speaker 1: season of time when they really needed people of God

756
00:41:58,190 --> 00:42:00,029
Speaker 1: to step up and show them an example of what

757
00:42:00,070 --> 00:42:03,890
Speaker 1: it means to actually be followers of God. In our generation,

758
00:42:04,570 --> 00:42:07,180
Speaker 1: this generation needs you and needs me to demonstrate an

759
00:42:07,219 --> 00:42:09,820
Speaker 1: example of what it means to be authentically God's children.

760
00:42:10,620 --> 00:42:12,680
Speaker 1: Men and women who love Jesus, men and women who

761
00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:16,810
Speaker 1: follow him, Men and women who are not easily succumbing

762
00:42:16,910 --> 00:42:19,310
Speaker 1: to the temptations of this world because we think that

763
00:42:19,350 --> 00:42:23,530
Speaker 1: the world's offerings can somehow satisfy the void in our soul.

764
00:42:23,570 --> 00:42:25,430
Speaker 1: That void in your soul and that void in my

765
00:42:25,489 --> 00:42:30,380
Speaker 1: soul can only ultimately be satisfied by Jesus Christ. He

766
00:42:30,540 --> 00:42:33,360
Speaker 1: is the king that we need. As we continue our

767
00:42:33,380 --> 00:42:34,880
Speaker 1: study of the book of 1 Samuel, we're going to

768
00:42:34,940 --> 00:42:38,180
Speaker 1: see just how much this world needs him. But we'll

769
00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:40,830
Speaker 1: be reminded at the same time that we specifically need

770
00:42:41,510 --> 00:42:43,610
Speaker 1: need him just as the people of that era happened

771
00:42:43,630 --> 00:42:47,730
Speaker 1: to need him as well. Let's pray together. Lord, thank

772
00:42:47,750 --> 00:42:49,770
Speaker 1: you so much for your word. Thank you for the

773
00:42:49,810 --> 00:42:52,350
Speaker 1: things that you reveal to us as we look at

774
00:42:52,390 --> 00:42:56,030
Speaker 1: your word together. Lord, I know that it's very easy

775
00:42:56,070 --> 00:43:00,660
Speaker 1: at times for us to, in a sense, just go

776
00:43:00,700 --> 00:43:08,259
Speaker 1: through the motions. It's very easy for us to even

777
00:43:08,340 --> 00:43:14,090
Speaker 1: participate in religious activity. and yet have hearts that, truthfully,

778
00:43:14,590 --> 00:43:17,540
Speaker 1: if our hearts were just held wide open before you,

779
00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:20,779
Speaker 1: to have hearts that are distant from you. And Lord,

780
00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:23,560
Speaker 1: we know that that's not your desire for us. It's

781
00:43:23,600 --> 00:43:27,089
Speaker 1: so interesting to observe the contrast in these passages. We

782
00:43:27,130 --> 00:43:29,890
Speaker 1: see men who should have followed you and had every

783
00:43:29,989 --> 00:43:33,630
Speaker 1: opportunity to do so, and had witnessed you do some very,

784
00:43:33,670 --> 00:43:37,390
Speaker 1: very interesting things, and yet they looked at their positions

785
00:43:37,489 --> 00:43:40,360
Speaker 1: and They didn't steward them in a godly way. And Father,

786
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:42,590
Speaker 1: we know that in our culture, in our world, that

787
00:43:42,610 --> 00:43:44,250
Speaker 1: there are plenty of people who have been raised up

788
00:43:44,290 --> 00:43:47,830
Speaker 1: to positions of spiritual influence that do the exact same thing.

789
00:43:47,870 --> 00:43:49,790
Speaker 1: They would rather the things of this world than the

790
00:43:49,830 --> 00:43:52,670
Speaker 1: things of God. And so, Father, we pray that if

791
00:43:52,690 --> 00:43:55,110
Speaker 1: that's a direction that our hearts are ever tempted to

792
00:43:55,170 --> 00:43:58,520
Speaker 1: go in, we pray that you would help us to

793
00:43:58,580 --> 00:44:01,040
Speaker 1: repent of that and to come back to you and

794
00:44:01,080 --> 00:44:03,799
Speaker 1: recognize that you are the one that we need. Lord,

795
00:44:03,820 --> 00:44:05,520
Speaker 1: you give us a contrast here. You give us a

796
00:44:05,580 --> 00:44:08,950
Speaker 1: contrast in the moment that we see in Samuel. a

797
00:44:08,969 --> 00:44:12,029
Speaker 1: young boy who was willing to listen to you. He

798
00:44:12,070 --> 00:44:17,469
Speaker 1: was obedient. He was eager to hear your word. And

799
00:44:17,510 --> 00:44:19,870
Speaker 1: he gives us a foretaste of the ministry of your son,

800
00:44:19,930 --> 00:44:25,120
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, who would be the ultimate fulfillment of the

801
00:44:25,180 --> 00:44:29,240
Speaker 1: things that we see demonstrated in Samuel's young life. Father,

802
00:44:29,260 --> 00:44:32,319
Speaker 1: we know that our relationship with you is reconciled through

803
00:44:32,360 --> 00:44:34,520
Speaker 1: your son. We know that as we trust in your son,

804
00:44:34,580 --> 00:44:38,569
Speaker 1: our sins are atoned for. We are forgiven. We are

805
00:44:38,590 --> 00:44:41,070
Speaker 1: brought into your presence and we are invited to worship

806
00:44:41,110 --> 00:44:43,710
Speaker 1: you forever, not at a distance, but up close because

807
00:44:43,730 --> 00:44:47,549
Speaker 1: you make us your family. Your spirit empowers us to

808
00:44:47,610 --> 00:44:51,160
Speaker 1: worship you rightly. Your spirit helps us to apply the

809
00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:53,819
Speaker 1: truth of your word to our day-to-day lives in such

810
00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:56,340
Speaker 1: a way that the things that we're reading here begin

811
00:44:56,380 --> 00:44:59,820
Speaker 1: to make sense. So Father, thank you for these things.

812
00:45:00,290 --> 00:45:01,910
Speaker 1: We know that this side of heaven, we are not

813
00:45:01,969 --> 00:45:03,910
Speaker 1: perfect people. We know that this side of heaven, we

814
00:45:03,950 --> 00:45:06,600
Speaker 1: are not perfect worshipers. but we do want to be

815
00:45:06,640 --> 00:45:10,040
Speaker 1: men and women who honor you with sincerity. So again, Father,

816
00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:11,819
Speaker 1: thank you for the things that you teach us from

817
00:45:11,860 --> 00:45:14,029
Speaker 1: your word. Thank you for the privilege that it is

818
00:45:14,070 --> 00:45:16,689
Speaker 1: to grow in our walk with you. And thank you, Lord,

819
00:45:16,730 --> 00:45:18,609
Speaker 1: for the fact that you continue to do a work

820
00:45:18,650 --> 00:45:21,850
Speaker 1: in our lives that's beyond human comprehension as you make

821
00:45:21,910 --> 00:45:24,489
Speaker 1: our faith stronger and stronger as we walk with you

822
00:45:24,590 --> 00:45:27,450
Speaker 1: each day that we live. We commit ourselves to you,

823
00:45:27,630 --> 00:45:29,529
Speaker 1: and we thank you, Lord, for your presence with us.

824
00:45:30,010 --> 00:45:33,529
Speaker 1: We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.