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Speaker 1: Let us pray. Wherefore the Lord God of Israel, Saith

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Speaker 1: I said, indeed that thy house and the house of

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Speaker 1: thy father should walk before me forever. But now the

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Speaker 1: Lord Saith, be it far from me. For them that

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Speaker 1: honor me, I will honor, and they that despise me

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Speaker 1: shall be lightly esteemed. First Samuel two twenty, Lord, I

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Speaker 1: know that you are not taken back by bold prayers,

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Speaker 1: So like Hannah, I will not be ashamed to lay

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Speaker 1: before you and make my request known. Thank you Jesus

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Speaker 1: that because of your sacrifice, I can come boldly before

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Speaker 1: the Lord in prayer and make the desires of my

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Speaker 1: heart known to him. As a child of God living

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Speaker 1: in alignment with my assignment, I thank you in advance

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Speaker 1: for moving and working on my behalf to bring my

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Speaker 1: purpose into focus. In the same way Hannah dedicated Samuel

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Speaker 1: to do your work, I also dedicate and devote my gifts,

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Speaker 1: my promotions, and all opportunities to you, because my focus

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Speaker 1: is to bring you glory. Therefore, I will listen when

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Speaker 1: you call me. Like Samuel, I will say speak, Lord,

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Speaker 1: for your servant is listening, because I know that one

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Speaker 1: word from you is worth a thousand elsewhere I declare

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Speaker 1: that I am chosen and that I am set apart.

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Speaker 1: I will live differently, speak differently, think differently, and believe

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Speaker 1: differently because I've been called to do great things. The

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Speaker 1: days of me playing small so others don't get uncomfortable

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Speaker 1: are done. You've placed me where I am, and I

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Speaker 1: am ready to receive my calling. I am your servant.

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Speaker 1: Speak Lord, I'm ready in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you

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Speaker 1: for making prayer a priority in your day. To learn

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Speaker 1: more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story, brought

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Speaker 1: to you by Bible in a year dot com, The.

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Speaker 2: Rise of Samuel. In our last story, we learned about

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Speaker 2: the romance of Ruth and a kinsman redeemer, Boaz. Boaz

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Speaker 2: redeemed Ruth from her poverty and loneliness, and the two

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Speaker 2: were married. They had a child named Obed, who would

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Speaker 2: be the grandfather of one of Israel's greatest kings. Now

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Speaker 2: we begin a new adventure with Samuel, a prophet, judge,

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Speaker 2: and ruler over Israel. He would pave the way for

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Speaker 2: a new era in Israel, the era of Kings, inspired

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Speaker 2: by the Book of First Samuel.

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Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we heard

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Speaker 3: the story of how Boaz and Ruth married and had

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Speaker 3: a son named Obd. Obd would be the grandfather of

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Speaker 3: Israel's greatest king, David. It was the dawn of a

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Speaker 3: new era in the history of God's people, the age

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Speaker 3: of the Kings, and today we'll hear how this new

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Speaker 3: era began with a child born to a woman named Hannah.

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Speaker 3: This child, named Samuel, would be promised to God's service

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Speaker 3: by his mother, Hannah, who had prayed and longed for

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Speaker 3: him many years. Samuel would grow to be a great

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Speaker 3: prophet and judge, but first he would serve in the

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Speaker 3: temple and receive a very special calling from God. Let's

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Speaker 3: listen to today's reading.

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Speaker 2: The country of Israel lived in captivity to their own

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Speaker 2: idolic After the Civil War of Benjamin and Israel, the

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Speaker 2: people retreated back into their old ways of idle worship

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Speaker 2: and living selfishly. During this time, there were a few

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Speaker 2: remaining faithful who continued to devote their lives to the Lord,

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Speaker 2: seeking him in all their ways. One of those people

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Speaker 2: was a man in the hill country of Ephraim el

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Speaker 2: cana Al Cana had two wives, since one of his wives, Hannah,

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Speaker 2: was unable to have children. His other wife, Fanina, had

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Speaker 2: many children, but el Cana loved Hannah more. Panina lived

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Speaker 2: without the undivided love of her husband and spited Hannah

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Speaker 2: because of it. She tormented and teased Hannah endlessly, just

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Speaker 2: as Jacob's wives Rachel and Leah. The two women hated

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Speaker 2: one another because of their husband's lack of sense. Year

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Speaker 2: by year, Hannah would endure the relentless provocation from Panina.

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Speaker 2: Hannah would often approach the altar of God to pray.

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Speaker 2: Day after day, she would enter into the house of

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Speaker 2: the Lord and beg him for a child. One day,

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Speaker 2: she lay on the floor of the temple and wept bitterly.

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Speaker 2: Her tears fell upon the altar, and her indiscernible prayers

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Speaker 2: echoed through the empty chamber. Hannah lifted her eyes to

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Speaker 2: heaven and prayed, Lord of Hosts, Maker of Heaven and Earth,

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Speaker 2: please look at my pain and have pity on me.

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Speaker 2: If you give me a son, I promise to give

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Speaker 2: him to you as a servant for the rest of

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Speaker 2: his life. As Hannah continued to pray, Eli, the priest

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Speaker 2: of the temple watched her. Hannah was speaking so deeply

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Speaker 2: and from her heart that it almost seemed as though

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Speaker 2: she was drunk. Eli, an already grumpy old man, scoffed

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Speaker 2: at her and said, how long will you lay there drunk?

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Speaker 2: Hannah turned around. Startled by Eli's voice, she wiped her

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Speaker 2: face and stood up. Oh no, my Lord, I am

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Speaker 2: simply a woman with a troubled spirit. I was bearing

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Speaker 2: my soul before God. She spoke softly, embarrassed at Eli's comments.

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Speaker 2: Please do not see me as a worthless woman. I

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Speaker 2: just pray with great anxiety. Eli saw that she was

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Speaker 2: truly distraught. He sighed and then gave a quick smile.

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Speaker 2: Go in peace, He said, God will answer, I am

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Speaker 2: sure of it. Then Eli departed to leave Hannah to

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Speaker 2: her prayers. Hannah smiled and returned to her husband to eat.

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Speaker 2: They worshiped God more in the House of God and

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Speaker 2: returned home. Time passed, and Paniona's pestering lost all its sting.

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Speaker 2: For Hannah had conceived a son and named him Samuel.

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Speaker 2: The Lord had answered her prayers. Hannah remembered her prayer

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Speaker 2: to God. She swore to God that if she was

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Speaker 2: given a son, she would offer him up into his surface.

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Speaker 2: When Samuel was old enough, she brought him to Eli.

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Speaker 2: Hannah held her child, trusting that God would be faith

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Speaker 2: to do great things. Because of her faithfulness, her heart broke,

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Speaker 2: just as Abraham's once did when he brought Isaac to

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Speaker 2: the altar. Sir Samuel studied and served under Eli. He

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Speaker 2: grew to be strong, wise, and attentive to the voice

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Speaker 2: of God's spirit. Samuel became like a son to Eli,

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Speaker 2: which was fitting since his sons grew up to be

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Speaker 2: wicked and worthless men. They would steal from the offerings

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Speaker 2: given to God and treat his altar like their own

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Speaker 2: personal feeding troth. The two men used their influence to

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Speaker 2: seduce women who desired to serve God. They took advantage

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Speaker 2: of the people and treated God's children as objects for

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Speaker 2: their own pleasure. Eli was an old man and unable

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Speaker 2: to keep his sons from sinning. Eli tried reasoning with them, saying,

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Speaker 2: if you sin against man, there may be some one

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Speaker 2: to prey on your behalf for forgiveness. But you are

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Speaker 2: sinning against God, and there may be no one to

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Speaker 2: help you. Naturally, the men refused to listen and continued

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Speaker 2: to sin against God and his children. God was about

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Speaker 2: to do a new work in Israel, a work of

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Speaker 2: great justice, peace, and deliverance. He would not tolerate the

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Speaker 2: priestly family to continue in such sin and selfishness. God's

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Speaker 2: rage is not unpredictable or uncalled for. His anger is

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Speaker 2: precise and always pointed towards those who would hurt his

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Speaker 2: people and scorn his name. Therefore God's rage burst like

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Speaker 2: a mighty wildfire against the sons of Eli. He spoke

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Speaker 2: in an ancient fury. The voice of a righteous king

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Speaker 2: bellowed in Eli's ear as he spoke, saying, did I

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Speaker 2: reveal myself to your forefathers in Egypt? All to have

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Speaker 2: you scorn my offering table? Your sons fatten themselves with

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Speaker 2: the worship of my people. They abuse and neglect, and

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Speaker 2: you have allowed it. Eli began to tremble as God spoke, Hold,

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Speaker 2: the days are coming where your sons will be cast

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Speaker 2: out into darkness. They shall behold the prosperity of my

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Speaker 2: people and look upon them with envy. They shall both

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Speaker 2: die on the same day, and I shall raise up

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Speaker 2: a priest of my own who shall be unified with

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Speaker 2: my heart and mind, and your son's lines shall beg

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Speaker 2: for bread. Years had passed, and the boy Samuel was

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Speaker 2: ministering to the Lord of Eli. He served Eli and

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Speaker 2: his old age. He would tend to him, feed him,

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Speaker 2: and perform the duties of a priest on his behalf.

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Speaker 2: Samuel was attentive and eager to help God's people draw

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Speaker 2: closer to him. One night, Samuel was lying down in

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Speaker 2: the Temple of God, where the Ark of the Covenant lay.

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Speaker 2: The candles and the temple flickered and made shadows dance

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Speaker 2: around the walls. There was a slight breeze coming in

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Speaker 2: through the back, and Samuel slept in the coolness of night.

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Speaker 2: Then a faint whisper grazed the ear of Samuel. He

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Speaker 2: opened his eyes and walked towards Eli's chamber and said, here,

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Speaker 2: I am Eli. You called for me. Eli woke up

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Speaker 2: from his sleep and said, you must be dreaming. I

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Speaker 2: did not call for you. Go back to sleep. So

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Speaker 2: Samuel went back into the floor of the temple to rest.

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Speaker 2: As he began to drift, he heard that still and

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Speaker 2: quiet voice once again, Samuel. The voice whispered intensely. Samuel

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Speaker 2: jolted awake, this time running to the bedside of Eli.

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Speaker 2: Here I am Eli, he shouted. Eli shook in his bed,

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Speaker 2: surprised and annoyed that he had been waking up again.

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Speaker 2: He did not call him and shoot Samuel out of

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Speaker 2: his room again. As Samuel was falling asleep, a voice

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Speaker 2: beckoned him. When he went to the bedside of Eli again.

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Speaker 2: Eli perceived it might be from the Lord. Eli waved

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Speaker 2: for Samuel to come closer. He held his hand and

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Speaker 2: spoke gently, saying, Samuel, if you hear the voice again,

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Speaker 2: do not come running to me. Ask for it to

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Speaker 2: speak again, and listen carefully. Samuel left Eli and knelt

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Speaker 2: down at the altar of God. He closed his eyes,

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Speaker 2: intent on listening. Samuel, Samuel, the voice said again. Samuel

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Speaker 2: remained still. Small drops of sweat began to form around

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Speaker 2: his forehead. He knew now that it was the Lord

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Speaker 2: who beckoned him. Samuel gulped and said, here, I am Lord,

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Speaker 2: your servant. Hears pleased. God spoke with Samuel. Their conversation

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Speaker 2: reflected dimly the time God visited Moses in fire. God

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Speaker 2: spoke with clarity, strength, and love for his people. Behold,

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Speaker 2: I am making things new in Israel. Everyone who hears

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Speaker 2: will quiver as I eradicate the sons of Eli to

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Speaker 2: establish my new priesthood. The next morning, Eli inquired of

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Speaker 2: what Samuel heard from God. Samuel was not sure whether

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Speaker 2: he should divulge everything to Eli, for it meant grave

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Speaker 2: news for his sons. Over breakfast, Samuel told Eli of

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Speaker 2: his experience. Somber, thoughtful, and content, Eli spoke and said,

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Speaker 2: if it is the Lord's will, so be it. After this,

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Speaker 2: Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him in everything

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Speaker 2: he did. The favor of Joseph was upon him. Every

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Speaker 2: word Samuel spoke uplifted the people, and no exhortation fell

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Speaker 2: on deaf ears. Every tribe of Israel recognized Samuel as

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Speaker 2: their prophet and priest. It would be Samuel who would

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Speaker 2: endure the complaints of Israel as Moses once did. He

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Speaker 2: would lead them well, and soon he would pave the

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Speaker 2: way for a new era in Israel, the era of Kings.

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Speaker 3: Today's story begins with a man named Elkanah who lived

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Speaker 3: in Ephraim. He was one of the few who remained

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Speaker 3: faithful to God in those days. But though he was faithful,

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Speaker 3: he was also flawed because he had two wives, Hannah

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Speaker 3: and Penana. His wives were bitter rivals, just like Leah

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Speaker 3: and Rachel. You see, though Penana had given him many children,

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Speaker 3: Elkanah loved Hannah more. Hannah, however, was unable to conceive,

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Speaker 3: and Penanah held this over Hannah's head ruthlessly tormenting her.

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Speaker 3: Every year, when Alkanah went to offer sacrifices to God

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Speaker 3: in the temple at Shiloh, Hannah would plead to God

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Speaker 3: for a son. This continued year after year. Finally, one day,

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Speaker 3: as she prayed, she promised God that if he had

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Speaker 3: give her a son, she would give that son back

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Speaker 3: to God to serve him all his life. When Eli,

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Speaker 3: the temple priest, saw her praying, her lips moving without

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Speaker 3: making a sound as she spoke to God, he thought

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Speaker 3: she was drunk. Listened to her response in First Samuel

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Speaker 3: one point fifteen, Hannah answered, no, my Lord, I am

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Speaker 3: a woman troubled spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor

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Speaker 3: strong drink. But I've been pouring out my soul before

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Speaker 3: the Lord. We should always remember when we are troubled,

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Speaker 3: when we are in turmoil, when we are in anguish

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Speaker 3: and desperate, there is no better place to pour out

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Speaker 3: our hearts, our souls than to God. God hears our

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Speaker 3: prayers and cares for us, just as he did for Hannah.

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Speaker 3: Hearing this response, Eli told her to go in peace

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Speaker 3: that God would answer her request. So Hannah became pregnant

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Speaker 3: with the son. She was overjoyed, but Hannah also knew

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Speaker 3: that her son would not stay with her because she

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Speaker 3: had promised to God that she would give him back

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Speaker 3: to him true to her word. When Samuel was winged,

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Speaker 3: she took him to Eli to be raised in the

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Speaker 3: service of God. And because of her great faithfulness, God

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Speaker 3: blessed Hannah even more, giving her three more sons than

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Speaker 3: two daughters. It's absolutely true, isn't it that you can

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Speaker 3: never outgive God. So Eli raised Samuel like a son,

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Speaker 3: and that's a very good thing, because his own sons,

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Speaker 3: we find out, were up to no good. They served themselves,

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Speaker 3: not God, under the guise of their own priesthood. It

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Speaker 3: was a terrible affront to Almighty God, and he would

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Speaker 3: not allow this to continue. But despite warnings, they would

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Speaker 3: not stop. So God told Eli that his sons would

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Speaker 3: be cast out, and rather than work through Eli's worthless offspring,

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Speaker 3: God would raise up another priest one who would serve

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Speaker 3: him with integrity and devotion. One night, as he was sleeping,

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Speaker 3: Samuel heard a voice calling, but it was not Eli.

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Speaker 3: Two more times, he thought Eli was calling him and

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Speaker 3: ran to Eli's room. Eli then understood what was going

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Speaker 3: on and told Samuel to ask the voice to speak

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Speaker 3: next time, and then to listen. Samuel heard the voice again,

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Speaker 3: and this time he did listen. God told Samuel he

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Speaker 3: was about to make things new in Israel, and that

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Speaker 3: Eli's line would be wiped doubt to make way for

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Speaker 3: a new priesthood. When Eli heard the news, he submitted

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Speaker 3: to God's will, trusting in the grace and the goodness

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Speaker 3: of God. Even in this Samuel would be this next priest,

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Speaker 3: one like Israel had never known before. He would help

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Speaker 3: Usher in the time of kings. But first Israel would

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Speaker 3: be visited by an old enemy. And we'll hear that

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Speaker 3: story the next time. Dear Lord, we thank you that

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Speaker 3: you always hear our prayers. We thank you that you

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Speaker 3: speak to us even as we listen to you. So

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Speaker 3: today we say, speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,

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Speaker 3: just like Samuel of old, Just like Samuel so long ago,

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Speaker 3: we submit our lives to do your will. Speak Lord,

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Speaker 3: we are listening in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for

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Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible of the Year podcast. I'm Jack

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Speaker 3: Graham of Dallas, Texas, and you can download the pray

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Speaker 3: dot com app and make prayer the priority of your life.

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Speaker 3: It is our prayer that you would know Jesus Christ

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Speaker 3: in a personal way. Jesus and knowing him is the

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Speaker 3: key to understanding the Bible. Jesus is on every page

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Speaker 3: in the pathway of Scripture, so I pray that you

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Speaker 3: would know Him and look to Him for eternal life.

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Speaker 3: As we see all of these stories, some of them

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Speaker 3: very sordid, we realize just how desperately we all need

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Speaker 3: the Lord. So invite Christ into your life and receive

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Speaker 3: Him as your Lord and savior. I would also encourage

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Speaker 3: you to download the pray dot com app and let

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Speaker 3: others know about this podcast. And if you want more

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Speaker 3: resources on how to know God and experience His presence

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Speaker 3: in your life, be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org.

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Speaker 3: God bless you.

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Speaker 2: This episode is sponsored by Medicare and innovator of healthcare

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Speaker 2: solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.

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Speaker 4: Welcome to the Prey news podcast where hope is our

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Speaker 4: only bias. Each day, we'll unpack the most prominent stories

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Speaker 4: happening in the news and offer a Christian perspective. We

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Speaker 4: won't shy away from the hard topics, and we won't

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Speaker 4: dilute the hopeful message of Christ. This is more than

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Speaker 4: a daily brief on the news. It's a way to

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Speaker 4: be informed and transformed. Listen to Prey News on the

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Speaker 4: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.