The Life-Giving Word
Preached by Jason Abbott
May 15, 2016
Last Sunday, Ben Bechtel introduced the narrative of 1 Samuel by telling us about a childless woman, Hannah, to whom God—through his word—gave a son. So, to a barren woman, through his life-giving word, God delivered a miracle boy. Today, we’ll see that God was merely setting the stage, in that individual situation, for a much greater blessing. Today, we’re going to see that to a barren people, through that miracle boy, God widely delivers his life-giving word.Let’s read about God’s word bringing life into what was once totally barren. You can find it on page 290 of the brown Bibles in each row.
1 Samuel 2:11-4:1a
2:11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men. 34 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. 35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests' places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”3:1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
So, here’s how we’ll study this longer passage: first, we’ll see that Israel is a people who don’t know God; second, we’ll see that Samuel is a boy who doesn’t know God, yet; and third, we’ll see that Yahweh is a God who loves his people through this boy, Samuel.
1. A people who don’t know God (2:12-17, 22-25, 27-36; 3:1)
What did priests do? What were priests supposed to be? The answer is that the priests in Israel were to be the people’s representatives before God. They were to be the spiritual go between—helping the people to relate correctly to the Lord.Here we have Eli and Hophni and Phinehas—the representatives of Israel. How’s Israel doing?! How’s its priesthood doing?! How’s its go-between doing?! How’s its spiritual leadership doing?!Well, the text tells us, Hophni and Phinehas “did not know the Lord” (2:12). Hophni and Phinehas knew the gods: “Hophni’s-desires” and “Phinehas’s-desires” but not the Lord God. They knew the god: “Might-Makes-Right” but not the Lord of mercy and of grace.Perhaps you’d object—“But it’s not their fault! After all, the text tells us that ‘it was the will of the Lord to put them to death’” (2:25). And to this, I’d just say indeed it was . . . at this point in their lives. At this point, the Lord God has decided to visit his judgment upon their sins. At this point, God finally gives Eli’s two sons over to the wages of their sinful choices.Friends, our sins have consequences. One of the most horrifying of them is that we can become so in love with our sin that we will not listen to God anymore. And the Lord’s judgment after such living can hardly be blamed upon him.Addiction is just another way of describing the loss of one’s will to choose! When our desires rule us, perhaps God’s just giving us over to what we’ve chosen!Friends, heed the warning of Hophni and Phinehas. Don’t harden your heart against God for, in the end, he may determine to give you over to that hardness. Rather, turn from sin to God while he still offers you mercy in Jesus Christ!Well, what kind of priest was Eli? As we read the story, Eli seems ok to us. At least, better than his sons! Yet, in fact, he’s not. The narrator tells us that Eli was an idol worshipper. He worshipped Hophni and Phinehas.The mysterious prophet, in chapter two, makes this idolatry clear:
“Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?” (2:29).
Eli, like his sons, may know something about God but he doesn’t know God. He doesn’t know God as Lord.
For Eli, God doesn’t rule him—his family relationships do.
For Hophni and Phinehas, God doesn’t rule them—their sexual appetites and culinary appetites do.
And . . . I wonder how we’re doing in these areas as a church.
Is your family’s comfort outside God’s reign—does it rule you?
Are your appetites sitting on the throne—do they rule you?
Well, with spiritual leadership like this, it’s fair to say that Israel is a people who don’t know God as they should. And, therefore, God graciously and lovingly determines to change that. He provides:
2. A boy who doesn’t know God, yet (2:11, 18-21, 26; 3:2-18)
You can see this humble boy, Samuel, under the tutelage of Eli the priest. Priests like Hophni and Phinehas are status quo; so, “the word of the Lord was rare in those days” (3:1). Thus, the narrator tells us that:
. . . Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him (3:7).
But that changes! One evening, as young Samuel was lying on the floor before the ark of God, he hears a voice call to him. But, he doesn’t know the Lord so he thinks it must be Eli. Three times this happens. And, following the third call, Eli tells him that he should humbly invite the Lord to speak to him.When you meet the Lord, it changes you. When God reveals himself to you, it challenges you. The Lord’s calling will always stretch and transform you—usually in uncomfortable ways. This is exactly what meeting the Lord God meant for Samuel. It meant stepping out into the uncomfortable!He meets the Lord and, then, must go tell his teacher some very bad news—God’s judgment is coming upon you, Eli!I recall, as a young Christian, having a similarly uncomfortable experience. A very aggressive evangelist came to Mizzou and told students they were all going to hell unless they turned to Jesus, and a non-Christian friend of mine heard him while walking across campus. Knowing that I was a Christian, he asked if I agreed with that message. So, I was forced to confess, though I didn’t agree with his tone, that I did believe Jesus offered the exclusive way to avoid hell and enter heaven. That was uncomfortable for me! Meeting God had challenged my comfort!
Friends, has meeting God challenged your comfort?
Does it still challenge your comfort today?
Are you still willing to step-out in faith when the Lord calls you to do so even when it likely means sacrifice and suffering?
I was trying to think of a single biblical hero—a matriarch or patriarch—who isn’t, upon meeting God, called to an uncomfortable and sacrificial challenge. I failed to think of one to whom God said, “Sit back and be safe and stay cozy.” Meeting the Lord is the greatest blessing but is, simultaneously, a great challenge by which you must be transformed!Friends, honestly ask yourselves today if you are truly open to the challenges to which relationship with God will surely call you.Well, now we come to our final section of the passage:
3. A God who loves people through a boy (3:19-4:1)
As we go through this book of the Bible, we’ll see that Samuel will again and again, during his life, be called to follow the Lord into challenging situations. Samuel will have to suffer in order to deliver God’s life-giving word to Israel. However, God is pleased to break his silence, to love his people, through Samuel. Just look at how our passage ends:
And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel (3:19-4:1a).
Into Israel’s barren spiritual situation, to this barren and wayward people, God speaks his life-giving word. He speaks to Samuel and Samuel speaks to Israel. And, there is hope because the life-giving word of the Lord isn’t rare anymore! There’s a true priest and prophet in Israel. After a chaotic time of divine silence, God sends Samuel, a miracle boy, to break that silence and bring order.Friends, often times we think that it would be nice to be able to ignore God. Sometimes we think it would be freeing if God would just stay quiet for a while. But it’s actually slavery when everyone simply does what’s right in their own eyes. It winds up being Hophni and Phinehas type living. Might makes right type living! So we don’t really want God to be silent!We need the Lord’s life-giving word even when it offends us, and especially where it offends us!See, we’re here this morning to celebrate and praise another miracle Boy, Jesus of Nazareth, in whom the Lord gave his fullest and final life-giving word. But remember:
When Jesus came and broke the long prophetic silence between OT times and NT times, many were offended by him.
When he challenged the idols of Israel, people despised him.
When he confronted the world’s desires, they crucified him!
Nevertheless, remember also that this was all part of God’s redemptive plan in order to love this world through his Boy—through his Son. Of this miracle Boy, Samuel was merely a shadow.Friends, if you meet Jesus, he will doubtlessly confront and challenge you. Yet, he promises life to all who don’t fall away on account of him (Luke 7:23).
