The Call of Samuel - Humble Dependence
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God works through man, for man (God allowed Eli to disciple Samuel (who was ignorant to the ways of God) to help him learn how to approach, listen to God).
God works through the humble, not the exalted.
This week we continue on our journey through 1 & 2 Samuel...
Last week we saw a Tale of Two Families...
The family of Elkanah
The family of Eli the priest
Elkanah was a man who prioritized the worship of God...
Provided an amazing example of faithfulness - to his family...
Year after year - offering his best to the Lord
This example rubbed off on Hannah - as she ALSO faithfully went to God - year after year...
Pleading her cause for a child - a son
And we saw that it was this OBEDIENCE of the heart - that led to - BLESSING...
The blessing of God!
That was one side
One the other side - we saw the family of Eli the priest!
His sons - the Bible tells us - created their own custom in eating the FATTY portions of the people’s OFFERINGS...
Well - this went completely against the command of God - and so what happened?
Judgment came!
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.
Last week we saw...
The Judgment of God - comes on the path of Disobedience!
God had HAD enough!
Judgment was rendered!
Today - we break into chapter 3...
The CALL of Samuel
I’m hoping that as we walk through this text today - we’ll see a great TESTING ground for our souls!
That we might test ourselves against the BACKDROP of our text...
Let’s get to it - and see what we find!
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.
Today we clearly see the call of Samuel...
And in this call - we see a particular way that God works in the lives of men.
The important thing for us is - God still works this way...
SLIDE: The Way of God: Works Through Man, For Man
The Way of God
The Way of God
If we go back to our text - we see God work in a particular way...
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.
So God here was calling Samuel...
But Samuel kept THINKING it was Eli...
Eli kept telling him - No - I didn’t call you....go lay back down!
NOW - Could God had just bypassed this whole - BACK-N-FORTH...
Could he had just MADE IT known to Samuel - DIRECTLY - that He was the one calling out to Samuel?
Yes - of course!
But He didn’t!!
What did God do instead?
God wanted to speak to Samuel… BUT He USED Eli to do it!
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.
Think of all that was in play in this?
God COULD HAVE revealed himself to Samuel in a way that Eli wouldn’t have been needed...
BUT...
Eli - WAS needed!
God works THROUGH man - FOR man!
WE look at this story and we see a mass of CHAOS...
Confusion...
Misdirection....
Misunderstanding....
And YET - while that stuff is PRESENT - we also see this was God’s PLAN of speaking to Samuel!
God wanted to USE Eli in a way where Eli would GUIDE/Shepherd Samuel in the WAYS of the Lord!
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
Samuel was ignorant to how God worked...
Samuel wasn’t GRASPING that this voice COULD HAVE BEEN - God!
**And no doubt - MANY TIMES we fall into the same trap!
Often times - we DON’T consider - a CALL from the pulpit...
to attend bible study
an event
an encouragement from a Christian friend...
a WARNING from that same person...
Often we don’t CONSIDER those things as - GOD speaking to us…THROUGH that person!
We might think of it as THAT PERSON just giving us advice...
But do we REALLY believe - that in you being encouraged to...
Attend that bible study...
Attend that retreat...
teach that class
preach that sermon...
That it REALLY IS - God speaking to you - THROUGH that person?
God has ALWAYS operated this way!
Just think about the prophets...
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
Moses going to Pharaoh… (that was GOD - speaking to men - THROUGH man)
Jonah going to Nineveh
Nathan going to David
John the Baptist going to Israel
Even CHRIST Himself - coming to mankind!!
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
Jesus says - JUST AS I was sent into the world - SO I SEND them...
God works THROUGH MAN - FOR MAN!
KNOW THIS - as you converse with each other...
KNOW THIS - as you HEAR the call - to ENGAGE the church…each other!
And KNOWING that God works this way....
We must also keep this in mind...
SLIDE: The Way of God: Works Through Humble Dependence on God
The Way of God
The Way of God
Back to our text...
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.
There are 2 sides to this Humility that God works through...
On the one side:
ELI
Does it take humility to - be USED by God?
YES
Now you might think - WAIT a sec - How does it take HUMILITY - IN ME - for God to USE ME - to go to someone and speak to them…encourage them…?
Wouldn’t that take - COURAGE?
Answer - YES…BUT...
God-honoring courage BEGINS - with humility.
When Nathan went to David - Of course that took COURAGE on Nathan’s part...
BUT think about it...
What if Nathan would have thought -
Wait - you want ME - to go to King David and call him out????
“I’m NOT QUALIFIED to do that!”
What if Nathan had responded this way?
We need to know - it’s PRIDEFUL to hear a call from the Lord - and in TURN say - NAH…I’m not qualified for that!
It might seem STRANGE - but it’s PRIDEFUL to think - NO, I’m not qualified! (WHEN GOD is the one asking!)
*If a friend of mine came to me and said - Hey Mike, I really need you to come to this public event and dance a jig for everyone...
If I say - Nooo, that’s not me…I’m the wrong guy, I can’t do that....
That’s NOT me being prideful…that’s me being HUMBLE enough to say - I don’t HAVE THAT skill…!
BUT - when God is the one calling us to dance a jig....it IS prideful to say - NO, I’m the wrong guy!
WHY? - What are you actually saying to GOD?
You’re saying - “God, You’re CONFUSED…!”
You don’t know what You’re talking about!
Can you see how - HUMILITY is needed?
Can you see how HUMILITY was present in NATHAN...
…in MOSES...
...When they decided to OBEY and TRUST
There’s a HUMBLE dependence on God that is a NECESSARY ingredient to God’s USE of us!
A point that it seems Eli had learned early in life - and had embraced was this:
SLIDE:
We’re always learning for the next in line
What we learn is never meant to STAY with us!
How many of you have experienced this - and been GRATEFUL that someone else - LEARNED - FOR you?
They learned - and passed it on to you?
When ALL we do is - CONSUME....
We become spiritually obese...
And it’s the one of the biggest forms of pride that there is...
We have ETERNAL LIFE - in our hands - on our lips - ready to share...
AND YET - we KEEP IT to ourselves!
That’s PRIDE!
Humility is needed in this!
We’re ALL called to this…so we CAN say...
If you’re not actively speaking into the life of another person - in SOME form or fashion...
then you need more humility before the Lord!
We’ve heard the saying before - the best ABILITY before the Lord is - AVAILABILITY...
And HUMILITY is where availability starts.
We need to catch on to this!
You might not think that your thoughts of INADEQUACY that keep you from serving God are PRIDEFUL...
But they are!
Anything that keeps you from answering the call of God in your life as - YES LORD - I WILL DO IT....
ANYTHING that keeps you from THAT ANSWER - is PRIDE
Humble yourself - before the Lord
TRUST HIM
Step INTO the life that He has prepared for you
In what areas have you REFUSED to heed the call of God in your life?
God wants to USE you to impact the lives of others = in the body of Christ!
And He works through Humble dependence on Him!
That’s ONE SIDE of this humility.... the side of Eli...
He was humble enough to GUIDE Samuel...
To STEP INTO being used by God for the benefit of Samuel...
The other side?
Samuel himself!
Back to our text...
10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
SPEAK - for Your servant - hears!
NOW - i think some of us get THIS far…with God
But that’s as far as it goes...
We say - I HEAR YA - God…buuuut, I’m not your guy
Samuel here - DECLARES himself to BE - a SERVANT of God...
Samuel here - ready to TAKE HIS ORDERS...
“Tell me what I should do - and I’ll DO IT”
There’s TRUST here!
There’s HUMILITY here…
And where there’s HUMILITY…obedience will follow.
Remember last week - Blessing is found on the path of - Obedience!
We’ve mentioned Nathan a couple of times today....
Like ELI - Nathan humbled himself to be USED by God...
But it ALSO takes humility to - ALLOW God to speak to you - THROUGH other men…and women! No?
Nathan needed humility to go to David…right? Yes.
Did David need humility to RECEIVE that word FROM NATHAN?
WOW - Of course he did!!
It takes - GOD-SIZED humility - to hear another man speak - and TREAT it as if God Himself were speaking to you!!
Now - Of course we need discernment in this - we can’t just ASSUME that EVERYTHING so-n-so says is GOD speaking to us...
BUT - we MUST consider this reality...
In our example of David - he HUMBLED himself - and in doing so - HEARD GOD’s voice through the mouth of Nathan!
In our other example - Moses went to Pharaoh...
And Moses SPOKE FOR GOD - TO Pharaoh!
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
So Moses - EVENTUALLY humbles himself - so that God would speak through him to Pharaoh...
Did Pharaoh humble himself - in order to HEAR God thru Moses?
15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
See a pattern?
The pattern for Pharaoh was - I’ll say what I need to say to get out from under judgment - BUT THEN - I’ll go back to NOT LISTENING to God thru Moses!
Samuel - had humbled himself - to listen to Eli in his guidance!
Samuel cultivated a heart of HUMILITY....always ready to - DO WHAT THE LORD CALLED him to do!
Can we say the same?
Are we ready men?
Are we ready to embrace HUMILITY?
TO lay down our own ideas of life - and to STEP iNTO the life God has prepared for us?
Are we ready to HUMBLE ourselves - to HEAR God’s CALL - through OTHERS?
We’re in the final stages of scheduling a Men’s Retreat...
And AT this retreat, we’re looking to hear from a veteran - who walked through great trial…DEPENDENT on God...
With both feet ALL IN...
Men - the TRAIN of God - is moving!
Life is passing us by.
What will it be? - - Will we - LIKE Elkanah - prioritize the worship of God...
Will we FOLLOW Jesus - as we enter into relationships of discipleship?
What will it be?
Women - same questions for you!
Are we walking through life with our feet on both sides of the fence?
Questions we need to ask...
What have we seen today?
SUMMARY
The Way of God
Works Through Man, For Man
Works Through Humble Dependence on God
Let’s Pray