WEBVTT 00:00:00.509 --> 00:00:20.410 1 Samuel chapter 2. I guess this is working, 00:00:20.510 --> 00:00:37.640 is that right? How's that? Is that better? We 00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:43.240 looked at Hannah's prayer last week, and in this 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:48.859 chapter here, I guess it's from verse 11 through 00:00:48.859 --> 00:00:52.219 the end of the chapter, and then verse 1 of chapter 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:58.740 3, we have this repeated contrast between Samuel 00:00:58.740 --> 00:01:04.060 and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli. 00:01:04.909 --> 00:01:10.170 A curse comes upon Eli for his dereliction of 00:01:10.170 --> 00:01:16.769 duty there in the tabernacle in Shiloh. And the 00:01:16.769 --> 00:01:21.349 whole thing then puts Samuel in prominence. The 00:01:21.349 --> 00:01:26.269 next chapter we're going to find out that he 00:01:26.269 --> 00:01:28.230 knows the Lord, that he hears from the Lord, 00:01:28.250 --> 00:01:33.849 and that he's a prophet. that stature and that 00:01:33.849 --> 00:01:39.849 status of him always prophesying in the biblical 00:01:39.849 --> 00:01:41.950 sense, which means he's never wrong. The Lord 00:01:41.950 --> 00:01:45.030 establishes everything that he says, carries 00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:48.349 through the rest of the book. It establishes 00:01:48.349 --> 00:01:52.590 him as the mouthpiece of the Lord, the kingmaker, 00:01:52.829 --> 00:02:00.549 and then we see what he does. The priesthood, 00:02:02.730 --> 00:02:07.129 is a problem right now in Shiloh and in Israel. 00:02:07.510 --> 00:02:11.229 And before the king is established by the Lord, 00:02:11.349 --> 00:02:15.349 before the Lord's king is established, the priesthood 00:02:15.349 --> 00:02:18.990 has got to be reformed and there has to be somebody 00:02:18.990 --> 00:02:22.689 there that can speak and lead according to the 00:02:22.689 --> 00:02:26.849 voice of the Lord. And Samuel is that man. But 00:02:26.849 --> 00:02:30.879 we should remember that... prophet, priest, and 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:35.340 king in Israel, eventually in Christ, but as 00:02:35.340 --> 00:02:38.740 they functioned in Israel, had a lot of overlapping 00:02:38.740 --> 00:02:42.879 roles. They were all called to lead the people. 00:02:43.020 --> 00:02:46.699 And throughout the Old Testament, in the, well, 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:50.180 even back in Judges, at least, well, all the 00:02:50.180 --> 00:02:53.860 way back in Exodus, you have this continued cycle 00:02:53.860 --> 00:02:59.960 of... Good times and bad times, and most of the 00:02:59.960 --> 00:03:02.979 time, there are bad leaders in the bad times, 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:06.400 if not always. The underlying it all through, 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:08.819 and that's one thing that we should remember, 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:12.240 is that there was always a remnant. There was 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:15.199 always a group of people who were believing, 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:18.180 who were looking to the Lord and living by faith. 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:23.120 Even here in Samuel, we have the example of Elkanah 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:28.469 and his family. Problems, yes. seeking the Lord 00:03:28.469 --> 00:03:32.330 and trying to honor the Lord. And that's, I think, 00:03:32.370 --> 00:03:39.289 the application that we want to take from this 00:03:39.289 --> 00:03:43.669 tonight, that the Lord blesses those people that 00:03:43.669 --> 00:03:47.389 walk in His way, that do what He's called them 00:03:47.389 --> 00:03:52.530 to do. They function sometimes in ways that the 00:03:52.530 --> 00:03:55.389 world would despise or think nothing of in the 00:03:55.389 --> 00:04:00.620 case of... Hannah and Elkanah, they come under 00:04:00.620 --> 00:04:04.199 the blessing of the Lord. And why? Well, ultimately, 00:04:04.259 --> 00:04:08.340 because God chose them. But what's in the story 00:04:08.340 --> 00:04:11.379 here is they're just doing family stuff. That's 00:04:11.379 --> 00:04:14.539 really what's going on. And you see this drastic 00:04:14.539 --> 00:04:18.040 contrast between Eli's family and Elkanah's family. 00:04:19.180 --> 00:04:21.660 Cursing comes upon those people that harden their 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:24.139 hearts against the Lord and go against His way. 00:04:24.649 --> 00:04:29.589 In spite of instruction, in spite of warning, 00:04:29.750 --> 00:04:35.670 however veiled or unclear that may be, the people 00:04:35.670 --> 00:04:37.610 that harden themselves against the Lord, the 00:04:37.610 --> 00:04:40.470 Lord kills. And you remember that that was part 00:04:40.470 --> 00:04:43.930 of Hannah's prayer to the Lord. She declared 00:04:43.930 --> 00:04:46.490 that it's the Lord that gives life, it's the 00:04:46.490 --> 00:04:48.670 Lord that raises up, and it's the Lord that kills. 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:52.379 Alright, so with that as an introduction then, 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:55.620 if you're taking notes, you want to write these 00:04:55.620 --> 00:05:00.740 down. I have verse 11 is about Samuel, and then 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:06.319 12 to 17 is about Hophni and Phinehas. Verse 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:12.519 18 then is another reminder of Samuel. Then 22 00:05:12.519 --> 00:05:19.379 to 25 is... all about Hophni and Phinehas and 00:05:19.379 --> 00:05:23.899 then 26 is about Samuel again you have these 00:05:23.899 --> 00:05:26.220 one verses that bracket all this other stuff 00:05:26.220 --> 00:05:28.879 that's going on and then it finally concludes 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:33.779 what 27 through the end of the chapter is about 00:05:33.779 --> 00:05:36.600 Hophni and Phinehas and then 3 -1 is again this 00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:41.300 declaration of Samuel so if you're trying to 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:45.920 follow the how the how the text makes Samuel 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:47.980 prominent. That's how it is. It's with these 00:05:47.980 --> 00:05:52.279 contrasts. And that's how we know that this book 00:05:52.279 --> 00:05:54.819 is not only the story of God's work in Israel 00:05:54.819 --> 00:05:57.959 to bring about King, but it's also about Samuel. 00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:02.759 He's the main character here at the beginning. 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:08.740 Let's see, so verse 11, chapter 2. And Elkanah 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:12.180 went to Ramah, to his house. And the child, that's 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:15.879 Samuel, did minister or serve unto the Lord before 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:22.620 Eli the priest. So there we have the first declaration 00:06:22.620 --> 00:06:28.600 of Samuel serving the Lord. He's there with Eli. 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:31.740 He serves in front of him. He's, I'm sure, a 00:06:31.740 --> 00:06:34.620 young man here at this point or a young boy at 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:38.339 this point in his life. And he's helping Eli 00:06:38.339 --> 00:06:44.029 in everything that he does. And Elkanah, he just 00:06:44.029 --> 00:06:46.129 goes home to his house. That's what he does. 00:06:47.009 --> 00:06:51.110 Nothing spectacular. He goes home to his home 00:06:51.110 --> 00:06:54.990 in Ramah. Verse 12. Now the sons of Eli were 00:06:54.990 --> 00:06:57.529 sons of Belial. They're wicked. They know not 00:06:57.529 --> 00:07:00.009 the Lord. Or they knew not the Lord. And the 00:07:00.009 --> 00:07:03.269 priest's custom with the people was that when 00:07:03.269 --> 00:07:06.410 any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant 00:07:06.410 --> 00:07:10.199 came while the flesh was in seething. with a 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:12.339 flesh hook of three teeth in his hand. So the 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:18.000 servant, they put the sacrifice in some boiling 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:22.139 water, and then the servant of the priest comes 00:07:22.139 --> 00:07:27.019 with this three -pronged fork in his hand. And 00:07:27.019 --> 00:07:29.720 verse 11, he struck it into the pan or kettle 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:33.300 or cauldron or pot. All that the flesh hook brought 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:37.490 up, the priest took for himself. So they did 00:07:37.490 --> 00:07:41.170 in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. 00:07:41.550 --> 00:07:47.290 So he, I guess, just by matter of chance, he 00:07:47.290 --> 00:07:49.930 sticks the fork in there and whatever comes up, 00:07:50.050 --> 00:07:53.709 he declares that to be the portion of the sacrifice 00:07:53.709 --> 00:07:59.009 that belongs to the priest. And it says they 00:07:59.009 --> 00:08:01.990 did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites. They did 00:08:01.990 --> 00:08:04.269 this to the Israelites that were coming. So it's 00:08:04.269 --> 00:08:08.959 not... There's no doubt, and it's by God's instruction, 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:12.839 that the priests and the Levites were to serve 00:08:12.839 --> 00:08:15.699 at the expense of the people. They had a right 00:08:15.699 --> 00:08:19.339 to take a portion of the sacrifice. But not in 00:08:19.339 --> 00:08:25.660 this way. And not only according to the way the 00:08:25.660 --> 00:08:31.019 Lord had set it up to be. And that wasn't the 00:08:31.019 --> 00:08:33.200 way the Lord set it up. You can read it in... 00:08:33.899 --> 00:08:36.860 In Leviticus, if you want. Also, verse 15, before 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:39.000 they burnt the fat. Now, the fat was the most 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:45.419 important part. And the fat belonged exclusively 00:08:45.419 --> 00:08:49.039 to the Lord. Now, exactly what the fat is, I 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:50.620 don't know. I don't know if that's exactly what 00:08:50.620 --> 00:08:52.820 we think of as fat. But the point is that this 00:08:52.820 --> 00:08:55.500 fat portion belonged to the Lord. It was to be 00:08:55.500 --> 00:08:59.679 burned entirely as unto the Lord. To be a sweet 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:02.840 savor to the Lord. So, it's like... The sacrifice, 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:05.500 it all belongs to the Lord. But this particular 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:11.159 part was especially and only and exclusively 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:17.600 reserved for the Lord. Also, before they burnt 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:20.279 the fat, verse 15, the priest's servant came 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:23.679 and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:26.919 to roast for the priest, for he will not have 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:30.929 sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man 00:09:30.929 --> 00:09:33.750 said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the 00:09:33.750 --> 00:09:36.929 fat presently or immediately, then take as much 00:09:36.929 --> 00:09:40.129 as thy soul desireth, then the servant would 00:09:40.129 --> 00:09:42.809 answer him, No, but thou shalt give it to me 00:09:42.809 --> 00:09:47.070 now, and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore 00:09:47.070 --> 00:09:49.610 the sin of the young men was very great before 00:09:49.610 --> 00:09:52.730 the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the 00:09:52.730 --> 00:09:57.549 Lord. So here we have the first. time here in 00:09:57.549 --> 00:09:59.750 this book, not the first time that we've heard 00:09:59.750 --> 00:10:02.149 it, but the first time in this book that we see 00:10:02.149 --> 00:10:05.049 that the people who were supposed to be serving 00:10:05.049 --> 00:10:08.250 the leaders, who were supposed to be serving 00:10:08.250 --> 00:10:11.129 the people, who were supposed to be aiding and 00:10:11.129 --> 00:10:13.809 encouraging them on in the Lord, are doing the 00:10:13.809 --> 00:10:18.529 exact opposite. You get the picture that the 00:10:18.529 --> 00:10:21.029 Israelites, however many of them there were, 00:10:21.129 --> 00:10:24.690 they were coming in faith. They were coming to 00:10:24.690 --> 00:10:27.309 offer sacrifice to the Lord, which they had been 00:10:27.309 --> 00:10:32.129 commanded to do. And the priesthood, rather than 00:10:32.129 --> 00:10:36.049 functioning in a way that would encourage their 00:10:36.049 --> 00:10:39.110 faith, that would hopefully teach them and remind 00:10:39.110 --> 00:10:42.409 them, help them to look forward to the day when 00:10:42.409 --> 00:10:46.009 Messiah would come, are doing the exact opposite. 00:10:46.610 --> 00:10:49.149 They are discouraging them from coming. They're 00:10:49.149 --> 00:10:52.009 ruining the sacrifice. And later on, I think 00:10:52.009 --> 00:10:56.700 it's... 24, somewhere around in there, the Lord 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:59.500 says that they're causing the people to sin. 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:09.019 Now that is a word of warning to anybody who's 00:11:09.019 --> 00:11:11.519 a leader, particularly to those of us who are 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:15.100 in positions of leadership in the church. Not 00:11:15.100 --> 00:11:18.120 that Israel is the church, but the general principle 00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:21.029 carries through the entirety of Scripture. that 00:11:21.029 --> 00:11:25.389 God puts certain men in authority over his people 00:11:25.389 --> 00:11:28.110 for the sole purpose of encouraging them and 00:11:28.110 --> 00:11:31.409 building them up in the faith, of protecting 00:11:31.409 --> 00:11:34.710 them, guarding them. And to take that lightly 00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:37.570 or to do the exact opposite thing of that is 00:11:37.570 --> 00:11:40.710 a serious thing. It's not to be taken lightly. 00:11:40.909 --> 00:11:44.700 If we want to apply it... More generally, and 00:11:44.700 --> 00:11:47.100 I think that we can, then we would apply it to 00:11:47.100 --> 00:11:49.519 everyone who's in a position of leadership. So 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:52.799 if you're here tonight and you're a man and you 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:56.019 have a wife, then you are in a position of leadership. 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:58.700 And if you have children, then you are further 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:01.820 and more of a leader than to more than just one 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:05.279 person. You women that are here and have children 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:08.279 at home, you are the person when your husband 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:10.620 is gone who your children are looking to. You're 00:12:10.620 --> 00:12:13.210 the leader there in the home. Yes, you do that 00:12:13.210 --> 00:12:16.269 leading under the authority of your husband and 00:12:16.269 --> 00:12:23.049 by his and your considered plan. But you are 00:12:23.049 --> 00:12:25.350 in that position and it's no small position. 00:12:25.610 --> 00:12:29.570 And to take that lightly or to cast that aside 00:12:29.570 --> 00:12:32.070 as if it didn't matter is a serious matter before 00:12:32.070 --> 00:12:36.269 the Lord. He's entrusted to you and to me certain 00:12:36.269 --> 00:12:38.990 people under our authority and he intends for 00:12:38.990 --> 00:12:42.240 us. to love them, and to love them in a way that 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:46.000 he describes and he defines, which means servant 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.720 leadership, which means laying down your life 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:50.799 for them, guarding and protecting them, building 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:54.179 them up, not like the Gentiles do and not like 00:12:54.179 --> 00:12:57.480 wicked men do, lording it over anyone, but laying 00:12:57.480 --> 00:12:59.700 down your life for the good of those that the 00:12:59.700 --> 00:13:03.419 Lord has given into your charge. These men were 00:13:03.419 --> 00:13:06.559 doing the exact opposite. These men were using 00:13:06.559 --> 00:13:10.200 their position as an advantage or an opportunity 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:13.879 to take advantage of and enrich themselves off 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:17.740 of these poor people who were intending only 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:19.940 to worship the Lord. It's despicable, really. 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:24.440 It's treacherous. So, you know, we all should 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:27.179 examine ourselves. Am I doing what the Lord has 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:29.460 called me to do in the way that the Lord has 00:13:29.460 --> 00:13:33.840 called me to do it? The result of people being 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:36.419 in a relationship with me, building them up and 00:13:36.419 --> 00:13:39.379 helping them, or is it rather the opposite and 00:13:39.379 --> 00:13:41.620 I'm tearing people down and destroying them? 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:48.159 Serious reflection, men, women, has to be accomplished 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:52.840 in our own lives and to ourselves. And where 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:56.360 we can't see it, hopefully we have people that 00:13:56.360 --> 00:14:01.779 we trust and who are our friends. who love us, 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:05.120 who are willing to tell us, this is a problem 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:09.039 for you. This has got to be taken care of. They've 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:10.860 got to do it in the right way. It's got to be 00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:13.779 able to be received. But the hard words have 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:18.120 to be spoken when necessary. Self -examination 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:26.220 and getting better. We don't want to be the same 00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:28.820 today that we were four years ago. We don't want 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:31.289 to be the same. Next year than we are today, 00:14:31.470 --> 00:14:36.029 we want to improve husbands and wives. We want 00:14:36.029 --> 00:14:38.210 to improve not only our relationship with one 00:14:38.210 --> 00:14:41.970 another, but as mothers, as fathers, as grandmothers, 00:14:42.009 --> 00:14:49.529 as great grandmothers and fathers. Why do we 00:14:49.529 --> 00:14:52.169 want to get better? For the glory of the Lord 00:14:52.169 --> 00:14:54.289 and for the good of those people that the Lord 00:14:54.289 --> 00:15:03.000 has given into our care. Alright, that's a despicable 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:05.820 thing then. Any questions or comments? Anybody 00:15:05.820 --> 00:15:11.879 want to say anything there? I'm trying to be 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:19.580 conversational. Nobody? No comments? Alright. 00:15:24.100 --> 00:15:26.740 Verse 17, Wherefore the sin of the young men 00:15:26.740 --> 00:15:29.740 was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred 00:15:29.740 --> 00:15:33.139 the offering of the Lord. Verse 18, But Samuel, 00:15:33.259 --> 00:15:36.460 there's a contrast, ministered before the Lord, 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:40.440 being a child, girded with a linen ephod. So 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:44.259 there's this contrast again. Here's Samuel. He's 00:15:44.259 --> 00:15:46.100 just doing what the Lord has called him to do. 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:49.679 He's a young boy, but he is faithful to the Lord, 00:15:49.740 --> 00:15:52.100 and he's ministering as before the Lord. In other 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:55.960 words, he's faithful. He's doing priest -like 00:15:55.960 --> 00:16:01.879 stuff, assisting Eli in the temple. Verse 19, 00:16:02.039 --> 00:16:04.720 Moreover, his mother made him a little coat and 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:06.860 brought it to him from year to year when she 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:09.139 came up with her husband to offer the yearly 00:16:09.139 --> 00:16:14.179 sacrifice. Now, again, that doesn't seem like, 00:16:14.299 --> 00:16:15.919 you know, it's just kind of a matter of fact. 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:20.879 But what does that tell us? Samuel wasn't out 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:24.399 of Hannah and Elkanah's mind, was he? It wasn't 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:26.419 like they dropped him off and said, okay, we 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:29.759 wash our hands of that kid. You get the picture 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:31.440 that throughout the year they were concerned 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:34.320 for him. And a demonstration or a manifestation 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:37.000 of that concern and that love for Samuel was 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:44.799 that they brought him clothes every year. That's 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:48.940 just family stuff, right? I mean, if that's not 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:51.139 a regular occurrence in your family, then there's 00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:53.720 a problem. You're providing for your children. 00:16:53.820 --> 00:16:55.720 You're praying for them. You're concerned for 00:16:55.720 --> 00:17:02.059 them. Verse 20. And Eli, here's the result of 00:17:02.059 --> 00:17:05.220 just that, what we would say is godly parenting. 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:10.059 Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife and said, The 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:13.000 Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:15.859 which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto 00:17:15.859 --> 00:17:19.119 their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah so 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:21.779 that she conceived and bear three sons and two 00:17:21.779 --> 00:17:25.819 daughters. And then we end this portion with 00:17:25.819 --> 00:17:28.500 this sentence, And the child Samuel grew before 00:17:28.500 --> 00:17:38.940 the Lord. Again, a great contrast. Now, was the 00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:41.940 attitude of Hannah and Elkanah different than 00:17:41.940 --> 00:17:45.359 what it should be for every parent? What was 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:49.940 their attitude towards Samuel? To whom did Samuel 00:17:49.940 --> 00:17:55.599 belong? Okay, is that different than our attitude 00:17:55.599 --> 00:18:02.640 towards our children? It better be the same, 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:05.740 right? It may work itself out differently, and 00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:09.519 it will, because we don't have a temple anymore, 00:18:09.660 --> 00:18:11.880 we don't have a priesthood, except we have... 00:18:12.220 --> 00:18:14.359 an eternal priesthood, and a priesthood of all 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:16.279 believers, but not the way it was back here. 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:19.960 And so we don't have daily attendance here in 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:22.240 this place where people just drop off their kids 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:27.799 in the service of the Lord. But what Elkanah 00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:31.539 and Hannah knew was that Samuel belonged to the 00:18:31.539 --> 00:18:34.140 Lord the same way your children and my children 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:38.059 belong to the Lord. He's given them to us to 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:41.569 steward over them. To rear them up in the fear 00:18:41.569 --> 00:18:44.230 and the admonition of the Lord. But always with 00:18:44.230 --> 00:18:46.650 the idea that these children belong to the Lord. 00:18:46.730 --> 00:18:51.910 They're not mine. In everyday language when we 00:18:51.910 --> 00:18:53.849 talk to someone we claim them as our children. 00:18:54.029 --> 00:18:56.670 I'm not saying that that's bad or that you should 00:18:56.670 --> 00:18:59.069 not think of them that way. But if that is not 00:18:59.069 --> 00:19:01.650 balanced in your mind with this idea that these 00:19:01.650 --> 00:19:05.470 are precious to the Lord. Because he created 00:19:05.470 --> 00:19:09.539 them and they're his. And he's told me. That 00:19:09.539 --> 00:19:12.000 no matter what else happens in my life, I had 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:14.819 better make sure that I rear up these children 00:19:14.819 --> 00:19:18.180 to know him. To know right from wrong. To know 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:20.380 that there is such a thing as a hell and there 00:19:20.380 --> 00:19:24.079 is such a thing as heaven. They ought to know 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:26.519 what the gospel is. They ought to be able to 00:19:26.519 --> 00:19:29.299 recite it and pour into their heads everything 00:19:29.299 --> 00:19:31.900 that I can to let them know about the Lord and 00:19:31.900 --> 00:19:35.440 prepare them to do whatever it is the Lord has 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:38.450 called them to do. That's what Hannah and Elkanah 00:19:38.450 --> 00:19:44.450 did, and we should follow them in that. Now, 00:19:44.450 --> 00:19:46.609 when we put it in those terms, all of a sudden 00:19:46.609 --> 00:19:49.130 family life sounds like a pretty big deal, doesn't 00:19:49.130 --> 00:19:54.950 it? And it is. It's a big deal. The Lord intends 00:19:54.950 --> 00:19:58.650 for his people to be rearing up children that 00:19:58.650 --> 00:20:02.009 are ready and prepared to do whatever the Lord 00:20:02.009 --> 00:20:04.819 has called them to do. We don't know what our 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:07.039 children will do. We don't know if they'll go 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:10.220 this way or that way. But we do know that the 00:20:10.220 --> 00:20:13.299 Lord has called us and charged us to be responsible 00:20:13.299 --> 00:20:19.200 stewards of what he's given into our hands. Any 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:21.299 comments there? If you guys want to say anything, 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:35.480 talk about anything. All right, verse 22. Now, 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:39.640 somebody say something? No? Okay, verse 22. Now, 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:43.660 Eli was very old and heard all that his sons 00:20:43.660 --> 00:20:47.359 did unto all Israel and how they lay with the 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:49.980 women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:53.059 of the congregation. So now we have a certain 00:20:53.059 --> 00:20:56.000 amount of time has passed. Eli's an old man and 00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:59.759 he knows not only what they do with the sacrifices 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:02.880 and stealing from the Lord. discouraging the 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:05.279 people, making them despise the sacrifices. But 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:10.200 now, the very women who serve in or around the 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:12.519 tabernacle, doing whatever it is that they do, 00:21:12.700 --> 00:21:18.480 his sons are sleeping with them. He knows it. 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:23.240 He's heard about it. And he said unto them, so 00:21:23.240 --> 00:21:27.039 this is his response. Now, before we read it, 00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:32.480 what should have been his response? That's all 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:36.599 you knew. You're a priest and a leader and a 00:21:36.599 --> 00:21:41.059 judge in Israel. Your two sons who are priests 00:21:41.059 --> 00:21:45.420 with you are stealing from the Lord. They are 00:21:45.420 --> 00:21:48.480 ruining the people and they are sleeping with 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.480 these women who have come there presumably to 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:53.779 serve the Lord. What do you do? What's a proper 00:21:53.779 --> 00:22:01.019 response? Put them to death. Okay. So Eli's got 00:22:02.890 --> 00:22:05.150 I mean, he's got all kinds of things that he 00:22:05.150 --> 00:22:07.130 could do in response to that. He could do the 00:22:07.130 --> 00:22:10.089 right thing and put him to death. Or he could 00:22:10.089 --> 00:22:13.049 do something close to that maybe, but he gets 00:22:13.049 --> 00:22:15.769 as far away from that as he possibly can. And 00:22:15.769 --> 00:22:19.170 we read in verse 23, he said to them, Why do 00:22:19.170 --> 00:22:21.930 you such things? For I hear of your evil doings 00:22:21.930 --> 00:22:26.009 by all the people. Nay, my sons, for it is no 00:22:26.009 --> 00:22:28.890 good report that I hear. You make the Lord's 00:22:28.890 --> 00:22:34.029 people to transgress. I can't think of a milder 00:22:34.029 --> 00:22:38.910 rebuke than that. The Lord has called him to 00:22:38.910 --> 00:22:43.369 kill his own sons. That's no small thing. There's 00:22:43.369 --> 00:22:47.730 no doubt. But his sons are destroying the name 00:22:47.730 --> 00:22:50.190 of the Lord. And they are harming his people. 00:22:50.329 --> 00:22:52.910 And they are horrible leaders. They're leading 00:22:52.910 --> 00:22:57.740 people astray. And Eli gives the weakest rebuke 00:22:57.740 --> 00:23:00.900 that he possibly can and still maybe think that 00:23:00.900 --> 00:23:04.460 he's done something. Now you may think that that's 00:23:04.460 --> 00:23:07.859 hard on Eli. But when we read the cursing that 00:23:07.859 --> 00:23:10.680 comes upon Eli, you'll realize that that's, I'm 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:14.359 not saying anything more than or less than what 00:23:14.359 --> 00:23:18.279 the Lord is saying to him. The Lord expects us 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:20.640 and will hold us accountable to the way that 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:23.690 we... Steward over the things that he's given 00:23:23.690 --> 00:23:26.750 us. And in Eli's case it's the priesthood. That's 00:23:26.750 --> 00:23:30.029 primary. His sons are older. I don't think he's 00:23:30.029 --> 00:23:31.730 going to take them out and spank them. The first 00:23:31.730 --> 00:23:34.329 time that they did something wrong. But rebuke 00:23:34.329 --> 00:23:36.470 and correction. And eventually when they refuse. 00:23:37.069 --> 00:23:46.049 Death. It's no good report that I hear. Verse 00:23:46.049 --> 00:23:49.529 25. If one man sin against another. The judge 00:23:49.529 --> 00:23:53.349 shall judge him. In other words, if I, if me 00:23:53.349 --> 00:23:55.349 and another man have a problem, there's somebody 00:23:55.349 --> 00:23:57.970 that can sit over us and mediate between us and 00:23:57.970 --> 00:24:01.170 figure out who's right and who's wrong. But if 00:24:01.170 --> 00:24:03.569 a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat 00:24:03.569 --> 00:24:07.230 for him? Now, every time we sin, we sin against 00:24:07.230 --> 00:24:14.410 the Lord, right? But there's a particularly treacherous 00:24:14.410 --> 00:24:19.630 and heinous sin, and that is to be in the, and 00:24:19.630 --> 00:24:25.740 this is what, Who's the other guy? Hophni and 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:30.140 Phinehas were doing. In the face of the Lord, 00:24:30.359 --> 00:24:33.839 it was like they were, I mean, the Lord was the 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:36.400 Holy of Holies. It's right outside the Holy of 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:39.579 Holies. They're not off in some remote place. 00:24:41.579 --> 00:24:44.119 They're not hiding in the woods or behind the 00:24:44.119 --> 00:24:47.200 trees or in a cave somewhere. In the very presence 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:49.940 of the Lord, right on the other side of the curtain 00:24:49.940 --> 00:24:53.740 that separates the most holy from the outer chamber 00:24:53.740 --> 00:24:56.420 and then this tent. This is where all this stuff 00:24:56.420 --> 00:25:00.140 is going on. And in the face of the Lord, they 00:25:00.140 --> 00:25:06.619 are purposely, willfully, and eagerly destroying 00:25:06.619 --> 00:25:08.680 the name of the Lord in front of the people. 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:12.259 Right in the face of the Lord. Now who's going 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:14.460 to get in between that? Who can go over when 00:25:14.460 --> 00:25:18.299 you do that to the Lord God of hosts? Who is 00:25:18.299 --> 00:25:20.359 it that's above him? Nobody. There's no hope 00:25:20.359 --> 00:25:23.720 for you. That's what Eli is telling them. You've 00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:25.720 not only sinned against the people, but you've 00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:28.039 sinned in the face of the Lord. It's like you've 00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:30.460 slapped the Lord God Almighty in the face. There 00:25:30.460 --> 00:25:32.039 is no hope for you. That's what he's saying. 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:36.180 Now he should have demonstrated that to them 00:25:36.180 --> 00:25:41.720 with a sword, but he didn't. And that's the reason 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:44.259 that the second half of the verse, notwithstanding, 00:25:44.259 --> 00:25:46.559 they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, 00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:52.839 because the Lord would slay them. The Lord wanted 00:25:52.839 --> 00:25:56.880 to kill them, that's what we're told there. Why? 00:25:58.299 --> 00:26:00.900 Because they had hardened their heart against 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:05.259 him. They had steadfastly refused any instruction 00:26:05.259 --> 00:26:09.180 from anyone else. They had... Tossed off any 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:11.940 restraints that might come upon them from their 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:16.539 covenant writings of Moses and the instruction 00:26:16.539 --> 00:26:22.279 that they had received. Now, this is four generations 00:26:22.279 --> 00:26:26.200 since Aaron. That's what it was. Four generations. 00:26:28.839 --> 00:26:32.859 It's no small thing to harden our hearts in sin 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:35.940 against the Lord. We don't know where that will 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:41.269 end. And that's what Hophni and Phinehas had 00:26:41.269 --> 00:26:44.109 done. And Eli had not done what he had been called 00:26:44.109 --> 00:26:47.029 to do to bring correction. To bring a solution 00:26:47.029 --> 00:26:54.289 to this horrible problem. And then verse 26 again. 00:26:54.490 --> 00:26:58.589 And the child Samuel grew on and was in favor 00:26:58.589 --> 00:27:03.230 both with the Lord and also with men. So, do 00:27:03.230 --> 00:27:07.200 you see the contrast? Hophni and Phinehas, a 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:10.220 slap in the face to the Lord, destroying people. 00:27:10.940 --> 00:27:14.440 Samuel, in favor with the Lord and also with 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:16.539 the people. In other words, he was encouraging 00:27:16.539 --> 00:27:21.440 to the people that were watching. Exact opposite. 00:27:22.140 --> 00:27:31.039 Any questions? Statements? Does anybody want 00:27:31.039 --> 00:27:38.579 to find fault with the Lord? I mean, it's a brutal 00:27:38.579 --> 00:27:42.759 picture. I'm not trying to sugarcoat it for you. 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:45.859 I'm not trying to make it easier for us all to 00:27:45.859 --> 00:27:50.660 digest. But that's the fate of any person that 00:27:50.660 --> 00:27:55.319 raises a fist to the Lord. I guess I had a comment. 00:27:55.640 --> 00:28:00.220 Go ahead. So when we think about the qualifications 00:28:00.220 --> 00:28:04.119 for elders in the New Testament, that they're... 00:28:04.940 --> 00:28:08.460 as opposed to have their family under control 00:28:08.460 --> 00:28:12.519 or whatever. And this would be, I guess, the 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:15.259 kind of perfect example of the opposite of that. 00:28:16.339 --> 00:28:22.039 In a New Testament church, Eli would not be suited 00:28:22.039 --> 00:28:26.059 to be an elder or a leader because of the way 00:28:26.059 --> 00:28:29.099 his sons were acting. He wouldn't be qualified 00:28:29.099 --> 00:28:33.500 to be a leader because he was derelict in his 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:36.400 duties. So if he was established as an elder, 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:39.720 he'd be removed for not tending to the congregation 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:42.960 of the Lord. But it wouldn't be because his adult 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:48.380 sons had gone astray. There's no indication that 00:28:48.380 --> 00:28:51.279 we don't know what kind of father Eli was when 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:55.900 his boys were young. It would be wrong for us 00:28:55.900 --> 00:28:57.579 to say, well, he must not have spanked them. 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:03.619 How many children have been spanked, taught, 00:29:04.119 --> 00:29:06.220 and corrected, and yet have decided to go their 00:29:06.220 --> 00:29:11.240 own way. And when an adult decides to go their 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:17.140 own way, no matter what I may want to do, I can't 00:29:17.140 --> 00:29:19.859 physically change that, and I certainly can't 00:29:19.859 --> 00:29:23.500 change the condition of their heart inside to 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:26.599 make them go after the Lord. The Lord hasn't 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:29.599 given me that to do. So you wouldn't see him 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:46.069 as necessarily an example? That's right. Yeah, 00:29:47.650 --> 00:30:02.720 we don't know. Could have been. As bad as he 00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:05.380 could have been or might have been, or as good 00:30:05.380 --> 00:30:07.900 as he might have been or could have been, the 00:30:07.900 --> 00:30:11.359 Lord puts the responsibilities of these grown 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:24.140 adults on their own shoulders. That's right. 00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:30.859 We're about to hear God's response to Eli. Verse 00:30:30.859 --> 00:30:35.519 27, And there came a man of God unto Eli, and 00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:44.160 said unto him, Thus saith the Lord. Now, this 00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:48.380 is just as an aside, but that phrase, man of 00:30:48.380 --> 00:30:50.180 God, I think that may be the first time it's 00:30:50.180 --> 00:30:51.920 in the Bible. I can't remember if we had a man 00:30:51.920 --> 00:30:56.059 of God in Judges. But that's the same word that 00:30:56.059 --> 00:31:01.140 Paul uses to Timothy. Man of God. The scripture 00:31:01.140 --> 00:31:05.440 is able to. Make you. Go do these things. So 00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:10.019 I think there's a connection there. Anyway. There 00:31:10.019 --> 00:31:12.740 came a man of God unto Eli. And said unto him. 00:31:12.779 --> 00:31:15.880 Thus says the Lord. Did I plainly appear unto 00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:18.920 the house of thy father. When they were in Egypt. 00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:22.579 In Pharaoh's house. And did I choose him. Out 00:31:22.579 --> 00:31:25.400 of all the tribes of Israel. To be my priest. 00:31:25.779 --> 00:31:29.680 To offer upon mine altar. To burn incense. to 00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:32.579 wear an ephod before me? And did I give unto 00:31:32.579 --> 00:31:35.440 the house of thy fathers all the offerings made 00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:43.640 by fire of the children of Israel? Now, of course, 00:31:43.640 --> 00:31:46.759 the answer is what? Yes, to all those things. 00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:51.279 What does that tell us about Aaron and about 00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:54.220 his descendants? They were privileged, weren't 00:31:54.220 --> 00:32:00.109 they? They came into... position of blessing 00:32:00.109 --> 00:32:03.210 to the Lord if they followed him. It was a great 00:32:03.210 --> 00:32:06.230 privilege to be able to serve the Lord in that 00:32:06.230 --> 00:32:10.130 way. And yet here they are. Now what does that 00:32:10.130 --> 00:32:18.490 tell us? Just because you come into a place of 00:32:18.490 --> 00:32:22.069 blessing does not guarantee that the end of your 00:32:22.069 --> 00:32:24.529 life is going to be blessing or that anywhere 00:32:24.529 --> 00:32:27.640 through your life is going to be blessing. What 00:32:27.640 --> 00:32:34.500 does blessing from the Lord depend on? Walking 00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:38.299 in His way, obedience. It doesn't have anything 00:32:38.299 --> 00:32:41.000 to do with where you came from. Just because 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:45.019 the Lord was gracious or merciful to you in your 00:32:45.019 --> 00:32:48.319 youth is no guarantee that as an adult, if you 00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:51.680 decide to go your own way, you can expect anything 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:59.569 but trouble in your life. The only way to be 00:32:59.569 --> 00:33:04.549 blessed of the Lord is to follow him. And you 00:33:04.549 --> 00:33:08.630 notice that he made provision for them. I mean, 00:33:08.670 --> 00:33:13.390 the Lord provided for these guys everything they 00:33:13.390 --> 00:33:18.890 needed and more. But it wasn't enough for them. 00:33:22.569 --> 00:33:26.079 We all have to beware. What the Lord gives us, 00:33:26.119 --> 00:33:28.180 we ought to be able to be content with that. 00:33:29.880 --> 00:33:43.599 It's a problem. It's a sin if we're not. Now, 00:33:43.700 --> 00:33:48.480 here's another thing. When the Lord blesses you, 00:33:48.619 --> 00:33:53.839 you're obligated at least to be thankful. Right? 00:33:56.269 --> 00:33:59.349 You're obligated and the Lord obligates us to 00:33:59.349 --> 00:34:02.730 serve Him. Now He gives us a heart that doesn't 00:34:02.730 --> 00:34:06.529 view our service to Him as some terrible obligation 00:34:06.529 --> 00:34:10.030 that I just have to do. He gives us a heart that 00:34:10.030 --> 00:34:13.969 wants to please Him. And we want to do it because 00:34:13.969 --> 00:34:16.949 we love Him. And we love to do what He says. 00:34:18.750 --> 00:34:22.469 But to think for one minute that we can dismiss 00:34:22.469 --> 00:34:25.190 the blessings of the Lord in our life and not 00:34:25.469 --> 00:34:28.389 and just reap the benefit without having to do 00:34:28.389 --> 00:34:33.630 the hard work is sin. If we want to put that 00:34:33.630 --> 00:34:35.630 in the context of the church, what? There are 00:34:35.630 --> 00:34:40.590 benefits of being in a church. Right? Is anybody 00:34:40.590 --> 00:34:43.289 going to deny that? But there's responsibilities. 00:34:43.690 --> 00:34:45.789 There's hard work that has to be done in the 00:34:45.789 --> 00:34:49.829 church. The two always go hand in hand. The blessing 00:34:49.829 --> 00:34:52.090 of the Lord comes upon those people who will 00:34:52.090 --> 00:34:59.010 obey Him. You can't, in our day, if we want to 00:34:59.010 --> 00:35:02.670 think of it in the way that people presume to 00:35:02.670 --> 00:35:04.949 relate to Jesus, you can't just claim him as 00:35:04.949 --> 00:35:10.349 your savior. You can't just, you know, take his 00:35:10.349 --> 00:35:13.070 name and, you know, think that you've got him 00:35:13.070 --> 00:35:16.789 now some hell insurance. But you're not going 00:35:16.789 --> 00:35:20.530 to take him as Lord. You can't think, well, of 00:35:20.530 --> 00:35:24.099 course I have my faith placed in Jesus. That 00:35:24.099 --> 00:35:25.619 doesn't have anything to do with the way that 00:35:25.619 --> 00:35:27.760 I live or the way that I do business or the way 00:35:27.760 --> 00:35:32.340 that I husband my wife or the way that I am a 00:35:32.340 --> 00:35:34.480 wife to my husband or a father to my children. 00:35:37.559 --> 00:35:41.579 It's no excuse. You want to come to the Lord? 00:35:41.679 --> 00:35:44.019 You don't just get the benefits. You've got to 00:35:44.019 --> 00:35:46.539 take the responsibilities. Jesus said that, right? 00:35:47.099 --> 00:35:51.139 Take up your cross and follow me. Get ready for 00:35:51.139 --> 00:35:53.840 a life of service. Get ready for a hard life. 00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:56.039 But throughout that life, remember that I'll 00:35:56.039 --> 00:35:58.239 be right there with you. I'll give you what you 00:35:58.239 --> 00:36:00.059 need. And I'll give you the strength to do what 00:36:00.059 --> 00:36:03.539 I've called you to do. And these guys, Eli in 00:36:03.539 --> 00:36:08.320 particular, cast that off. Wherefore, in verse 00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:13.239 30, the Lord God of Israel says, I said indeed 00:36:13.239 --> 00:36:15.719 that thy house and the house of thy father should 00:36:15.719 --> 00:36:19.079 walk before me forever. But now the Lord says, 00:36:19.219 --> 00:36:23.070 be it far from me. For them that honor me I will 00:36:23.070 --> 00:36:26.289 honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly 00:36:26.289 --> 00:36:29.809 esteemed. There you see it. Behold, the days 00:36:29.809 --> 00:36:32.949 come that I will cut off thine arm and the arm 00:36:32.949 --> 00:36:35.650 of thy father's house, that there shall not be 00:36:35.650 --> 00:36:39.670 an old man in thine house. And thou shalt see 00:36:39.670 --> 00:36:42.809 an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth 00:36:42.809 --> 00:36:46.670 which God shall give Israel, and there shall 00:36:46.670 --> 00:36:50.579 not be an old man in thine house forever. And 00:36:50.579 --> 00:36:53.320 the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from 00:36:53.320 --> 00:36:57.079 mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and 00:36:57.079 --> 00:37:00.039 to grieve thine heart. And all the increase of 00:37:00.039 --> 00:37:02.519 thine house shall die in the flower of their 00:37:02.519 --> 00:37:07.619 age. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that 00:37:07.619 --> 00:37:12.480 shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas. 00:37:12.679 --> 00:37:18.820 In one day they shall die, both of them. me up 00:37:18.820 --> 00:37:21.480 a faithful priest that shall do according to 00:37:21.480 --> 00:37:24.780 that which is in my heart and in my mind and 00:37:24.780 --> 00:37:27.920 I will build him a sure house and he shall walk 00:37:27.920 --> 00:37:31.139 before mine anointed forever and it shall come 00:37:31.139 --> 00:37:34.300 to pass that everyone that is left in thine house 00:37:34.300 --> 00:37:37.579 shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver 00:37:37.579 --> 00:37:40.739 and a morsel of bread and shall say put me I 00:37:40.739 --> 00:37:44.199 pray thee into one of the priest's offices that 00:37:44.199 --> 00:37:48.929 I may eat a piece of bread Now again, that sounds 00:37:48.929 --> 00:37:50.909 an awful lot like Hannah's song, doesn't it? 00:37:50.929 --> 00:37:54.070 That's the way Hannah's song continues throughout 00:37:54.070 --> 00:37:56.650 the book. Everything that she prayed there in 00:37:56.650 --> 00:37:59.210 that song is coming to pass. These people that 00:37:59.210 --> 00:38:03.550 were born in privilege are now begging for a 00:38:03.550 --> 00:38:06.010 morsel of bread. These people that had everything 00:38:06.010 --> 00:38:08.789 that they needed are begging for bread. Now it 00:38:08.789 --> 00:38:13.070 doesn't say that God is going to kill every one 00:38:13.070 --> 00:38:14.989 of Eli's descendants, but that they're all going 00:38:14.989 --> 00:38:19.260 to die in the flower of their youth. That's a 00:38:19.260 --> 00:38:22.539 hard thing. And it's exactly what happened. None 00:38:22.539 --> 00:38:25.480 of them got to be an old man. Now they continued 00:38:25.480 --> 00:38:30.239 on for a while. When did the new line of priests 00:38:30.239 --> 00:38:35.699 come into service in Israel? Who was king when 00:38:35.699 --> 00:38:42.579 that happened? Nobody knows? Take a guess. We 00:38:42.579 --> 00:38:48.599 are in 1 Samuel. Be brave. Alright, there we 00:38:48.599 --> 00:38:58.099 go. That was Eliezer's line. And they continued 00:38:58.099 --> 00:39:04.480 on. That's the curse that came upon a leader 00:39:04.480 --> 00:39:09.079 of God's people who did not do what God had called 00:39:09.079 --> 00:39:14.469 them to do. I can't imagine that James wasn't 00:39:14.469 --> 00:39:16.429 thinking of this in some kind of way when he 00:39:16.429 --> 00:39:19.590 said, beware those of you who want to be leaders 00:39:19.590 --> 00:39:22.570 in the church. Beware you that want to be an 00:39:22.570 --> 00:39:29.269 elder. It's a terrifying thing, really. It comes 00:39:29.269 --> 00:39:33.909 with lots of joy and lots of privileges and lots 00:39:33.909 --> 00:39:38.070 of exciting stuff. But it is a terrifying thing 00:39:38.070 --> 00:39:43.750 to know that God is going to ask me, What's going 00:39:43.750 --> 00:39:47.510 on there? I've got to be able to give an answer. 00:39:48.570 --> 00:39:52.530 Now, for each of us, in whatever sphere the Lord 00:39:52.530 --> 00:39:58.130 has called us, we will have, we act and we know 00:39:58.130 --> 00:40:02.789 that the Lord requires of us faith, faithfulness 00:40:02.789 --> 00:40:08.710 to his word. And there are, I'm confident that 00:40:08.710 --> 00:40:12.559 I'm going to see Eli in heaven. priest and a 00:40:12.559 --> 00:40:15.539 judge in Israel. I can't believe that I'm not 00:40:15.539 --> 00:40:18.019 going to see him there. But this is the consequence 00:40:18.019 --> 00:40:24.739 of sin. And he's going to feel it. Now, it's 00:40:24.739 --> 00:40:26.800 not going to, I don't know, you know, in our 00:40:26.800 --> 00:40:31.619 day we would say that this is not God punishing 00:40:31.619 --> 00:40:38.440 Eli. But this is God bringing Chastening and 00:40:38.440 --> 00:40:41.380 allowing the consequences of our own sin to come 00:40:41.380 --> 00:40:44.420 upon us. He doesn't require us to pay for our 00:40:44.420 --> 00:40:48.260 sin. In other words. We're not doing penance. 00:40:50.659 --> 00:41:00.460 Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. But when 00:41:00.460 --> 00:41:03.719 we go astray. And there's no guarantee. I hope 00:41:03.719 --> 00:41:07.750 we are all there. You young people. There is 00:41:07.750 --> 00:41:11.469 no guarantee that when you allow yourself to 00:41:11.469 --> 00:41:16.530 fall into sin and embrace it, you don't know 00:41:16.530 --> 00:41:20.650 if you'll ever come out. You don't know if that 00:41:20.650 --> 00:41:25.909 thought is going to one day consume you. And 00:41:25.909 --> 00:41:29.269 that's what's happening here to Eli. He didn't 00:41:29.269 --> 00:41:32.230 do it. He resisted. He kicked against the Lord. 00:41:33.630 --> 00:41:37.280 And the next thing you know, The consequence 00:41:37.280 --> 00:41:40.260 of that is that every one of his descendants 00:41:40.260 --> 00:41:43.239 is going to die in the flower of their youth. 00:41:43.460 --> 00:41:46.760 And his own sons are both going to die on the 00:41:46.760 --> 00:41:54.059 same day. That's the reality of sin. That's the 00:41:54.059 --> 00:41:59.719 ugliness of sin. It's a serious thing. That one 00:41:59.719 --> 00:42:04.119 stray thought that you decide to cuddle up to. 00:42:04.619 --> 00:42:07.280 That one small sin that you say, I'm just not 00:42:07.280 --> 00:42:12.500 going to deal with that right now. It may cost 00:42:12.500 --> 00:42:16.019 you in the long run more than you can ever imagine. 00:42:19.460 --> 00:42:29.139 Be careful. And then verse 1 of chapter 3. And 00:42:29.139 --> 00:42:32.519 the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before 00:42:32.519 --> 00:42:35.929 Eli. And the word of the Lord was scarce in those 00:42:35.929 --> 00:42:42.250 days. There was no open vision. So that opens 00:42:42.250 --> 00:42:46.030 us up to anticipate, invites us to anticipate 00:42:46.030 --> 00:42:50.570 that that's going to change. The voice of the 00:42:50.570 --> 00:42:55.190 Lord wasn't heard. It was scarce. But here's 00:42:55.190 --> 00:42:57.610 Samuel, who's just ministering before the Lord. 00:42:57.750 --> 00:43:00.969 And something's going to change. And I guess 00:43:00.969 --> 00:43:04.469 we'll look at that next. Next Wednesday we'll 00:43:04.469 --> 00:43:07.150 look at chapter 3. Anybody want to say anything 00:43:07.150 --> 00:43:11.730 or have a question or a comment? I just wanted 00:43:11.730 --> 00:43:19.449 to say that reading this about Eli's sons and 00:43:19.449 --> 00:43:23.889 the contrast of Hannah, it just makes parenting 00:43:23.889 --> 00:43:29.590 more weighty. The realization of what we're doing 00:43:29.590 --> 00:43:50.619 for our kids. It's a serious thing. Go ahead. 00:44:01.710 --> 00:44:05.469 Is that real similar language to what was said 00:44:05.469 --> 00:44:11.650 about Jesus? Yes, it is. Do you have any observation 00:44:11.650 --> 00:44:16.550 based on that? Well, yeah, all the Bible points 00:44:16.550 --> 00:44:21.230 us to Jesus. And it's not surprising to us when 00:44:21.230 --> 00:44:24.210 the Gospel writers borrow language from the Old 00:44:24.210 --> 00:44:33.980 Testament to speak that. I mean, I don't... Samuel's 00:44:33.980 --> 00:44:35.719 not a type of Christ, is he? I don't think I've 00:44:35.719 --> 00:44:39.699 ever heard anybody say that. But he prophesies 00:44:39.699 --> 00:44:43.199 Jesus in the fact that he is a prophet who speaks 00:44:43.199 --> 00:44:54.280 God's word. Is that it? Alright then.