1 Samuel Sermon

Where are we in the story?

1800 BC Abraham

1700 BC Isaac and Jacob, Joseph enters into Egypt Israel follows

1400 BC Moses leads Israel out of Egypt

1300 BC Israel in the land (Judges)

1040 David

1 Samuel

Eli and his sons are terrible priests.

Hannah was loved by her husband but never had any children, and his other wife had many. Hannah prayed for children and Eli tells her that God has heard her cries.

Samuel Is dedicated to God. God begins to speak through him.

Hannah’s prophecy (The theme of 1 Samuel)

1 Samuel 2 (NIV)

1 Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.

2 “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

3 “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.

4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.

7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.

8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.

9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails;

10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest.

The story

Eli’s son’s die. Eli is crushed under his own fat when the ark of God is stolen.

The philistines send the ark of God back because God is sending plagues.

Samuel is now judge over Israel, but they don’t want him. They want a king. Samuel is upset...

1 Samuel 8 (NIV)

1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. 4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” 6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” 10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.” Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

God appoints 2 kings

Saul: Arrogant, stubborn, violent, brutal, disobedient, irrational, spastic, emotional. He has everything yet is always pinning for more, always afraid to lose what he has. He has yet he’s always lacking.

David: Trusts God in every battle, seeks God in every turn, fights the enemies of God for the glory of God. Humble, poor, and seeking nothing. Yet always content. He has nothing yet he’s always full.

David is anointed King by Samuel, he defeats Goliath, he flees to the land of the philistines.

Saul is killed by the philistines.

Outro

1 Samuel 2 (NIV)

1 Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. (In God is salvation)

2 “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. (God is the one true foundation)

3 “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. (God knows our weaknesses. Arrogance does not deceive God.)

4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. (When we rely on our strength we are broken but seeking Him, even in our weakness we are strong)

5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. (There is no satisfaction outside of God)

6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. (God has ultimate control over your life)

7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. (God has control over the success of your days)

8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. (The plan is for Him to be great, us to trust in Him)

9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails;

10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (God is judge.)

David or Saul? Most of Israel picked Saul. Even after David becomes king he has to fight the heirs of Saul. There is civil war in Israel because

they don’t want some singing, dancing, fool leading Israel. They want a man that’s a head taller than everyone else. Someone clad in bronze armor and wields one of the only iron swords in all of Israel.

What do we do with this? The definition of a good king/man/father/etc.