Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction:

*Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles are books of history that record the establishment of the kingdom, its years of victory and defeat, and the end of a divided kingdom.

*One lesson is obvious as you read these books:* “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov.

14:34).

Whenever the nation exalted God, God exalted the nation; but when the rulers, prophets, and people turned from the Law, God removed His blessing.

This truth is seen not only in the history of the nation collectively, but also in the lives of the leaders personally.

Both David and Solomon disobeyed God and paid dearly in their own homes and personal lives.

First Samuel records the crucial transition from the theocracy (the rule of God) to the rule under the judges to the monarchy under the kings.

This transition goes through three stages: Eli to Samuel, Samuel to Saul, Saul to David.

So the book is built around three key men: Samuel, Saul, and David.

Samuel’s story begins late in the time of the judges when Eli is the judge-priest of Israel.

The birth of Samuel and his early call by God are found in Chapters 1-3.

!!! 1.

The birth of the New Leader (1:1-28)

!!!! a)                  Hannah’s Barrenness

"The Lord had closed her womb."

(1 Samuel 1:5, NKJV)

"And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.

Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”"

(1 Samuel 1:10-11, NKJV)

 

!!!! b)                  Samuel’s birth

"Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah.

And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her." (1 Samuel 1:19, NKJV)

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.

Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.”

So they worshiped the Lord there."

(1 Samuel 1:27-28, NKJV)

!!!! c)                  Hannah’s prophetic prayer (2:1-11)

 

!!! 2.                  The need of the new leader (2:12-3:36)

!!!! a)                  The sinfulness of Eli’s sons (2:12-21)

“The sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord.”

(1 Samuel 2:12, NKJV)

*The stole from God’s people,* “Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord (2:17)

*They committed sexual immorality by *“laying with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting (2:22)… “they made the Lords people transgress (v.24)…

*But Samuel* ministered before the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod… “And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.”  (1 Samuel 2: 17-18, 26, NKJV)

 

!!!! b)                  Compromise of Eli as a father (2:22-36)

!!!!! (1)                 Eli heard everything that his sons did but never took the necessary action to deal with it as a parent

!!!!! (2)                 Then it was prophesied that his two sons were going to die (2:34).

!!!!! (3)                 That speaks volumes to me!

We must deal with the sins of our kids, we must intercede on behalf of them to the Lord that they may not die an eternal death separated from God!

!!! 3.                  The transition from Eli to Samuel (3:1-18)

!!!! a)                  The word of the Lord comes to Samuel (3:2-18)

!!!!! (1)                 Because of his responsiveness to God (3:20-21) at a time when the “word of the Lord was rare”… there was no wide spread revelation…”

!!!!! (2)                 Why was there no wide spread revelation?

The Word of God was neglected.

*The result of the Word being neglected is that *"Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

(Judges 21:25, NKJV)

*The Scriptures say* "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

(Proverbs 14:12, NKJV)

*We read that* "So 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 had been established as a prophet of the Lord.

Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh.

For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

And the word of Samuel came to all Israel."

(1 Samuel 3:19-4:1, NKJV)

*You remember the woman named Martha who welcomed Jesus into her home?*

She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.

But Martha was distracted with all her preparations… *And Jesus’ response was* “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.“  (Luke 10:38-42, NASB95)

!!!!! (3)                 You see, you will never go any higher than your devotional life.

!!!! b)                  Israel’s defeat (4:1-21)

!!!!! (1)                 Because of the corruption in Shiloh by Eli’s wicked sons, this lead to Israel’s defet in the crucial battle with the Philisitines (4:1-11).

The Ark of the Covenant, God’s “throne” among the people, is lost to the Philistines; the priesthood is disrupted by the deaths of Eli and his sons; and the glory of God departs from the tabernacle.

!!!! c)                  The Ark of God had been captured (4:11, 17)

!!!!! (1)                 There Was A Purpose In The Ark Being Taken Away.

!!!!! (2)                 God broke their idolatry by taking their idol away in order that /they would trust in the Lord/

!!!!! (3)                 God taught them that His presence was not the same as the Ark itself (4:3).

They were not to trust in the */ark of God/* but in the */God of the Ark. /*

!!!!! (4)                 It Led to a Serious Cry and Prayer after the Lord (1 Samuel 7:1-6) producing a Godly sorrow which leads to repentance (2Cor.7:10-11)

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!

II.

The Ark (5:1-12)

!! A.                 In Ashdod (5:1-8)

!!! 1.

The Temple of Dagaon (5:1-2)

!!!! a)                  The Ark of God is brought into the house of Dagon (v.2)

!!!!! (1)                 The Philistines brought the Ark of God into the house of Dagon setting it by Dagon as if the Ark was a trophy of victory & ascribing to Dagon that he is superior to Jehovah.

They changed to glory of the incorruptible God into an image (Rom.1:18-23)

*Paul writing to the Romans said* "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

“(Romans 1:18-23, NASB95)

 

!!!!! (2)                 They honored a false god, which is man made and dishonored the true God.

They did not deny the existence of Jehovah, they just counted Him as “one of many gods.”

Just like today, many believe that Jesus is a god, but not Jehovah God. 

*The Lord says in Isaiah,* “I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images (Isaiah 42:8).”

!!!!! (3)                 *The Idol Dagon: *Dagon was the fish-god of Philistia.

The upper part of Dagon was a man or woman, and the lower part of the idol was carved like a fish (mermaid).

Dagon was just a merman or mermaid; only, of course, there was no pretense of his being alive.

!!!! b)                  Dagon and the Ark Are in the Same Temple (v.2).

!!!!! (1)                 Our Bodies Are The Temple Of The Holy Spirit (1Cor.6:19).

*Paul writing to the Corinthians says that* "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable.

All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them.

Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.

Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?

Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?

May it never be!

Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her?

For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.”

But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Flee immorality.

Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.