The Young Life of Samuel

Introduction

When I Received the Topic of Samuel…

I was Excited Initially Because…

I Like Studying Lesser Known/Talked About Topics/Passages

I Enjoy Doing Deep Dives on Side/Obscure Characters

But When I Started Studying Samuel…

I Got Excited for the Very Opposite Reason

I was Reminded that Samuel isn’t a Side Character at All

There’s Nothing Obscure About Samuel

What We Learn About Samuel in the First 3 Chapters…

Of the Book that’s Named After Him…

Proves that He is One of the Greatest Men in the OT

Jeremiah 15:1 (NASB95)

1 Then the Lord said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!

Even if 2 of the Greatest Mediators in History…

Were to Intercede on Judah’s Behalf…

God wouldn’t Stop His Judgment From Coming Upon Them

You Can’t Find Many People…

Who had a Closer Relationship with God…

Than Moses and Samuel

Not Only is Samuel Compared to the Great Law-Giver/Leader, Moses

We Also See Similarities Between Him and King Jesus

So, I’m Excited to Take a Look at Samuel with You

But Not Because He’s Some Obscure, Side-Character

Because He’s One of the Greatest Men to Ever Live

And His Faithfulness Started When He was Just a Little Boy

1 Samuel 1-3

Samuel was the Answer to a Heartfelt Prayer

His Mother Hannah was Unable to have Children

That was Bad Enough for Women in that Time/Culture

But for Hannah it was Even Worse

She wasn’t Her Husbands Only Wife

His Other Wife, Peninnah, Did have Children

She would Often Humiliate Hannah…

For Not Being Able to have Children

One Year When They Went to the Tabernacle to Sacrifice/Worship…

Hannah Prayed to God with Bitter Tears

1 Samuel 1:11 (NASB95)

11 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 son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”

Her Prayer was:

“If You will Give Me a Son, I’ll Give Him Back to You”

“I Will Dedicate Him to You, Lord”

God Answered Her Prayer and Samuel was Born

After She had Weaned Him, She Kept Her Promise…

And Took Him to the Tabernacle…

Where He would Stay with Eli, the Priest…

And Serve the Lord

1 Samuel 1:27–28 (NASB95)

27 “For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 “So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

From the Time He was a Tiny Little Boy…

Samuel was Worshiping God…

And Serving in the Tabernacle

Unfortunately, He had to Serve Alongside Eli’s 2 Sons

1 Samuel 2:12 (NASB95)

12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord

The Author Calls Them “Worthless” Men

Literally “Sons of Belial”

They were Worthless, Good-for-Nothing, Wicked Men

They were the Priests of God…

But “They Did Not Know the Lord”

They Oppressed/Threatened the People Who Came to Sacrifice/Worship

1 Samuel 2:17 (NASB95)

17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men despised the offering of the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:22 (NASB95)

22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Sons of Belial - Worthless, Good-for-Nothings…

Is a Fitting Description for These 2 Priests

But, Interwoven Through the Descriptions of the Sons of Eli…

Are These Descriptions of Little Samuel:

1 Samuel 2:18–19 (NASB95)

18 Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

Samuel would Wear a Little Ephod (Priestly Garment)

And Hannah would Make Him a Little Robe Each Year…

To Wear While He Served in the Tabernacle

1 Samuel 2:26 (NASB95)

26 Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.

There was Still a Faithful Servant of God’s People

But it Just So Happened that it was a Little Boy

As Time Went on, Samuel Grew and Grew

But Not Just in Age and Stature…

But also in Favor with God and the People

Even as a Young Boy…

He Makes God Happy…

And He Makes the People Happy

The Same was Said of Jesus, When He was a Boy

Luke 2:52 (NASB95)

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

This Little Boy was a Light…

In the Very Dark Age of the Judges

1 Samuel 3:1 (NASB95)

1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.

This is an Important Detail that We Need to Notice

God wasn’t Speaking to His People

Getting Messages or Visions From Him…

Was Very Rare in Those Dark Days

1 Samuel 3:2–4 (NASB95)

2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), 3 and 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 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”

We See Some Really Interesting Details Here

One, of Course, is that We See God Speak to Samuel

For God to Speak to Anyone at this Point in History…

Meant that God Considered Samuel Very Special

But We’re Also Given a Few Details that, I Believe…

Are Meant to Be Understood Both Literally & Figuratively

Eli was Almost Blind

He was Literally Almost Blind

But He was Also in a Figurative State of Spiritual Blindness

“The Lamp of God had Not Yet Gone Out”

The Priests were to Keep the Lamp in the Tabernacle…

Burning Throughout the Night

But Because of Samuel, God’s Light was Still Burning

These were Dark Times of Horrible Wickedness

Even the Priests…

Who were Supposed to Be the Mediators…

Between God and the People…

Were Worthless and Wicked

But God’s Lamp had Not Yet Gone Out

God isn’t Done Yet

He’s Going to Use a Little Boy…

To Bring Light to the Darkness…

His People were Living in

We’re Also Told that Samuel would Sleep in the Tabernacle

Where the Ark of the Lord was

Not Only Did Samuel Stay Close to God, Literally

He was Close to God, Spiritually

And Then God Speaks to Samuel…

From His Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place

We haven’t See Someone this Close to God Since Moses

Samuel, Even as a Small Child, has a Relationship with God

Do You Remember When Jesus Went Missing as a Boy?

After 3 Days, Mary & Joseph Finally Found Him

Where Did They Find Him?

In the Temple - In God’s House

Do You Remember What He Told Them?

Luke 2:49 (NASB95)

49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

NKJV Says, “About My Father’s Business”

Like Jesus, Samuel was in the Father’s House…

About the Father’s Business

God Proceeds to Tell Samuel…

That He is Going to Bring About the Downfall…

Of Israel’s Most Powerful Family:

The Priestly Family of Eli

So Samuel Tells Eli What God and Eli Accepts His Fate

1 Samuel 3:19–20 (NASB95)

19 Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail. 20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

Samuel Continued to Grow Up…

And All the While, God was with Him

From Coast to Coast, Everyone in Israel Knew…

That Samuel was the New Prophet of God

He Became God’s Spokesman…

And Everything He Said Came to Pass

Even Though Samuel has an Entire Book Named After Him (1st & 2nd Samuel)…

It Seems Like We Relegate Him to the Place of a Side-Character

Likely Because He Goes on to Anoint the 1st & 2nd Kings of Israel…

And They Begin to Take Center-Stage

But, There’s No Way Around it…

Samuel is One of the Greatest Men of the OT

He Grew Up Like Jesus

He had a Relationship with God Like Moses

And He Served Israel in 3 Major Ways:

Prophet

Priest

Judge

When We Look at Samuel…

We Get a Great Foreshadowing of Our:

Prophet, Priest, and King

Applications

What Kicked Off Samuel’s Entire Story was Really this Prayer:

“Lord, if You will Give Me a Son, I’ll Give Him Back to You”

“I will Dedicate Him to You”

Parents, Dedicate Your Children to the Lord

What Does it Mean to Dedicate Your Children to the Lord?

Because Sometimes We Might Want…

To Drop Our Kids Off at the Tabernacle…

And Say, “See Ya Next Year!”

But That Doesn’t Really Apply Today

To Dedicate Your Children to the Lord…

Means that Your Mission/Aim/Goal/Top Priority…

Is to Make Sure that Your Children…

Know, Love, Obey, Serve, and Glorify God

It Means Devoting Yourself to Equipping Your Children…

With Everything They Need to:

Know, Love, Obey, Serve, and Glorify God

Not Only Did Hannah Dedicate Samuel to the Lord

Every Year She Brought Him a New Robe to Serve in

She Dedicated and Equipped Him for Service to the Lord

It is Our Duty as Christian Parents…

To Make this Commitment to God:

“Father, I will Do Everything Within My Power…”

“To Make Sure My Children are a Glory to Your Name”

The Israelites were Expected to Take this Commitment Very Seriously

There was a Portion of OT Scripture…

That Israelite People would Recite Every Day

They Called it the “Shema” (“Hear”)

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (NASB95)

4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

God Told the Israelite People…

To Love Him with Everything They have

His Laws should Be on Their Hearts/Minds

They should Teach Them Diligently to Their Children

The Hebrew Word for “Teach Diligently” Refers to…

Sharpening Something By Continuous Repetition

Like Sharpening a Knife with a Whetstone

It’s a Continuous Process that You Repeat Over and Over

This was How the Israelites were to Teach the Law to Their Children

It was to Be a Continuous Process of Repetition

They were to Teach Them Diligently

What Did this Repetitious Teaching Look Like?

How were They to Teach Their Children Diligently?

They would Teach Them at Home

They would Teach Them When Away From Home

They would Teach Them Before Going to Bed

They would Teach Them After Waking Up

They would Give Themselves Constant Reminders of God’s Laws

I Like the Way the NLT Words this Passage:

Deuteronomy 6:7–9 (NLT)

7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

All of this to Simply Say:

All of Life is to Be Saturated with God’s Laws

Proverbs 6:20–22 (NASB95)

20 My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; 21 Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.

The Life of an Israelite was to Be Saturated with God’s Laws

They were to Be Always on Their Mind…

And to Guide Their Every Thought/Decision/Step

And They were to Repeatedly/Diligently…

Teach Them to Their Children

That’s How Our Walk with Jesus Ought to Look

That’s How We Dedicate Our Children to the Lord

That’s How We Ensure that Our Children Know/Love Jesus

Proverbs 22:6 (NASB95)

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

I Believe this is True When We Take it Very Seriously…

And are Very Intentional/Diligent

For Our Children to have Genuine, Lived-Out Faith:

They Need to Know that We Don’t Leave Jesus at the Church Building

They Need to See How Faith should Operate in Everyday Life

They Need to Witness…

Their Parents Living By Faith

Their Parents’ Love for Jesus

Their Parents’ Love for People

Their Parents Serving

Their Parents Praying

Their Parents Reading the Scriptures

Their Parents Putting the Kingdom First

Enjoying, Participating, and Encouraging in the Gatherings

Their Parents Living for/Like Jesus

And They Need to Be Trained/Encouraged…

To Participate in All of These Things

God has/can Use Little Ones to Do Great Things

Don’t Push Your Children to the Sidelines

Don’t Neglect to Train Your Children to Serve God/Others

Show Them, Train Them, and Let God Use Them for His Glory

God Loves to Use Little Ones to Do Great Things

Why Do We Do VBS?

It’s an Enjoyable Way for Our Children…

To Learn More About God and His Scriptures

VBS is an Opportunity to Train Our Children…

In How to Be More Like Jesus

To Love and Serve Like Him

But Here’s the Thing…

VBS will Be Over in a Few Days

Then What?

Will the Teaching/Training Stop?

Don’t Leave Jesus in the Church Building

Bring Him Home

Let’s Teach/Train/Show Our Little Ones…

That Jesus Comes with Us Everywhere We Go

That He is Our King and We Belong to Him

Teach Them About Jesus

Who He is, What He’s Done, is Doing, Will Do for His People

Show Them Jesus

Live Your Own Life Like Jesus…

Let Them Fall in Love with Him Through Your Example

Train Them to Be Like Jesus

Now that They Know Jesus and have Seen Jesus…

Train Them on How to Live Like Him Themselves

Dedicate Your Children to Lord Jesus

Invitation

A Mother Read the Story of Noah’s Ark to Her Little Girl

Girl Asks, “What About All the Children During the Flood?”

Mother Answers, “Their Parents Didn’t Get Them on the Boat.”

Parents, Get Your Little Ones of the Boat

Dedicate Your Children to Jesus