The Child Prophet

Introduction

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 the 4th time now it mentions Samuel ministering… but he is still a boy!

Double obedience:

To the Lord

Before Eli

He learned from Eli every day seeing him work as a priest, and by obeying him, he was obeying God

That’s a great lesson for the children of this church… as much as they despise the phrasing of it… the way you can best serve God is by doing what you are told

‘No vision had spread abroad’

Used to set the scene a little bit

Shows that God’s voice had been nearly absent

Shows Samuel as a diamond found in the desert

Prepares for the divine call of God to His people

Psalm 74:9 “9 We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet, Nor is there any among us who knows how long.”

The voice of God had become a tradition of the past, not an experience of the present

Children are interesting creatures…

My point is this: Sometimes the voice of a child can really make us think hard about things.

We see that with Samuel here.

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.”

As Eli’s days were drawing dim, and his eyes nearly blind so the lamp of God drawing dim that night. In contrast to the old and fading Eli.. you have the young Samuel, sleeping near the presence of God.. the ark of the covenant.

And I love the picture it paints for us:

A young boy seeking the favor and the voice of God.

Like the song: “Nearer my God to thee, nearer to thee”

The nation was spiritually dark… but the lamp of God had not gone out.

So too with our nation

The Lord called Samuel

When they were no visions

When Eli was old

When the priesthood was corrupt

1 Samuel 3:5–7 NASB95

5 Then he 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 The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him.

First… where were Eli’s sons? So we have a boy running the temple?

‘my son’ .. you already see Eli viewing Samuel as his priestly offspring

Secondly.. you see a lesson here:

We MUST, MUST be able to discern the difference between the voice of man and the voice of God!

…

Samuel did not yet know the Lord

Day in day out, he ministered to the Lord

He grew up and was no doubt taught WHO God was and ALL God had done

But He didn’t know the Lord yet

How many of us make the intellectual ascent and say: “I believe in God! And in His Son Jesus Christ! And the Holy Spirit!” … yet do not truly know Him?

Well I’ve been taught of Him!

I learned of his goodness!

I was baptized! … So what… if you don’t know Him.

But I DO know Him!… are you sure? Or do you just know OF Him?

If you know God, you know life and death are in His hands

If you know God, you know His feet are like burnished bronze and His eyes are flaming fire

His power is untamable and His authority is complete

Do you know God!?

The better question might be, does He know you?

Matthew 7:21–23 “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Depart from me, you who act… like I never gave you a law in the first place

Samuel knew the Lord, in a general sense

But still being a boy, it wasn’t until this moment, He TRULY knew he was hearing God

1 Samuel 3:8–10 NASB95

8 So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

Eli must be anxious

The Lord came and STOOD

Are you willing to listen?

Is your Bible open EVERY day?

Is it in your mind and persuading your thoughts?

Or do you listen to people/opinions/world

What are we to base our life off of??

I used to listen to hours and hours of spiritual podcasts a day, but what good does even THAT do when I can’t listen to God for MYSELF in His word??

Will you HEED to Gods word?

Remember, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

Are you doing the Father’s will? … The world shall pass away, but he who does the will of the Father will abide forever!

Matthew 7:24–25 “24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”

Every part of your life, MUST be founded in the Word of God!!

Examine yourselves! Examine your actions and SEE if they are rooted in what God has said!

When we watch television programs that God DESPISES and sees as an ABOMINATION… examine yourselves with the Word

When your life looks exactly like that of the WORLD?… examine yourselves… for their is indeed a broad way that leads to destruction

In EVERY DECISION you make! … listen to God!!! Listen and heed His words!!

For if we depart from Him, and the consistent reading of His word? … He’ll say, depart from Me

1 Samuel 3:11–15 NASB95

11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 “In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 “For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. 14 “Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

The person who tolerates evil, is just an accomplice. And that’s a message to parents if I’ve ever seen one. NEVER tolerate the wrongdoing of a child thats still in your care

Jeremiah 19… 2 Kings…

Judah had forsaken Yahweh and sacrificed to manmade gods

God would utterly destroy it

The Lord is not slack to fulfill His promises (v12)

What God says He means.

We listen and obey God, WHY?

Because He is trustworthy. God is worthy of my trust.

The more I read the more clear it is, that I can rely upon God’s Word

Even in the tough teachings when I MOST want to cling on to what I feel or think or desire!… I MUST conform to Him and His ways… because His Word is trustworthy… and reliable to bring about God’s good purposes in us.

Samuel was afraid

The harsh reality of what God would do to Eli was hard to confess!

It can be hard to teach someone the harsh reality of their sin.

But we must! Lives are at stake! Souls lay in the balance!

1 Samuel 3:16–18 NASB95

16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to 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.”

We can look back this evening and say: “God was good in rightly punishing Eli”

But if that happened to you today, I pray you wouldn’t twist the phrase to say.. “It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to me”

No! God is good DESPITE what judgement we are under or problem we face!

We should say: “God may YOU do what is right! May YOU do what is good! Not according to how I feel but according to the purposes of the One who works ALL things after the council of His will (Eph 1)

1 Samuel 3:19–21 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. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

“fall to the ground”

Samuel was successful in proclaiming the message

The Lord appeared again… that’s Gods providence

The Lord knew the priesthood was in shambles

He knew the Philistines would battle them soon and take the ark of the covenant

He knew Samuel would be His prophet before Hannah ever knew she was with child.

God provides, once more, for His people…