1 Samuel 1:21-2:26 Samuel is given to the Lord

This morning we are on our second sermon in the series called a Prophet and 2 Kings which is from the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel.

Last week we covered the birth of Samuel

and

how Hannah had went to the Lord for help in her season of pain.

As we saw last week in Hannah’s barren season, she could have followed her husbands model and tried to created a man made solution.

or

Hannah could have been like Eli and become complacent...

But as we covered last week Hannah in her season of difficulty went to the Lord for help,

as one desperate for God to step into her situation.

It says in versus 19 and 20 of chapter 1 that…

“the LORD remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel”

(Lord is never late and he is never early)

[faith is trusting God in his timing]

Hebrews 11:6 “without faith it is impossible to please God” [Faith]

(it could be said without trust… it is impossible to please God.)

Hannah had faith and believed God and the Lord remembered her as she gave birth to Samuel.

If you remember she made a vow saying...

“I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

Now this morning,

we will see if she honors her vow to the Lord or not…

1 Samuel 1:21–28 (ESV)

21 The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”

And he worshiped the Lord there.

In the next section of 10 verses,

Hannah offers to the Lord a prayer of praise,

because the Lord heard and answered her prayer. (Not going to read it now) [overflow of thanks]

After the prayer

1 Samuel 2:11 (ESV)

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Hannah’s Character… Waited for a son, shame, Peninnah would taunt… (entitled to this child)

person’s character is demonstrated by their word…

(Character is built one building block at a time)

[it does not happen overnight]

Because Hannah was faithful to her word,

the Lord rewarded her...

1 Samuel 2:21a (ESV)

21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters.

(Gave her first son to the Lord)

3 more sons and 2 daughters

Hannah demonstrated great character,

but we will see now those who’s character is greatly flawed.

1 Samuel 2:12–17 (ESV)

12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

....

1 Samuel 2:22–25 (ESV)

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

V12 “They did not know the Lord”…

I said last week…

Just because someone has the title that they should know the Lord,

does not always mean that they do know the Lord… (Eli’s sons were priest)

Jesus said by their fruit you will know them… Matthew 7

Their fruit demonstrated that they did not know God.

Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas,

were worthless men who created a culture to have their servants do their dirty work for them.

When faithful men of the Lord would make their journey to the temple to make a sacrifice.

The servants of Hophni and Phinehas would treat this holy moment of sacrificed to God with complete disrespect.

Last week I brought up 2 versus from Judges that describe Israels spiritual condition at this time...

Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25 says the same exact thing…

Judges 17:6 (ESV)

6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Judges 21:25 (ESV)

25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Hophni and Phinehas did what was right in their own eyes,

instead of following what God had commanded the priest to do.

The moral to what is happening here is that these priest were taking the best portions of the sacrifice from God to feed themselves.

In essence they were placing themselves above God.

What is interesting and is usually missed in this story,

is that Eli is not clean in this himself.

What we find out is that Eli is actually getting fat from his son’s evil practices.

1 Samuel 4:18 describes Eli is someone is fat… (No one was fat)

The reason Eli was able to become fat was because he was eating the choice piece of meat himself.

We will unpack this more next week.... A man of God visits Eli

1 Samuel 2:29 (NLT)

29 So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!

Eli and his sons were not acting as righteous men before the Lord,

but rather were taking advantage of their position by fattening themselves. (sacrifices costly poor)

[getting rich from the Lord’s sacrifices]

It happens today too in the ministry…

I said last week that instead of Eli finding fault with Hannah,

Eli should have been face down before the Lord repenting of the evil culture he allowed in at the temple.

Because of the behavior that was happening....

1 Samuel 2:17 ESV

17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

Not only was the offerings treated with contempt,

but they are turning the temple of the Lord into the temple of baal in practice.

(Israel fell to baal because of temple prostitutes)

1 Samuel 2:22 ESV

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

What is interesting to me is that Eli addresses the sexual sin,

but at the same time Eli is participating in the sin of treating the Lord’s sacrifices with contempt.

(pick which sin to stand against and which sin to ignore)

The culture at the temple has gotten so out of control that the priest of the Lord are you using their position sleep with the women who are serving at the temple. [Culture of confusion]

In the midst of all this chaos happening in and around the temple,

there stood a young boy named Samuel… (he saw what was happening)

(I think we can all relate to Samuel her… toxic environments)

This is how Samuel responded to the culture he was in...

1 Samuel 2:18–21 (ESV)

18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.

21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:26 (ESV)

26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

I love how Samuel was able to continue to minister before the Lord,

even though he was in an environment that was extremely evil.

Though Samuel was in an environment that was rebellious against the Lord,

Samuel still maintained a pure heart before the Lord.

Though Eli’s sons were worthless men,

Samuel did not follow their lead but rather followed the leading of the Lord.

And this passage closes out by saying that Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

I believe the favor of the Lord was on Samuel,

because he did not allow the distractions to move him away from his God given calling to be a prophet of the Lord.

(Samuel’s gaze was on the Lord)

[Samuel was so fixed on ministering to the Lord that he did not have time to get caught up in the evil that was happening around him]

Samuel’s character was established by the word of the Lord,

not by the voice of the evil that was taking place around him.

Elkanah, Samuel’s dad, makes this comment in verse 23 saying “may the Lord establish his word”

The word of the Lord was established in Samuel as Samuel continued to minister day and night before the Lord.

It was the Word of the Lord that shaped the young prophet Samuel,

not the evil influences that was around him.

Close with this question this morning and it is this...

What is shaping your character today?

Samuel was set apart…

Samuel was given to the Lord by his mother

and

gave himself to the Lord.