The Next Best Thing

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In the Hebrew layout of Scripture the book of 1 Samuel comes right after the book of Judges. For this week, and possibly next week, we will be in these introductory chapters of 1 Samuel before having a special Labor Day message.
After Labor we will start a new series on Evil, Suffering, and the People of God on September 12. This is a series where we will try to find some answers to the problem of evil and how we can live in a world where suffering will happen.
Resources used for Old Testament sermons: NIV Application Commentary, John Goldingay Old Testament for Everyone, Interpretation Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, New International Commentary on the Old Testament and a few other sources that if you are interested I can get you the exact titles and names of authors.

What is God up to?

This is the question the nation of Israel may have been asking as the book of Judges closes. In the Hebrew OT 1 Samuel is the next book. Many of us, I know I am hearing it directly and indirectly, are asking this question now. As the pandemic continues on, the situation in the Middle East, natural disasters including the hurricane which hit just this morning, the question lingers.

We are in a time of transition.

I’m not sure how long of transition period we are in but we are definitely in one. I am not one to try and guess what will happen next but I read those like, Thom Rainer, Carey Neiwhoff who do.

Transitions are important and necessary.

Henry Cloud in his book Necessary Endings makes the point that in life there are times when we must close out a chapter and move forward. Not acting as if what we have experienced as never happened but to continue on seeing what God has in store for us.

God works in seasons of transitions.

But God is not caught of guard by what is happening around us.

Our call: be faithful in the midst of unknown.

This is the example of Hannah and her family. Elkanah was faithful to always going before the Lord and being different from his culture.

Faithfulness=consistency

Elkanah did this “year after year”.

Learning to respond to being provoked.

Hannah becomes a precursor to our Lord in how she handles the bitterness of life and the provocation that happened in her house. Did Peninnah say things? Probably. Did Hannah just see children and were reminded? Most likely.

Hannah slips/slides into depression.

The cumulative effect of year after year being provoked, being under the stress of life finally gets to her where she stops eating in the presence of the Lord.

Easy answers won’t cut it.

Nothing against Elkanah but this is a good lesson on how not to respond to someone in pain and depression. He has the best of intentions, we can be sure of this. His words are true and may even have been helpful. In fact, we don’t know what happened prior and maybe this is the end of their situation.

Become intentional listeners.

This is where Eli gets it wrong. Here Hannah is praying in the Lord’s House and all he can think is she must be drunk. As more information comes out Eli realizes how wrong his assumptions were. We need to be curious and non-experts in our world. Intentional listening is hard. Eli sees what he sees and thinks she is wicked or worthless.

Pour out your soul to Jesus.

This is the example of Hannah. This is a characteristic of faithfulness of God’s people. Was this the first time she had done so? We don’t know.
Even when the time of prayer is not sweet. This is a reminder of the book of Ruth and even Jesus in Gethsemane.

Trust God in the midst of pain.

Hannah goes and acts differently without knowing the results of her prayer.

Make a reminder of God’s presence.

This is what Hannah does with the name Samuel. It sounds, in pronunciation, like God has heard.
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