Sept. 4, 2022 - The Power of Hope in God
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So today - we begin making our way through 1 & 2 Samuel.
Why the Samuels?
I had been thinking long and hard about what to do following Galatians - and when I CONSIDERED the Samuels…
I thought - WHY NOT?
The books will help us UNDERSTAND the rest of Scripture...
The OVERARCHING story - tells us that no man is perfectly good, that God uses imperfect men, and that men should hope in God and not human government.
And so in thinking THRU THAT…I thought - yeah, in this climate we live in today...
I think it would do us well to walk through it!
NOW - both books combined entail 55 chapters...
The book of Romans - which contains 16 chapters - took us over a year to get thru...
SO doing the math - if it all played out at the same pace - we wouldn’t get done with these books until close to 2028…probably 2030 because of other smaller, separate studies we would do here and there.
WHICH CAUSED me to ask - do we want to devote that amount of time this ONE section of the Bible…?
Do we want to forgo covering MORE of the BIG-PICTURE story of Scripture - in order to LINGER here for the next 7 years…?
SOO - what I decided to do - was to walk through these books in a SURVEY approach.
We won’t walk through them verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter approach...
We’ll walk through them in a way where we - FLY over the text - and then SWOOP DOWN to dive into a portion of the text...
…preaching it (verse-by-verse) - - IN context!
That will allow us to BENEFIT from the text - while also giving us more freedom on the back end to do more things.
SO - here we go -
We start today with some background...
These books - which actually started out as 1 book - was written about 1050 B.C.
Which MEANS - about 3000 years ago.
And the over-arching STORY of these books consists of the transition of Israel’s rule from - a Theocracy - to a Monarchy...
From GOD ruling Israel thru Judges/Priests...
to a single ruler (King) ruling over the people.
And if we were to just summarize the book by it’s main characters, we would see...
Samuel
Saul
David
…in the forefront.
Prior to this transition into a MONARCHY…Israel was ruled by judges...
And THAT lead to MUCH chaos…!
The people INITIALLY had a positive response to Joshua...
BUT...
very QUICKLY we find the people turning to worship other gods...
And as we’ve said before - EVIL begets EVIL...
And i think these verses paint a good picture for us - as we make our way into 1 Samuel...
16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so.
18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.
19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.
And then later in Judges, we read this...
6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
And so from here we can see - [the STATE of Israel]…AND - [the backdrop against which God planned to POINT to the coming King]...
Now if we remember from our Hermeneutics bible study - and we consider that these books are Historical Narrative...
We must approach these books in a certain way - regarding interpretation...
Within the NARRATIVE - we must look for the principle that might apply to us - today (IF THERE IS ONE)
It’s a NARRATIVE...
It’s telling us what happened - GOOD or BAD...
AND so...
We CANNOT take each verse - spiritualize it - and then come up with some application for ourselves...
We really have to contemplate what we consider to be the timeless principle…that ALIGNS with the rest of scripture - SO THAT it could be applied to us today!
And so -
Let’s dive into this real-life story - to see - the [POWER] of HOPE in GOD!
As we mentioned before - the book of 1 Samuel begins by looking at the life of Samuel in how he had become the last of the Judges...
When we look at how this all started with his mother - we can pull some powerful truths into OUR TIME today...
TODAY we’ll see - the POWER of Hope in God...
Let’s read through this whole section - and then we’ll circle back around.
We’ll start with the first 2 verses...
1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.
2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
Ok, so to summarize what we have here:
There’s a man named Elkanah…who has 2 wives...
Peninnah had children
Hannah had NO children
next verse...
3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.
4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.
5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.
6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.
7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.
14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”
15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.
16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
I think whenever we read of the Birth of Samuel, MUCH is mentioned about Hannah his mother, but I’d like to actually look at his dad Elkanah before we get to her...
IN verse 3 we find this...
3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.
It says here that Elkanah would go to Shiloh YEAR after YEAR to worship and sacrifice to the Lord!
For some background on what’s happening here....we go to ...
16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.
To see more of the mood of these events...
5 But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go,
6 and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.
7 And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.
These feasts were a time of WORSHIP..
A time to REFLECT on what the Lord had done in the lives of the PEOPLE!!
Kinda like our Church Dinner!
So that’s WHY Elkanah would go - MULTIPLE times throughout the year - YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR!
So before we get to Hannah - we find Elkanah… HOPING!
Hoping in WHAT - and for WHAT REASON?
SLIDE: Hope in God: Anchors Us in His Promises
Hope in God
Hope in God
Why would Elkanah - PRIORITIZE - heading to Shiloh - multiple times throughout the year…YEAR - AFTER - YEAR
For a WORSHIP service!??
WHY?
Answer: The POWER of Hope in God!!
*How many of you are GRATEFUL - for a roof over your head?
How many of you are GRATEFUL - for the food on your table?
How many of you are GRATEFUL - for your families (mom, dad, Spouse, your kids)??
Grateful enough to WORSHIP God for those things?
For ALL that God has GIVEN and supplied!!?
When I got married...
MAN - I remember walking around that night THINKING - Am i EVER going to get used to this RING on my finger?
I can’t help BUT - NOTICE IT…
I couldn’t stop messing with it!
I couldn’t stop THINKING - I HAVE A WIFE!!!
I have a FAMILY of my own now...
I’m responsible for SOMEONE else now...
AND THEN…!
When my firstborn Trey was born - life was FOREVER changed - EVEN MORE!!!
Life was NOW - all about - HIM!
And it takes something like - Getting married - HAVING A CHILD - to make - the Promises of God - hit differently....NO?
Man - a GREAT WAY to see God in a whole new LIGHT - is to have a kid!
Adopt a child!
My kids are NEVER - NOT on my mind!
And so - - is it SHOCKING to think that I’d ALWAYS be PRAYING for my KIDS?
HOPING in God - FOR the sake of my kids?
Elkanah - in our text today - was - a Husband - a Father!
He was HOPING in GOD - and in doing so - ANCHORED in God’s PROMISES!!
What promises?
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
And so this COVENANT making God - promised to BE God for these people....for all eternity...
7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
So God PROMISES to BE God over these people...
God RESCUES the people - FREES them from their bondage in Egypt!
What a MIGHTY God this is!!
And then...
12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
THESE are the PROMISES that Elkanah would have READ about!
THIS GOD...
of UNMATCHED POWER
in COMPLETE CONTROL
SOOOO worthy of Praise!
ALL that God had done for His people…!
And Elkanah - instead of giving EVERY excuse in the book as to why he COULDN’T go to Shiloh...
he PRIORITIZED the WORSHIP of God in his life....
ANCHORED in the Promises of God - OVER himself and his family!
Over himself - and his wife - HANNAH!
Why was it GOOD that Hannah SEE this example from Elkanah?
Well - NOT ONLY did it REMIND Hannah of the Promises of God...
It also DREW Hannah to the One who could HEAR her cries!
SLIDE: Hope in God: Fights Grief in this World
Hope in God
Hope in God
For Hannah?
Hannah had no children!
Peninnah had children - but Hannah did not!
On the FLIP SIDE:
Elkanah would give HANNAH - Double Portion of the sacrifice!
WHY - it says - he LOVED her!
So you had this RIVALRY between the 2 wives (Peninnah and Hannah)
5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.
6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.
7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
Hannah DESIRED to have a son - yet - the Lord would not open her womb...
Hannah’s RIVAL (Peninnah) decided to take ADVANTAGE of that - and mock her because of it!
YEAR - after YEAR - the mocking came!
And it SEEMED - like God was nowhere to be found!
YET - EVEN SO - Hannah remained FAITHFUL in her plea!
WHY?
Because she KNEW that she was PRAYING to the God who can DO SOMETHING about her plight!
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
Hannah had seen an EXAMPLE of this in her husband…
Elkanah demonstrated a DESPERATION for God!
Elkanah demonstrated a DEPENDENCE on God for everything!
Hannah kept going back to the WELL of God...
She KNEW who she was dealing with!
She KNEW she was talking to the God who RESCUED the people from their BONDAGE!
And so she REMAINED faithful to God - in her heart!
Her HOPE in God - ABIDED - thru the GRIEF!
Because that’s what HOPE IN GOD does!!
*How many of you have walked through a VALLEY - Not knowing how long or how deep that valley would go?
But you HELD ON - and your HOPE in GOD - GOT YOU THRU it!!?
Hope in God - FIGHTS!
It fights the GRIEF of this world!!
And that’s INTERESTING - BECAUSE - Hope IN MAN - does the opposite - it CREATES GRIEF in this world!
And we SEE this in our text!
Back to v9
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
v12
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.
14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”
Here we have Hannah - PRAYING to God...
She’s PLEADING with the LORD… the ONE who HEARS our cries!!
But how did Eli the priest respond to this?
He thought she was DRUNK!!
Do you see how LIMITED man is??
And so to PUT OUR HOPE in MAN....??
What a TRAIN WRECK that would be!!
And HANNAH let’s him know!!
15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.
16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
Putting our HOPE in MAN - will RENDER us - - - listen - HOPELESS
Hannah says - I’m not DRUNK - I haven’t been pouring drinks down my throat!...
…I’ve been POURING OUT my SOUL - to the Lord!!
TO.THE.LORD - the One who HEARS my silent cries - UNLIKE you!
The one who can change my circumstances!
And what ends up happening?
17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
Hannah has a son - SAMUEL...
The Lord HEARD her cries!
But here’s my question - Do you think Hannah would have continued to seek the Lord in prayer - regardless of how long it took??
I think so...
But where does that come from?
What does THAT tell you about this particular hope?
What we see is that there is a POWER connected to this HOPE -
We should know THIS:
SLIDE:
Hope in God holds up the “Even So’s” of life
Remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
They refused to bow to the idol/golden image - and King Nebuchadnezzar told them that they’d be thrown into the furnace!
How did they respond?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Hear it?
They said - YEAH, life is HARD right now -
This is a HUGE valley we have to walk thru - BUT - EVEN SO!...
Even SO - we will NOT do as you say!
We will NOT serve your gods and worship your false idols!
What was HOLDING UP - that EVEN SO!?
Hope in God!!
Notice they didn’t say - NO - we won’t listen to you Nebuchadnezzar because we REALLY believe our God will save us - BUT IF HE DOESN’T....we’ll hate Him!
That’s NOT what they said -
Which MEANS - - WITHIN this HOPE - is a JOY - ULTIMATELY ROOTED in GOD - NOT the outcome!
The REASON that Hope in God CAN hold up the EVEN SO’s of life - is because...
SLIDE:
Hope in God springs forth from joy in God, not ultimately from joy in the outcome desired.
*how many times have we had HOPE in GOD for SOMETHING....
But then that something doesn’t come to be - and we then SHAKE our FISTS at God!!
Well - when we shake our fists at God - we’re demonstrating that our JOY wasn’t ROOTED IN GOD - but in the outcome we wanted!
In my life - I really wanted to play professional baseball.... whether making to the majors or not, I feel like I could play and would have held my own on the field.
It never happened...
I had POURED MY LIFE into that...
I had HOPE in God for that...
At times things seemed like they might head in that direction - but...
But it never came - Would there have been JOY in THAT! SURE!
But looking back NOW - I see God had other plans!
NOT playing baseball professionally - i was RIGHT where God wanted me to be!
And so I think that this POINTS To a reality that is huge for us…and we see it play out in Hannah!
SLIDE: Hope in God: Is Satisfied in God
Hope in God
Hope in God
Who in here - HOPES - IN GOD - for safety over our kids this year?
Who in here - HOPES - IN GOD - for marriages to STRENGTHEN this year?
…for hearts to AWAKEN this year?
,,,for that MAN to RISE up and BE a MAN?
…for that woman to LET GO - and pray herself through…?
Yes - We HOPE in GOD - FOR these things…and MANY MORE!
BUT
For this HOPE in GOD to be REAL - our JOY must be ROOTED in GOD and NOT in those things!!
THAT’S where the POWER of this HOPE resides!! (Joy - IN - God)
That’s why we can see that person with STAGE 4 cancer - still HOPEFUL in God!!
Still PRAISING God!!
HOW???
Their JOY is rooted in GOD - NOT in a cancer free life!
It’s the POWER of HOPE - IN God!
And i’m thankful for the example we see in Elkanah and Hannah!
What have we seen today?
SUMMARY
Hope in God:
Anchors Us in His Promises
Fights Grief in this World
Is Satisfied in God
ANCHORS US in HIS PROMISES:
This particular HOPE anchors us to the Lord of Lords!
to the ONE in whom all the PROMISES of God are YES in Christ!
WOW - HOPE in God BINDS us to THIS God…the TRUE God!
FIGHTS GRIEF in this WORLD:
It’s THIS PARTICULAR Hope that actually FIGHTS grief in this world - because ONLY this hope can!
When we HOPE in God - we’re hoping in the ONE whom we TRUST...
The one whom we VALUE MORE than life itself...
There’s POWER in this HOPE...
IS SATISFIED IN GOD:
This is where the POWER comes for us...
Our Joy in God - makes EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE - an OPPORTUNITY to Glorify God!
Makes every valley
every trial
every heartache
every loss - an opportunity to Glorify God!
The POWER of Hope-in-God resides in Joy-in-God...
We SERVE a God - who is ABLE....therefore - do NOT LOSE heart...
Hope IN God! - - Fight for Joy - Christian - Joy in God!
Let’s pray
The Lord’s Table
Which brings us now to the Lord's Table...
Lord's Table:
This brings us to the Lord’s Table…a time for each of us to reflect on our lives, to examine ourselves spiritually, and to remember the cost of our faith. We were bought with a price, and these elements remind us of this.
Have you experienced the Saving Power of Christ at the cross? YES?
If so - know that we serve a God who is ABLE...
If you’re in a dark place right now - HOPE in GOD!
He HEARS you…and remember - the body of Christ is meant to come alongside those hurting - to hold them UP!!
Hope in God!
Go before Him and plead with Him to STRENGTHEN your hope in Him!
If you haven’t surrendered your life to Jesus ...you should not partake in this. Do not come to the table!
The Bible says not to take this lightly. Scripture says – “ whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
Take time now and examine yourself before the Lord.
Find RENEWED strength - RENEWED Hope in God today!!
22 While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” 23 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
You keep hope alive
You keep hope alive
From the beginning to end
Your word never fails
You keep hope alive
Because You are alive
Jesus, You are alive