Will This World Ever Learn From its Mistakes

The People's Desire

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 7 and 8

The one message we see in these Books of Samuel and throughout all the Bible is that only when we are obedient to the Lord can we expect God's blessings. Not before!

God has the power to control human events in this world. Sometimes He intervenes but most of the time He allows our mistakes to take place so we can learn from them. 

Which we rarely do learn from our mistakes.

There is even a push today to remove the evidence of our mistakes from history, so that we can forget them, which will never work. Even if it did work, a new way cannot be made using corruption and wickedness.

The only new way that works is the same old way and it is by a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

When the sons of Eli removed the Ark from the Tabernacle located in Shiloh, it would never return to that Tabernacle, which showed the glory of the Lord no longer shined upon Israel at that time.

The Ark remained in the possession of the Philistines for seven months and we could say that God showed out until the Philistines had enough and they sent the Ark back to Israel but not back to the Tabernacle, which they had destroyed.

Some few of the Israelites celebrated the return of the Ark, but a few violated the Holiness of God by opening the Ark and looked into the Ark and immediately they were struck with death.

Some seventy men died that day because they showed irreverence to the things of God.

These same things can happen today, and they probably do.

This certainly put the fear of God into the hearts of these Israelites.

The Ark was sent to Kirjathjearim into the house of Abinadab and Eleazar his son to care for the Ark and it remained there until the time of David, some eighty years.

It seems that the Lord was silent for twenty years before He spoke again to Samuel.

When the Lord is silent, those things He was already given to us are still in effect and He expects obedience to those things!

We should clearly understand that there are certain ways to approach God and He gives us those ways.

Any other way that is attempted will result in death and eternal damnation.

*****1Sa 7:1  And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 

1Sa 7:2  And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 

The men of Kirjathjearim came and by God's Law undertook the caring to the Ark and no further calamity occurred at this time.

They placed the Ark in the house of Abinadab which is later said to be Gibeah.

2Sa 6:3  And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. 

It is likely that Abinadab was a Levite, and his son Eleazar was ordained and sanctified to care for the Ark.

Because this house was located on a hill and easy to defend, it was actually used as a place of worship.

We should consider that the Tabernacle at Shiloh had been destroyed.

Jer_7:12  But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

We do not have to ask why God would allow such a thing to happen, because God the Holy Spirit said to Jeremiah that it was because of wickedness.

For twenty years, God was silent for His glory was removed from Israel and the Philistines ransacked most of Israel.

All these years Samuel was working behind the scenes going from place to place teaching the Word of God and insisting that Israel repent.

Without repentance, Israel would remain in the hands of the Philistines as slaves.

This same thing could happen to America unless America repents and returns to the Lord.

We can say that to lament, as used here, would mean to mourn for the Lord who remained silent for these twenty years.

This was the first time that Israel was missing the presence of the Lord and gradually a change of heart came over these people.

It is a good thing that God looks into the heart for our outside actions reflect what our heart dictates.

The Philistines were like tyrants at this time, and they also took away Israel’s means to make weapons to defend themselves.

Sounds increasingly like America all the time, as our own nation tries to take away our weapons to defend ourselves from the tyranny of government.

I do not know if we have twenty more years to come to repentance before the Lord.

Samuel began reaching out to the leaders of Israel.

*****1Sa 7:3  And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 

1Sa 7:4  Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. 

Repentance is a complete change of mind from a sinful, wicked state and a complete submission to the Lord.

Mar 1:14  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 

Mar 1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 

What is the sign of the end just before the return of Jesus Christ?

Rev 9:20  And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 

Rev 9:21  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

The main purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ to leave Heaven and come to this earth was to call for repentance!

Mat 9:12  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 

Mat 9:13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

If Israel would repent God would save them from the tyranny of the Philistines.

In fact, there was no other way to defeat the Philistines without the Divine Power of our Holy God!

Repentance can only come from a believer!

The unbeliever must first answer the call of God and then the Holy Spirit will move in to begin His work that leads to repentance.

There must be a whole-hearted return to the Lord!

We must put away the idols of the soul!

The help which brings deliverance comes through a covenant sealed with blood!

It was that same covenant with Abraham that brought deliverance to Israel if they would repent.

It is also true that for anyone to be delivered from the bondage of Satan, then it is through the covenant of Grace that is sealed with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the joyful acceptance by a sin-oppressed soul.

This help for deliverance comes by prayer and prayers must be heard in Heaven.

It is that repenting soul whose prayers are heard in Heaven.

This was the message of Samuel to Israel.

This is the message of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Most of Israel then put away their false idols and their hearts returned to Jehovah.

This is what America needs to do today!

The Philistines were defeated by Israel because of answered prayer that had come through repentance.

And time moves on.

*****1Sa 8:1  And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 

1Sa 8:2  Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 

1Sa 8:3  And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 

After a revival in Israel and the fact that Jehovah had allowed Israel to defeat the Philistines, Israel was quiet for the time of Samuel which was about eighty years

Samuel would be the last human Judge of Israel. 

As Samuel got to be an old man, he had his sons to help him, and his own sons proved to be unjust and corrupt, and the people demanded that Samuel change the way Israel was governed.

Israel wanted to be like the other nations around them that had kings to rule them. How foolish.

They had their reasons:

1) They never had enough qualified judges to lead them. Even Moses found this to be true. 

Their biggest problem was that they refused to follow the Word of God and crime ran rampant just as we see today.

2) Israel had suffered greatly from the Philistines and marauders from other nations, especially during harvest time.

Again this was because Israel refused to obey the Word of God.

3) They suffered Spiritually because they failed to lead righteous lives. They had separated themselves from God many times. They lived sinful and wicked lives departing from the truth of God!

Israel decided they needed a king. They felt a king would solve all their problems. They were wrong again!

This was just another rebellion from the truth of God!

****1Sa 8:4  Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 

1Sa 8:5  And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 

Israel admitted that they wanted a king to be like the other nations around them and this is not a particularly good reason. 

In fact, it is not a good reason at all.

God had allowed Israel to be given the land and homes of these nations because of the wickedness of those nations.

They should have never had the desire to be like them.

We are to be like the Lord Jesus Christ and this should be our goal.

We are wronging ourselves and our families when we want to be like the world!

All Israel had to do was to be obedient to the Law of God and they would become a great nation.

Samuel, like we all do, had gotten old and he no longer had the strength to do all the things he knew he needed to do.

His sons had been of no help to him because they just took advantage of their position and became corrupt.

We see that corrupt governments have always been a major problem in this world, and I never thought our own nation would get caught up in corruption, but it has.

Israel had corrupt leaders and corrupt judges just as we see in America today and we can be sure it is probably the same in all nations that reject the truth of God!

The sons of Samuel accepted bribes and perverted justice.

They ruled in favor of those who were lawless. Those that did what was right in their own eyes.

We see these same things today.

Solomon wrote that there is nothing new under the Sun.

Ecc_1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

These words of wisdom have held true in every Age so far.

Humans do not want to live righteously because we all have that sin nature!

It is in our nature to sin against God, but this is no excuse.

Today in America we want new leadership and a righteous leadership just as Israel wanted in the time of Samuel.

Is this even possible? Not in any nation that rejects the truth of God!

Not under capitalism, not under socialism, not under communism, and certainly not under some monarchy!

Israel wanted a king like those nations around them, they did not want a king "after God's own heart"!

Just speaking for myself, I do not see a leader of any nation that I think is truly suitable, and I certainly do not like the leadership of America today.

Jehovah is noticeably clear on these things!

Deu 27:19  Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. 

Why did Israel spend so many years in captivity?

Mic 3:10  They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. 

Mic 3:11  The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. 

Mic 3:12  Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest. 

Is America so bold to think that God will not allow similar things to happen here?

Of course Samuel was displeased. 

We should also be displeased and vote for a better government and insist that there be no corruption in it!

As the people we have this power today but this power is slowly being taken from us.

We do not need to be like Europe or any other nation.

People seem to forget it took a war to separate us from the ways of Europe.

We must avoid the ways of the world.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

We must not become a part of this world!

*****1Sa 8:6  But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 

1Sa 8:7  And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 

Samuel had done his best to lead Israel according to the Word of God all the days since he was a young man.

He had always judged according to the Word of God.

Samuel would have been broken-hearted because he had spent his entire life doing what was right in the eyes of God.

At first Samuel was surprised at God's answer when He said give them a king.

God also told Samuel to tell them all the things that a king would require from them.

When we forsake our Holy and Righteous God we are just asking for severe trouble.

People will do what they think is right in their own eyes, just as we see in our own nation today.

When we reject the providence of God, then we also reject the Divine favor of God!

If the Lord Jesus Christ is not everything in our lives, then He is nothing in our lives!

One day soon the Lord Jesus will be the true King of all this world!

If our desire to be like someone else and that person is not Jesus, then we have failed our own self and have chosen wickedness.

God cannot look upon evil.

God will have nothing to do with the sinful, wicked ways of this world.

When we claim the Lord Jesus, then we claim to be obedient to all the Word of God.

If we reject any part of the Word of God, then we have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords!

Deu 28:20  The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. 

Psa 81:11  But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. 

Psa 81:12  So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. 

Psa 81:13  Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! 

Psa 81:14  I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. 

*****1Sa 8:8  According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 

1Sa 8:9  Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 

Keep in mind that Israel did not want to develop their own government and perfect the judicial system, they looked at other nations and wanted to do as they did.

Today, I hear many politicians say we need to be like Europe when in fact, we need to stop the corruption of our own government and make our judicial system as perfect as we can and that will never happen until we remove the politics from the court.

We must remove politics from the DOJ, the FBI, and the CIA and write righteous laws and enforce without politics.

Our government must be for the people and the people must never be seen as the enemy of government by the government as we see today.

We cannot claim that we accept God's Law and then, begin removing the parts with which we do not agree. 

Many churches are doing this today.

A nation governed by God is a Theocracy.

Israel was rejecting a theocratic government and demanding a monarchy. 

This was a sad step downward in the History of Israel, when they rejected Jehovah God.

Why was this true? Because the Priests and the Leaders of Israel did not teach the truth of God.

Israel claimed God, but they did not really know Him! This is the same for them today!

The same things happen in the Church today! 

Those men behind the pulpits do not teach the truth of God, knowing that God does not change His ways.

What is the truth about kings?

*****1Sa 8:10  And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. 

1Sa 8:11  And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 

What is the job of all Priests, Preachers, Pastors, Evangelists, and Elders? To tell the truth of the Word of God to the people in the pews.

My question is, why are so many not obedient to God and just give their own thoughts to the people when God has said not to do that.

2Pe_1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Moses was instructed to make the Tabernacle after the pattern shown to him in the Holy Mount.

Jeremiah was told to go to all to which He was sent.

God said: If any man speaks, let him speak the oracles of God.

God said to Peter: It is required of stewards that a man be found faithful.

God expects His chosen men to be faithful to the Word of God which never changes!

Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people.

God's chosen men must not allow the fear of the people, nor the fear of government, to alter the Doctrine of the Lord.

God's love for us does not make allowances for sin!

God still has that same call to repentance.

If we remain what we were after salvation, then we have not repented.

Every preacher is to declare all the council of God!

The Lord said to Samuel to tell the people what a king would do, not what a king should do because the Lord would take care of this in His Word and a king should never deviate from the Word of God. This includes all leaders of all nations!

Samuel explained to Israel that there would be consequences if Israel was to be ruled by a king!

1) They would lose many if not all of their liberties.

A king would require a professionally trained standing army to defend his nation.

A king might lead a nation to war, but those dead bodies as a result of war would be their own children.

Other men would be needed to care for all the things that an army would need.

Israel was male dominated society, with the man providing the income for his family and working the animals and the food supply for the family.

There would be many widows because of this king.

The sons of these families would have to serve in the military when it was the son that these widows would need to remain in their homes and survive.

2) Under a king there would be many who would be demanded to serve at the whim of a king.

Laborers would work in the fields of the king rather than their own fields.

Weapons of war would have to be massed produced.

3) A king would also require the women and the daughters of the nation to be cooks and bakers instead of cooking for their own families.

4) A king would confiscate property. He would take the best fields, the best vineyards, the best groves, to supply his own needs and the needs of those who would work for him and for the military.

5) A king would have a system of taxation to take from the meager people to supply the needs of the government and those that supported his government.

6) A king would take the best animals, the best crops as taxes.

7) A king would raise taxes as needed or as he decided.

8) In reality under a king, the nation of Israel would become a nation of slaves.

This is what socialism is all about, and so many Americans think socialism is so great, it is not great and has failed in almost every place it has been used to govern.

Under a king, a day would come when the people would rebel, seeking deliverance from all these things.

Oppression, lawlessness, and the violent ways of the world, would become embedded in the king and his subjects.

This is the same under socialism.

This is the same under communism.

This is the goal of the Democrats to make people totally submit to the whims of government.

What would be God's response? God would not answer because the people chose this rather than the truth of God.

Notice we see these things in America today.

God said you cannot escape the consequences of your actions!

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

The message to the Christian is to hold on and not be weary.

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 

What happened after the people were told all these things?

We might ask, what happened to common sense?

*****1Sa 8:19  Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 

1Sa 8:20  That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. 

Notice these people did not believe anything Samuel said and America does not believe in common sense today.

The desire to be like other nations, nations that were wicked and evil nations with false gods, overcame common sense.

Israel demanded a king!

How can progressive ideology believe any nation could afford all the things they ask for? Who could pay for all those things?

**Israel wanted a king that would be their savior and deliverer.

There is no such human being who can do all these things.

The power of kings is in their nation.

The power of any nation is in its people, if those people can believe the truth and have common sense.

No government will continue to take care of its people as the people wish because it is unsustainable!

**Israel wanted a protector and a provider.

No king, or ruler possesses the ability to do these things!

This will be the theme of the Antichrist when he shows up and he will be found to also be a liar!

Again, the power of any king or ruler is in its people even when they are tyrants.

No people will live in fear of its government forever!

Today hardly any true American wants to be in the military because of the politics of this government. 

This military may fail when it is needed!

Samuel did all he could to tell Israel how foolish they were, but they would not be denied.

Again, this sounds a whole lot like the America we are seeing today.

God said:

*****1Sa 8:21  And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. 

1Sa 8:22  And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. 

God gave us a thing called choice and God will not ever force His will on any of us!

God presents His truth, and it is up to us to believe or to not believe what God says.

I am a believer of the truth of God!

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

If we choose the truth of the Lord Jesus, we will never die and spend eternity with Him in Heaven, no matter what happens upon this earth.

If we choose to not believe the truth of God, we will die and spend eternity in Hell and the desires of this world are meaningless to a righteous God.

Amen

Blind To the Word of God

 A Departed Glory

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 4

A great lesson to learn in this passage of the Bible is that unbelievers will not be able to use Jehovah God to reach their own personal goals.

Israel was seeing something new from God.

Jehovah would begin speaking to Israel through the voice of a child.

We can also begin to see the importance of "childlike faith".

We must encourage our children to have the right ideas about the Lord Jesus Christ, and not to get caught up in the things of this wicked world that is not going to get any better.

We must prepare our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren for what lies ahead of them, and it is not limited to climate change.

God brought Samuel along to revive the truth of God and to restore true worship to Jehovah.

Samuel would also be the last Judge of Israel deciding all cases according to the Word of God.

All of Israel began to notice that Samuel was established to be the voice of God.

Another reality we will see is God's judgment is a sure thing! 

God's judgment will take place just as He teaches us in His infallible Word.

Today we are surrounded by evil!

Bad men and terrible things are all around us.

Corruption is dictating politics in America!

Wicked bullies are in charge of many nations including our own nation.

According to the Word of God, tyranny is a doomed thing! Thank Goodness.

*****1Sa 3:21  And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. 

1Sa 4:1  And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.

The Philistines were the bitter enemy enemies of Israel. 

Most Christians believe that the Palestinians in Israel are the remnants of the Philistines.

These Philistines were the fiercest of the oppressors of Israel as they tried to conquer the Promised Land given to them of Jehovah God.

The Philistines had the same goal which was to conquer all of Palestine and the Palestinians have that same goal today.

Palestine gets its name from the Philistines.

They want to push Israel off into the Mediterranean Sea. They hate Israel.

The Scriptures say they came from Caphtor. Some say this was the island of Crete, but it could also be a part of Egypt, which is more realistic.

The Philistines began oppressing Israel during the period of the Judges and continued their dominance all the time of the "Judges Era" until the time of Samuel, all because Israel lost their love for Jehovah.

They thought they could use Jehovah to meet their own goals. 

They did not understand the ways of God and treated God as an idol.

Israel had fallen away from Jehovah and God used the Philistines to humble them and be a punishment for their sins.

The present invasion of the Philistines into Israel came when the soldiers of the Philistines marched their soldiers into Aphek and made camp.

Aphek was a city that belonged to the tribe Issachar not far from Jezreel.

Aphek had been the royal city of the Canaanites whose king Joshua had killed.

This city is not a great distance from Jerusalem which King David made the capitol of all of Israel.

The Philistines were bold and ruthless.

Israel came out to fight with the Philistines and they camped at Ebenezer.

*****1Sa 4:2  And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. 

We should understand that when Joshua led the armies of Israel, they had lost very few battles and each loss was because they had not been obedient to Jehovah.

Israel felt they could defeat any enemy at any time, but they had forgotten how they won those battles. 

They won when the Lord was on their side, and they lost when He was not.

We would think they would realize this truth, but they had become blind to the Word of God and their hearts were gross.

Jdg 21:25  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

This is not the way of God!

The pure truth is that most people think the right way is their way and the way of everyone else is the wrong way.

This is the theme going on in America today!

One small group of people are trying to push their way of life upon all people by force and the government is helping them.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ has shown us the right way and that right way is to be more like Him and His ways!

Four thousand soldiers lost their life in that first skirmish because Israel was disobedient to the Lord.

Israel was guilty of the most horrible sins and wickedness.

All these gross sins are described in the Book of Judges.

You see God does not hide these things from us. 

Most authors would have left out mentioning all those wicked things in the Book of Judges.

*****1Sa 4:3  And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. 

Why was Israel losing this war with the Philistines?

Isa 59:1  Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 

Isa 59:2  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 

Isa 59:3  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 

Isa 59:4  None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

The officers of the armies of Israel held a council of war to decide the best way to defeat these Philistines, but when they should have repented and turned to God, they chose to use the sacred things of God instead of faith.

There is nothing in this world that can replace our faith!

It is true that the priest of Israel carried the Ark of God in the time of Joshua, but then the Ark was located in the Tabernacle at Shiloh after the battle of Jericho.

It was then time for "faith" to lead the armies of Israel and not the Ark which symbolized the presence of God, but the actions of Israel showed disdain for the things of God.

Eze 39:23  And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. 

Eze 39:24  According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. 

The judgement of God is terrible, and Israel should have known the truth of God.

They had forgotten their own national history.

The death of Eli and his two sons and the capture of the Ark were a clear picture of the "judgment of God upon Israel"!

The Ark taken from the Tabernacle brought a false hope for victory!

*****1Sa 4:4  So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 

1Sa 4:5  And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 

What is going on in the Church today? God is treated more like an idol than the Supreme God and a corrupt priesthood are making things much worse.

The army of Israel was puzzled because the Philistines had so easily won that first battle, wondering why God had allowed such a thing.

The Ark was a symbol of the presence of God, but in fact it was just an ornate wooden box that had no power to change the outcome of any battle.

We cannot be superstitious in our worship of Jehovah God!

So, when the Ark was brought to the battlefield the result was catastrophic.

It is the same for our salvation.

If we treat God like an idol and only call upon Him when we think it will do us some good and then spend the rest of our time doing things our own way, we may find that instead of salvation we will see the "judgement of God".

The truth of God cannot be viewed superstitiously!

The Ark of God was not some good luck charm!

If the world and the flesh still rule in our heart, we certainly will not make it to Heaven because it is the Lord Jesus Christ who must rule in our hearts!

The Levites may have carried the Ark according to the Laws of Moses, but with the two sons Eli with them, it did not ensure the presence of God, in fact, it only insured Israel's defeat.

Many already knew the prophecy of Samuel and the prophecy of God is always true and it is always real.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

In other words, to remain an unbeliever and blame everything on God's people is a sure way to see the wrath of God.

Though the shouts of the army of Israel was loud enough for the Philistines to hear them, they would have no victory this day.

*****1Sa 4:6  And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 

1Sa 4:7  And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. 

The Philistines considered the Israelites to be foreigners even though they themselves were also foreigners having no place to call their home.

The same thing can be said of the Palestinians today. The land of Palestine was never their homeland. Those that did own some of the land taken over by Israel, were paid for that land and they left.

No matter what Israel thought of the Ark of God, God will not be used as some good luck charm!

It was wrong for Israel to do this thing!

For Hophni and Phinehas to be associated with this event, should have shown these Israelites that God was not in this thing. 

All of Israel knew the sin of these two sons of Eli.

The Philistines became curious of what was happening in the camp of Israel and then realized, according to their frame of mind, that Israel had brought its god to the battlefield.

We have to realize that we cannot take God anywhere.

If God is in any such activity, He will already be there.

They had never seen such a thing before in all their battles.

Saying to themselves that it was Israel's gods that defeated Egypt and the Amorites who these Philistines could not defeat.

The Philistines then determined to fight with everything they had, or they would become slaves of the Israelites.

They said, "woe to us" if we lose this battle.

Then these things gave them added strength.

*****1Sa 4:8  Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 

1Sa 4:9  Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. 

1Sa 4:10  And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 

These Philistines had openly admitted that the God of Israel was stronger than their own false gods.

They rightly said Elohim, the plural form for God is a Trinity.

In fact God had destroyed Egypt before Israel entered into the wilderness.

This despair before Israel only made them more determined to defeat Israel which they accomplished, and thirty thousand more soldiers met with death on the battlefield because of a corrupt government.

A complete victory for the Philistines.

The Philistines saw Israel as only a band of escaped slaves and not a nation at all.

These Philistines became aroused to fight for their lives and launched a fierce attack on Israel killing many not realizing that Israel suffered from the "judgment" of the God who sat on that Ark.

Israel was so much in despair they did not return to their camp, but each soldier went back home in fear of their lives and of their family's lives.

They realized that God had not fought for them on this day.

When we feel like God must act in our defense no matter how we treat Him, we are thinking wrong.

God will not be used to satisfy our own whims.

It is we that are to be in the will of God and not the other way round!

When we are unfaithful and have not repented of our sin, God is not obligated to come to our defense!

In fact God is not obligated to us in any way if we are not committed to Him.

Our hope is in the promises of God and our faith is that God will remain faithful to His promises.

It is us who must be committed to the will of God!

God will always conduct His sovereign plan, but for us to be a part of that plan, then we must obey the Word of God and repent of our sin showing faith in the truth of God.

Sinful, wicked behavior will always result in the "Judgment of God"!

Even in their wicked behavior, Israel made the necessary sacrifices and came to the Tabernacle at the appropriate time, but their hearts had waxed gross, and God looks into the heart.

These people were returning to the days of Noah.

Gen_6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The world we live in is doing the same thing today!

What had God required of Israel?

Deu_10:12  And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Israel was failing in this.

Notice that phrase "to walk in His ways".

A true child of God will walk in the ways of God and the example He has given to us is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

God knows what is in our hearts!

Psa_44:21  Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Far too many innocent people fall in wars that are unnecessary.

The Philistines were the enemies of Israel, but God will sometimes use our enemies to bring His judgement!

Even the Ark of the Covenant to Israel was taken by a people who did not know the truth of God.

*****1Sa 4:11  And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. 

The fact that Hophni and Phinehas died was a fulfillment of the prophecy given to Samuel and Samuel had made Eli aware of what God had said.

These things took place because of national wickedness and a corrupt priesthood.

If we look at America today, we see national wickedness and a corrupt priesthood, and it cannot be denied.

Why in the world would we think that God would do anything different today than He did in the time of Samuel.

The Philistines would regret that they had taken the Ark of God, but God would take care of this Himself without the help of Israel.

God will not be in the same space as a false god!

Once the Holy Spirit has moved into the heart of a Christian, the Devil nor his demons can move back into that Christian, but we can be sure he will do his best to make our lives miserable if we allow him to do.

Jas_4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Wicked behavior may be idolatry or a corrupt priesthood.

As for Eli, he had allowed his sons to continue in committing adultery in the House of God and stealing from offerings that were made to the Lord. 

Eli had allowed his two sons to take the Ark of God into battle knowing what God had said about his two sons.

God will punish unworthy hands that refuse to repent!

So, no matter who that person is, God will bring judgment upon them!

If we remember where we came from, we will not expect God to do anything less than bring judgment!

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 

1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 

Eli also died that same day again fulfilling the prophecy given to Samuel.

*****1Sa 4:17  And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 

1Sa 4:18  And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 

It was twenty miles from the battlefield to Shiloh, but a messenger thought it was best for Eli to know that the Ark had been taken.

Eli did not respond much to this message of this messenger, until he found out the Ark of God was stolen.

The Ark had been Eli's greatest concern, but he had allowed it to be taken from the House of God.

1Sa 4:13  And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.

As Eli became excited and tried to stand, he fell, and his neck was broken, and he died the same day of his sons.

Meaning that when God speaks, we need to listen and when God warns us, He is very serious!

Eli had judged Israel for forty years, but he had also indulged in the sin of his sons and most all of Israel was aware of his sin.

The Bible mentions Eli being obese to warn all God's priests that it is not good to live a life of indulgence in the riches of sin.

God's judgment is fixed!

God's judgment will definitely take place!

All those who reject the Word of God will face the judgment of God!

All those playing church without being sincere will face the judgment of God!

Mar 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

Mar 8:35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 

Mar 8:36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 

Mar 8:37  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 

Mar 8:38  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. 

Jesus Christ is specific.

We must deny ourselves and take up our own cross and follow Him.

The cross is a sign of death so, we must be willing to give our life in our own pursuit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The God of Glory had departed from Israel on this day.

Amen

Answering the Call of God

 Samuel's Call to the Ministry

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 3

This call to Samuel was not a call to be a servant of God, this had already been established.

This call of God was for Samuel to be a prophet of God.

There were only a few true prophets of God.

Today there are no true prophets because we have the complete Word of God which tells us of God's prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled.

The combination of Judge and High Priest would no longer exist on earth.

The Lord Jesus is our true High Priest, our true Judge, and the soon coming King of all His creation.

It would be Samuel who would usher in the era of the kings.

It is the First Book of Samuel that describes to us the beginning of the monarchy of Israel.

What is the truth of today? God still raises up good people to join in the battle of wickedness and evilness in this world.

At the age of twelve Samuel was called to be a prophet of God.

Samuel was not doing anything remarkable.

Samuel was not doing anything extraordinary.

Samuel was just fulfilling his duties as a servant of God.

God does not call great men and women; God makes great men and women of those who are diligent to serve Him.

Moses was dead and buried and no such man as Moses was around to lead Israel.

God had used a few good men to save Israel from time to time, but the people of Israel for the most part ignored the Word of God and chose their own way.

Jdg 21:25  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

Israel had become a lawless and corrupt society.

The Word of the Lord became very precious in those days!

We should understand that God will always have a remnant of true believers until the Day of the Rapture of the Church.

There was a great need for God to call someone to lead Israel.

The greatest problem for Israel is the same problem of the Church today, the Word of God is being ignored!

*****1Sa 3:1  And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 

The Bible claims to be the inerrant Word of God and it is, but few believe this anymore.

The Scriptures are not cunningly devised fables!

As Christians, our faith is determined if we stand on the truth of the Scriptures or not!

There is no wisdom of man that can compare to the wisdom of the Lord!

Joh_21:25  And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

There is no knowledge greater than the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ!

I am convinced that the Lord Jesus knows me perfectly, and has great concern for my welfare!

The Word of God is the most valuable commodity upon the face of this earth.

Nothing can be very valuable if it does not contain the truth.

It is every day that we see the truth ignored in our world today, especially in America!

It is not only the words that are true in the Word of God, but truth is the design of the Word of God.

From the design of the Word of God, we see the means for the restoration of our souls!

A restoration of mankind from the effects of moral evil and a restoration to a condition that is superior to that in which we were originally created!

Gen 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 

To be made in the image of God is to become a Christian, being like in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was and is the image of perfection.

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature!

2Co_5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Gal_6:15  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

This is the truth of the Word of God!

It is the Word of God that makes us humans upon this earth and saints upon receiving the truth of the Gospel!

When we have the Word of God, we have no need of prophets who cannot know unless God tells them.

The Word of God is the most precious thing we can have today!

*****1Sa 3:2  And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; 

1Sa 3:3  And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; 

We should understand that as Eli was getting older his eyesight was failing him, especially as the daylight turned to night.

Samuel was still called a child, so he was no older than 12 years old. 

Both Eli and Samuel slept in the Tabernacle, but not in the most holy place where the Ark of God was located.

That seven branched lamp in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, was to be prepared for burning every day so that it could burn through the night and through the day.

Exo 27:20  And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. 

Exo 27:21  In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. 

This lamp had to be refilled every morning and every evening so, by this lamp going out it shows that it must have been just before daylight that the Lord began to speak to Samuel.

*****1Sa 3:4  That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. 

1Sa 3:5  And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. 

1Sa 3:6  And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. 

1Sa 3:7  Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. 

A replacement for Eli was desperately needed for Israel to move forward, and God was now calling for his replacement.

We need Bible believing men in the pulpits of the Church today. Men who will take the Word of God to the world.

We need Bible believing missionaries today who will be the legs and the voice of God to the world.

We need Bible believing Christians today, who will take a stand on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then stand unmovable!

Wickedness, immorality, and corruption are trying to take over this world.

Our leaders promise us our freedoms, yet they serve corruption and are now in bondage to it!

2Pe_2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

Once a man or woman succumbs to corruption, it leaves no door to escape. They must be removed!

A call was issued to Samuel and when a call comes from God, there must be a response.

God's call to Samuel came before daylight after he and Eli had gone to sleep.

Samuel slept near the Ark of God, but not in the same room where the Ark was located.

We know the Ark of God was a symbol of God's presence.

Remember this call of God was not for Samuel to be a servant, he had already been given for the service of God all his lifetime.

This call was for Samuel to be a Prophet of God and a Reformer of his nation, and Samuel would have to accept this call personally.

God still calls men who can see the sad state of our world and devote their time to try to make positive changes to this world.

Positive changes can only be made when we return to the truth of God!

Samuel was just a young man, not yet a teenager, who had no concept of just how his nation had become but God's call was sincere.

When Israel served God, all things went well for them.

When Israel turned away from God, then things did not go so well for them!

This is the same for any people, for God is no respecter of persons!

Moses was gone. 

Joshua was gone.

There were no more Deborah’s in that day.

Israel, as a nation, had lost its faith!

God would return the soul of the nation of Israel through the soul of a child.

Psa_8:2  Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

The Lord Jesus repeated what the Holy Spirit had recorded in the Book of Psalms.

Mat_21:16  And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Was Samuel some miracle child? No, just an ordinary child who had done nothing remarkable.

What did the Lord Jesus mean when He said we can only realize the beauty of His kingdom through the eyes of a child?

We know that God promises to make all thing new, and God has never broken a promise He has made!

We would have to go back to Genesis, in the beginning, to see the newness of our creation and most of this world rejects the truth of our creation.

But when we look at the first chapter of Genesis, we get a truer sense of the power of God, and the beauty of His creation, before sin entered into this world.

God would use Samuel to make Israel look back to its beginning and change their path to destruction.

Samuel would need to rely on faith, just as we all do!

There was no prophet from the time of Moses until Samuel, so God called Samuel to be that next prophet.

The Bible proclaims to be the Word of God and it is.

A prophet of God proclaims the Word of God in days to come.

A believer is one who believes the Word of God and believes the truth that the prophets of God have spoken.

The Bible gives us example after example of fulfilled prophecy the greatest one being Jesus Christ the Messiah and a new beginning.

In many ways Samuel will be a type of Christ.

The finger of God has touched the stars and that same finger has written to us the Word of God.

We can only wonder what Jesus wrote in the dirt that day when He was tested.

Joh 8:6  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 

Joh 8:7  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 

Joh 8:8  And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 

This is just another reason the Word of God is so important to each believer, because in reality it is truly written by the finger of God, that same finger that makes all things new that same finger that has touched the stars.

Most of us cannot say we have heard God speak, but we can say we heard God speak to our heart.

If we do not expect God to speak to us, we will never hear Him.

In reality, we need to expect God to speak to us at any time and at all times!

Most of the time we are making so much noise, we cannot possibly hear God.

Paul wrote that we must study to be quiet and stay out of other people’s business.

1Th_4:11  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

God speaks to us in many ways!

He speaks with the voice of reason.

He speaks with the voice of conscience.

He speaks with the voice of material nature.

Nature is a musical instrument played by the finger of God!

Is nature out of order today because of climate change?

The same processes that God put in place from the beginning are at work, our world is just feeling the effects of its age.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

We already know that things are only going to get worse because God says they will.

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

If this world wants things to get better, then this world needs to turn to God and beg for mercy!

Samuel did not know the Lord at this time and Eli had not heard the Lord speak to him for a long time, but he understood that it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel.

*****1Sa 3:8  And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. 

1Sa 3:9  Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 

1Sa 3:10  And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. 

1Sa 3:11  And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 

Eli still retained enough sense of Jehovah to perceive that it was God who had been calling Samuel.

In earlier years, Eli may have heard the call of God, but remember the appointment of the High Priest was passed down through the family line of Aaron and according to the laws of Moses.

Immediately, Eli wanted to know what God had to say to Samuel.

In order for Samuel to receive the call of God then he would have to lie still and be submissive.

When the Lord wants to speak to us or if we are expecting the Lord to speak to us, then we cannot be running around all over the place seeming to be too busy to talk to God.

We must set aside some time to be with the Lord!

When we pray and make a request and then, as soon as we are finished with our prayer, we take off to do other things, why should the Lord give His response?

Some say we should at least tithe our time as well as our income.

If we take away eight hours for sleep, then we have sixteen remaining hours in the day. A tenth of that would be one hour and thirty-six minutes.

This may seem like a lot of time, but the Lord is ready to hear us all day and every day at any time.

Paul said to pray without ceasing meaning we should always be in prayer mode, ready to hear from the Lord.

The call of God demands a positive response!

It should be our greatest thrill to know that the Lord God of all creation wants to talk to us, but He will not run us down. We must be willing to stop and listen to Him!

Samuel did not understand this at this time, but Eli did.

When we hear from the Lord it is something much more than just a voice!

We can feel a presence that we have never felt before. 

We can feel the power of God and His power of love for us.

Samuel said, "speak Lord" "for thy servant hears you."

Then and only then did the Lord get close to Samuel.

We must never reject the call of God!

At first, we may not understand, but God will repeat His call if we are willing to listen.

If we surrendered our life to the Lord, it would make these things easier.

Remember God first called us to salvation and few of us surrendered at that first call.

We can only reject the Lord so many times because God knows what is in our hearts.

The Scriptures say:

Mat_20:16  So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Mat_22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

Many are called to accept the Lord Jesus Christ, but many have rejected this.

Many are called to repent, but many are rejecting this call.

Many are called to dedicate their lives, but many will not do this.

We are all called to serve but only a few are serving.

There are many other calls from God, but far too many of us reject the call of God at our own peril.

Today many are still called, but so many harden their hearts and turn away from God refusing to repent.

When we first hear the call of God, the most important thing we can do is, to listen what the Lord has to say!

God has a purpose for each and every one of us and a life without purpose is a terrible life!

The call of Samuel was far beyond anything we could imagine.

Samuel was called to be a Prophet of God!

The one thing we should remember about prophecy is that it may seem to be delayed by time, but it is already in progress!

The coming of the Lord may still be in the future, but the things that precede the coming of the Lord can already be seen today!

The war of Armageddon may still be in our future, but the little wars leading up to Armageddon are already in progress.

Our world will not see peace until the Lord Jesus Christ has returned and there will first be seven years of the most terrible things that this world has ever seen!

Samuel was still a child, but he was not too young to hear the judgment of God on Eli and his family.

In verse eleven, God told Samuel that He was ready to begin His judgment upon Israel and Eli.

In our next lesson we will see the judgment of God.

Israel will lose a great battle with the Philistines.

Eli's two sons will both die the same day.

Eli will die of a broken neck when he hears the news of his two sons.

Most important, the Ark of God, the very symbol of God, would be captured by the Philistines and would remain in their hands only a brief time but the Ark would not return to the Tabernacle, until David was King of Israel.

If we want to suffer with this world, then just reject the call of God!

If we want to have our names written down in the Book of Life, then we must first answer the call of God!

A lot of things would happen during the years of Samuel.

Samuel was the last of the Judges of Israel and it would be Samuel who would anoint the first King of Israel.

Are you listening to what the Lord has to say.

Amen

The Negligent Father

 A Father's Negligence

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 2

We can describe negligence as being in the habit of not doing what you know needs to be done.

Either from carelessness or intentional. Both these things stem from laziness.

Jas_4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

As High Priest and as Judge, Eli knew exactly what the Word of God taught in these situations.

Eli would Judge other people for things he refused to do himself.

This is a big problem with the judicial system today.

Judges judge other people for things they allow themselves to do or simply because of political beliefs, even if they go against written law.

Our court system is becoming a joke, just like the FBI, the CIA, and the DOJ, all these things caught up in corruption.

The Jewess society had become a cesspool of depravity and corruption just as we see today in America.

The Book of Judges describes lawlessness, immorality, violence, compromising the Word of God, and a permissive lifestyle.

If we study the Book of Judges, we see where it describes homosexuality, wife abuse, child abuse, murder, kidnapping, polygamy, greed, idolatry, and civil war between the different tribes of Israel.

Sounds just like the many things we see in America today, because of corruption in our government and the compromising of the Church.

When our government, our schools and much of the so-called Church, fall into sin and commit wickedness (anything that goes against the Word of God) it is a terrible tragedy.

Corruption is so engraved in our government today we may not be able to stop it, but we know these are things that the Bible describe to us that come about in the last days.

The America we once knew may be gone forever and most people do not seem to care.

When our Church leaders become as sinful as the world, then we see the chaos that exists today and we see it all over the world, especially in America.

Eli, God's High Priest had fallen into the wickedness of his sons, because he knew about it their wickedness and had done nothing about it.

They had turned the House of God into a House of Belial.

*****1Sa 2:12  Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

Belial means wicked, worthless people. 

People who did not know the Lord. 

People of whom God had saved from their own foolishness many times.

These two sons of Eli were an example of how low the children of Israel had sunk in their relationship with Jehovah God.

This could be why Hannah would have offered her own son Samuel to the Lord.

She could see what her world was turning into, a world of wickedness. We saw these same things today.

We see the America we love turn into a wicked and corrupt nation because of greed and corruption.

God cursed the house of Eli, and we may soon see the curse of God on some such people any day now.

1Sa 3:11  And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 

1Sa 3:12  In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. 

1Sa 3:13  For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. 

1Sa 3:14  And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. 

We see how easy it is for the children of Satan to infiltrate the House of God!

Their sin was bad enough for the punishment they would receive, eternal damnation but their greatest sin was the fact they kept other people from coming to the House of God.

They were the children of Satan, yet they worked in the House of God.

They perverted the design of their office by making it for their own benefit.

They served their own lust.

They were despots making their own laws in the House of God and disregarding the Word of God.

They were adulterous.

They brought contempt to the House of God.

The office they held was Holy, but their character was corrupt!

They touched sacred things with unworthy hands.

There is a great enormous difference between what is spiritual and what is official, and we see this in many so-called places of worship today.

On the outside dressed in the attire of a Priest they seemed in tune with God.

On the inside they were full of corruption and death.

Every teacher in the House of God should pay attention to this passage in the Bible and see the importance of living the truth of God and teaching the truth of God.

We also see it is possible for someone to have a pulpit and to have no God; to have a Bible and no Holy Ghost!

It is within the power of the Church to rid the Church of such people! God proclaims to His children this power!

A man's character is on display within the Church. 

Our standard is now and will always be the Lord Jesus Christ!

The wickedness of these two men was shameful.

*****1Sa 2:17  Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. 

Corruption in the priesthood causes profanity in the people.

Mal 2:8  But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Mal 2:9  Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law. 

They did not respect nor regard the God of the House of God!

They desecrated the offerings that were being made to the Lord.

They insisted on receiving the choice meat that belonged to the person presenting that offering.

They sometimes insisted upon some raw meat before the Lord received His portion.(This was the meat that was to be burned as the sweet aroma to the Lord).

They insisted on some of the fat that was clearly prohibited by the Lord. (The fat also was to be burned as part of the sweet aroma before the Lord)

They were willing to commit violence to obtain the best meat for their own families.

The Lord had given to Moses the precise instructions on how these offerings were to be presented and how this meat was to be divided between the Lord and the priests!

They turned the House of God into a house of ill repute!

These two sons of Eli had sunk to great depths of wickedness and many a minister to the house of God have sunk to these same depths of sin!

Remember the murder of the Lord Jesus:

Mat 27:20  But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. 

We must understand the great judgment of the Lord that will come upon these people!

They will face the Lord at the White Throne Judgment where they will be sentenced to eternal damnation!

In between all these things, we continue to read where Hannah continued to check on her son and bring him coats and other things when they came for the yearly sacrifice.

But we also see that Eli knew all the wickedness of his two sons.

*****1Sa 2:22  Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

Eli had heard of all the things his sons were doing.

Eli had failed his own children!

Eli had become unfit to manage the office of High Priest and as Judge of Israel.

We see that women who came to worship the Lord were corrupted.

We will see that there is nothing more provoking to God, than to profane the House of God and His Holy Word!

We know that sexual immorality existed in most all the ancient religions.

No where in the Bible do we see these things approved of God.

In fact, the only sexual activity approved of the Lord is that of one man and one woman who are married according to the Word of God.

Worship at the Tabernacle in Shiloh had begun to resemble the pagan worship centers of the Canaanites, but God would not allow these things to go unpunished.

Eli would make a feeble attempt to correct his sons, but he was simply too old and too feeble, and his words were insincere.

*****1Sa 2:23  And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. 

1Sa 2:24  Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD'S people to transgress. 

1Sa 2:25  If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them. 

What is the absolutely worse thing we can do as Christians? Be the cause of someone else’s sin.

Now these two men were not God's children because they were the children of the devil.

They had no respect for the house of God.

Their sin was against God and Him only, and no one could intervene for them.

Eli's sin was not only that he reproved them too gently, but that all he did was to rebuke them verbally and did nothing to stop them when it was within his power to do so.

He had the Word of God to guide him, and Laws of Moses were precise in these things, and he was the Judge of Israel and High Priest, but showed partiality because they were his own sons.

We should understand God does not accept our weakness as humans as an excuse for sin!

This should be understood by the punishment upon Eli, it was severe.

We can only conclude that weakness is then sin!

We must never be too weak to do the right thing!

We should remember the time of Aaron and his two sons.

Exo 28:43  And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him. 

There is no one who can come to our defense when we sin against God!

God will certainly be the Judge of those who sin against Him. 

It is known today as the White Throne Judgment, and it is real!

But Samuel continued to grow in the Lord and grow in favor of those who met him.

*****1Sa 2:26  And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. 

Samuel grew up at the Lord's House. This is the same place we can grow.

Samuel grew in the Lord's sight. The Lord was pleased with Samuel. We too are to grow in the Lord's sight. He has His eyes on all His children.

Samuel grew by the Lord's Grace. We can only grow in the Grace of the Lord by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Samuel grew to serve the Lord. This is our one and only job. To serve the Lord and He will teach us.

God sends His messenger to Eli.

*****1Sa 2:27  And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? 

1Sa 2:28  And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? 

1Sa 2:29  Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 

1Sa 2:30  Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 

1Sa 2:31  Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. 

1Sa 2:32  And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever. 

1Sa 2:33  And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. 

1Sa 2:34  And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. 

We know there is a sin unto death and to Eli, this weakness as Judge and High Priest of Israel was his sin unto death.

God sent a messenger to tell Eli of his punishment. He had already been warned.

Notice this messenger was a prophet, and he was precise in using God's actual words.

In the title "man of God" this prophet joins the ranks of Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and many others.

This prophet challenged Eli and his sons to remember the history of the priesthood.

God had chosen Levi and it had begun with Aaron.

They were to follow the righteous ways of Aaron and not their own ways.

Today, all leaders of the Church are to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and not their own ways.

Then, this prophet pronounced the charges against Eli and his sons.

They showed disdain for the Tabernacle, the offerings, and the sacrifices.

They profited off the people by theft of the choice parts, even Eli was guilty in this sin.

Eli had eaten these things knowing what his sons had done.

The prophet of God then passed God's judgment.

1) The house of Eli would be cut off from the priesthood.

2) His descendants would be held in low esteem and condemned.

3) His descendants would live only short lifespans.

4) His descendants would witness the blessings of God on the ones that replaced them.

5) The descendants of Eli would live in sadness and grief and die in the prime of their life, none living to old age.

6) Eli's two sons would both die on the same day.

We should understand every human being will be judged for the things they have done while they lived!

The judgment of the world will take place!

Eli's sons did not believe in this judgment, but it still took place and they both died on the same day.

The one thing all humans know is that one day we are going to die!

It is during this time of life that we can decide where we will spend eternity.

Many people do not believe in the afterlife, but this is like believing that all the things we see on this earth and in the heavens, all came from an accident.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. 

2Th 1:6  Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 

2Th 1:7  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 

2Th 1:8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

2Th 1:9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 

2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 

God only does things that are righteous!

God is faithful and He expects us to be faithful!

*****1Sa 2:35  And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. 

1Sa 2:36  And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread. 

We see the promise of the Priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This promise would be first fulfilled with Samuel, then Zadok, and then the Lord Jesus Christ with an unending priesthood.

He would be a very special priest.

He would be obedient doing exactly the Word of God.

His priesthood would last forever.

Everyone in this world would come and bow down to Him.

Fulfilled first in Samuel.

1Sa 3:1  And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 

Fulfilled next in Zadok.

2Sa 8:17  And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was the scribe; 

2Sa 8:18  And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers. 

Ultimately fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Supreme High Priest.

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Amen