A Departed Glory, God's Judgment

A Departed Glory, God's Judgment

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 4-6

The theme of this passage is found in Chapter 4:21:

1Sa 4:21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, [The glory is departed from Israel]: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

That name Ichabod in translation actually ask a question which is "Where is the glory of God?"

And this question is answered by saying "The glory of God is departed out of Israel"!

When we left off last week Samuel was in the presence of the Lord, Samuel was God's Seer or God's Prophet.

We should also keep this verse in mind:

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers "by the prophets",

Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days "spoken unto us by his Son", whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

We must never make the mistake of thinking that just because some time has passed that God has forgotten His Word or His Promises!

God will do everything He says He will do BUT in His own "appointed time"!

*****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.

Israel clearly understood that Samuel was God's man in this day, yet we see that Israel went into battle without even consulting with Him.

It had been 40 years since Samson had brought down a house of Dagon, the false god of the Philistines, upon their heads but they consistently wanted to rule over Israel and still do even unto this day.

Here again we see them gather in a place called Aphek. This Aphek was north east of Jerusalem with Shiloh being more north of Jerusalem.

It was Samuel who set up a stone to mark this place called called "Ebenezer" but this was not it's name on the day of this battle but this will give us the location of this placed that is later called Ebenezer.

This also gives us the assurance that it was Samuel that wrote this part of the Books called Samuel.

This stone was actually set up and that name given on a later date. (Note 1 Samuel 7:12)

1Sa 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.

The Lord did not help them on this day of Eli's judgment!

*****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.

Who were the Philistines which actually means "immigrants"?

The Bible teaches us that Noah had three sons. One son named Ham had a son named Mizraim and he then had many sons one being named Casluhim.

The Bible says out of this man began the Philistines:

Gen 10:14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

The Bible goes on to say that the Philistines come from the country of Caphtor:

Jer 47:4 Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, "the remnant of the country of Caphtor".

Caphtor in all probability was the island of Crete or at least a part of it because the Bible also calls the Philistines by the name of Cherethites which would be Cretes though some do argue against this.

Zep 2:5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.

What is known is that this group of people overcame the Hittite Empire and after this they attacked Egypt whom they could not over come and then settled in the five cities of Canaan Land and occupied the coastal plain.

It was the fact that these Philistines had learned how to work with "iron" earlier than many others, that gave them some advantage in war. Most other nations were still working with "brass".

The Israelites encountered the Philistines in Canaan and they have been the most treacherous of the enemies of Israel throughout the entire Bible.

The Philistines are mentioned nearly 150 times in the Bible and because of them the area of Israel, Judah, Edom, Phoenica and Lebanon have been called Palestine. Palestine is a designated area and has never been a nation as such in all history.

The Philistines have always been "immigrants" trying to steal the land in Palestine and still do!

They now call themselves "Palestinians" in hope the world will associate them as owners of that land, "which they are not", and most of the world has succumbed to this falsehood!

They still have their warlike ways, "always" refusing to live in peace and history has also proven this to be true!

They are still the biggest enemies of Israel and God promises a final judgment upon them.

But, on this day they slew 4000 Hebrew soldiers!

*****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.

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.

The Ark of the Covenant was a chest made of acacia wood. It measured 2 1/2 cubits long by 2 1/2 cubits wide and 1 1/2 cubits high.

It was covered with gold inside and out. It had an ornamental molding of gold that ran like a crown around it.

It had gold rings in which golden stays were placed so that it could be properly carried by those appointed to do so by God, which could only be priests that were assigned in the Laws of Moses.

There was also a lid placed on top of the Ark that was called the Mercy Seat.

The elders of Israel wrongly assumed that God would be present with them if they brought the Ark of the covenant from Shiloh!

When Hophni and Phinehas appeared in the camp carrying the Ark it brought shouts of joy.

BUT, The presence of the Ark did not mean that the Lord was with them!

God cannot be carried place to place!

In fact God says:

Pro 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

And the presence of the Ark did not guarantee any military victory!

AND, It would be well to remember that after nearly 400 years these Philistines were still aware of how God had delivered Israel from Egypt.

And we can also see that these elders of Israel totally understood that defeat would certainly come if the Lord was not with them.

The pure fact is that "The Hand Of God Cannot Be Manipulated!

God had promised judgment and judgment would still come!

*****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.

The Philistines looked upon the Ark as no more than "an idol" as those they had of their false god Dagon!

The children of Israel looked on the Ark as "an object", the seat of mercy that God set upon!

Job can give us some wisdom here:

Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?

And the Bible teaches us of God's judgment:

Psa 78:60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

Psa 78:61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

Psa 78:62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

Psa 78:63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

Psa 78:64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

And, 30,000 Hebrew soldiers were killed that day because Israel had abandoned Jehovah God!

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

1Sa 4:12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.

Never in the history of Israel had the Ark of God ever fallen into enemy hands.

So holy was the Ark that it was kept behind the Veil in the Tabernacle and seen only by the High Priest and only on one day a year, "the day of atonement".

When the Jews moved during their 40 years of wandering, the first thing the High Priest did was to cover the Ark with the Veil and only then could he attend to the other pieces of furniture.

The Ark was the throne of God but now God's throne was in enemy territory!

Now, It was not a sin to take the Ark into the battle "if the people were truly devoted to the Lord".

But the Ark of God was not some good luck charm!

So now God would use the Ark to teach both the Jews and the Philistines some important lessons!

And God fulfilled the Words He had spoken to Samuel.

So Samuel also would learn some valuable lessons here!

*****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.

Eli's whole world was bound up in the outcome of the battle!

His two sons were involved in the fighting. His two sons were evil but he still had their father's love.

Over 30,000 of Israel's young men were also risking their lives, but to Eli the most important thing was the Ark and its safety.

To much to many of Israel's leaders the Ark was just "a religious object" that might have psychological and magical powers!

Eli was very old at this time but he had devoted his entire life to the service of the Lord, and the Ark symbolized the presence of the Lord and its loss was more than the old man could stand!

*****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.

Eli was 98 years old and nearly blind and this news upset him so much that he fell over and the weight of his body caused his neck to break as it struck the side of that gate and Eli died.

This was the end of an era in the nation of Israel!

This death symbolized the transition from the days of judges to the days of kings was about to take place.

Eli had governed Israel both as a high priest and a judge.

Our lesson here is obvious, when we place our faith in "the rituals of religion" we find that we may have a form of godliness but we do not and cannot have the true power of God, which is by Faith!

The Bible describes these things that we see today:

2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

2Ti 3:5 "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof": from such turn away.

These things describe how it was in Israel at this time of Eli.

Now Israel will begin a transition to a king.

Our lesson here is that we all must also make that transition to King Jesus!

*****1Sa 5:1 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.

1Sa 5:2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

Ashdod was the most central city of the 5 cities of the Philistines and the closest to the place called Ebenezer.

At Ashdod was a well known House of Dagon!

Dagon was the chief false god of the Philistines and they had worshipped him from their seafaring days. At some time he had been considered the fish god but was now represented as a half man and half fish.

It was their religious belief that all life began in the waters!

They believed that the Earth was flat and floating on the life giving waters of the seas.

We can see how this false religion has become what we now call evolution and that life began in a primeval soup.

Dagon to them was the father of Baal, who was also the chief of the false gods of the Canaanites.

They believed it was Dagon that supplied fish for food but was also the provider of their grain. Many scholars today even say that Dagon was the false god of grain.

All of these pagan false deities were essentially nature gods that represented the natural forces which they believed had produced all things while rejecting the God of Israel, Jehovah.

*****1Sa 5:3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

This day these Philistine had no idea what had happened to Dagon but the picture we get here is a false deity lying prostrate before the Lord in humility, subject to Him, giving adoration to Him.

This was a look of superior power to the Lord to all those that trusted in Dagon.

*****1Sa 5:4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

This time the Lord got their attention. By removing the head of Dagon the Lord was showing these Philistine that Dagon had no wisdom that was recognized by the Lord and we know that:

Pro 21:30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

And by removing the hands of this false deity, the Lord was showing these Philistine that this idol of false worship had no strength and no power to defend it self against the Lord.

This is picture of man's righteousness that simply cannot stand up to the righteousness of our Holy God!

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

*****1Sa 5:5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

In other words these actions of the Lord completely shut down this false house of worship!

But instead of accepting that their false god was defeated these people wanted to send the Ark back to Israel.

1Sa 5:7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: "for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god."

*****1Sa 5:11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, "and let it go again to his own place", that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

The entire government of the Philistine got involved in removing the Ark from their land. This also shows us that these Philistine knew they did not actually own the land of Israel, it belonged to the God of Israel.

But, the Ark never made it back to Shiloh where the Tabernacle had been located.

God did not need any army to destroy these people and "the Hand of God was everywhere"!

Peter wrote:

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

There is no power on Earth that can stand against the Mighty Hand Of God!

There was destruction in all the land of the Philistine and you would think they would learn this lesson but as we know history repeats itself over and over because we simply do not learn from our mistakes.

"There is pleasure in sin for a season" and Satan will give us thoughts of that pleasure but we never remember the results of our sin and the pain that comes from it.

Shame, Shame, Shame on us all!

*****1Sa 6:1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

AND, these people experienced 7 months of misery and pain!

*****1Sa 6:2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.

Dagon could not stand up to the Ark of God.

The land of the Philistine was being destroyed before their eyes.

Pharaoh of Egypt had also been this foolish.

But what do we see they place their trust in, false priests and divination!

God says:

Deu 18:9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

There is no abomination that can stand before the Lord!

*****1Sa 6:5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

1Sa 6:6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?

All of a sudden the Philistines decide they better show the proper respect for the God of Israel.

They remembered the stories of Israel's escape from Egypt and they now believed them.

They realized that they would receive no mercy but they already had, "because God was teaching at this time" and not judging them.

They realized that they could not force God to lift His chastisement. They realized they were dealing with something much more powerful than their false god Dagon.

THESE ARE LESSONS WE ALL HAVE TO LEARN!

These people had a complete change in attitude!

They realized that the Ark of God needed to go back to Israel and they devised a plan not only to remove the Ark from their lands but also to test the God of Israel.

They made a brand new and unused cart.

*****1Sa 6:7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:

1Sa 6:8 And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.

1Sa 6:9 And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a chance that happened to us.

1Sa 6:10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:

1Sa 6:11 And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.

They took this new cart and tied two milch cows to the cart. Those jewels of gold were the five golden mice and the five tumors which are called "emerods".

This is the word from which we get our word hemorrhoids or sometimes called "piles".

Now there was nothing special about these cows except they had just had calves and would normally be kept for milkers after that. They were just ordinary cows!

These were cows that had had their first calves. They had never pulled a cart or even been trained to the yoke. No one could tell just exactly what direction they would go. They were still giving milk to their calves and would want to return to them, here again the Philistine were testing God.

These people may not have known God but those cows certainly did!

The Bible says:

Isa 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

You see these cows did not go running for their calves and they did not just stand still.

*****1Sa 6:12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.

These cows were separated from their calves so they did keep up a perpetual lowing. Lowing is described as the cries of cattle. But in spite of all these things they headed straight to Bethshemesh.

This was the first town in the territory of Israel. It was in a valley known well for it's wheat fields and about 7 miles from the Philistine city of Ekron.

Bethshemesh was also a city set aside for the priest of Israel:

Jos 21:13 Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs,

Jos 21:16 And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, and Bethshemesh with her suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes.

These Philistine were humbled by what they had just witnessed!

God showed these Philistine that He could do things that their false god Dagon could never do.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ that rules all the things of this world!

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, [and upholding all things by the word of his power], when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

And Our Lord's providence extends to all the natural world!

Psa 135:5 For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

Psa 135:6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

Psa 135:7 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.

Even the little things God does in this world are sometimes more noticed by His enemies than His believers!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

A Submissive Child, God Calls Samuel

A Submissive Child, God Calls Samuel

Book of I Samuel Chapter 3

When we left off last week we saw that Eli had lost favor with God. We also saw that Samuel was gaining favor with the Lord.

It is stated that as Samuel grew he was in favor both with the Lord and also with men.

It is at this time in Samuel's life God made Himself known. The Lord revealed Himself in different ways to Samuel and his fame and his influence increased throughout the land as people realized that Samuel had been divinely called to be a prophet.

So let's begin:

*****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.

Samuel was still a child.

The Hebrew word "naar" used here means that Samuel was not yet a teenager.

Hebrew children were taught in stages. At the age of five they were ready for the Scriptures and they began with the book of Leviticus.

At the age of 10 they were ready to study all of God's Word.

At the age of 13 they were expected to uphold the commandments of God. This included the 10 Commandments while beginning to learn the other 603 commandments.

At the age of 15 they were expected to show wisdom in God's Word and make sound judgments.

At the age of 18 they could marry.

At the age of 20 they were expected to seek an occupation to provide for themselves.

At the age of 30 they could go into the ministry and were expected to do so.

At the age of 40 they were expected to go about the ministry without supervision.

And at the age of 50 they were considered to be wise enough to counsel others.

Samuel was probably at least 12 years old at this time.

But without a doubt our age should never be a factor in our service to the Lord!

We are never too young and certainly never too old to serve the Lord Jesus Christ!

There will be no honor from the Father in Heaven unless we serve the Son:

Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

That phrase "no open vision" along with "the Word of the Lord was precious in those days" indicates that God had not given any direct revelation to His people as He had in former times.

Since Moses, there had not been a Prophet!

That word "precious" means that many desired the Word of God but they were not receiving it!

There was a great need for a true prophet of God!

*****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;

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

We know that when the Temple was built that there were chambers where theTemple priest could sleep.

And it is most probable at this time it Shiloh, since the Tabernacle was not moving from place to place, that a place had been built for the high priest and those that worked at the Tabernacle perhaps even under the same roof.

Wherever Eli was sleeping, Samuel had his own bed very close because of the near blindness of Eli.

No doubt Eli called on Samuel many times during the night.

The Lamp of God was a seven branched golden candlestick that stood in the Holy place before the Veil. (Note Rev. 1:20)

Eli was so old that, he had his place near this Candlestick.

It was the only source of light in that place and the priests were ordered to keep it burning.

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.

These lamps were to trimmed, filled with oil, and lit at twilight every single night and they were to remain burning until morning.

To allow this lamp go out showed laziness and to put it out showed disobedience and contempt for the Word of God.

But this also shows us the place that Eli and Samuel slept were very near this Candlestick.

And the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel's answer was not intended to declare the place where he was sleeping.

Samuel's answer shows us his readiness and his cheerfulness to do anything that was required of him.

*****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.

We know that Samuel answered the first call but he did not understand who was calling.

And he ran to Eli. It is always important that we understand who is calling and what we are being asked to do!

Salvation and the Lord's service are too important to be misunderstood and taken wrongfully.

Samuel also misunderstood the second call.

We can see that Samuel did not know the Lord at this time. Even the third call by the Lord was still misunderstood but Samuel was certain that he was being called by some one.

*****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.

Our lesson here is that we may not always recognize the call of God at first!

Think back to the first time you came under conviction, did you really know it was the Holy Ghost?

Eli never scolded Samuel and did finally give him the right instructions.

God deserves an answer every time He calls!

We cannot be like Jonah and try to run away from God. We will certainly learn some of the same lessons Jonah had to learn, the hard way!

There is another great lesson we will learn in these passages.

"God will never be without someone to teach the truth of the Gospel no matter what preachers who have strayed from the truth are teaching!"

*****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.

When we see where a name is spoken twice, especially by the Lord, then the message is very important and the action is coming very soon.

It happened to Moses at the burning bush:

Exo 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

It happened to Abraham when he was about to slay Isaac:

Gen 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

We see Jesus speak to Jerusalem:

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

And the calling of the Apostle Paul:

Act 9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

And also the Apostle Peter:

Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Samuel understood and replied that he was listening and we must always listen patiently to the Lord when He calls.

Every message of the Lord is important and sometimes requires our "immediate" attention!

*****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.

God's message to Samuel was a message of "Judgment"!

It was inexcusable for the sons of Eli to behave as they had!

It had been Eli's duty to force them to behave in God's House!

Their crimes were crimes punishable by death according to God's commandments and it was Eli's duty to have them executed them and all of Israel knew these things.

But Eli honored his sons more than the Word of God!

So, God said His judgment would shock this nation of Israel!

God said this judgment would be so intense that the ears of every citizen in Israel would tingle!

God had already told Eli that he and his sons had forfeited their right to the priests' office.

Brother Johnny explained that last week in chapter 2.

In our next chapter we will see Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas will all die the on same day.

And later, when Saul is king, he slew Ahimelech, who was the grandson of Phinehas.

And even later, Abiathar was removed by Solomon who was the last of the priesthood of the family of Eli.

From that point on it was the family of Zadok. This would fulfill the promise God had made to Moses about "another Phinehas" the son of Eleazar, the third born son of Aaron, which was the true line of the High Priest of Israel.

Num 25:12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:

Num 25:13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

But not only would this happen to the family of Eli, the Ark of God would fall into the hands of the Philistines and would not be totally recovered to it's place, until the time of King David.

And also we know that Shiloh was completely destroyed:

The Bible says:

Jer 7:11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

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.

God was serious then about the things that went on in the House of God!

And God is serious now about what goes on in the House of God!

Notice those words "that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged"

God did not forgive Eli nor those of his family!

And God will not always forgive those that try to rule in the House of God!

It's God's House and He will rule by His Own Word or that house will cease to exist as a house of God and become Satan's house! (Note Rev 3:20)

*****1Sa 3:15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.

We do not know how much Samuel understood of the things of Eli and his sons but Samuel did not get anymore sleep that night.

Eli was like a father to Samuel and he did not want to tell Eli what the Lord had said.

But we should remember these words to Jeremiah who was also called as a child:

Jer 1:6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

Jer 1:7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

Jer 1:8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

Can God talk to children and they understand Him? Sure He can!

*****1Sa 3:16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.

1Sa 3:17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.

1Sa 3:18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.

Samuel did not want to tell Eli what God had said. This was out of respect for Eli but Eli did not show the same respect for this 12 year old but actually had to threaten him.

A true Prophet of God takes no pleasure in delivering a message of judgment!

But the truth is always still the truth!

Eli insisted that Samuel swear that he would tell everything and even told him that the Lord would bring the same judgment upon him if he did not.

Samuel understood what Eli was saying and told him everything the Lord had said.

*****1Sa 3:19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

Three things here:

1) Samuel grew, in other words he increased in manhood.

2) It was the Lord who became Samuel's teacher and not Eli, filling him with grace and holiness.

3) And Whatever this young prophet said, God fulfilled it and the words of Samuel were received "as coming from the Lord".

The Bible says:

2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

We must not forget that Samuel was also a priest of the family of Kohath a son of Levi.

So we see that it was Samuel that brought reform to the priestly order:

1Ch 9:22 All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David "and Samuel" the seer did ordain in their set office.

*****1Sa 3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.

Israel may have not been unified politically at this time but all of Israel were unified in the knowledge that Samuel was the voice of God!

Dan was the most northern border and Beersheba was the most southern border.

*****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.

In Chapter 4 we will read of the war with the Philistines but just before this takes place we read that the Lord appears again to Samuel.

In the Book of John we read these words:

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

I believe that none other than the Lord was with Samuel this night in Shiloh.

Again God can take one man and bring change to Israel.

And God has taken one man "Jesus" and has changed this world we live in!

Samuel was about to have "a new beginning" even at such a young age!

Eli's sons showed nothing but contempt to the house of God, the sacrifice, and the women of the church, but worst of all toward the Lord.

They were greedy, immoral and worthless sons of Belial!

Next week we will see God's judgment on the house of Eli.

But, we must also remember these words of Peter:

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

We owe it to the Lord to know how to act in the House of God!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Eli's Negligence A Derelict Father

Eli's Negligence----A Derelict Father

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 2 (Note: 1 Chronicles 2)

What is a derelict father?

The word derelict means to abandon or to throw away or to have left.

Therefore a derelict father is one who has thrown away his children or left them to themselves!

Spiritual instruction is absolutely vital to our well-being, though most reject this idea.

BUT, not just any spiritual instruction, it must come from the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Our nations are failing because our morals have sunk to such a low estate.

Remembered the theme of the Book of Judges.

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

This verse says that Israel had no King. Israel did not need a King, what Israel needed was God.

This the same for any nation. Does a nation need a government? Sure, but that government needs God's direction!

We will see again that through Samuel, God would save this nation of Israel.

Our lesson today does not cover the first eleven verses in this chapter. This passage is known as the "Song of Hannah". This passage is not only a song of praise but it is also a song of prophecy and should be studied on its own.

*****1Sa 2:11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

Hannah and Elkanah returned to Ramah, leaving their son in Shiloh. Their hearts were full of joy and they had great expectations to see what the Lord would do with Samuel.

These parents were dedicated to the Lord, and worshiped Him together, and prayed to Him together, and trusted in His Word.

Hannah had once had a broken heart but the Lord gave her peace because she prayed and submitted to His will.

We will now see the contrast in Eli, who was High Priest and judge of Israel, but not so much a parent.

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

We will read in the next few passages just how evil these priestly sons of Eli were.

1) They were lost and unsaved.

2) They regarded Belial, (which is wickedness), as compared to the true God.

They were "worthless" in God's ministry!

Jesus said in the Book of Matthew:

Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; [but the tares are the children of the wicked one]

Hophni and Phinehas were "tares"!

3) They were stealing those offerings from God not the people.

4) They bullied the people of God, rather than assist them with their sacrifice to the Lord.

5) They committed adultery inside the tabernacle showing disdain for the House of God.

6) They ultimately caused God's people to sin.

They were servants of Satan but inside God's House!

No one can ignore or violate God's Word and escape the consequences of their actions!

*****1Sa 2:13 And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;

1Sa 2:14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.

First we see this phrase "the priests' custom". This means that this was not according to the law of God given to Moses.

The priests' servants in this case would be the sons of Eli.

There were 5 offerings made to the Lord. Each offering is actually a "type" of Christ.

The "Peace Offering" was the only offering where the sacrifice could be eaten by the people and may be the least understood of the 5!

We need to understand the order followed here:

The offerer brought his offering to the altar, laid his hand on it, and slew it.

Laying his hand on the animal showed his affection for the animal and its worthiness. It also represented a transfer of the sin of the one who offered onto the animal of sacrifice.

The priest then sprinkled the blood upon the altar and around it.

The animal was then cut up, and God's portion (almost entirely fat, besides the two kidneys) was placed on top of the already burning "Burnt Offering" and "Meal Offerings".

Then the priest received the breast and right shoulder for himself and his own children.

The offerer received the remainder of the animal to eat. However, it had to be eaten within one day if it was a thanksgiving offering or within two days if it was a vow or voluntary offering.

If any remained on the third day, it had to be burned.

In this process, the major teaching of the peace offering is revealed.

This was the only offering that the animal did not have to be perfect and it represented complete peace with God.

In addition, since all parties (God, priest, and man) share the same meal and satisfaction, it shows that all are in a peaceful communion or fellowship together.

Because it was placed in sequence on top of the other two offerings, the peace offering is directly connected to them, and thus it depicts the effect of perfect devotion to God and man: peaceful satisfaction and fellowship, the fruit of devotedly keeping the two great commandments of the law.

What are those two commandments?

Jesus said it this way to the Pharisees:

Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

In this sacrifice Christ, "in type", plays all three parts:

Christ is the offering, sacrificing His life in service;

Christ is the priest, serving mankind at the altar as Mediator;

Christ is the offerer, bringing His sacrifice to the altar.

The altar, the place of meeting for all three, represents sacrificial services and devotion to God that gave Him satisfaction and resulted in our acceptance.

The peace offering shows man, as Christ: accepted, fed, strengthened, and satisfied by sacrifice.

This teaches that sacrifice is indeed the essence, the heart and core, the essential element, of "Love" whether to God or man!

More specifically, it shows us that sacrifice plays a major role in acceptance before God.

In other words, spiritual feeding and therefore spiritual strength, and spiritual satisfaction!

Devoted people sacrifice for those they love!

Thus, sacrifice indicates devotion to God (burnt offering) and devotion in service to man (meal offering).

Another aspect of this offering is important for us to consider more closely: The priest's children are also specifically named to receive of the peace offering!

Whom do the priest's children "in type" represent?

This is important because they were also to eat directly of the offering and be satisfied!

We have already seen that Christ is symbolically portrayed in several ways here, as the Offerer, the Offering, and the Priest.

We must remember that Christ is one with His church.

We are parts of His body; we are "in Him!"

Knowing these things we can see that all the meat in the flesh pot belonged to the offerer that brought the offering, as God had already provided the breast and the right quarter for the priests.

These 2 sons of Eli made a mockery of this special offering designed by the Lord to simulate His "Grace" and the Church in complete fellowship with Our Maker!

*****1Sa 2:15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.

So before the burnt offering was made, which symbolizes Christ, and belonged to the Lord, and should be made before all other offerings.

Before God got His required offering, these sons of Eli came and demanded a share of what did not belong to them!

They liked roasted meat better than boiled meat and the flesh hook did not always bring up the best piece of meat.

They wanted the best pieces of meat for themselves! This was not God's plan!

*****1Sa 2:16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.

The priest of the tabernacle were entitled to receive the breast and the right thigh of the animal being sacrificed.

Lev 7:34 For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.

But this could only happen after the fat had been burned on the altar!

Lev 3:3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

Lev 3:4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.

Lev 3:5 And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Eli's sons ignored both of these requirements!

Notice that the people were more concerned for the honor and glory of God than the priests. They were willing to lose their own property but could not bear the fact that the Lord should be dishonored and so rudely treated.

They were willing that these priest should take what they pleased of theirs but they desired that the Lord be served first as it always should be.

To take the flesh of the sacrificial animal and roast it before this offering had been made was a crime which was equivalent to robbing God and therefore the worst crime that the sons of Eli committed.

It was a crime that would result in capitol punishment under Mosaic Law.

We should remember that the people did what they thought was right in their own eyes and rejected the Word of God, even the priests.

Jeremiah wrote of these things:

Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, [and the priests bear rule by their means]; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

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

This was a very great sin in the sight of God. But even robbing God was a small sin in comparison with causing hatred of the sacrifice themselves.

It caused the people to despise making an offering to the Lord.

*****1Sa 2:18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

1Sa 2:19 Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

In verse 11, we read were Samuel did minister unto the Lord but before it Eli the priest.

But now in this verse we read that Samuel ministered before the Lord.

Samuel had not been corrupted by seeing these evil practices and was now involved in higher services which he could perform without the assistance of Eli.

The linen ephod meant that Samuel was dressed as a priest but not as the High Priest.

It was made of fine linen and consisted of two pieces, which hung from the neck and covered both the back and front over the outer garment.

That outer garment, was a coat made by Samuel's mother that was a long garment and had sleeves and Hannah made her son a new one every year while he was serving at the Tabernacle.

*****1Sa 2:20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.

1Sa 2:21 And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

Eli had taken Samuel under his wing and had pronounce God's blessings upon Elkanah and Hannah for their faithfulness and willingness to surrender their son to the Lord's service.

God will always bless us when we keep our vows before him.

So Samuel was the first of six children God that granted to Hannah.

*****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.

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

The women mentioned here were those women who have dedicated themselves to the service of the tabernacle. They had renounced worldly things and had given themselves to the Lord service.

There were some women that gave themselves to the Lord this continued even until the days of Jesus:

Luk 2:36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

Luk 2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

But, Hophni and Phinehas were guilty of fornication with these young women even causing them great sin.

All these things were terrible sin in the eyes of God. To the Canaanites that were left in the land this was an acceptable practice because they were accustomed to presence of sacred prostitutes in their temple worship.

The Tabernacle of God was to be considered "holy"!

The Tabernacle of the congregation was the appointed place where the Lord would meet with His people!

Hophni and Phinehas committed their most heinous sins at the entrance of God's courtyard that was set aside for God's people to come and meet Him!

Eli was very old and had lost control of his sons but their sins were well known to the people of Israel.

AND, No amount of rebuke of Eli could change the actions of his sons.

All Israel saw these things go on continuously!

*****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.

The fact that Eli was old was no excuse for his easy-going attitude toward his sons.

We have already seen how quick he was to judge Hannah and there were probably many others.

Eli was the High Priest!

Eli was the judge of all Israel.

Any other man of Israel guilty of these things could be sentenced to death but his two sons paid him no attention.

Eli warned that since they had sinned against God that they were left without an advocate who could plead their case in his presence.

Even this fell on deaf ears!

Eli had not been a godly father nor a spiritual leader to his sons and nor to Israel.

Remember our word "derelict" meant to throw away or dispose of and Eli had done this to his own sons.

It's a tragic thing when an earthly father loses his influence over his own family because in the end they can only wait for God's hand of judgment to fall.

Remember Lot's wife, Lot lost his influence with his family.

Remember King David, after David sinned with Bathsheba he lost influence over his sons.

Hophni and Phinehas had no respect for the Lord!

They had no respect for God's house!

They had no respect for the office of High Priest!

And they had no respect for Israel!

And they had no respect for their earthly father nor their Heavenly Father!

So all God could do was to judge them for their sin.

Sin against God and His Word are more dangerous than sin against people!

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

But Samuel not only grew in his stature but he also grew in grace and in all aspects toward the Lord.

He grew better while Eli sons grew worse!

These things were noticed by all of Israel.

And Samuel also grew in favor with the Lord!

*****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?

That phrase "the man of God" is used 76 times in the King James Bible and usually refers to a prophet.

This man of God appeared in Shiloh to declare God's judgment on Eli and his family.

This man of God first reminded Eli of the past and how he had chosen the tribe of Levi above all the other tribes of Israel to be his priestly family.

Eli had to bear the blame for coddling his sons rather than protecting the offerings of God, the Tabernacle, and those that brought sacrifices by the commandment of the Lord.

*****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?

God, through this prophet, asked Eli why he was trampling on the sacrifices.

In other words why had he allowed the sacrifices to be despised by the children of Israel?

All the sacrifices are "types" of Christ.

The Apostle Paul taught us all that the Old Testament was our schoolmaster until Christ came.

Eli had honored his sons above the Lord.

It was a privilege for the high priest and his sons to offer sacrifices on the brazen altar and to wear the sacred garments and to eat of the holy offerings.

As a father Eli had the authority to discipline his sons.

But as High Priest, Eli not only had the authority but was commanded by the Lord to do so and Eli knew all these things.

And as judge, the judgment of Eli would not have been questioned if he had followed the Word of God!

Eli had done none of these things but had made himself rich, through his two sons, with the best of all the offerings of Israel.

Remember these words of Jesus:

Luk 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

*****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.

That word "wherefore" means "because of these things", judgment was set for the family and house of Eli.

By the anointing of Aaron a right was given to him and his family to be high priest among the Jews forever.

But now God says since you have walked unworthily this would no longer happen.

God told Jeremiah to write these words:

Jer 18:10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

God will not allow His Word to be trampled on!

Since the house of the high priest had lightly esteemed the things of the Lord, they too would be esteemed as nothing!

This is a plan from which God will never depart!

Every promise that is ever made is in reference to these words,

"They that honor God will be honored; they who despise him 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.

God said, "I will destroy the strength, the power, and the influence, of the family of Aaron".

We know when this happened:

Heb 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

Eli's house, by its own actions, had proved itself unworthy of continuing the priestly office!

Part of this prophecy was fulfilled when Solomon banished Abiathar and replaced him with Zadok.

1Ki 2:27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

Eli witnessed the defeat of the Israelites, the capture of the Ark, and the death of his wicked sons.

He witnessed these things before he met his own tragic death!

Eli did not get to witness the wealth of Israel during the time of Solomon.

It was during this time of Israel's riches that Eli's family was turned away from the priesthood.

*****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.

Of Eli's family they could now only become common priest.

This verse is better explained in verse 36.

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.

Those who are not cut off in the flower of their youth shall be worse off than those who are, because they will have to beg for their bread or their food.

*****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.

Eli would live long enough to see his own two sons die, both of them in one day.

The proof of this is in chapter 4:

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

*****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.

Although the priesthood had been promised to Aaron's descendents perpetually, this promise was conditioned on faithfulness, and Eli and his sons had forfeited this claim.

This promise of a faithful priest, with a sure house, is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Heb 2:7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

Jesus had these word for the Apostle Peter:

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Jesus was not talking about Peter, He was talking about the truth of the Gospel, The Word of God

Sin has a far-reaching and deadly consequence!

Because Israel had not been taught properly they did not behave properly!

Hophni and Phineas did not know the Lord and their behavior brought disgrace to their families and failure to their nation.

We must realize that we will reap what we have sown.

We see in our own nation today that sin still has a far-reaching and a deadly consequence and it does in every nation!

When our preachers do not preached the truth, nor stand on the Word of God, it will bring disgrace to our nation and it has.

What is the duty of a father?

Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Though we fail as earthly fathers.

We have a Father in Heaven who can never fail!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

A Special Life the Birth Of Samuel

A Special Life, The Birth Of Samuel

Text:

1 Samuel; 1 Chronicles

Our Focus: 1 Samuel

Theme: There are no accidents with God. God has a plan and purpose for every life born into this world!

The Books of Samuel could be considered transitional books in the Bible.

The Books of Samuel roughly cover the years 1070-970 BC.

To some Samuel is considered the last of the judges.

To others Samuel is considered the first of the kings.

In truth Samuel was the last judge, but Samuel was also a priest, and Samuel was also a prophet.

And, it could probably be said that Samuel was the founder of the "school of prophets" mentioned more by Elijah and Elisha.

But Samuel was never King of Israel, the first king being King Saul.

Samuel is probably the author of most of the Book of Samuel but he could not have written all of it because the book notes his death.

It is because of this that we can believe we have actual eyewitness accounts of the events that are described in both First Samuel and Second Samuel.

This was an extremely important period in the history of Israel, marking the end of the dark period of the judges, and the transition to the United Kingdom of King David.

This is the transition in the Bible from a theocracy to a monarchy.

Believe me we are fools to want anyone but Jehovah God ruling in our lives.

Those that want a king deserve a king. Only when King Jesus rules during the Millennial Kingdom will there be a just king and this comes after the Church Age!

So let's begin with the birth of Samuel:

*****1Sa 1:1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:

1Sa 1:2 And 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.

1Sa 1:3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

1Sa 1:4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

1Sa 1:5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.

1Sa 1:6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.

1Sa 1:7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

1Sa 1:8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

We must remember the theme of the Book of Judges.

Jdg 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Something was needed to break the endless cycle of sin, punishment, and oppression.

These judges were only a temporary solution and Israel felt that perhaps law and order would exist if they had a king.

But before the first king arises we will first see the last great judge of Israel!

Elkanah, which means "God created" was from Ephraim geographically, but he was also from the family of Levi, the priestly family.

Elkanah was a descendent through Kohath.

It was the duty of this family to take care of the Ark of the covenant, the table of shewbread, the candlestick, the alters, and the vessels of the sanctuary, with all the hangings of the Tabernacle.

We should have a clear understanding that though Elkanah had two wives, "polygamy" was not, and never will be a part of God's original design and intent.

When the Lord instituted marriage, He made it quite clear that marriage be between one man and one woman, and this is the pattern for all marriages. No Same Sex Marriages are biblical!

Polygamy and any other unbiblical marriage will always cause additional consequences and hardships in a family!

Hannah may have been the favored wife but it was the other wife that was providing the children!

Barrenness in the Old Testament era, was considered a curse on a married woman since her husband's legacy and inheritance largely depended on a son to continue the family's bloodline.

So Hannah was not only barren but she was also ridiculed by other women especially Peninnah!

The Hebrew men had to go to the Tabernacle to worship the Lord at least three times each year.

They had to observe the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, which included the time of the Passover.

They had to observe the Feast of the First Fruits.

And they had to observe the Feast of the Tabernacles.

AND, the Tabernacle was located in Shiloh at this time, which was about 10 miles from where Elkanah lived.

At this time, Eli was the high priest of Israel, but he was also the judge of Israel after the death of Samson.

Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, but they profaned the priesthood, and caused great disgust amongst the people of Israel in their worship of the Lord.

That phrase "a worthy portion" really meant that Elkanah offered an offering for Hannah that was enough for two. He offered for Hannah and for a child she had never had up till this time!

But Hannah's female rival taunted her and caused her great sorrow year after year and she despised this trip to Shiloh.

But Hannah, whose name means "Grace" could not leave off serving the Lord!

SO, Hannah shows us two of things that are required for answered prayer!

One of those is patience.

The Bible says:

Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: "knowing that tribulation worketh patience";

Another one is the fact that the Lord looks into the heart of that one who prays.

And the Bible says:

Psa 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

It is truly a miserable when trials and troubles come, but many use this as an excuse to stop going to church.

This will never solve the problem and it will only make things worse!

*****1Sa 1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

1Sa 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

There's just something special about praying in the house of God! We cannot always do this but we can get into our closet and get alone with God!

While everyone else were still sitting around the table, Hannah rose up to go pray.

When we fully understand that is only the Lord who has the power to answer prayer, then we will live in such a way that our prayers can be answered.

We see Eli, who was the high priest, and a descendent of Ithamar, though all high priest should actually have come through the family of Eleazar, the firstborn son of Aaron.

King Solomon corrects this when he becomes king and installs Zadok as High Priest.

We also see that Eli sat upon a seat.

In other words he was more prepared to judge God's people than he was to be a priest to God's people!

Hannah was in bitterness of soul and Hannah cried to the Lord who knew her needs.

Hannah not only wept but she wept with such intensity, that she became emotional in her sadness sadness.

We know that when weeping begins in the heart it will show outwardly and with great stress!

*****1Sa 1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

Normally, if Hannah had had a son he would have been involved in the ministry of the tabernacle from the age of 25 to the age of 50.

But by this vow for her son, he would to be devoted to the ministry from his childhood and "also" being subjected to the discipline of a Nazirite all his life.

We see a lot of pictures of Jesus with longhair but these pictures could better describe what Samuel would have looked like as Jesus probably did not have long hair but resembled most any other Jewish man of that time!

*****1Sa 1:12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.

1Sa 1:13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

1Sa 1:14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

Hannah's faith and devotion was so strong that it brought misunderstanding and criticism from Eli.

Again, Eli sat as judge before his main function as priest!

We will see that Eli was tolerant of the sin of his two sons, but he was quick to judge and condemn the devotion of a godly woman!

We will also see that if your prayers do not come from your heart, then they cannot be heard of God!

John Bunyan said: "in prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart".

And, this is the way that Hannah prayed!

BUT, Eli, the high priest, reputed Hannah while she was still praying!

He accused her of being a drunk and therefore wasting God's time!

But Jesus said:

Joh 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

We soon find out as Christians that as we serve our best, the world will judge us with great harshness!

AND, we see this more and more of in the days we now live!

*****1Sa 1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

1Sa 1:16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

Hannah immediately denies that she even drinks alcohol and Hannah kept a meek and humble spirit because her heart and soul were stayed on the Lord!

A "daughter of Belial" would mean that Hannah was a "worthless" person in the eyes of man.

She just tells Eli that she was pouring out her soul before the Lord!

Eli would have known this if he had just listened, and finally we see Eli acting like a priest which he should have done from the start.

*****1Sa 1:17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

1Sa 1:18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

We know that the United Nations seeks ways to change this world every day, but what we will read here, in the Book of Samuel, Is That God Can Change The World With The Birth Of One Child!

Hannah was crying out for a child not knowing "that it was in the will of God to use such a child" at this very time!

God had made plans for Samuel before he was even born!

Eli then added his own blessing to the prayer of Hannah.

Hannah may not have known her prayer would be answered but she knew she had gone to the only source who could provide her request!

Five times Hannah had called herself a handmaid, which tells us she had submitted herself to the Lord. (Five also being the number for Grace)

Hannah returned to the feast with peace in her heart, and joy showed on her face, her burden was lifted!

*****1Sa 1:19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.

1Sa 1:20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

"Remembered" means that God kept this prayer of Hannah on His mind!

There are over 40 times that the Bible uses the word "remembered" associated with God.

The Book of Revelation states this fact:

Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with [the prayers of all saints] upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, [which came with the prayers of the saints], ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

The "prayers of the saints" are a sweet aroma in the presence of God!

And God does not forget any prayer that reaches into Heaven and each of those prayers He will answer in His own time.

The Book of James tells us:

Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, [yet ye have not, because ye ask not].

Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, [because ye ask amiss], that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

The art of praying is best learn on our knees with a humble heart and just talking to God!

First we see that Hannah did ask of God and her prayer did reach into Heaven. Hannah had lived a life that allowed this to happen and Hannah had not asked "amiss"!

In other words what Hannah had asked was not wrong!

It was not out of order!

AND, it was not improper and God had heard this prayer!

The next thing we see in this verse is the fact that the birth of Samuel would not be a supernatural event but would come from his parents Elkanah and Hannah.

In fact, the name Samuel means, "heard from God", because she had ask for him from the Lord.

*****1Sa 1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

1Sa 1:22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.

Most children can be weaned from their mothers milk in two or no more than three years and this could be true of Samuel.

But one commentator writes that there was a threefold weaning of children in these times.

1.) There would first be a weaning from the mother's milk up to three years old.

2.) There would next be a weaning of the toddler stage up to seven years old.

3.) There would last be a weaning from childless manners at the age of 12.

In other words it was very probable that Samuel was 12 years old and fit to serve in the Tabernacle, so that he may appear before the Lord and abide forever.

We know that in the life of Jesus, growing up we first see Him at the age of twelve at the Temple in Jerusalem:

Luk 2:42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

Luk 2:46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

*****1Sa 1:23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

It was not sin for Hannah to stay at home and Elkanah approved of Hannah's decision. It was only required of the men to make those three yearly trips to the Tabernacle.

*****1Sa 1:24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.

1.) Hannah brought with her three bullocks. This probably but did not mean that Samuel was three years old as some suggest but there were three offerings that had to be made.

There was the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the peace offering.

2.) Hannah brought and ephah of flour. It took 3/10 part of a ephah for each offering, of each bullock.

3.) And Hannah brought a bottle of wine.

God will never go against His Word so this was grape juice and not fermented wine, as some may think and probably "freshly squeezed" or "yayin mi-gat", wine from the vat as only the best would be brought before the Lord!

In fact, The Jewish Encyclopedia provides a concise description of the various usages of "yayin": Which is "Fresh wine", before any fermenting.

And in the more recent Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): "The newly pressed wine prior to fermentation was known as "yayin".

In the King James Bible "yayin" can be used for fermented and unfermented wine.

Such as:

Pro 23:30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

Pro 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

Pro 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

This verse tells us specifically not to look upon wine that is fermented and if you cannot look upon it then you certainly should not drink of it.

Again, God will never go against His Own Word.

1Sa 1:25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.

1Sa 1:26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.

1Sa 1:27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

Hannah had taught her son well and had prepared him for serving the Lord.

At this time Samuel did not have a personal knowledge of the Lord!

This would come later when God spoke to him!

But Hannah was woman of prayer and she taught her son to be a man of prayer.

Hannah reminded Eli that she was the woman who had prayed for a son earlier.

And, She also reminded Eli that God had answered her prayer!

*****1Sa 1:28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

That word "Lent" used by Hannah here, means that she was making a lifelong and unconditional loan of her son, to the Lord.

Hannah had been obedient to her vow!

And, Hannah is a wonderful example of praying in the "Will of God"!

God works through mankind and God wanted a man like Samuel!

But, True prayer can only be offered on the grounds of sacrifice.

When Jesus Christ offered Himself as payment for our sin, He also opened the doors of Heaven that our prayers could be accepted through Him.

The Bible is specific:

Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified "in the Son".

Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

There was much more work done on the Cross than just a payment for our sin!

Prayer is about changing us, as much as it is about changing our circumstances, and none of that can happen without Jesus!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Preaching In Rome

Preaching In Rome

Book of Acts Chapter 28

We have reached the last chapter in this great Book of Acts. We have seen so many things that caused the beginning of the early church.

We need to get back to many of the basics we have learned in these chapters!

But most of all, we must realize that the message of the Church is still the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ and that will never change!

The Church grows as the "Gospel" is spread.

This is our only job!

Last week when we left off, 276 men, including the Apostle Paul were swimming for their life in hope of reaching the shore of the island we now know of as Malta.

Let's pick up where we left off:

*****Act 28:1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.

It was not until everyone was safely on the island that they realized they were at a place called Melita. This island of Melita is now known as Malta.

We also need to realize that where ever God places us, that is to place where we are to begin a work for God and represent Jesus Christ as His ambassadors.

We already know that God was sending Paul to Rome, so this stopover in Melita was surely the providence of God.

We should never forget this verse and we can believe that Paul never did:

Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! [how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!]

*****Act 28:2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

It is probable that the people of Melita were probably descendent of Phoenician sailors who first used this island.

They were considered barbarous simply because they did not speak Greek nor Latin as their native language.

The Greeks, and after-wards the Romans, called all nations "but themselves" barbarians!

This reminds us of how people felt about each other at the tower of Babel back in the Book of Genesis.

But the people of Melita did treat these shivering survivors with great kindness by building a bonfire on the beach to warm them up.

*****Act 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

It's very interesting to note that, out of more than 300 people who were enjoying this fire, it was Paul who took it upon himself to gather sticks to keep it burning.

Among the sticks, however was a venomous snake. The snake itself was stiff from the cold and must have look much like another stick.

The heat energized the snake so that it suddenly bit the Apostle Paul.

And this did not go unnoticed!

There are always eyes on God's people!

It is said today that you cannot find a venomous snake on the island of Malta.

*****Act 28:4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet "vengeance" suffereth not to live.

In this short time these people of Melita had already realized that some of these men including Paul were prisoners bound for Rome.

They looked on Paul is a doomed man and as good as dead.

They concluded that if it was murder he was guilty of, and had escaped the death of the sea, then the gods had punished him in this way.

That word "vengeance" comes from the Greek word "Dice" which is also the name of a Greek goddess said to be the daughter of Jupiter.

*****Act 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Act 28:6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

Many eyes were watching as Paul shook the snake off into the fire. They were amazed that his hand had not swollen nor had he fell over dead, so they watched him for a great while.

But, to their amazement no harm had come to Paul.

There are two things we should note here:

1.) We have the fulfillment of Scripture.

Mar 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

Mar 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

This promise of protection, was not for show and was not intended to apply indefinitely. This experience of Paul's is the only actual example of such a thing recorded in the New Testament and we should not expect for these things to happen today.

2.) We have the superstitions of the lost.

Since Paul could not be killed by the poison from this Viper then he to must be a god.

This is not the first time that this happened to Paul.

We should remember the things that happened in Athens.

Act 14:11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

Act 14:12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

There are still many pagan worshipers whom are still waiting on the return of their own false gods.

So, we can see that only one explanation will work here, "the direct intervention of the Living God"!

*****Act 28:7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.

Act 28:8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.

Act 28:9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:

God would not only provide for Paul and his shipmates, but he would also show His true power to the people of Melita.

Publius, was the chief man of the island who was very sick at that time. Paul went to this man without being asked and through the healing power of God, healed this man of his sickness.

When this was done for Publius, many others of the island came to him, were healed also.

We must also realize Paul also had Luke, the physician, with him at this time.

And we can know that Paul was not a man who would let opportunities to witness for Christ to slip by without taking advantage of them.

It is also very possible that a church began during the time Paul was on this island.

*****Act 28:10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

Act 28:11 And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.

That word "honors" means what ever those things that were given to Paul were "things of value".

Everyone on that ship had lost all their personal possessions so it seems that "these barbarians" were in actuality, "very hospitable".

Those three months were probably November through February, the same three months when sailing ceased because of severe weather conditions!

They found another ship from Alexandria, which was probably carrying wheat to Rome, and obtained passage.

Those names Castor and Pollux came from the figurehead on the bow the ship.

These names were so chosen because of the astrological sign of Gemini or, "The Twins".

These names of pagan deities were regarded as maritime patrons.

To every seaman of that time, these were the gods that steered the ship safely to each port.

This shows again the pagan world at the time of the early church!

Christians are still commanded to shine as lights in this dark world!

*****Act 28:12 And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.

Act 28:13 And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:

Act 28:14 Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome.

Syracuse is the city on the southeast coast of Sicily and about 90 miles from the island of Malta.

That phrase "fetched a compass" means they could not sail in a straight line to Puteoli but had to use tacking.

It was not until a south wind started blowing that they were able to continue sailing and then reached Puteoli the next day which was about 200 miles.

Puteoli was the harbor for the ancient city of Neapolis which today is called Naples.

Julius allowed Paul to spend some time with Christian brethren here in this city.

From here their journey to Rome would be over land.

(See Map)

*****Act 28:15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.

Act 28:16 And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.

It seems that as Paul traveled toward Rome a delegation from the Christian church "in Rome not of Rome" traveled to meet Paul, which they did at a place called "three taverns".

There were also others that met Paul at Appii Forum.

Appii Forum was a "market place".

The "three taverns" was a place to get refreshment.

These were road junctions on the road to Rome.

These brothers and sisters in Christ gave Paul encouragement as he neared the end of his journey.

It seems that Paul was placed under house arrest and that Luke could no longer stay with Paul but was at least allowed to visit him, as were many others.

We can read of some of these things in the Book of Philemon and the Book of Colossians which were written while Paul was in Rome.

We know that Nero was the Emperor at this time but he had not yet shown his true character.

And we know that Paul was treated with courtesy and allowed many privileges.

*****Act 28:17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

Act 28:18 Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me.

Act 28:19 But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.

Act 28:20 For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

Soon after his arrival Paul assembles the local Jewish leaders to explain who he was and why he is in Rome appealing to Caesar.

Paul wanted to emphasize to his Jewish brethren that he was not guilty of any roles against his people or of their customs customs.

He told them that he had been apprehended in Jerusalem by the Jews and then came under the custody of the Romans and this had continued until that day.

The Romans had determined that there was no reason for his execution but the Jews were determined that he should not be released and therefore he had appealed to Caesar as a Roman citizen.

He informed them that he had no intention of accusing his Jewish brethren and had no charges to bring against his own people.

Some things we should realize is, that every Roman citizen deserved and often demanded a Roman trial.

An appeal to Caesar most often guaranteed the trial to be in Rome.

In Paul's mind making his defense in the highest court in the known world at that time, could possibly result in Christianity being recognized in the Roman Empire as an acceptable religion and different from Judaism.

And it was the Living God that had put these things in place for this to happen.

*****Act 28:21 And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.

Act 28:22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.

Any news of these things that had happened in Jerusalem had not made it to Rome. They had not received any communication of these things from Jerusalem and were therefore "neutral" in their feelings toward Paul, after all Paul was also a Jew.

Those words "we desire" means that they thought it was appropriate to hear of the Christian movement.

So they made arrangements to hear Paul preach.

And Paul was always ready to Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

*****Act 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

Act 28:24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

Paul always seemed to find some way to reach out to the Jews with the gospel of Jesus!

Since he could not go to the synagogues in Rome he got the Jewish leaders to come to him.

The epistle to the Romans had already reached the brethren in Rome and in it Paul had written these words:

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

So again, Paul preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ by using the laws of Moses and the words of the prophets, all from the Old Testament.

Paul began with the Book of Genesis and continued through all the Scriptures proving that Jesus had fulfilled the promises to the fathers!

And we can see that they remained attentive from morning till evening.

And as always, when Jesus Christ is presented all His fullness, some will believe but most will not!

*****Act 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,

Act 28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:

Act 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

To these unbelieving Jews, Paul uses a quote that had been used by Jesus Christ and by the Apostle John.

Isa 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Isa 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Paul applied the prophecy of Isaiah to the Jews rejection of Jesus as their Messiah!

Those words "well spake the Holy Ghost" in Isaiah, meant that these were the words of God Himself.

And this also meant that Paul had been obedient to the will of God!

They did not understand because they rejected God's Word!

To reject the truth does not change the truth into a lie!

The truth is always the truth!

In Paul's day the refusal of the Jews to receive the message of Jesus, would ultimately result in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple that the hands of the Roman army in 70 A.D.

Then Paul gave this warning to those Jews which stands even until today and will stand until the Rapture of the Church!

*****Act 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

Paul announced that the offer of salvation would go to the Gentiles since it the Jews had rejected it.

Paul had again and again went to the Jews first, only to find that again and again it was only the Gentiles that responded to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must remember these words of the apostle John:

Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Gentiles, in practically in every nation have received the Gospel gladly and in great numbers.

Though the Christians of the first century were largely Jews, this has since changed and it has been the Gentile churches and the Gentile missionaries who have been spreading the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know that after the Rapture the church, it will again be those 144,000 Jews, of the Book of Revelation, who will be the missionaries of the Gospel to this lost world.

*****Act 28:29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.

Act 28:30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,

Act 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

According to Roman law, it was necessary to wait about two years for the prosecution to come forward in their case. There is no indication that the Jews ever did this and certainly not within the two-year period as Luke would certainly have mentioned it if they had.

Many Bible scholars believe that Paul was released at this point and was able to continue his missionary activities for a few more years.

And that it was a few years later that Paul was arrested and executed by Nero following the burning of Rome, which he blamed on the Christians and history has shown that it was probably he who started that fire.

It is also believed that during this time that Paul wrote the epistles to the Ephesians, the Colossians, Philemon, and to the Philippians.

It is also believed that after Paul was released from Rome and before he was finally executed that he wrote the epistles to first and second Timothy and to Titus.

To every Christian we have a tremendous example in the life of the Apostle Paul.

In the Book of Acts, Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, has shown us how a small group of disciples dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ began the early church by spreading the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It began with this command:

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Which is the same command we have today!

And we should all have this same attitude of the Apostle Paul:

Eph 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

Questions?

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