Eternal Church Podcast

In chapter 8 of I Samuel the people and the leaders of Israel come to Samuel and request a King to rule over them. Samuel doesn't like this request. God doesn't seem to like it either. And yet, God tells Samuel to obey the voice of his people and give them a King. And so, the monarchy begins in this ambiguous and enigmatic way.Maybe this chapter is about something else bigger altogether? Maybe this is yet another story that God keeps telling us over and over again all through the Old Testament.

The Ark has been traveling and creating a debris field of trouble, among both the Philistine and Israelite people. The idea is to hide it away and go about life. But that doesn't work either.So, Israel begins to lament into repentance.Chapter 7 is our turning point for the nation of Israel and Samuel. There is a way to be close to God and not die in the process! And Samuel is just the one to show them how to do it.

The God of Israel has been conquered because His people have been defeated and the Philistines have His place of mediation, the Ark of the Covenant. But God has not been defeated, and it will become clear over the next 7 months that the Philistines will want nothing to do with the Israelite Yahweh. They won't be able to subdue or appease Him and God runs wild over their land with disease and pestilence. This is a humorous story if you are an Israelite, but a terrifying story if you are not.What is God trying to tell us with this story?Please come prepared to be transformed by the Word of God,Pastor Don 

In 1 Samuel 4:12-22, we get the concluding portion of the stolen Ark narrative, and the response of the people of Israel, and specifically Eli and his daughter-in law, to that horrible news.But the awful and horrifying response, in our context, feels a bit overstated and exaggerated. So, it would do us well to slow down and try to understand what the Glory of God means, and why His central place in Israel meant everything to their identity.

God's Words are more than words. They are actions. When we say words, they may have emotional impact, but they don't have the power to act. If you have ever walked into a room and said, "let there be light," you have discovered that you still have something to do.In the beginning God did not say, "Let there be light," and then make light.His words have their own power. In the saying everything was created.In chapter 4 of I Samuel we get to see God's Words acting upon a nation. The words He spoke to Samuel have their own power, and they never fall to the ground.

This Sunday we will look at the rest of I Samuel 3, and the call that God has placed upon his life to deliver His Words to Eli. What is happening here in Samuel's life and why is this so significant for Israel. And just as importantly, what is this section telling us about messengers and the Word of the LORD?

This Sunday the sermon is about God’s Call to Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:1-10. We will explore the progression from the LORD not speaking and revealing Himself to Samuel to Him standing near and speaking to Samuel. Since Samuel was not familiar with the LORD’s voice, he depended on Eli, the priest, to provide guidance. Even though he was unfamiliar with the LORD’s voice, Samuel continued to carry out his responsibilities as a priest-in-training. After the LORD called Samuel’s name five times, Samuel answered Him by asking him to “Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.” Then our loving and patient LORD not only spoke to Samuel but also stood near him.

In I Samuel 2:27-36 we will see that the Word of God finally speaks over the sins of Eli and his detestable sons. The grace of God over Eli's life has been generations in the making, and the judgment of God will extend, likewise, to generations in the future. God is indeed on the move to rescue His people, but first He must go to the center of faith and authority and clean His house.

Our story takes a dark turn this week as we begin to see the full effects of a people who have drifted so far from God that they have become rotten to the core. At the very center of worship where a relationship with God is possible and mediated, there is horrific corruption and abuse. But in the midst of all this darkness there is a little shaft of light. His name is Samuel and he is growing in the house of the Lord.

Hannah gives away her child, and she praises the Lord. She isn't praising the Lord because her child has been taken. She is singing because she has discovered something about her God...about our God!She wants everyone to listen, and all through history those who have had an ear to hear, can hear it. It's an eternal note that points a beam to The Messiah. She has found a secret about God that less have discovered and most have overlooked.Will we hear her song? Will her notes of praise create in us a song of deliverance?

Hannah has worked through her lament and then a baby will soon arrive. This is what she had been hoping and waiting for her entire adult life, what she dreamed about as a little child. It's one thing to make promises to God, but it's another to keep them...especially when it involves giving her child away.

We will be discussing what God has for us in I Samuel 1:3-18.What is going on here with Hannah? Why is she in such a critical emotional, spiritual and mental state? God's Word will ask us to understand and empathize with Hannah's lament, and then be witnesses to how God heals her heart once and for all.

Good New of Great Joy