Please be seated, and let me explain the messages of the next couple of weeks. We've been going through the Gospel of Luke. We are going to take a two-week pause from the Gospel of Luke. We do that sometimes, but I wanted to do that at this time to highlight our Bible study, which we started just a few days ago in 1 and 2 Samuel. So I was thinking of how I could preach from some texts from those two books to encourage more interest and zeal, although I know you're very interested in that. Wednesday Bible study, some of you have expressed how much you are excited about studying 1st and 2nd Samuel, but I'm going to do this anyway. And I've just, I looked for four texts this week and four topics, and I decided to preach four sermons on the four main characters of 1st and 2nd Samuel. And so today, now we're going to look at Samuel, the judge, From chapter seven, verses 15 through 17, in the next hour, we're going to look at Saul, the rebel, in 1 Samuel 15, 17 through 35, and next week, God willing, in the 9.30 service, we're going to look at David, the chosen one, or the choice of God, in 1 Samuel 16, and then in the last, the fourth of this short series, we're going to consider Solomon, the beloved, from 2 Samuel 12, and verse 24. So I hope that these four messages will give us a bit of an overview of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, and also highlight for us the four main characters of these two historical books. So please turn with me then to 1 Samuel 7, where we will consider verses 15 through 17. 1 Samuel 7. 1 Samuel 7 is a summary of Samuel's work, verses 15 through 17. We read here, now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He used to go up annually, he used to go annually on circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. Then his return was to Ramah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel, and he built there an altar to the Lord. Dear Lord, help us now as we consider your estimate of Samuel, the judge, and his life, and help us, Lord, to see that you raise up men to establish your kingdom and to do your work, and we pray that we will be encouraged by the life of Samuel today and also in our Bible studies. In Christ's name we pray, amen. So from this text, this summarizing text of Samuel, we're going to consider Samuel's life, Samuel's ministry, and Samuel's heart. So think with me first of all about Samuel's life. As I mentioned a few days ago, The books of 1st and 2nd Samuel were not written by Samuel. This is true of other books in the Old Testament like Joshua or Esther. Even though they ultimately, he contributed portions of the book which now bears his name, 1st Samuel, he contributed portions of the book which took place during his lifetime from some of the records that he kept. We read about these records in 1st Samuel 10 and verse 25, listen to this statement. verse Samuel 10 and verse 25. Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom and wrote them in the book and placed it before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house. So notice in this text that it says that Samuel wrote the ordinances of the kingdom in a book. So there was a book and he placed this book before the Lord. So this was a record. that was eventually used by the chronicler. He is often called the chronicler, the person who put together the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. He used this and other materials that Samuel had in addition to all the other sources that he had at his disposal. So ultimately, we do not know who the author of these books was, but the author compiled records available to him from various sources, and one thing among many that we know positive things about the nation of Israel is that they kept very good records. In fact, there is no nation in antiquity that kept as fine of records as did the nation of Israel. And this obviously is because they were God's people. And these records would be passed on to the church when the New Testament period came. And so these are inspiring scripture. They are treasures for us. Now Samuel, again, is the main character of the two books, even though he is not the author. And his life is another one of several celebrated men of God in the Bible and the Old Testament whom God used to build his kingdom. Samuel's among men such as Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon. Don't forget Samuel, he goes in that list. Samuel's death is recorded near the end of the book. The first book, it says in 1 Samuel 25 in verse one, that Samuel died and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him and buried him at his house in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. Yet, although he dies early in the narrative of these two books that bear his name, He is still the main character. The reason he is still the main character is because God used Samuel to establish the kingship in Israel. That's no little feat. He used Samuel to establish kingship in Israel. You remember the lamentable situation that we read about in Judges chapter 21 and verse 25. The last verse, the closing word in the book of Judges is very sad. It speaks about the darkness of those days. And when it says in those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. So the assumption of that verse is that if there was a king, then the situation of anarchy on the part of the people would be remedied. And so in the life of Samuel, We read of how he anointed two kings in his lifetime. One, of course, was a bad king, the one that the people chose, and that is Saul, and the other king whom he anointed was a good king, and that king is the one whom the Lord chose. It's that simple. Saul is the king the people chose. He was a bad king. David is the king that the Lord chose. He was a good king. And that was a good choice. And as we shall see in our studies, kingship, although the people chose a king early on and that displeased the Lord, kingship was still part of the Lord's plan for Israel. And on Wednesday night, we discussed why that is the case. And a number of you said correctly that it was that David would bring into the world the Messiah who would be called the son of David. 1 Samuel 16 and verse 13 is God's choice of David, which we shall look at next week, God willing, at the same time, 9.30. So let's talk about Samuel's life a little bit, and let me give you three reasons why Samuel's life was precious. The first reason why Samuel's life was precious was his mother. His mother, Hannah, turn to chapter one of this book. Chapters one and two of 1 Samuel are all about Samuel's mother. Naturally, this reminds us right at the outset of how God can use a mother and how important a godly mother is in the kingdom of God. So let me even at the outset encourage you mothers to Seek with all your heart to be a woman of God and faithful to your calling. Because Samuel's life was precious because of his mother. In chapter one, you read of the distress of soul, of Hannah's soul and the provocation that was brought upon her. You read about her prayers and you see in her a woman of sincerity, of purity, of pure heart, of pure soul. a lover of God, a woman distressed by her circumstances, a woman who tasted the bitter fruit of the sin of polygamy. There was a rival wife there, and untold bitterness and curse comes when people engage in the sin of polygamy. We read about how Samuel was born to her, verse 19 of chapter one. Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah, his wife, and the Lord remembered her. It came about in due time after Hannah had conceived that she gave birth to a son and she named him Samuel, saying, because I have asked him of the Lord. because I have asked him of the Lord. And the man Elkanah went up with all his household to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up. For she said to her husband, I will not go up until the child is weaned. Then I will bring him that he may appear before the Lord and stay there forever. Elkanah, her husband said to her, do what seems best to you. Remain until you have weaned him. Only may the Lord confirm his word. So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flower and a jug of wine and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although the child was young. Isn't this an amazing thing? She's praying for a son and she wants to lavish all her love upon her firstborn son. But because she loves God more, she offers her son to the Lord for his service. And so this is the first reason why Samuel's life was precious because of his mother. The second reason why Samuel's life was precious, and of course you see in chapter two, which we'll study eventually on Wednesday nights, had a song of praise, and you see there just how devoted she was to the Lord. The second reason why his life was precious was his calling. And this is a great story, isn't it? Let's read it in 1 Samuel 3. Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days. Visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place. Now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well. And the lamp of God had not yet gone out and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. But the Lord called Samuel and said to him, the Lord called Samuel and he said, here I am. And he ran to Eli and said, here I am, for you called me. But he that is Eli said, I did not call, lie down again. So he went and lay down. The Lord called yet again, Samuel. So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, here I am, for you called me. But he answered, I did not call my son, lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, here I am, for you called me. Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, go, lie down, and it shall be if he calls you, that you shall say, speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said, speak, for your servant is listening. The Lord said to Samuel verse 11, behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. And that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever. So Samuel lay down until morning and he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. So you see here how precious this calling was, how unique, how definite, how clear, a little humorous too. God at times throws a little humor into his work throughout history. And you see a little bit of that here, but it tells us or shows us again, the second reason why the life of Samuel was so precious in the way that he was called, and also the circumstances of his calling, and also the content, the fear that Samuel felt at that time, knowing that he was being going to be used for a great purpose for, you see, Samuel begin to understand right at the outset of his life that is in his calling, that God was at work, that the Lord was moving in Israel, that this situation described at the end of the book of Judges, this situation perpetuated by Eli, the priest in his house, and Eli was a priest, and Judge Israel, it says later on in this book, for 40 years, this 40-year dynasty of evil on the part of one of God's own priests was going to be overturned, and it was Samuel whom God would use to do this work. So the first reason why Samuel's life was precious was his mother, her devotion, her love for God, her willingness to sacrifice the very boy for whom she prayed, Samuel's calling. And the third reason why his life was precious was the contrast. The contrast between Samuel Eli or Eli's house so 1st Samuel chapter 2 follow as I read verse 27 and that you will see as I read these passages by the sheer volume of revelation on this on the life of Eli here just how how serious this was 1st Samuel chapter 2 beginning of verse 27 then a man of God came to Eli and said to him I Thus says the Lord, did not I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage in Pharaoh's house? Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be my priests, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? Why do you kick at my sacrifice and my offering, which I have commanded in my dwelling? And honor your sons above me, by making yourselves fat with the choices of every offering of my people Israel. Therefore, the Lord God of Israel declares, I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before me forever. But now, the Lord declares, far be it from me. For those who honor me, I will honor. And those who despise me will be lightly esteemed. Behold, verse 31, God says the days are coming. when I will break your strength and the strength of your father's house so that there will not be an old man in your house. You will see the distress of my dwelling in spite of all the good that I do for Israel and an old man will not be in your house forever. Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from my altar so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve and all the increase of your house will die in the prime of life. This will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, on the same day, both of them will die. But I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to all what is in my heart and my soul, and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before my anointed always. Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and say, please assign me to one of the priest's offices so that I may eat a piece of bread. And then in chapter three, verse 10, which I read a few moments ago. And then in chapter four, verses 12 through 18. 1 Samuel chapter four, 12 through 18. Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head. When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road, eagerly watching. because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city and all the city cried out. When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, what does the noise of this commotion mean? And the man came hurriedly and told Eli. Eli was 98 years old and his eyes were set so that he could not see. The man said to Eli, I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today. And he said, how did things go, my son? Then the one who brought the news replied, Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the people. And your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken. When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel 40 years. Now his daughter-in-law Phinehas' wife was pregnant, and about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death, the women who stood by her said to her, do not be afraid, you have given birth to a son. But she did not answer or pay attention. And she called the boy Ichabod, saying the glory has departed from Israel. because the ark of God was taken because of her father-in-law and her husband. She said the glory has departed from Israel for the ark of God was taken. So I read these lengthy passages just to underscore the point that we're making here concerning Samuel's life. Samuel was a very special man in Bible history. I stated that he ranks among the great men of God like Abraham and Moses and David and Solomon. And his life was precious because of his godly mother. God used Hannah to bring him into the world. God used Hannah to pray him into the world, you might say. God used Hannah to devote him to the work. She was not an obstacle. She rather committed to fostering and promoting the work of the kingdom of God through her own son. And God blessed her with more children afterwards. She did not really lose a son. She established a blessing in the nation of Israel and no doubt found great joy in that, in the fruit of her consecration to the Lord. But also Samuel's life was precious because of his calling. The Lord called him in a very clear and definite way. And the Lord made it clear to him what his work would be. And he prepared him as God prepared all of his prophets by way of encouragement, There were encouragements and there are encouragements for God's servants. But there are also discouragements for which he prepares them, he warns them, he tells them, this calling is not easy. The calling of God is not easy. Even as Christians, we know that we have a glorious calling from God and we have forgiveness of sins and eternal life and there are pleasures, many pleasures at God's right hand now and forever. But the Christian life is hard. And through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. And so it's no different for any of us who are called unto salvation as it was for Samuel who was called to the work of ministry in the nation of Israel. But the clearest thing of all, the most amazing thing of all is that Samuel's life is, a life is especially precious when you put it against a very dark backdrop. That's always true. no matter what circumstances are going on in the world at any time in human history, when God's people shine as lights because of their faith, their trust, their devotion to God and their confidence that God is working out his purposes in dark days, just as you see here. These descriptions that I just read about the contrast between Eli, his sons, and Samuel is so dark. And even throughout history, we see in much of history, God's people live against a dark backdrop. where sin is at work. Powers and forces and rulers and authorities are at work from the heavenly places, working in earthly places of power and authority, but God's people shine. God's people shine in the darkness. And so I urge you to shine, let your light shine, even in these days. So firstly then, we've talked about Samuel's wonderful life. I think Samuel is among the neglected, in the Old Testament. But I hope to show you now, I hope I'm showing you now and hope in our Bible studies that you will come to appreciate the magnitude of his life. Now, secondly, we'll talk about Samuel's ministry. Now, Samuel was never anointed as the king of Israel. He anointed Saul, he anointed David, but he was never a king. He was a judge. That was his ministry. And that is what our text says. He judged Israel. In fact, it says that three times, 1 Samuel 7, 15, Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. Verse 16, he judged Israel in all these places. Verse 17, he judged Israel and built there an altar to the Lord. So at three times in those three verses, God says, he judged Israel. He judged Israel. He judged Israel. So this is an important ministry, it's a vital ministry and Samuel had it. That was his calling, that was his official, that was his capacity, that was his official work, he was a judge. Now let me take you through some passages in the Old Testament which show us the history of the judges or judges in Israel. The first one I'll read and you don't need to turn to it because it's just one statement. In Genesis 49 and verse 16, it's the first statement that you have about this matter. where it says that Dan, who is one of the 12 sons of Jacob, it says that Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. First reference to judging in Israel. Now the second one is found in Exodus chapter 18, and I ask you to turn there. This is a lengthy passage, and it's a foundation passage for this office of judge in Israel, and Moses here was the judge. Exodus 18, verses 14 through 21, I will read. Now, you have to remember that Moses is judging a wilderness people. They're wandering in the wilderness. They're living in tents. There's no capital like we have today. There is no court of justice. They're just in the wilderness. You have tents, tents of meeting. And it says in verse 14 of Exodus chapter 18 that Moses, when Moses' father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening? Imagine the scene there. Verse 15, Moses said to his father-in-law, that's Jethro, because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, it comes to me. And I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and his laws. So this is essentially what the judges did in Israel. The people went to Moses to ask what is God's will. If they have a dispute, they're fighting, they go to Moses, he's the mediator, he's the judge, that's what judges do, they make a judgment about a case, a dispute. And he judges between a man and his neighbor. And he also makes known the statutes of God and his law, so it's a beautiful, it's a beautiful setup, if you will, it's a divine setup. You have a man of God on the earth, you have the people of God, People have problems, people have disputes, people have areas of ignorance, they don't know the will of God. The man of God does know the will of God, for he's in contact with God. To Moses, God reveals his will, so Moses is acting as a judge here. And then you have, of course, this added situation where Jethro is counseling him that it's too much, you can't do this alone. In verses 19 through 21, he comes up with a nice solution. Verse 21, Jethro says, furthermore, you shall select out of all the people, able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain, and you shall place them over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. Verse 32, let them judge the people at all times, and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. Well, you understand the principle here of delegation. Let them take care of the minor disputes, because they happen all the time. They're very regular, and they almost don't need a lot of wisdom. You just give a solution for that particular minor dispute. But a major dispute, like the one that Solomon faced, remember, when he was king, about the child. That's a major dispute. How do you deal with those two mothers who are both claiming that this child is theirs? And so Solomon says, well, cut the child in half and give one half to one and one half to the other. So that's like a major dispute because Solomon had wisdom. He knew that the true mother would say no and sacrifice having the child and she then receives the child. That's a major dispute, but you see the situation here, In the wilderness that is described in Exodus 18 is the ideal situation. It's the same way with Samuel. When Samuel was the judge, God was the king. That's the ideal situation. That's a theocracy. God is the king. He has his judges who are men of integrity. They don't take bribes. They're not in it for the money. There's no dishonest gain, verse 21. They're men of truth, they don't lie. They don't call evil good and good evil. That's a perfect situation. And then you have in the book of Deuteronomy, I'll mention some verses here, you don't need to turn to them. Deuteronomy 16, Deuteronomy, I'm sorry, chapter one, verses 16 and 17. where Moses said, I charged your judges at that time, saying, hear the cases between your fellow countrymen. Judge righteously between a man and his fellow countrymen, or the alien who is with him. You shall not show partiality in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will bear it. I will hear it. So here he's telling the people as they're gathered there on the plains of Moab, they're about ready to enter into the land. This is what happened in Exodus chapter 18 when Jethro gave that good advice and the difference between the big cases and the small cases. But notice God is the King. The judgment is God's. The judgment is God's. The judge just communicates the judgment of God. That's a theocracy. God is the King. The judges are in touch and in tune with God. They're men of God. They go to the Lord. They inquire of the Lord. Lord, what is your will in this situation among men? And they, without any disloyalty or without any corruption in their hearts, they pronounce the judgment. Deuteronomy 16, verses 18 through 20. You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns. which the Lord your God is giving you according to your tribes and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not distort justice, you shall not be partial, you shall not take a bribe for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. Justice and only justice you shall pursue that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you. This is justice in the Old Testament context carried out by righteous men of God with God as their king. And you can't expect to have that today in a modern society where there's no theocracy. But that's the ideal in Israel. Judges chapter two. Let's turn to this passage, please. Judges chapter two, 16th through 19th. Since it's a little more lengthy. Judges chapter two, 16th through 19th. Judges 2.16, and the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bound themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord. they did not do as their fathers. When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. But it came about when the judge died that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers and following other gods and serving to serve them and bow down to them. They did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. And then finally, you have Judges 21, 25. In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his sight, in his own eyes. And so back to our text, 1 Samuel 7, verse 15. We see now with this backdrop, Samuel's ministry 1st Samuel 17 15 through 17 First Samuel 7 15 As you often find in the Bible you have here a brief summary summary statement But as we just did attempted to do We need to find to look at the background of this statement for Samuel 7.15. Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He used to go annually on circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places, and then returned to Ramah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel, and he built there an altar to the Lord. There's something very pleasant about this summary, isn't there? There's something very peaceful about it. It doesn't say a whole lot here, but if you put it in the context of Samuel's life, And what God was doing in Israel and how he was purging Eli's house at that time, this is a very idyllic scene. Samuel was a faithful judge. He was one of the finest judges Israel ever knew. Probably Moses ranks a close second, or maybe they would be tied. It was an ideal situation. God was Israel's king in heaven. Samuel was Israel's judge on the earth. It was a true theocracy. There was no king on the earth. And so it was not a monarchy. It was not a theocratic monarchy as we talked about on Wednesday night. You have theocracy where God is the king. There is no king on the earth. You have a monarchy. We've seen monarchies in history. Some nations, the British nation, and you have monarchies there and you still have them today. but not theocratic monarchies. Israel's was a theocratic monarchy. And so it was an ideal situation. And the big picture of Samuel's ministry that we derive from these texts is that it was a ministry characterized by faithfulness and fervency. Verses 15 through 17, you can see those two words oozing out of this summary statement. Faithfulness and fervency. Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He was faithful all the days of his life. He did not decline the history of the kings in the book of 1st and 2nd Kings. 2nd Kings in particular is a history of decline. You have good kings, bad kings. You have good kings who turn into bad kings. You don't have this faithfulness like you had with Samuel. So the big picture is faithfulness and fervency. That's the sense of verse 16. He used to go annually on circuit to Bethlehem, Gilgal, and Mishpah. He didn't miss anything. It doesn't mean he, He did his judging wherever he was, but he had this annual circuit so that it would be complete because his heart was fervent for the Lord. But thirdly now, we want then to come to the issue that I just mentioned, Samuel's heart. Samuel's heart, we've talked about his life, the three reasons why his life was precious, his ministry, giving a background of the work of judging in Israel, and now we consider his heart, which is referred to at the end of verse 17 of our text. and there he built an altar to the Lord. The reason why Samuel was so effective, the reason why Samuel's life and ministry was so precious, the reason why Samuel ranks among the great men of God in Israel is because he had a heart for God, a heart of worship. He loved to worship the Lord. And this is just a, it's just an inkling But this is characteristic of Samuel's entire life. There he built an altar to the Lord. It means that Samuel worshiped God wherever he was and he worshiped God in the appointed place. He built an altar to the Lord for there was no temple. And so by building an altar to the Lord, as the patriarchs did when they traveled in their pilgrim wanderings, they came to a new place and they built an altar to the Lord. This was their claim Dedication to the Lord. He built an altar to the Lord. Samuel's heart was one for worship. Is that your heart? Is that, you know, people say, what makes you tick? Is that what makes you tick ultimately? To worship God? Our brother Ed preached recently on the text in 1 Corinthians 10 31. Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Citing the catechism question, what is the chief end of man? And is it not to worship the Lord and enjoy Him, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever? To glorify Him now by worshiping? Is there any better way to glorify God than ultimately to worship Him? He listed all the different ways that we can glorify God, and that is all correct. But is there any other way ultimately to glorify God but to worship Him? And that's what Samuel did. That was the heart of Samuel. You know, this is an issue where, which we as Christians today living in the world in which we live, we have to really assess our lives, our lifestyles, our schedules, our involvement with things in the world to make sure that we don't crowd out the Lord in our private and corporate worship. But the second thing about Samuel's heart is seen in his own description of himself in chapter 12. Chapter 12, and this has to do with his integrity, his purity. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. That sixth beatitude, blessed are the pure in heart, speaks of a person's integrity, his soundness, his blamelessness, and it fits with worship. How can you worship the Lord while clinging to sins in your life or in your heart? Well, Samuel did not do that. And when he stood before the people in 1 Samuel 12 and verse two, all Israel, verse one, He said to all Israel, I have listened to your voice and all that you said to me and I have appointed a king over you. Now verse two, here is the king walking before you, but I am old and gray. Behold, my sons are with you and I have walked before you for my youth even to this day. Here I am, bear witness against me before the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you. They said, you have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man's hand. As it says of Jesus, as he said, which one of you convicts me of sin? It's the same thing. They couldn't convict Samuel of any sin. He said to them, The Lord is witness against you and his anointed is witness this day that you have found nothing in my hand. And they said, he is witness. And Samuel said to the people, it is the Lord who appoint, I'll stop there, verses two through five. So Samuel's heart is characterized by worship and integrity. I think it's an early look at what Jesus said. about New Testament times, although the situation is very different in New Testament times, that the hour is coming and now is when those who worship the father will worship him in spirit and truth. And we must remember that great changes attended that worshiping in spirit and truth, there is no more temple, there is no more form. But on the other hand, I think in the life of Samuel, you see some of this spirit and truth, even in his life, he worships in spirit and truth. He's a faithful judge under a sovereign king. He worships the spirit and truth. He worships, he builds altars to the Lord and his life is characterized by purity in his spirit, in the depths of his heart. There is truth there. There is no lying. There is no deception. There is no partiality. There is no taking a bribe. There are no other motives. There is no conflicting motive in Samuel. His heart is pure. His eye is clear. He doesn't serve two masters. He only serves one master. He doesn't serve God and mammon. His eye is clear. He sees God. His heart is pure. He's the faithful judge under a sovereign king. He's the model judge. And then in Israel you have, at other times you have these faithless judges who call for an earthly king. And then God appoints this king. As he says here in chapter 12, I did what you asked me. Here's the king you asked for. And he would later on tell them exactly what the custom of this king was going to be and all the things that he was going to do to them. And Saul did those things until God appointed and chose his own king, David. And Saul had the joy. I'm sure it was a great joy for him having already anointed Saul some years prior to that. Thinking what a what a horrific choice for the nation that I love now. He gets to anoint David God's chosen one and There is fulfillment in his heart for sure God appoints and chooses a king David and then you have Solomon and aside from Solomon's fall Solomon was a great king He consolidated the Empire he was we would call an international king. The kingdom had international influence. Even the queen of Sheba came to see Solomon's wisdom. And as sad as the life of Solomon became, his repentance was even greater. And what stands out to us in the life of Solomon is not so much his fall and his many wives, but his repentance. Because the book of Ecclesiastes is the testimony of Solomon's repentance. In all of this, I summarize by referring to the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter eight. As we talk about judging in Israel, bad judges, this great judge and kings. Paul says in Romans chapter eight, what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did. Sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. What the law could not do, weak as it was in the flesh, as glorious as the life of Samuel is, or was, and is, the whole of the law was weak. It wasn't bad. The law is good, Paul said in Romans 7. It's not bad, it's good, but it's weak. It's weak, and why is it weak? There's only one reason why it's weak. Is it because the law needs Christ? Well, the law pointed to Christ. So did Samuel's judgeship point to Christ, because Christ is the judge. The kingship pointed to Christ. David was the ideal king and Jesus is his son. And he was a good king. These kings, David, Solomon, they had their sins. and their flaws and their weaknesses, but this just underscores again what Paul said in Romans 8 in verse three, what the law could not do, weak as it was to the flesh, God did, sending his only son. And so the story is complete when we come to Jesus, when the story terminates on Jesus. It doesn't end, but it terminates and it begins and it flowers and it gives birth. Everything starts with Jesus. Lord, thank you so much for the life of Samuel, your chosen judge in Israel, and for his faithfulness and his fervency, worshiping the Lord with integrity, such an integrity that not one person in Israel could even hint at a sin or even try to float the idea of a sin in the life of Samuel. They all agreed instantly that there was nothing in Samuel's hands or in his life that convicted him of sin in his work and in his life. We thank you for him and pray that as we study the books of 1 and 2 Samuel in the weeks ahead, that you will help us, Lord, to see your power at work in the lives of men and nations. We ask it in Christ's name, amen. Alright.