
00:00
00:00
00:01
Transcript
1/0
Welcome to the preaching ministry of Tri-City Baptist Church in Chandler, Arizona. Our desire is that God would be magnified through the preaching of His Word, and that Christians would be challenged, strengthened, and edified in their personal walk with Christ. I invite you to take your Bibles this morning and turn with me to the Old Testament, to 1 Samuel. We're going to be looking at the second chapter, though we're going to really be seeing the context beginning in the first chapter, as we are continuing our focus on investing for eternity. This is our theme for the year, and looking at that theme, we've looked at various aspects of how to invest, taking that from Matthew 6, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. and that we look at various areas how we could invest. We consider the importance of investing our time for eternity. This morning I want us to consider the aspect of our family and the eternal investment there, that we would look at that, that we would understand the importance of that. The story that we find in this passage is a common but regrettable story. The emotional pain that was being experienced was really compounded by a societal stigma. And if that weren't enough, it included the cutting words of an adversary. One that really should have been a friend. While the trauma of her situation has been shared by many others, both past and present, the reality of the situation was that this woman felt the grief all by herself. She's introduced in the first chapter, the second verse of 1 Samuel. The woman, Hannah, is identified by a key piece of the story, and that piece was that she was unable to have children. The joy in Hannah's life, the evidence of her husband's love that was there, the security that her needs were met by his generosity toward her was really overshadowed by the constant cloud of infertility. And what emotions did she experience? The disappointment that grew into depression, grief at the failure to conceive, guilt because there would be that unanswered question, was there something in her life that had caused this fault? Her husband, Elkanah, loved her and expressed his love and great generosity. As you read the first chapter, you find that being laid out, but unfortunately, that did not remove the pain. He also had a second wife, Paniah, had children, and then cruelly mocked the condition over which Hannah had no control. And while the details are limited, it's very possible that Elkina took a second wife because of Hannah's infertility. We don't know that for sure, but knowing the culture of that day, knowing the importance of striving to keep your family line going through having a son, it's very possible. It would explain Elkina's very clear love for Hannah, and also the rivalry that was created between these wives. I cringe at the really lack of sensitivity of Elkina as he tries to comfort his wife. And in chapter 1, verse 8, he says, you know, why do you grieve? Am I not better for you than ten sons? I'm not sure he really wanted her to answer that question. Because of the deep emotion, the pain, the hurt. His question, wouldn't you rather have me than ten sons? He may not want that answered. The emotional trauma of being childless was intensified in Bible times because the culture really attached a stigma to that pain. And we find examples throughout Scripture. The example of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Of Jacob and Rachel. of Zechariah and Elizabeth in the New Testament, and now in the opening verses of 1 Samuel, of Hannah, who knew that sorrow of barrenness. And yet, in spite of the pain, in spite of her disappointment, in spite of those unanswered prayers, she does not grow bitter. She does not blame God or turn away from heartfelt worship. Over and over we find Hannah coming in worship. And instead of lashing out at God, she actually pours her heart out to the Lord. And what we find is the Lord answers her prayer. She gives birth to a baby, a baby boy, and we find his name here in this book. Samuel. Now, I've given you an abbreviated account of the context of our passage, and many of you are very familiar with the story, and we know about Samuel and how God's going to use him. But I hope that we can contemplate the lesson, because I want us to consider this morning the eternal family investment of what God can do with our families, and that what God is doing in this story is more than just about meeting Hannah's sorrow and answering her prayer. that there's much more going on. In fact, what we're going to see in chapter 2 is really the tale of two families. It's the contrast between the son of Elkina and the family of Eli. Or probably more specifically, between a devoted mother and a careless father. The difference between Hannah and Eli. And then when we look at the offspring, we see the consecration of Samuel and the corruption of Eli's sons. The story highlights the need for godly leadership. And in the process, it provides really valuable examples for us to learn from the bad example and to emulate the good example. And to understand that we need to pursue the eternal values with our family. What I want us to see this morning is that your family must ponder and pursue that which has eternal value. I want us to consider that from this passage, that Hannah prays fervently, vowing to give a child, that boy, to the Lord for service, and God answers her prayer with the birth of Samuel. And in that answer to the prayer, there's a bigger picture that is taking place. That God has a plan for Israel. And it's actually pointing even further down the road in God's redemptive plan of the coming of the Messiah. In the establishment of the monarchy, a king who has the heart of the Lord, which will then set up the Davidic throne on which Jesus Christ will sit. But it begins with the Lord raising up a faithful priest. And then we'll see there are eternal ramifications. If you have your Bibles open to 1 Samuel, look at chapter 2. I'm going to begin our reading in verse 26, because it really gives us a concise picture of what is taking place here. In 1 Samuel 2, beginning in verse 26. It says, And the child Samuel grew in stature and in favor both with the Lord and men. Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, thus says the Lord, did I not clearly reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering, which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people? Therefore, the Lord God of Israel says, I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before me forever. But now, the Lord says, far be it from Me. For those who honor Me, I will honor. And those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house so that there will not be an old man in your house. And you will be seen as an enemy in my dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be an old man in your house forever. But any of your young men, whom I do not cut off from my altar, shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. Now this shall be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, Anhofni and Phinehas, in one day they shall die, both of them. Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house and he shall walk before mine anointed forever." Let's look to the Lord in prayer. Father, as we look into your Word this morning, as we consider the examples that you have given us here in this passage, that we pray that we truly would have a heart for you, both individually and then in our families and in our church. Help us to learn from both the example of Hannah and Samuel and the negative example that you have given us of Eli. to seek you with our whole heart. And that we truly would say, as Joshua did, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Lord, help that to be the prayer of our ministry. For it's in Christ's name we ask this. Amen. In this passage, we see two families. And I want us to consider the importance of really pondering and pursuing that which is eternal within our families. Now, originally, 1 and 2 Samuel were one book in the Hebrew Bible. It covers the period of transition from the judges to the kings. The historical record contained here is the prophetic ministry of Samuel, and that is God is establishing a monarchy and choosing a man after his own heart who will rule his people. What is highlighted is the need for godly leadership. It's presented in the opening chapters of this book. And to properly understand Old Testament narratives, it's important to recognize that God is working on multiple levels. Really, the top level is God's universal plan in the redemptive history that is God is at work moving things toward His purpose and His end. That that is the big picture overview. The middle level is of God's dealing with Israel. And moving here from the judges to the monarchy. The problem of the judges, that every man was doing that which was right in his own eyes. And the complications that creates. And that ultimately there's going to be a king, a messiah will come from that kingly line, which takes us back to the top level. And the bottom level, which is what we read and easily understand, is God's working through individual stories. That people living at a specific time with burdens and problems and trials and how God is working in their lives. But I tell you this because you will not properly understand the individual stories if you're not aware of the bigger plan. And I think it's important for us to also understand then that God has a plan for our lives that's about more than just us. That He wants to use us for His glory. Unto Him be glory in the church. And that we are members of that body, the bride of Christ. And that God is working with a bigger plan. So it's important that we don't just consider our own individual family events, but also that we're investing our family with an eternal focus. investing for eternity, considering our life commitment, our time commitment, and our family commitment. The first thing I want us to see though from this passage is that we must dedicate our families to faithfully serve the Lord. That that ought to be the desire. That the opening verses of chapter 2, the first ten verses are Hannah's really praise in song, that prayer in song of God's working. Of God's goodness and celebrating God's greatness. It's a culmination of her pouring out her heart in chapter 1. In fact, at the end of chapter 1, verses 27 and 28, it says, for this child I prayed, and the Lord has answered my prayer. The Lord has given me my petition, granted my petition that I asked Him. And so Hannah says then in verse 28, therefore, I also have lent Him to the Lord. As long as He lives, He will be lent to the Lord. And so they worshiped the Lord there. It's the culmination as she's poured out her heart year after year, going to Shiloh, the place to worship. And as she would go to this place, that she came with that sorrowful spirit that she did not have a child. I think it's important, though, as we see what she is doing, that we never minimize the place of children in God's plan. One of the things I appreciate, and I've said many times about Tri-City Baptist Ministries, is the commitment to children. beginning with Time for Tots, with Tri-City Christian Academy, and seeking to invest with our children's church program, with Awana. What are we seeking to do? We're trying to reach and invest in the lives of children. And never underestimate God's working. You know, it was a young girl, we don't even know her name, in 2 Kings 5, that told Naaman of the prophet Elisha, who could cure his leprosy. It was that little girl telling her master about the prophet. It was a young boy that we find that came with five loaves and two fish that Jesus used to feed 5,000 men. You know, I think there's a minor miracle just in getting a young boy to give up his lunch, let alone the Lord using it to feed 5,000. But we don't know his name either. But God used him. It's Samuel, as a child, serving the Lord faithfully, and then God is going to speak to Samuel to give word of his judgment to Eli. That's not an easy message for a boy to deliver. But God used him. Samuel is serving in Eli's home because of a godly, prayerful mother. A woman poured out her heart in prayer. Unfortunately, as she's pouring out her heart in prayer, what we see is that Eli misinterprets it. And we see in this passage, Eli's hasty conclusion resulted in a wrong evaluation and a false accusation. He's sitting there and sees this woman praying. He thinks she's drunk. Her lips are moving, no sound is coming out, but in her praying, she's moving her lips but not speaking verbally. The burden of her heart has found expression in a voiceless prayer. And so in verses 11 and 12 of chapter 1, we find her pleading, pouring out her soul to the Lord, and dedicating any son that she might have, that if God would give her this child, that she would give him back to the Lord. And as she prays, Eli's sitting there watching. He thinks she's intoxicated. And he's not gonna have that in this place of worship, so he confronts her. I wonder if that says something about the culture of that day. Again, this is the period of the judges where everyone's doing what's right in their own eyes. Maybe this has happened before, but he misinterprets it. And rather than asking, he confronts. She expresses that she's not drunk, but she should not, in fact, it says in verse 16, she should not be considered a wicked woman. It's an interesting statement. We're going to come back to it in just a moment. But rather, she shares her heart, her burden. She says, this is my burden. And Eli then tells her, God will answer her prayer. What a joy that was when this child is born. And now she is following through on what she had promised. And what we see is, what you lend to the Lord is never lost. Here, Samuel is born. And Hannah does not go back to Shiloh while he is an infant. As her husband goes up to worship, she says, no, I'm not going until he's weaned. And he's probably about three, maybe four years old, and she says, then I will go and I will present him to the Lord. And so as this young child, she brings Samuel to Eli and puts him into Eli's home. When I read these chapters, I'm not sure I would have wanted that home for my child. But Eli is faithful in directing him to the Lord, and he's coming out from a home with a godly mother and father. And as we read through these chapters, we find that every year, Hannah would come back, and she would bring a new outfit for him, that he would serve, and as he worshiped the Lord, and that he would wear this robe, a little robe, and she would bring it on those yearly visits. Do you wonder what those conversations were at the home? As Hannah, she doesn't have a sewing machine. She's doing this by hand. She's getting the cloth and saying, I wonder how much he grew this year. Do you think this will be big enough? Maybe I need to put some darts in it so that it can be taken out through the year. And year by year, as she's preparing this robe, see what she lent to the Lord, she didn't lose. And then to see him growing and serving the Lord, And as we see this taking place, Samuel wasn't home. He's serving God, but that connection. And now in chapter 2, verse 20, Eli says, the Lord give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the Lord. She prayed for a son. She ends up with three more sons and two daughters. Now, God doesn't always reward that way. But God never forgets our labor of love. He always remembers our service for Him. And the godly life of Samuel really is a distinguishing characteristic in this passage as it's a contrast to the failure of Eli's sons. And the second thing I want us to see then is that we need to direct our family to faithfully worship the Lord. We dedicate our family, we direct them in worship. It says in verse 11 of chapter 2, then Elkanah went to his house in Ramah, but the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest. They directed Samuel here. You know, our families are the primary learning community that God uses to direct them to the Lord. This is why it's so important that we think of our families with an eternal investment mindset. The very nature of life is meant to be taught in the context of family. Because it's in the mundane things of life. It's in those little moments that we direct the hearts, and it's the essence of our time. Those seconds that we have that are fleeting, that we have to redeem the time. Well, it happens in the minor things of life. I've said many times in parenting classes, when children are young, the days are long, but the years are short. It's like, man, this was a long day, but then you look back and say, where'd the years go? It's in those little things that we need to teach them to love the Lord. That God must be the God of the little moments, because that's the essence of our time. And this is particularly true when it comes to worship. The church is not here to replace parents. We're here to equip parents for the task. And as I've mentioned, we seek to do that at multiple levels, but you can never delegate your parental responsibility to the Awana leaders. to the youth pastor, to the Christian school teacher. They can assist, but not replace you. You need to teach, and we're here to help. So how do we strive to make life work? Where do we look for satisfaction? Our kids are going to pick up. Our values are going to be caught much more than taught. Will they emulate us in worship? What do we worship? Everyone's a worshiper. including our children. The question is, where are they going to bow down? We need to help direct their hearts. One of the jobs of the priests, according to Ezekiel 44, verse 23, was the priests were to teach God's people the difference between what was holy and unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. That was the job of the priests. Unfortunately, Eli failed in that with his children. Eli's sons went to the same Christian school that Samuel did. So what was the difference? Eli's sons knew their father's religion, but not their father's God. This was a statement my father-in-law made many years ago, and it stuck with me. I wrote it down. Eli's sons knew their father's religion, but they didn't know their father's God. They knew how to go through the motions. They went through Eli's school. They learned from him, but they didn't learn his God. They learned the motions. We need to be careful that we never simply go through the motions. In verse 12, if you look at chapter 2, verse 12, it says, Now the sons of Eli were corrupt. They did not know the Lord. Literally, and I actually have a note in my Bible saying literally, they were sons of Belial. It's interesting because that's the very thing that Hannah said, don't accuse me of back in verse 16 of chapter one. She said, don't view me as a daughter of Belial, a wicked, worthless woman. Eli in his haste thought she was drunk. And she said, no, don't put me in that category. But he should have put his sons in that category because God did. They were wicked, corrupt. And through this passage you find the comparison, the contrast. In my study Bible, this is my preaching Bible, I don't mark it up so I don't get lost in the notes, but I've drawn lines. Because you see in verse 10 of chapter 2, the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces. And then we have an example of that in Eli's sons. You see it in verse 12, verse 17, verse 25, verse 29, verse 34. You see what's happening with Eli's sons. In verse 9, it says, he will guard the feet of his saints. And then we see Samuel's life. Verse 11, verse 18, verse 21, verse 26, verse 35. You see the difference between these two. But what's highlighted is the failure of Eli's sons, the wickedness. Yes, they're going through religious motions, but there's no heart for God. In fact, there's a number of characteristics that we see in these boys. The first one is they're selfish. Verses 15 and 16. God provided detailed steps for the sacrifices, of how the sacrifices were to be made, the seriousness that these sacrifices are pointing to, we know, pointing to the coming Lamb of God. But this was a way that people could come to the Lord even though they were sinful. That God would forgive sins. It highlighted God's grace. But it also, there was very clear direction of how the priests were to receive food from the sacrifice. And they wouldn't follow this. It says in verse 15, also before they burned the fat, the priest's servants would come and say to the man who sacrificed, give me meat for roasting to the priest. For he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw. And if a man said, they should really burn the fat first, then you may take as much as your heart desires, he would then answer and say, no, but you must give it now. If not, I will take it by force. God had laid out, they were to burn the fat. The cooking of the fat, the burning of it would be like the steaks on a grill. That sweet aroma in the nostrils of God that this was a sacrifice for sin. That this was, they were coming with the right heart, and God, that aroma, there was a way to the senses of appealing of what God was doing. And understand that our life is to be that. It says in Ephesians 5, verse 2, it spoke of Christ giving himself as a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. The death of Christ was being pictured in the burning of that fat that there's an aroma that would come. In Philippians 4.18, it speaks of service to the Lord as a sweet-smelling aroma that is acceptable to the Lord. In 2 Corinthians 2, it talks about those who are serving faithfully to God. It's the fragrance of life to life. You know, aromas linger. Back at the beginning of the year, my wife and I went out to the mall, and we know that there are certain after-Christmas sales in certain stores. So we walked into one of the stores, and just the department we walked into, you got hit with the smell of perfume. And my wife said, that's just way too strong. And so we got in, and she went to the ladies department, and I knew where the sales would be if they had anything I wanted in the men's department. As I'm walking by, I'm walking by the cologne, the men's fragrance stand, and I see this logo that I recognize, not because I've ever been part of it, but they make very expensive writing instruments. It's Montblanc, and they have a very distinct logo. Now, they have $1,000 fountain pens. $800 ballpoint pens. And I enjoy looking at their displays in international airports, you know, because they've got a whole store and I'm looking and, you know, you walk in and somebody's, can I help you? No, I'm just looking. Believe me, I'm just looking. Because there's no way I'm gonna spend $800 on a ink pen because I'm gonna lose it. And I'm walking by this counter, but they've got this very distinct mark. It's this little white cap, like the top of a mountain. The White Mountain, Mont Blanc. And so I'm looking, and I see it in the fragrance. I thought, I know they make ink pens. I didn't know they made, and I thought, I wonder what this smells like. So I, you know, spray the sample on my hand. It's like, yeah, that's pretty strong, and I walk off. Well, later we get in the car, and we're sitting there, and all of a sudden I see my wife going. I'm like, uh-oh. She's like, I'm wondering if I picked up the scent in this. Like, no, I have to confess. And I told her what had happened. It's like, well, you know, fragrances linger. I did it just walking by and out of curiosity. You know, you make $1,000 ink pens, you know, what's your cologne smell like? It didn't smell like ink. But I'm walking by, but you know, fragrances linger. Unfortunately, something stinks in Shiloh. Because the way they are treating the sacrifices, Eli's sons are despising the burnt offerings. And more than that, they're being spiritual bullies. If somebody says, no, you're really supposed to burn this first, we understand how the sacrifices are, and they're saying, no, if you don't give it to me, I'm just taking it. They're using their position in serving the Lord to bully others. That is a horrible thing. It shows their selfishness. Secondly, they're profane. They're really sacrilegious. I mean, they wouldn't even wait or follow God's direction. And they're going through the motions. They have no respect for what they're participating in. They have a contempt for the very thing that God has provided to deal with their sin. It says, therefore, the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord because they abhorred the offering of the Lord. They had no respect for what they were doing. They're just going through the motions, and they're getting fat off of it. And so they're profane, and more than that, they're immoral. It says in verse 22, now Eli was very old, and he heard everything his sons did. to all Israel, and how they lay with women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Eli's old, his eyesight is gone. In fact, in chapter 4, verse 15, it tells us that his eyesight had faded, but his hearing hasn't. And what he hears is not good. Here, his sons are involved in immorality at the very place that people are coming to seek forgiveness. And what we see is they love their lust, And they loathed the light. They had no respect for spiritual things. They were profane, they were immoral, and more than that, they were stubborn. Verse 25, if one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him? Nevertheless, they did not hear the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to kill them. That is a frightening verse. It's a warning. Do not harden your hearts. Eli is now coming to them saying, boys, you shouldn't be doing this. This isn't good. But he's too late. They're calloused. They're hardened. We need to be on guard. It says in Hebrews 3, verse 13, Exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. And verse 15, Today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. You know, I wonder when it was that these boys first began to cut corners and think it was okay. And how the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the conviction that came, it's like, you know, I really shouldn't do this, but they ignored it. And over and over. You don't get to this point. in just one decision. There's a process here. It's a process of hardening, a process of toying with little sins, and then those become bigger and assuming it's no big deal. How did they get there? Because verse 17 tells us they were young men. They haven't been at this a real long time, but they've become calloused. They're hardened. Samuel is sensitive to the voice of the Lord. Hophniah is hardened. Phineas, there's this willfulness. Again, I don't know, Bible doesn't tell us, but I speculate they probably made fun of Samuel. I mean, here's this young boy faithfully serving the Lord in the same house with their dad. I'm sure they ridiculed him. They were the ones who belittled somebody who's trying to do the right thing. But God sees both hearts. And it reached a point that now, Eli's saying, boys, you shouldn't be doing this, and God is going to destroy them. And sometimes we come to this and say, well, you know, how can God do that? Folks, we always need to understand, God is a king, not a beggar. He's given us the invitation to come, but the Bible also says, seek the Lord while he may be found. There's coming a day when we can't find Him. So, the warning of Hebrews, do not harden your heart. That's why we need a church family. That's why we need one another to speak into our lives. That's why we have a Fifth Sunday Fellowship. It's not simply so we have free time and we can talk about sports and weather and when is it going to warm up in the valley. No, it's so we can encourage one another spiritually. You have somebody that speaks into your life. You have somebody who can encourage you because Satan wants to isolate us. These boys became stubborn. Don't harden your heart in thinking that sin's no big deal. Sin's always a big deal. It says in Proverbs 22, 11, even a child is known by his deeds. Whether that he does is pure and right. Boys and girls, how you act at school, at home, in youth group, tell us what direction you're heading. You need to be careful. Don't think sin is no big deal. God is gracious. God is merciful. God is patient. But there is a line. And we need to be cautious there. This verse scares me. The Lord would kill them. Because of their hardness, because of their selfishness, their immorality, their profanity toward spiritual things, their disregard. Yeah, they're going through the motions. They'd come to the tabernacle. They'd come to church. They'd memorize verses. But there was no heart for God. They didn't know the Lord. They were sons of Belial. Wicked men. I want us to see as well, we need to commit to consistently influence others for the Lord. Our children need godly leadership. They need to respond. They need parental supervision, especially in spiritual things. None of us are predisposed to holiness and righteousness. In Romans 3, it tells us there's none righteous, no, not one. We all go our own way. Therefore, we need to help guide them. They lack wisdom and the desire for correction. No child comes and says, yeah, I really need to be corrected. No, they don't like that. Our natural bent is selfish. They lack discernment. Many times in choosing friends, we need to be aware. They're vulnerable to sexual temptation, and especially in the wickedness of our culture. They tend to live in the moment rather than think about eternity. There's a lack of heart awareness. You know, Samuel had a heart bent for serving the Lord. Hophnii and Phinehas pursued the pleasures of this world. Which way do our children bend? We need to help direct them. Do you know the idols of their hearts? Do you know where their heart tends to go, the weaknesses? You know, one of the desires in Christian education, whether that be in homeschool, whether it's in Nahuatl, whether it's in Sunday school, whether it's in a Christian school, but Christian education is to give a heart for God. To build Christ-like character. And then third, to develop biblical discernment. That's to take God's Word and apply it to life. It's not merely academics. It's to have wisdom. Eli shunned trouble and exertion. I think he was timid and mild until it was too late. And by the time he got motivated to correct his sons, they're so entrenched in sin that they are marked for destruction by God. I see Eli as careless and passive. He refused to rein in his sons. In the Old Testament, there was very clear direction of how to deal with a stubborn, rebellious son. Deuteronomy 21 has some very specific details. But I'm sure if Eli threatened his boys, no, dad's not following through. There was no follow through. Maybe he just excused it. You know, boys will be boys. Yeah, sinners will be sinners. You know, they're sinning on schedule. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. There's a difference between childishness and foolishness. There's understanding the silliness that's appropriate for age and needs to be directed versus the stubbornness of sin and rebellion. And the better you know a person, the more you can touch their life. The better teacher you will be. But we need to recognize that God will deal with sin. And the third thing we need to see is we need to discern the true condition of our family and the culture around us. Eli's disregarding the spiritual things. And what we read in this passage is that there's this unnamed man that comes to Eli. He says, a man of God. We don't know his name. We have no idea who this is. Scripture doesn't record it. We don't know if he was well known. Obviously, he hasn't written books that we know of. But he spoke for the Lord. He confronts Eli, and in doing so, he asks some rhetorical questions highlighting God's goodness to Eli. He says, didn't God choose you as a family, a lineage, the tribe selected to be able to come and minister with holy things? Weren't you chosen to wear the special garments for worship and to offer the sacrifice to handle the things of God? Didn't God choose you for these purposes? Eli had lost sight of God's goodness. The externals failed to point him toward God's grace. Let's never get comfortable and calloused about worshiping the Lord. The freedoms that we have, the privileges that we truly have as Americans that we can meet publicly and worship. And we're really not in jeopardy of being arrested and imprisoned as many believers today are. Now that day may be coming. But let's never be complacent with what God has provided. He lost sight of this. He made Himself fat with the best. He was selfish in this. And what we see is Eli chose comfort and convenience over righteousness. In chapter 3, it comes out, I've told him, I will judge his house. This is the word that God gives to Samuel to tell to Eli. I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows because his sons made themselves vile and he did not restrain them." He didn't take his parental responsibilities seriously. We have to love our children enough to draw lines and to hold the ground. It doesn't mean be harsh or abusive or verbally abusive or emotionally distant. No, none of that, but to say, I love you too much to let you go that way. You know, true love does the hard things. Folks, we need to understand the aroma of wickedness is rampant in our culture. And we need to be alert to smell it and to warn our children. It means showing attention to details and demonstrating love and affection and verbal praise and emotional support. You know, generally, that kind of parent has a happy home and happy kids. Overbearing parents tend to lose their kids. Overly permissive parents fail to teach their kids what's holy. And so it takes that bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord that is vital. And we need wisdom for that. We have to walk humbly before the Lord so that we can do that. We need to strive then to develop an atmosphere that is consistently spiritually constructive. that we will develop that kind of an atmosphere in our homes that is consistently spiritually constructive. So how do we do that? How do we get that kind of an atmosphere? Let me just kind of sum up what we have considered from this as we've walked through this. Number one, we need to dedicate our lives and our families to the Lord. You know, this kind of a dedication is not a one-time baby dedication that we do at Mother's Day when we come up and I make it clear it's really parental dedication that we're striving to raise our children and I say that because it's not just a one-time one and done we we did that we went up on the platform my my child still has the Bible we gave them the flowers died but no it's an ongoing thing praying for our kids directing their hearts Seeking to do that. It means praying for our family and with our family. One of the things that I really enjoy in our all-church prayer meeting is seeing our young people praying. Because I want them to get that heart for God. Rather than go the wrong way. Second thing is we have to discern the cultural influences and direction around us. We need to be aware of the aroma. Many times you smell a skunk before you see it. When we were in Maine, we would have them in our backyard often. Sometimes we have them around the church here. Saw one the other night, didn't smell it, just saw it. But you say, where is that? Moms and dads, we have to be alert to what stinks in our culture. And young people, you need to be willing to trust your parents even though you can't see what stinks yet. Sometimes you say, you know, I can't quite put my finger on it, but something's not right. Something's not right about that friend. Something's not right about that activity. Now, with the Spirit of Christ within you, you can develop spiritual discernment that's necessary to navigate a pagan culture. But we have to be different than our culture. With the love of Christ in you, you will love what God loves and hate what God hates. But we have to think differently than our culture. Otherwise, we're going to be conformed to it without even realizing it. You know, any dead fish can float downstream. It takes spiritual life to go against the current. You need to defend your convictions, that's the third one. And I know sometimes Satan will say, well, you messed up. Well, tell your story, not with gory details, but there's a warning. I mean, if you messed up, wouldn't you have loved somebody who warned you? Wouldn't you have liked to have had somebody say, you know, be careful there? I grew up in a little community that had a river that went through the middle of it, and there was one main creek that flowed into that river in our town. And I spent a fair amount of time in and around and on that river. I spent even more time exploring that creek. My friends and I, I mean, we knew that creek. I knew where it was deep, I knew where it was shallow. We knew where to catch, you know, where the frogs were. We knew where to catch minnows. We knew that creek. And there was one particular part of this creek that had a man-made waterfall. It wasn't very big, but it was just neat. There was this waterfall there and it was flowing. And one winter, my friend Steve and I were walking along the creek. We were exploring it, seeing how thick the ice was. We knew how deep it was under the ice in case it wasn't thick enough. And we got up to that waterfall and the water was wide open. Because of the flowing waterfall, we're walking through the snow, and as we're coming up to this, we notice there's this big rock within jumping distance of shore. And it's wet, but it's there. And both Steve and I had the same idea that we're gonna jump out to that rock. And unfortunately, I won. Because what I thought was just wet was completely coated in ice. And I landed on that round rock and immediately found myself waist-deep in freezing water. And I'm trying to climb back up on this rounded rock, which is frozen, and it's like, yeah, that's not going to work. And after several attempts of that, I finally have to climb up the snowbank. And my friend, my good friend Steve, is laughing hysterically, doing absolutely nothing to help me. Now, I should have realized that when there's snow on the ground and the rest of the creek is frozen, and it's below freezing, that what's wet on that rock is not really just water, it's ice. Do you know, if somebody would have warned me, that would have helped. Now, I wouldn't have warned Steve either, so I wasn't counting on him. But the truth is, some of your kids are gonna jump onto something that's gonna put them into something far worse than cold water. Are you warning them? Are you seeking to give them the understanding that that cultural surface is dangerous? And just because they think they can make it, to warn them? Now young people, boys and girls, you need to listen to such warnings. Don't be wise in your own eyes. Have a submissive heart that you can learn. Say, well, you don't see it. Well, then trust somebody who does. That's why we're given both a positive and a negative example in this passage. We've got a good example in Samuel. We've got a bad example in Eli's sons. Which one are you going to follow? Be teachable. And then finally, we need to direct our children. The Old Testament scholars, for you that understand Old Testament, this is an interesting passage because there's a chiastic structure in this chapter that develops the contrast between the service of Samuel and the sin of Eli's sons. And the focal point of that chiasm, where it comes together, is verses 20 and 21, where Eli blesses Samuel's parents because they've devoted their son to the Lord. What a contrast between what they've done and what Eli himself has done. The Lord give you descendants for the loan that you've given to the Lord. Folks, let us be faithful in doing that. Because it says in verse 26, the child Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and men. Very similar to Luke 2.52, and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man. We see that in Samuel as well. Do you realize Hannah will spend all eternity with her son Samuel, the one she dedicated to the Lord, while Eli's sons are experiencing eternal punishment? They would not repent, because God would destroy them, because they had hardened themselves in their sin. Oh, let us direct our children to the Lord, because this has eternal consequences. Your family must ponder and pursue that which has eternal value. How are we doing today? As a church, how are we doing in encouraging one another? Let's look to the Lord.
Eternal Family Investment
Series Investing For Eternity
"Your family must ponder and pursue that which has eternal value." ~ Pastor Ken Endean
Watch this Sunday's morning message from 1 Samuel 2 entitled "Eternal Family Investment" in our series "Investing for Eternity".
Sermon ID | 13023248372151 |
Duration | 49:36 |
Date | |
Category | Sunday Service |
Bible Text | 1 Samuel 2 |
Language | English |
Add a Comment
Comments
No Comments
© Copyright
2025 SermonAudio.