1st Samuel 3-4

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1^st Samuel 3:1-21

“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. 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; 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; 4 that the LORD called Samuel: and he answered Here am I. 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. 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. 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. 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. 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. 10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. 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 [word] from me of all the things that he said unto thee. 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. 19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.”

Introduction

[Audio version: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED648]

“1^st Samuel chapter 3, Samuel is at the Tabernacle in Shiloh, last week when we were there, a man of God, unnamed, came and prophecied against Eli the high priest, and told him that God would judge him because he favoured his sons, actually above the LORD. His sons were vile, they were immoral, and they were taking parts of the sacrifice that didn’t belong to them, they were abusing God’s people, and God sent this man of God to tell Eli that they would both die in a day, his sons, and that his lineage would be cut off, and God would raise up another line of priests that would be faithful to him to serve as Aaron’s sons, which he will do in time.

God Calls Samuel When He Was A Young Boy

Chapter 3 brings us back to Samuel, and it says “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.” (verse 1) The child Samuel, he is still young, we’re not certain of his age. Josephus tells us that he’s 12 years old at this point in time. It says “the word of the LORD was precious” the idea is “rare.” It isn’t that there was no word of God, this man of God in the chapter before heard the word of the LORD and came to Eli. But there was no one listening, it was a time, it tells us in the Book of Judges, ‘and these were the days of the judges when every man was doing what was right in his own eyes, and it was wicked before the LORD, there was no king.’ It’s never that the LORD doesn’t want to speak, it’s in regards to ‘are there those who are willing to listen? are there those who are willing to hear?’ And in these days, these particular days, the child Samuel is there ministering unto the LORD before Eli, ‘and the word of the LORD was scarce in those days, there was no open vision, no prophet.’ Previously, before Samuel, a prophet was called a Seer, there was no prophet previously, before Samuel. They were called a Seer, because they would see visions. Now it’s going to give us the description of a circumstance now. “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;” and he’s around 98 years old at this point in time, “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;” (verses 2-3) and it’s an interesting reflection of the spiritual condition of the nation, and of the priesthood as a whole, it’s worn, this man, his eyes are waxed dim that he can’t see. And that was the picture spiritually of Israel at this point in time. But before the lamp of God went out, as the oil is burning low, it was tended in the morning and the evening, the olive oil, the beaten oil was put into the menorah there, “ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was,” it’s clear to tell us where the Ark was, “and Samuel was laid down to sleep;” and he’s in charge evidently of opening the door of the Tabernacle in the morning, he’s in charge of keeping the oil in the lamp at this point in time, he’s a bit older than when we saw him in the last chapter. And it tells us this, “that the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.” (verses 3-4) And notice, “And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he” Eli “said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.” (verse 5) ‘you’re having a dream, lie down again, go back to bed.’ “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.” (verse 6) “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.” (verse 7) Interesting statement. Samuel is still a child, listen, Samuel is ministering at the Tabernacle unto the LORD. Eli’s sons are immoral, Eli’s sons are abusing God’s people, and in the middle of all of that here is this boy from 3 years old to possibly 12 now, what Josephus says, who has learned somehow still to have a heart towards the LORD, who he has not yet met. You know, he’s like many of us, even kids that are raised in a Christian home, they hear about the Lord, but there’s a time when they come to know the Lord personally. Again, one of the great struggles I think in the Church for us today as Christian parents, I got saved out of the world, I got saved out of drugs and immorality, I got saved out of everything that was out there, and there was a clear line of demarcation for me when I got saved, I was set free, I came out of Egypt, I was so amazed what the Lord did for me. But then you raise a generation in the church, and they have Christian this and Christian that, and if they don’t find Christ in the middle of all that, all that means nothing, it means nothing at all. In some ways it’s more difficult for them to find Christ in the middle of the Christian culture, and it’s a challenge. Here’s this young boy, Samuel, in the midst of an immoral situation, in the midst of a vile situation, in the midst of a situation where the influences around him are negative, except for Eli evidently, and the incredible influence his mom, Hannah and his father have on him, you know, 1 years old to 3 years old in the home. Somehow in God’s grace, he’s been able to stand during this time, and now God is going to reveal himself to this child. And he begins to speak to him. Charles Haden Spurgeon said, “The important thing for us when we talk to our children about prayer, is we have to explain to them what prayer is, we have to tell them what it is, what the meaning of prayer is,” not just how to pray ‘God is great, God is good, we thank him for this food,’ you know. If you just teach them those things, and my parents taught me a prayer when I was little, I prayed it for years, and every night, and didn’t know, it was in German, I forgot what it meant, and prayed it. You know, when you have the kids when they’re little and they pray and you give them that opportunity, and they say the same thing (and over and over again). You say, ‘Now listen, how would you feel, you know if every time I came to you, I said ‘God is great, God is good, I thank him for this food,’ and that’s all I said, day after day.’ You say to them ‘Prayer is talking, prayer is talking to God, and then listening, prayer is sharing your heart and pouring it out before him, it’s not saying the same thing over and over again, that has nothing to do with prayer.’ And you have to explain to them, when they’re young, what prayer is. Not how to pray, but what it is, said Spurgeon. I think it’s so important. Because they have a capacity to hear from God, they have a capacity to be influenced by God. This picture on the wall is from our friends, it’s from our friends up at Calvary Chapel in the Finger Lakes, the teacher in their school told the 2^nd graders ‘I want you to draw a picture for your teachers this week,’ and the 2^nd graders were going to hand in a picture to their teacher, and all the pictures were rainbows, crosses and pictures of Jesus in all different colors, and of course what 2^nd graders do, 7 year old’s, 8 year old’s. And this one little boy brought this in, and said “This is all, every time I went to draw, this is all, I couldn’t get this out of my mind, I couldn’t get this off of my heart,” and of course they thought ‘What a weird kid, look at this.’ Well this picture was handed in on September 7^th, 2001, five days before the attack in New York City [the Trade Towers attack], and you can see the plane coming in from the side, you can see the people jumping off the tower, even the cross at the bottom with the circle in it that was the photo in Time Magazine after the whole thing happened. This is a little boy who God came and spoke to, from eternity, before something happened in time, and was able to communicate with the heart of a child. And the challenge for you and I, if we have kids at home, are teaching in Sunday school, never underestimate the capacity they have to hear from the Living God. In fact, in this record, tonight, God will begin to change the nation of Israel, a nation, with a 12-year-old, he will begin to change a nation with a 12-year-old. And if there is any hope for the nation that we live in, it’s those 5,000 kids in Sunday school and the kids in our school. Again, I don’t know what hope they have in America, but I know America has no hope without them. Grandparents, be sensitive when you look at your grandkids, understand the capacity that they have. Moms and dads, don’t scream at them, don’t belittle them, don’t say things with your mouth that are going to injure them, you don’t know whose in front of you. You don’t know if there’s a Samuel in front of you, or an Esther, or a Debra. And besides, kids don’t mind you yelling at them, let me tell you something, moms and dads, because they learn, the code, to bread the code. ‘Stop that!!! Stop it, you’re going to get it if you don’t stop it. No, they know, we’re at least 15 minutes from getting swung at right now, they know it.’ You know, your eyes have to bulge, the veins have to stick out in your neck, and you’re going to yell louder. They interpret that, they know when they get close. It's no threat to them at all. You never spank your kids for being crazy, because they are. You spank them for disobedience, if they disobey. You don’t spank your kid because he digs a hole in the wall, because you never had that rule. I came home one time in a brand new house, my son had dug a hole in the wall. And I looked at him and said “I’d like to spank you, but I can’t, we don’t have a hole-in-the-wall rule. But from this day forward [loud laughter], when you dig a hole in the wall, now there’s a rule, no digging a hole in the wall or you’re going to pay the consequence.” And you want to do that without flipping out, and acting like a child, like you say they are. If they cross the line and are disobedient, you walk softly and carry a big stick. You don’t yell at them, you don’t forewarn them. That way their hearing increases a thousand-fold, because there’s no warning, ‘Don’t do that or you’re going to get it.’ They’re thinking, ‘Do they mean that? There’s no warnings here, I don’t like this. I don’t understand the code here, I have broken this.’ You love them, you discipline them, you never punish them. You be gracious to them, you instruct them, you nurture them in the Lord, because you don’t know who you have sitting in front of you. You don’t know who you have sitting in front of you. This kid said ‘Pastor, I’m sorry, this is all I could draw,’ the other kids had colored pictures of rainbows, this kid, you know, ‘this kid’s got some emotional problems,’ that’s what they thought of course. And Scott told me the next Tuesday, when I saw the news on TV, he said “I went and got that picture and looked at it, and almost fell on the floor.” God began to speak to this boy, Samuel. Interesting, he used his name, there’s some interesting pictures for us, he said “Samuel.” And he said it tender enough, and personal enough, that Samuel at 12 or 11 however old he was, kept getting up and running to Eli. Eli was old, 98 years old and blind, and no doubt Eli would call to him from time to time for help, and the voice was very familiar to him, the voice was very tender to him. God didn’t go ‘SAMUELLLL’ and shake the whole Tabernacle, would have been an easy explanation of who it was. ‘Samuel,’ he woke up and went to Eli and called ‘Can I help?’ ‘No, no, I didn’t call, go back to sleep, you must be having a dream.’ ‘Samuel,’ tender. ‘It must be Eli, did I just dream this?’ he gets up, he goes back. Listen, I’ll tell you one thing we can learn from Samuel, when God speaks in the middle of the night, you see the word “arose” twice here, get out of bed. Lots of times, you know, I’ll wake up and think ‘Is that you, Lord?’ and go ‘nah,’ and roll back over again. Sometimes he speaks in the middle of the night, because that’s the quietest time in our life, sometimes he wants us to walk down the steps and bury our face in our hands on the sofa and say ‘Lord, here I am, speak to me, it’s quiet,’ he has something to say to us. Sometimes if we really want to hear him, we need to arise, we need to respond. It says he arose, he went again, he had religion not relationship at this point in time, he didn’t know the LORD, it says, “neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.” But you know, praise the LORD, that God keeps calling. The LORD didn’t say “Samuel,” and he gets up and runs to Eli, and the LORD says ‘Oy vey, I’ll try when he’s 15, you know, this kid never gets it.’ Isn’t it wonderful that God keeps talking and keeps talking, and keeps talking. If you’re anything like me, if the Lord wants to speak to me about something this month of September, he has to start in May, because that’s just how, I’m at least 3 months thick. And as things come and shape up before my eyes, I say ‘Lord, this has been you, hasn’t it.’ And I hear ‘Oy vey,’ you know, he has been talking to me. That’s how thick I am. My wife is extremely sensitive, hears the Lord right away, drives me crazy. She’s always right, too, it bugs me. I have a different gift, you know, my gift is in the Word, I love the written Word, I find him there and he speaks to me there. But there are those times when he puts an impression on my heart. And I’m not one of those people, and I don’t even like those people who say ‘Well the Lord told me, the Lord told me, the Lord told me,’ and I think ‘You don’t even need a Bible, you got a direct line.’ And when somebody does that, they’re playing their trump card, there’s not much you can really say to them. [ya, ‘There’s a church down the road, go there.’ 😊] Mike MacIntosh told me one time again, he was sitting with Billy Graham, and they’re sitting alone, and they talked for about 45 minutes, and he said “Billy, did the Lord ever speak to you?” He said, “One time, I was in the mountains in North Carolina, at the house,” he said “I got up in the morning, I was walking the dog, and I was really troubled and I was just talking to him, and all of a sudden I got this tremendous peace,” and he says, “I think the Lord spoke to me that time.” Mike said “I felt great after he said that.” “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.” (verse 7) and the LORD keeps speaking, I’m so thankful that he does that. “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. 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.” (verses 8-10) I think it was harder for him to fall back to sleep this time though. Eli just said ‘Hey, that’s Jehovah talking to you son, just go lay down again, and the next time he talks to you, say this,’ and do we? When we get this Book opened to read it, or we come to Wednesday night study, or the Women’s study or Sunday, or the Singles or College and Career, or wherever we might be where there are home fellowships, do we say ‘Speak, Lord, for’ is the reason I want you to speak, ‘your servant’ it all hinges there, doesn’t it? ‘heareth,’ it doesn’t mean you have the capacity to hear, it means ‘you’re leaning towards,’ it means ‘you’re listening to obey, you’re listening to obey.’ You know, I can be guilty of not doing that, just running, just seeking the Lord, and not slowing down my life enough. I can get so caught up in ministry, that it becomes the major enemy of my fellowship with the Lord. Calvary Chapel can be idolatry to me, if I get so caught up in it. And again, I do good stuff, I’m not out robbing convenience stores, I’m involved in good stuff, but it can be works, start to burn me out, I can get so tied up in ministry that I’m falling short in quietness, and listening, and remembering ‘Lord, you’re way more interested in the servant than the service, and more than that, you’ve given me your Spirit in my heart, crying Abba, Father, forgive me Lord, forgive me Lord.’ Do we come to him and say ‘Speak, Lord,’ the reason, ‘for your servant heareth.’ So, Samuel went, and he laid back down again, notice what is says this time, “And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at the other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.” (verse 10) the Targum has it translated “and stood before Samuel,” the ancient rabbis said there was a manifestation this time. “And the LORD came, and stood,” that’s Jehovah, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, “and called as at other times,” only this time twice, “Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered” so nervous he forgot, he got it wrong, “Speak; for thy servant heareth.” he didn’t say “Speak, LORD.” Or was he too nervous to say that? Or was he thinking ‘Jehovah,’ what did he see in front of him? We don’t know, we’re not told. But he says “Speak; for thy servant heareth.” I think of Job saying ‘I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now I have seen thee.’ This is the change in the life of Samuel, his calling at this point in time, this unction.

The LORD Delivers His Judgment Against Eli & His Sons To The Child Samuel

“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. 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.” (verses 11-12) Now look, the ears of everyone who hears it, they’re going to ring, tingle, but this is almost with awe or fear, that’s what’s insinuated. Because he’s going to say, it’s going to be relative to the day that he performs against Eli the judgment he’s spoken of, and that’s the day Hophni and Phinehas are killed, and Eli dies, and the Ark of the Covenant is taken away from Israel by the Philistines. And he says ‘I’m gonna do something, and when all Israel hears it, their ears are going to ring in the sense of a chalkboard being scratched with fingernails, it’s going to be something they don’t want to hear.’ “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. For I have told him” with this other unnamed prophet that came “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.” (verses 12-13) the Hebrew says “he did not frown upon them.’ Fathers, this is a warning, he’s dealing with Eli here. The sons had sinned, what they did was vile, but God said ‘I’m gonna judge the house of Eli, because his sons were vile, he knew it, and he did not restrain them, or he didn’t frown upon their behavior,’ there was a warning for them. Listen to me, this is very important. Because Samuel no doubt has learned many things from Elkanah and Hannah, his mother and father. Samuel has learned some things from Eli at the Tabernacle. But Samuel has never had the model of parents and children, and the sad thing is, as we get to the 8^th chapter, you don’t have to turn there, it’s going to say this “and it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel, and the name of his first son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abiah, they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” Isn’t that sad, Samuel. This man who was the greatest reformer in Israel since Moses, no man even came close to Samuel since the days of Moses. Remember, the LORD said in Jeremiah 15, “Though Moses or Samuel stood before me, I would not turn away my judgment from this people,” from the city of Jerusalem. Those are the two God picks when he speaks to Jeremiah, ‘though Moses or Samuel stood before me.’ It’s so sad here, because God says to Samuel that Eli did not frown upon the sin of his sons, he didn’t deal with it, ‘and because of that I’m going to judge his house,’ and we’re going to see sadly a very similar thing played out in the life of Samuel. “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.” (verse 14) there was no sin sacrifice for this. Notice this, “And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.” (verse 15) He laid there, I don’t think he went back to sleep. How about you? ‘and in the morning he opened the doors of the house of the LORD,’ that was his job, “And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.” And yet, no doubt like Jeremiah, it's like a fire in his bones. So here’s this young boy, no doubt he trimmed the lamps, did what he was supposed to do, and he opened the doors, as he would open the doors to the nation, you know, there’s a very interesting picture here. He opened the doors of the house of the LORD, he would do that spiritually also. But you know, the Bible tells us not to despise the day of small beginnings. The young Samuel. He’s not laying there thinking ‘My God, God appears to me, God talks to me, get somebody else to open them doors and light them lamps,’ he doesn’t even think that, ‘I need a promotion, my name needs to be in the bulletin, give me a Bible study,’ there’s none of that. It says he went and he did his duty, he was faithful in the small things, he went and he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. No doubt Eli hears that, his eyes are bad, not his ears, he hears the doors opening. “Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me:” listen to this threat, “God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.” (verses 16-17) ‘Whatever he told you, God double it and give it to you if you don’t tell me the truth.’ I’m sure Samuel’s like ‘aaaah…’ Notice, “And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said,” because he had heard from this other prophet, “It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.” (verse 18) Now we don’t know if this is genuine brokenness, we hope that it would be, or if he’s just resigned, ‘I’ve blown it, raised my kids wrong, it’s out of my hands now, just let him do whatever he wants to do.’ We don’t know, when we read about people who stand on either side, here’s the thing to take note of, this is the beginning of Samuel’s ministry. These are the first words of his prophetic ministry, it begins here. And for Samuel it is painful, it is difficult, it is lonely [I know what that feels like], and to some degree that would be true in your life, if you are willing to take hold of the Word of God, and you’re willing to tell it out, every whit, without changing a word, in this world, if you’re willing to stand up and say ‘I believe this about morality, I believe this about abortion, I believe this about marriage, I believe this about sexual sin, I believe this about drugs, I believe this about addiction, I believe this about taking money under the table.’ If you’re willing to stand up and tell it out the way God tells it to you, if you’re one who gets before this Book and says ‘Speak Lord,’ the reason, ‘for thy servant is hearing to obey, Lord I want to listen, I want to bring my life in line with your Word,’ and then you’re willing to be faithful to that every whit, every word, it’s difficult, it’s painful sometimes, it can be lonely. That’s one of the wonderful things about the family of God, we want to be gathered together with other people that are sold out for Jesus Christ [I wish I had that, I run this website, so far, all alone, no wife, no family of believers, no church at this point in time]. I don’t need you to be in compromise, I got my own problems. I need you to come here sold out for Jesus Christ and on fire, that’s the kind of people I need to be around, because I need help. You should know that, I’m your pastor, ask my wife, I need help, I need to be around people that are sold out for Jesus Christ, I need to come and gather together with the saints that are sold out for Jesus Christ. I’m going to make you all come down here if you’re sold out, I’m not gonna do that. You know, that’s important. And I’m sure, you know sometimes I talk to folks, and I love God’s people, and I love the ones that are compromised, I love the prodigals, I love the backsliders, I love to talk to them. But I say to them ‘Do you want me to do what you’re doing?’ ‘Nmmm, no, you’re my pastor,’ ‘What do you mean, there’s different rules, you know, for me?’ We’re God’s kids, that’s higher than pastor, we’re God’s sons, God’s daughters, this is God’s Word, he paid for us in the blood of his Son, that’s all higher than ‘You’re my pastor.’ You want to do it, but you don’t want me to do it? When your kids grow up, do you want them to do it? Is there a different set of rules for them than for you? Look, there is a cost, if you’re going to stick to God’s Word every whit, I like that, it’s stuck in my mind, every whit, every word of it. There’s a difficulty of that sometimes, certainly in the world, sometimes around God’s people. But that was this young man that we’re being introduced to now, he tells the complete truth, and Eli says ‘You know, that’s the word of the LORD, I know it, I know it.’ And look what it says, “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” (verse 19) maybe nobody else in Israel was, but the LORD was, and listen, that phrase means the LORD was continually with him, wasn’t like the LORD stopped in to visit him and said ‘I’ll see you when you’re 17,’ the LORD was continually with him. And as we watch the life of Samuel we’re going to come to the point where the LORD, Samuel’s going to be so heartbroken with the nation of Israel that the LORD is going to have to say to Samuel ‘Samuel, don’t take this personally, they’re not sinning against you, they’re sinning against me.’ Samuel loved the people so much, and he stood up and did what was right, he was so passionate, and when they turned in another direction, his heart was broken and he took it personally, and God had to say ‘No, no, Samuel, they’re not sinning against you, they’re sinning against me.’ But something is cooking in his young life, here it says ‘The LORD was with him, continually,’ and notice, “and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” (verse 19b) “And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.” (verse 20) from the north of Israel to the south of Israel. This is amazing, starting at 12, 13 years old, his reputation. The priests had become defiled, the priesthood, and the priests using the Urim and Thummim to discern the LORD’s will is starting to pass away, and the prophetic ministry is arising. The prophet is beginning to, and Samuel will be the fountainhead of a long line of Prophets. Listen, he learns to stand alone. But it was important for him to be in that tough situation at the Tabernacle from 3 to 12, when Eli’s sons were doing all that crazy stuff, he learned in that environment to stand alone. No doubt his mom and dad came and visited him every year, at least once a year, and exhorted him and encouraged him, but he learned to stand alone when everybody else was going in another direction. While we watch Samuel, listen, compare him to another Judge whose alive at this point in time called Samson, Samson’s already gone down to Timnath, he’s already gotten involved with this Philistine girl, he’s already slaughtered all of his groomsmen, and all of their friends, and killed them and brought their clothes, and the public ministry of Samson is arising relative to the Philistines, and the nation knows it. And here’s this other man whose raised up and he’s put in contrast to Samson, Samson doing dynamic things with supernatural strength. Samuel has a saintly character, he does not write out prophecy like Isaiah or Jeremiah, he’s not eloquent in language like Isaiah was, he doesn’t measure up to the other Prophets in that way, he is in character and in purity, unparalleled, he stands up just a saintly man without compromise, and God talks to him, and God uses him. And he has an incredible impact on the nation, far and above Samson who displayed all kinds of supernatural abilities. But sometimes we get everything mixed up and put in the wrong camp. Here is says “all of Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” (verses 20-21) The Hebrew indicates “the LORD continued to appear in Shiloh: for” the reason, “for the LORD revealed [was revealing] himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” One of the neat things, when we get a chance to get there, it’s tough in the West Bank today, to stand there and look at Shiloh, me at least, when I was able to be there, and look down, and you still see the stone wall that was built there around the Tabernacle, you look, and you think Jehovah-God was there. ‘The One who lays out the heaven with the span of his hand, when I consider the sun and the moon and the stars, the work of thy fingers, what is man that thou art mindful of him, or the Son of man, that thou visitest him.’ You know, the heavens themselves can’t contain him, and you stand there and look and think ‘He was there, he came and stood there, over Samuel when he was 12 years old, and spoke to him.’ [He, Jesus, Yahweh-shua, came into the prison cell and stood there with the apostle Paul.] That’s pretty remarkable. It says here that he revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh, listen, “by the word of the LORD.” That’s the primary way he reveals himself to us, by the Word of the Lord. Do we say, when we read the Word, ‘Here I am, Lord, I’m listening, speak to me, I will obey.’?

1^st Samuel 4:1-22

“And the word of Samuel came to all of Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. 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. 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. 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. 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. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. 8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with the plagues in the wilderness. 9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. 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. 11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. 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. 13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. 14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. 16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? 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. 18 And it came to pass, when he had 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. 19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. 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. 22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.”

God’s Judgment Comes Upon Hophni, Phinehas, Eli & Shiloh

“And the word of Samuel came to all of Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched at Aphek.” (verse 1) and we’re going to hear of the Philistines 150 timers in 1^st and 2^nd Samuel, they are the major and perennial enemy of the Israelites, probably from Crete, related to the Phoenicians in some way, but they’ve set up shop in Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, Ekron, the five cities there [to see who the Phoenicians were, who are not exactly related to the Philistines, they had a separate maritime empire of their own, log onto https://www.unityinchrist.com/kings/1.html] And they become the perennial enemy of Israel. The Israelites went out against the Philistines to battle, and they pitched beside Ebenezer, which means “stone of help.” It’s not going to get its name till 20 years after this, but the person who wrote Samuel to us, probably Samuel, gives that to Israel, because they know the marking of the place. They went out to battle, they pitched beside Ebenezer, “and the Philistines pitched in Aphek” which means “strength” or “firmness,” probably a battle position that they had had a number of times before that. “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.” (verse 2) So, Israel really gets a whupping this day, the Philistines kill about 4,000 of them and leave their dead bodies lying in the field. “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.” (verse 3) Please notice how telling this statement is. ‘Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us today before the Philistines? Why has God smitten us today?’ Now, the Israelites had a formidable army, and they know immediately at their defeat, that it was from the hand of the LORD. Yes, the Philistines were more advanced in metallurgy, they had chariots, all of them were equipped with metal weapons, but some of Israel had swords, they had spears, Israel had had great victories, and they evidently outnumbered the Philistines to the point that they recognized immediately the defeat was because of God’s displeasure, and they say ‘Why has the LORD allowed this to happen to us?’ Listen to what they say, here’s their plan. “Let us fetch the ark” we’re going to find out because they believe it’s “God-in-a-box.” If you can fetch your God, you need to get a new God, “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.” (verse 3b) Now in chapters 3 to 6 we’re going to hear 35 times of the Ark, 35 times. And in these few verses, 4 times, 3 verses, it’s going to be called very specifically “the ark of the covenant of the LORD,” not it’s called “the ark of the God,” but 4 times here it’s going to be called “the ark of the covenant” and there’s good reason. They said “Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that,” notice “when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” “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.” (verse 4) the two vile boys. “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.” (verse 5) “rang out” the earth shook, they’re excited. They get whupped by the Philistines. Now they don’t know anything about repentance, because certainly Phinehas and Hophni have not taught them anything about repentance, they’ve been living in immoral sexual sin, and stealing from the LORD, have made themselves accursed. These guys are thinking ‘Hey, hey, remember what they used to do, they used to take the ark into battle, and the Jordan River stopped, go get the box, go get God-in-a-box,’ and that’s what it is to them, it’s a rabbit’s foot, lucky charms. Any of you guys have a rabbit’s foot when you were little? Be honest, ok, me and you. I had a bunch of them, used to get them down in the 5 & 10 cents store, they had white ones, blue ones and green ones, I didn’t think about it until I was older, poor rabbits. You can stop thinking about that now. But look how they’re thinking, ‘God’s in the box.’ God was not in the box, the heavens of heavens can’t contain him. It was a point of reference for him to dwell in the midst of his people, of his grace and of his mercy and his love. And look how they’re thinking about this, ‘Hey, let’s go get the ark, go fetch it,’ and it’s called the Ark of the Covenant four times, “that, when it cometh among us,” notice “it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” The box is made of wood and gold, that’s all it is, a box. Indiana Jones, they tried to make it into something else, ‘Don’t look at it, it’s beautiful,’ the presence of God, the Shekinah Glory of God there, dwelt between the wings of the cherubims. But this is the Ark of the Covenant, and inside are the two tables of stone, and the Covenant described in Exodus and Leviticus, was that if God’s people would keep the Law, that God would bless them and go before them, that he would destroy their enemies, that he would give them victory and drive out their enemies from before them. But that if they would not keep his Law, if they turn away, then they would be driven by their enemies, it’s the Ark of the Covenant, and no one was upholding the Covenant in these days. [Comment: there is something to the curse of looking inside the Ark, and seeing the tablets of the Law, which Paul says, without the sacrificial blood of lambs and goats springled on it, and later, the blood of the Lamb of God, this look brings death, not life. Paul explains this in Romans. And there is a curse that comes from this, as well as touching the Ark, which we’ll see later, the Philistines discover, as well as a Levite discovers when Israel was recovering and transporting the Ark on an oxcart, and reached out to stabilize it, touching it, and he was struck dead by a bolt of lightning. So there really is something to what was portrayed in the movie Indiana Jones. Also, we have this in 1^st Samuel 6:19, “And he smote he men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.” That’s in the Bible, Pastor Joe, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not that far off the mark.] That’s what it’s all about, it’s not about being superstitious, it was paganism, ‘Go get the box, if we got the box we can whup ‘em.’ The Ark had never gone into a battle under these conditions, ever, in the history of the nation. And it was the place that God most honoured in the midst of them, it was the place where he manifested his presence. But he was not tied there, he wasn’t trapped in the box. ‘Go get the ark, and bring it up here, and when it comes, it will save us,’ So the people went, they got it, they brought the ark up, Hophni and Phinehas, they didn’t say anything, they didn’t care, they brought it up. And when the Ark of the Covenant comes into the camp, the whole place starts shouting and screaming, I’ve been in churches like this, thinking the more we whup it up the more the presence of God’s gonna be there. Shouting and carrying on, ‘with a great scream, go get ‘em, we’re going to whup ‘em,’ they’re cheerleaders, ‘we’re going to whup ‘em, we’re going to whup ‘em,’ and the Philistines are saying ‘What’s going on over there?’ And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.” (verses 6-7) Now, “heretofore,” actually the idea is “yesterday or today,” “nothing like this has happened recently” is what it’s saying. ‘There hasn’t been anything like this that’s gone on for a long time,’ “Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.” (verse 8) notice, “Gods” plural, because they’re pagan, “these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.” (verse 8b) Now look, it’s interesting, this is 500 years later, that’s still big news. That made an impression on all these cultures. Their mistake is, the Ark wasn’t even in existence when the children of Israel came out of Egypt, that was crafted in the Wilderness, two years after they came out of Egypt before it was even made. The Ark of the Covenant wasn’t there. They hear the Ark of the Covenant is with Israel, they say ‘Hey, this is their God, this is bad news for us, this box, man, this is how they wiped out the Egyptians.’ And then, they encouraged themselves, no doubt the LORD allowing this to fit his own purposes, they said “Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.” (verse 9) “and quit yourselves like men” means “behave yourselves like men.” ‘Hey, we’ve had them in subjection, you know, don’t carry on now and start whining and be freaked out, or we’re going to end up serving them like they’ve served us.’ He says, ‘Behave yourselves like men, and fight.’ “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.” (verse 10) try to imagine what the battlefield looks like with 30,000 dead bodies on it. [This is one battle. The Russian army in three months of fighting in Ukraine from 24 February through 13 March 2022, has lost about 28,000 soldiers, in multiple battles.] All of this carnage pilled up around the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD. Verse 11 says “And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.” Not the God of the Ark was taken, but the Ark of God was taken, there’s a vast difference. “the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.” And we find out from Jeremiah, at this point also that Shiloh is also destroyed, the Ark would never return to Shiloh, it would end up in Judah and it would end up in Jerusalem, from Bethshemesh, to Kirioth-jearim and into Jerusalem, for the place that David would prepare, it never goes back to Shiloh [Comment: the headquarters properties of the Worldwide Church of God in Pasadena, California, and the Big Sandy Texas campus of their Ambassador College were sold off by the church that had ceased to be WCG, which had been morphed into a tiny Sunday-keeping denomination. A major Sabbath-keeping Church of God did come out of Worldwide in 1995, cleaning up their act sufficiently so all the church by-laws guaranteed transparency and accountability, and this new Sabbath-keeping Church of God, which is almost a complete doctrinal replica of the previous parent denomination, the Worldwide Church of God, has their headquarters in Ohio, nowhere near Pasadena, California. You might say Eli had allowed his sons to pollute the very ground the Tabernacle stood on, so God moved the Ark and his presence somewhere else, away from Shiloh. God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, he changes not. By the way, that church denomination that came out of the Worldwide Church of God is called the United Church of God (see https://ucg.org ), and they are by comparison a righteous church denomination that adheres to the 10 Commandments, and they do not hesitate to remove pastors or leaders that cross the line of propriety. They’ve learned the lesson. You pastors that are messing with God’s children, be warned, you may think you’re getting away with something, but you’re not.] 30,000, it’s unbelievable, “and the Ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.”

The Death Of Eli, The Fall Of Shiloh

“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.” (verse 12) now they didn’t have cell-phones, they didn’t have emails, you had a runner, that’s what you did, you sent somebody running, that was the fastest. You know, if that’s all they had today, people would call you a lot less often, wouldn’t they. Somebody wouldn’t come running to you for every little thing. ‘There ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh, the same day,’ notice, ‘his clothes were torn, there was earth upon his head.’ That’s a FAX, that’s a visible thing, that one’s the FAX, you come with your clothes torn, there’s dirt on your head, there’s a message before you even hear anything. “And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.” (verse 13) “lo,” the Holy Spirit wants you to look into this. The King James says “watching,” look down in verse 15, it says ‘Eli was 98 years old, his eyes were dim, he could not see.’ So he’s not watching, he’s watching with his ears, he’s listening, he’s sitting there to get news, sat by the wayside, watching, listening, notice this “for his heart trembled for the ark of God.” and it is a compliment to Eli. No doubt Eli, Hophni and Phinehas had sent it out without even talking to their dad, there was nothing there. And he knew that the Ark of the Covenant never went into battle this way before. It had only gone before the armies of Israel as they were coming into the Promised Land, and as they were specifically directed by God on their pilgrimage through the Wilderness and into the Promised Land (and marching around Jericho, I believe), it had never been a situation where Israel said ‘Hey, we’re gonna fight, get that box and bring it out here.’ Eli knew that. And Eli was trembling, no doubt he had heard after the fact, that the Ark had been taken. Isn’t it interesting, it says he trembled for the Ark of God, not for his sons, for the Ark of God. “And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.” all the city now is weeping and wailing. “And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety eight years old, and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?” (verses 14-16) being gracious to this young soldier. And there’s a fourfold blow here, disaster. First he said, “And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines,” that’s the first blow, major defeat, “and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people,” second blow, many of them are dead, 30,000 from among the people. Third blow, “and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead,” third blow, “and the ark of God is taken.” (verse 17) It had never happened before “the ark of God is taken.” “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.” (verse 18) that’s a heavy dude, man. The Holy Spirit completely honest here. He had judged Israel 40 years, no doubt his heart broke before his neck broke. You know, he sat there and heard “the ark of God is taken,” he knew the import of that, he had judged Israel for 40 years, he knew the Ark had never been out of their hands since the day it was crafted in the Wilderness, and he must have grabbed his chest, he fell over backwards, he broke his neck, he died. He was an old man and heavy. He judged Israel for 40 years, “And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.” (verses 19-20) they’re encouraging her to take heart, you know, not to die, “But she answered not, neither did she regard it.” the idea is, “she didn’t set her heart to it,” literally, she had no desire to live. Before she died, “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.” (verse 21) Now God was still on the throne, he just wasn’t in the box. The glory of the LORD hadn’t departed from Israel because the box is gone, God was every day with Samuel. He had found a mouthpiece, he had found something [someone] that was going to change the course of the nation in a young boy, in a much more proficient way, and expecting them to be more faithful in their worship. But she calls the name of the child Ichabod, meaning “the glory has departed,” and in verse 22, “And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.” So now you know it’s not just from the legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane, it is here. Listen, just read through this, these first 3, 4 chapters of 1^st Samuel are filled with stuff for us as parents and grandparents [and churches and church denominations, too]. There is so much instruction here for us, and so much challenge here for us. You know, in Malachi the LORD says, “I am the LORD, I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.” The Bible tells us he’s the same yesterday, today and for ever, God is immutable, it’s one of his characters, his characteristics. And he spoke to a young boy, 4,000 years ago, 3,000 years ago, and still does this today, 2001, he’s still speaking [and now in 2022], he’s still speaking. Those of us who are moms and dads, those of us who are teaching Sunday school [or Sabbath school], helping Gil with LJ-3 or the senior high, we have such a treasure, such an army in front of us, we have such an incredible stewardship, parents. You know, we want to, well, we’re worried about the economy, we’re worried about our 401Ks, we’re worried about job security--but if all you leave your kids is something that a lawyer a needs to settle, you haven’t left them anything at all. If all you leave them is something that a lawyer needs to settle, you haven’t left them anything at all. Who knows who God has entrusted to us, I look at my grandkids and think ‘What a noisy crew,’ and I think lots of other things, but I think ‘Lord, what’s cooking in there?’ you know, three of them, they’re all different, ‘Lord, what responsibility do I have here, Lord, show me, show me when I can actually say something that one of them will listen to, ‘Say Jesus,’ and give them a cookie, appeal to their carnal nature. But what a treasure, what a stewardship for all of us, for all of us. And look, we’re his kids, we’re his kids, he will speak to us also, if we will listen. And I’m not sure how he does that sometimes, and it’s a wonder to me that he can step in and he can speak to our hearts. We were, September 9^th, myself and a few other pastors, 2001, on the West Coast in Grass Valley, spoke there Sunday night, Calvary Chapel Grass Valley, and we went back to Richard’s house around midnight, and he ordered all this Chinese food, and I did what I always do, shouldn’t do, I loaded up at midnight on Chinese food. And all through the night I had this recurring dream, I kept waking up in a cold sweat, I saw people running and screaming, I saw stuff falling out of the sky, I saw people looking up and screaming, it was the same dream all night long, over and over and over. And I woke up and told the other guys the next day, all three of the pastors said ‘No more Chinese food at midnight.’ I didn’t know what the deal was, I didn’t know if this was tornadoes, something was coming down, people were screaming, they were looking up in the sky, they were running on the streets, stuff was coming down, I said ‘No more Chinese food,’ and the same thing, two days later on the news, I’m on the West Coast watching this [9/11 terrorist attacks coming into the Trade Towers in New York City] thinking ‘How do you do that, Lord? A wrinkle in time? How do you do that Lord? You’re in eternity, you know the end from the beginning, yesterday, today and forever, it’s the same for you, Lord.’ And when he saved us, he knew what he was getting. Some of us think God’s thinking ‘Oh another lemon, that was a bad year.’ No, you may surprise yourself sometimes, when you mess up and you do something stupid, and do something wrong, you never surprise him, he loves you. He knew all of your failings, all of your weaknesses and he saved you anyway. And he who has begun a good work in you is committed to complete that work, and to conform you into the image of his Son, and he speaks to 12-year-olds, he speaks to 22-year-olds, and he speaks to 32-year-olds, 42-year-olds, 52-year-olds, 62-year-olds, 72-year-olds, 82-year-olds, I don’t mean to offend you, 92-year-olds, and just in case you’re 102-year-olds, he still speaks, he still speaks. He’s still looking for a listening ear. Let our voice ever be ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant heareth.’ Amen? ‘Speak, Lord, here I am, your servant is listening.’ Let’s stand, let’s pray…[transcript of a connective expository sermon on 1^st Samuel 3:1-21 and 1^st Samuel 4:1-22, given by Pastor Joe Focht, Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19116]