May the Lord Establish His Word

The way God responds to our prayers often impacts more than we realize today on Truth for Life will find out how God's answer to one woman's prayer serve the entire nation of Israel Alastair Beggs message today is titled May the Lord establish his word were in first Samuel chapter 1 verses 19 through 20. I think by now were getting the picture here as we have begun to study first Samuel the story of Hannah is set within the context of a nation in turmoil, the nation of Israel is experiencing instability is confronted by insecurity and in many ways, Hannah has picture of her life is a microcosm of that larger picture. She is childless, and in many ways the nation of Israel is fruitless and the answer that God is providing for the predicament of Hannah is actually as we going to see part of his answer for the predicament of his people. We left off at var at verse 18 where we saw that Hannah had dried her eyes. Her tears were gone and she was no longer sad and her appetite had returned. I'm not sure that we made sufficient of the fact that her tears in her despair ends her great longings were not an expression of an absence of faith but were an indication of her faith and her tears have continued if you like through the night, but no joy has come in the morning and essentially what we have from verse 19 to the end of the chapter. If we were to summarize it in three scenes. It would be seen one Hannah. I went home and had a baby as seen in two Hannah stayed home with her baby and then thirdly scene three Hannah went back to Shiloh, taking her baby so verses 19 and 20. Hannah went home and had a baby notice simply what we are told in the text that verse nine tells us that they rose early in the morning and they worshiped before the Lord.

We are not told that they worshiped because it was unusual were probably told because it was normal, but the nature of the worship certainly of Hannah's may well have changed, so they worshiped the Lord then notice.

Secondly, and the Lord remembered the Lord remembered Hannah that frees it mentions the way in which God acts according to his covenant purposes.

So when he says when the Lord remembered. It is an indication the Lord took action and the action that he too was in relationship to the fact that he had covenanted with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and it actually said to Abram you know through you received all the nations of the earth would be blessed and when we read of the Lord, remembering, it is often directly that that he remembered the promise that he had made, and in light of the side.

He then took action and that of course is exactly what is happening here in Hannah's life so they worshiped the Lord remembered and then thirdly, Hannah conceived that he went home. Al Canada knew his wife, which is an expression of their physical intimacy and the Lord remembered her. And in due time, Hannah conceived and bore a son and she called his name Samuel forces said I have asked for him from the Lord. Yes of course she had in the name Samuel has got something of that verb to ask in it and so it seems entirely appropriate note.

One of the things that will be helpful for us to ponder in relationship to the arrival of Samuel is that, given that is accompanied by if you like this long lead up to our final gift of a child it creates within us as readers of this first Samuel the question, what is it what is so significant about this boy. What is this child going to be okay, everybody says that if you like about every child, but the very way in which this is unfolded, creates that sense of expectation and Hannah was not to know is certainly in those early days and weeks that this child that she had been given was destined to become God's spokesman God's prophet.

He was destined to be the one who would guide God's people in relationship to God's word nephew Bible is open if you just turn the page over into chapter 3, we are going to see that and when we come to it eventually. But here is the record of the call of God to Samuel and Samuel grew. That is verse 19 of chapter 3 and Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground and all Israel from Dan to Beersheba unit Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord and the Lord appeared again at Shiloh for the role the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord in a way that is just quite remarkable. The birth of this little boy is a significant part of God's unfolding plan of redemption and if we read first Samuel one. Without an awareness of the if you like the complexity and the immensity of that then it will benefit us but we like to miss the point. Hannah went home and had a baby and then we notice that Hannah stayed home with her baby. I'm going to resist the temptation to spend five minutes talking about the importance of mothers staying home with her children and that will make some of you feel bad or better or worse. I don't know but there is there is no doubt that this peculiar bond between a mother and her and the child is is is is on unparalleled and cannot be duplicated and so it is no surprise that having been given this little boy.

She wanted as much of him as she could possibly have known she had made a vow and so she was going to be taking him. But she wasn't going to go now.

She said to her husband. You know I'm not going to go up now because if I essentially what you say is if I go up. Now I'm going to come back with because I can take him up there and leave them now so I'm going to wait until he is weaned a punitive maybe two or three years and when he's in that position. Then I will go up again to Shiloh with you and on that occasion I will do what I have promised to do. I will bring him so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever. I often say to myself I wish I could hear the tone of voice with which he said that I I want to know whether her voice when her voice broke when she said she was his mother. Some of you mothers. You can even put your son in the nursery for an hour without going crazy.

Imagine giving him up for the rest of his life hell Canada was a pious man ill. Can I were told in the text had also made a vow were not told what is vow was but Al Canada.

In this context, you will see was both sensitive to his wife and at the same time sensitive to the purposes of God first 23 he says to her will you do what seems best. Wait until you wind only may the Lord establish his word that I don't to strike is as the causes to say wait a minute. When we have expected him to say will you do that's fine. You do that way. But remember, keep your work.

Somebody say he said. May the Lord establish his word. Parenthetically, if you happen to be married to a husband who is both sensitive to you and sensitive to the purposes of God. I hope you send him a nice Valentine car and I hope as you say your prayers at night you thank God sensitive to you sensitive to the purposes of God Al Canada may the Lord establish his word. What word I will. I read the chapter again and I read ahead and I couldn't find any specific word in relationship to the circumstances. Therefore, I take it to refer to the word of God, which is established in all of his promises to his people, but it is something about this man, this is often mine this obscure man. This no reputation family.

There is something about this that allows us to begin to understand the promised blessing of God rests upon this whole rests upon this lady who is surely grateful for these unrepeatable years before she does what she's promised that brings us to our third and final point she went home and had a baby. She stayed home with her baby and in verse 24 and following. She returned to Shiloh with her baby no longer a baby now, but a child is referred to as a child.

The point is made to slaughter the bull and they brought the child and the child was young supposed to see some kind of development would be wrong for us to try and figure out the exact ages. He was weaned and this was no small matter. You see that the events here are record what it was essentially a thank offering. You know the Old Testament all you know that God made provision for his people to express their thanks to him and often in ways that we would regard us rather strange, but they were dramatic expressions of their gratitude and of their praise, but you will see that the that the expression here is beyond the normal requirements.

That's why it's mentioned and so another feather in the Avail. Canada is piety is consistency and now his generosity. The promise made is a promise kept. And she is able to introduce herself to Eli. I am the woman who was standing here in your presence.

So the valley if you like of the shadow of tears and of darkness has now been replaced with the joy of the morning and she is able in this expression, to declare our thanksgiving to God for the gift and for the privilege that she now has a fulfilling her vow. Again, the Old Testament law was very clear about the making of valves Deuteronomy will help you in this and I just quote from one verse Deuteronomy 2321 where the instruction is given to the people. If you make a vow to the Lord your God.

You shall not delay fulfilling it for the Lord your God will surely required of you and you will be guilty of sin, however, so this was very specific in Hannah's case was one of the I can remember who was one of the ancients. One of the church fathers who asked himself three questions routinely. What have I done for Christ. What am I doing for Christ.

What will I do for Christ. And so when we think of all that it cost Hannah to fulfill her promise to keep her vow it ought at least in passing, to not just to say any unkept values, and I won't sidestep into the most obvious volleyball in terms of human relationships. The vow that we've made in marriage. I am the woman.

Notice how we have for this child I prayed the Lord granted my request and I have lent him to the Lord as long as he lives. That is momentous by any standards. And what a picture. I don't know quite how to figure this picture it says and and he worshiped the Lord there. I think probably we can understand it in terms of his service of the Lord, but of course was undefined about as the story continues. What can we say by way of application. What are we supposed to do with this.

One of the ways in which a narrative like this, it can be dealt with is to say, while there are some wonderful examples. Here is an example of how cannot he was a pious man. He was a consistent man. He was a generous man.

I think I ought to try and be like that for here is the set lady Hannah and she was sad to problem and she didn't know how to fix it. She prayed to God and God fixed it and so maybe if I do the same. Then that'll happen this well but I hope we been studying the Bible together long enough to say that while there is no question that there are exemplary elements in the reading of the Bible. Surely that is not why we have chapter 1 of four Samuel here to teachers. For example, consistency or whatever it might be know I say to you again that I think the phrase that needs to guide us in this is the phrase there in verse 23. May the Lord establish his word so that all of our understanding of everything that is going on is in relationship to God's ultimate purpose. The focus here. Although the cameras on Hannah for a long time. The focus is actually upon Yahweh. It is on the Lord himself and the fulfillment of his purposes. The story here is clearly not. If you are childless and sad. Pray to God and you get a baby because think about it. There must've been countless ladies in Israel who are childless and who pray to God and who never had a baby. Therefore the reason that it is here is if you like the unusual nature of the routine nature of, and it is pointing to the fact that God has chosen to intervene here in response to the prayers of Hannah, but not because of the peculiar nature of her misery or because of the extent of her sincerity, but because he is fulfilling his purpose, establishing his word. Remember the context a nation in turmoil and the people of no king and everybody did what was right in their own eyes. God is now going to fix that. How was he going to fix it.

He's going to provide leadership part one of the leadership will be the prophet of God who brings people under the word of God and guides them in the truth of God, then it will be in the provision of of Saul, then I will be in the provision of David and then eventually in David's greater son, namely the Lord Jesus himself. So if you like when we read the Bible we must always keep our eyes on Jesus, is a book about Jesus. Ultimately, instead of treating the text of the Bible is looking for ourselves and it like I can a form of where's Waldo where where where am I in this story.

You're actually not in the story and neither am I now Hannah's barrenness is actually a picture of Israel's rootlessness in some ways as someone pointed out to me this week Hannah's barrenness may actually be seen as a picture of the contemporary churches fruitfulness remember her problem. She didn't have children.

Remember she had arrival who opposed was a problem of contemporary church life. We don't have children converts were opposed by rival forces. What should we do do we really believe that this God who has chosen through his ancient people and through their seed to pour out his blessing on the nations will actually open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing, such as we don't have room enough to contain and I was, not adequacy but abundance so that the cries of the hearts of his people. Let's just be very specific in terms of Cleveland itself would be for the impact of the gospel to radically change the framework of varsity a divided city racially.

I don't care what anybody says it is therefore what is the gospel SATA, what would it be like if God actually chose to respond to those kinds of cries. How many people have actually become committed followers of Jesus in the last 12 months or 24 months.

Childless, and the promise of God is that he's working his purpose out as year succeeds two-year wonderful him. We never say it on the thing we've ever sung and it has this this verse and it.

This quote for you as we close is what is it all we can do is nothing worth unless God blesses the deed.

Vainly we hope for the harvest time to God gives life to the seed of regret that all we can do is nothing worth L cannot new Hannah L cannot had been knowing Hannah for some considerable time with no child L cannot new Hannah, the Lord remembered all we can do preaching evangelizing is nothing worth unless God blesses the seat we hold in vain for the harvest apart from his intervention. It is that same God who brought the poverty of their circumstances so clearly to bear upon this little family that they did what was only sensible to do.

They cry God intervened. There will come a day when this will all be in the past and but for now were here and we may not see that we may not see the harvest time. But that's okay. Men and women of vision have to be prepared to dream dreams that are bigger than can be achieved in their own lifetime. I'm not sure that the guy who did the Golden gate Bridge in San Francisco live to see its completion, but I was a big dream, and we may not live to see the children rising up in this generation, declaring Christ as Lord.

But we can do what we ought to do and that is to seek God. We can know that God hears us every time we cry out his plan of redemption is central to the core of all that he does listing the Truth for Life with Alister Bragg. If your relationship with Jesus has grown as a result of listing the Truth for Life. You have fellow listeners to thank for that Truth for Life is 100% listener funded much of the funding comes from our true partners who support this program through their prayers and their monthly giving. If you'd like to support the mission of Truth for Life to make solid Bible teaching widely available for free becoming a monthly true partner is a great way to do that. Signing up is quick and easy. Visit Truth for Life.org/true partner or call 888-588-7884 and each month we say thank you to our true partners by inviting you to request the monthly book offers today were recommending a book titled little pilgrims big journey is a simplified version of John Bunyan's classic, the Pilgrim's progress. Young children will absolutely love this book. It is a colorfully illustrated story of the Christian life book is yours. When you sign up to become a true partner or when you give a one time donation. Just The image you see in the mobile app or visit us online at truthforlife.org/donate Bob Lapine in first Samuel we see that Hannah finally gets the son she has desperately longed for but will she really be able to turn him over to the Lord as she bowed find out tomorrow. The Bible teaching of Alister Bragg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living