The Word of the Lord (Part 2 of 2)

You think that when God broke his apparent silence. It would've been a time of great rejoicing. But that was not the case for young Samuel today on Truth for Life will hear about the devastating message God gave Samuel to deliver in his brand-new role as a prophet in Israel.

Let's join Alastair beg as he teaches from chapter 3 of first Samuel verses one through 14. The silences are virtually deafening silence and the word of God was rare in those days and there was no frequent vision. Now it is in that context of silence that we read verse two at that time. At what time.

Well, at the big time of their rarity of the word in the absence of frequent vision, but at the specific time of this evening. Our Eli whose eyesight is failing or going to discover in chapter 4 that is also increasingly heavy and it is a his eyes have begun to grow dim as so that he could not see and he was lying down in his own place. So again, this picture of the aging man and either there's something of a metaphor. There is there that is I cited begun to grow dim, this is a physical statement.

I will also become aware of the fight that his spiritual eyesight is increasingly dim.

I mean, he thought that Hannah was a drunk. He can see what's going on with his own boys and were about to discover more evidences of his lack of perception the lamp of God had not yet gone out there lamp of God. You can read about in the earlier parts of your Bible. In Exodus, I think around chapter 27 or so, very expressive and specific instructions are given about the lighting of the lamp where it is to be how it is to be tended and the privileges of being there to make sure it is burning and then realizing when it is to be extinguished and so this lamp had not yet gone out, that gives us then time reference because it burned until the morning hours of burn virtually until dawn and so we know then that what is taking place here is in. If you like the watches of the night, the middle watches of the night, perhaps in Shakespearean terms and the physical picture that you have is of Eli who is in his own bed, lying in his own place you would expect that to be the case. And yet Samuel and I were told is lying down in the temple of the Lord I think is striking is because we would be we would be tempted to say that Eli since he is a priest of God would be lying down in the temple of the Lord is at the tent of meeting in the context of the ark of God which contained the this the tablets of the commands in the and an expression of God's covenant. The respect that would be the priest and he would say no Eli you had Google and and go over there. You got a little place for yourself over there but is actually reverse Eli is now somewhat distanced, at least visibly from this and Eli is lying down and Samuel was lying down, where the ark of God walks I think is a metaphor in that lamp as well as nerds. Be very careful about suggesting that this is why it says what it says this is the lamp of God are not yet gone out story about the physical lamp that is not yet gone out okay. That's what it means doesn't mean something other than that, but given what we know. We recognize that it is virtually a metaphor for the fact that in the darkness in the spiritual darkness in the absence of the word.

It is actually true is one hell of a lamp is not yet gone out, and that's the significance of little Samuel here is the light in the darkness of feeling distanced Eli in sharp contrast to the emerging Samuel so the lamp is still burning. The tent is still standing and is the point. Stella's the darkest hour is just before dawn, so as for me, that's the mamas and the Papas if you're interested in. Each night before you go to bed.

My baby is the darkest hours just before dawn. Well, that's exactly what we find. So verses 1 to 3 silence verses for essentially to 14. The silence is broken. Silence is broken and is broken by God calling out to Samuel and Samuel quite understandably assumes that it must be Eli who is calling him and you will notice that he gets up and he runs to Eli so you have this picture of Samuel being just her a really good young fellow up and out of his bed. If Eli's calling. I'm listening and I'm going to run over there. I'm not going to trudge over there and so he arrives and he says here I am for you called me only to discover that Eli did not call him and so he directs and I did not call lie down again and so he went and laid down verse six and the Lord called again, Samuel and Samuel Rosen went to Eli and said, here I am for you called me but he said I didn't call my son lie down again out pausing notice something here some of your teachers I had teachers good ones. I rose bad ones, and everyone's what I wouldn't be fair but just I had I had teachers. We've all had teachers I was not very good at many subjects. Number one being mathematics and I didn't need a teacher who said to me, look, if you don't get it the first time you're on your own. I needed teacher who realized beg I'm I have to say this to you again and again and again until you get no notice the gracious dealing of God. In speaking out his word to his servant who doesn't get in fact to truth. His servants who don't get remember Jesus says to his followers. I have things still to tell you but you not ready yet to understand and in the quadruple call of God here. We have at least in passing a reminder to others of his tenderness and his kindness of the way in which if you like he stoops down to the situation and in verse seven, the writer gives us something of an explanation. How do we account for the disconnect. If this little fellow. Samuel is consecrated to the Lord if he is a Nazirite is for his and for his life if he is growing in favor and growing in stature. If he's doing such a good job. Why doesn't he, that as soon as though the Lord's voice on that.

Why doesn't he just got up of his bed, says yes Lord here I have answer. Samuel didn't yet know the Lord. What is that me, isn't that what we just saw about the sons of Eli verse 12 of chapter 2 now the sons of Eli were worthless man.

They did not know the Lord. This is a reminder to us again about the way in which to study the Bible the context of a statement determines the way in which a statement and expression and explanation is to be understood and if you're not careful you will notice that the two statements are actually not identical into 12 it says the sons of Eli did not know the Lord. Here in chapter 3 of Samuel. It says he did not yet know the Lord. The reason that Hockney and Phineas did not know the Lord was because they didn't want to know the Lord. That's the reason that some of you don't know the Lord, because you don't want. If you wanted to, you would know know you see you cannot define God, and know God simultaneously. You cannot turn your bike on the place where God meets with you, namely his cross, and still meet with God because he keeps all of his appointments at the same place.

So the reason that the worthless sons did not know the Lord was different from the context of Samuel in Samuel's case. What actually told that the reason he didn't know the Lord was because God's word had not yet been revealed to him he was involved he was ministering. He was engaged but there was a personal dimension that had not yet been his experience and what is so wonderful about this is that God takes the initiative that not only does he take the initiative, but that he's gracious enough to persist by issuing the call repetitively. Some of us would be here this morning and it is different dimension but applicable would say you know I I I went I went and listen to that many times are I read more than a carpenter twice and could make nothing of it.

II somebody told me I should read CS Lewis and I read CS Lewis and it was. It meant nothing to me. It's all and then one day I hear the voice of Jesus say, come unto me, and rest laid down or weary one. Lay down your head up on my breast and I came to Jesus as I was. I was really I was worn I was sad I found in him arrested place and he has made me glad, but up until that point I didn't know is not what we have here and so the Lord called 1/3 time were not in verse eight making steady progress in the Lord called Samuel again the third time and he rose and went to Eli and said, here I am for you called me. Now I have to confess I find out significant measure of humor in this. By this point in reading this when I been reading it out loud for myself, it just in my studies I like to read out loud and get the sense of it, but you will notice every time Samuel informs Eli say I am here to say I'm here and somebody shouting in here and I don't know who it is no every time he comes in he says I am here for you called me as funny as Eli says no I didn't call you online now off he goes and lies down know. Again, we don't know what that was there five minutes did he fall asleep again before the second one and that he awakened again or it'll have to wait a couple minutes and then the floor. I don't know but if it is any protracted period to edit all you gotta imagine that he does is WAKING up again goes back and goes through the hold the same old program goal. Eli he is he is. His eyesight is dim for sure, but now what we discover. Then all of a sudden Eli perceived he perceived as a good advertisement because you see what he was lacking a more spiritual perception we all are, by nature, we are blind when there is perception is an indication of the work of God, open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things out of your law until you open my eyes. I can read them and I don't behold hardly another little Eli's going about the business. The ministrations of the temple in increasing darkness in increasing uselessness.

Why would he think on the first instance that it was the Lord was speaking while as a priest for goodness sake. Yes, but what we know in verse one the word of the Lord was rare before his his immediate response would not be all this must be the word of the Lord because it was a lot of the word of the Lord, and if he had an inkling in it that it was the word of the Lord, then it would've caused him to say with interest the word of the Lord and I'm the priest of the Lord.

Surely the Lord would be speaking to me so that I could tell Samuel rather than speaking the Samuel Sarid call and speak to me there's another sidebar in that when old ministers and old pastors are wary last the boys among them going to hear what they don't hear and see when they don't see and are called to preach in a way that the old boys no longer have a platform to see rail has a wonderful section on that in volume 7 of his works of JC Rabbi Banner of truth what he says don't worry about it.

When the old ministers die. He says God has gotten much better ones that are coming behind. And that is certainly true here is Eli was over they are lying in his own place and Samuel was ready. So there we have it. He says now I get it now I want you to go back and lie down again and if he calls you, you shall say, speak, Lord, for your servant hears. So Samuel went and laid down in his place their coming and going us is is terrific, and then look at verse 10. The audible is now accompanied by the visible, the division was infrequent. The word was rare. Now we have both. If you like vision and word combined of the Lord came and stood calling as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. I don't suggest you spend a lot of time speculating about the mechanism about how it was that there was this appearance of who it was. What it means for the theophany and so want the kind of thing that will get you off track in the in the average home Bible study group what is the point here.

The point is that now. Samuel is addressed. Notice is addressed in a twofold way.

This is not unusual in the Bible, Abraham, Abraham, which is before you is to take his boy and sacrifice him. Jacob. Jacob, Moses, Moses, Samuel, Samuel. You see, this is crucial. This is pivotal in this chapter because now what is happening in this instance is that the role of the prophet is being assigned to Samuel that God has now reached down into the life of this young fellow and he is setting in. In the place of his appointing is going to be radical for and it is going to have implications beyond anything that he could ever imagine. And he is immediately aware of this because when he replies and he misses out a word in his reply because member Eli said you're supposed to say speak Lord for your servant hears. Apparently he misses out the Lord, and he just goes straight to it speak, for your servant hears and see that and the Lord said to Samuel, behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two years of everyone who hears it will tingle this. This is not a unique phrase.

Incidentally, you fight you find this phrase at least a couple more times where where the word of God comes in a way that is going to be quite devastating.

I thought I found an interesting phrase I hope you do too, at which two years of everyone who hears it will tingle as opposed to light one year of everyone. This is a two-year tingle or not a one year tingle or otherwise says the two years of everyone is like we got a lot of people here.

The only one here what's going on.

Why does it not simply say you know and the ears of everyone will tingle wheezing are you doing what you're told is not to do because you told us that the main things of the plain things and now you're off on the years of people and that's not good. Know so what is the point. The point is that what is about to come out of the mouth of God to be put in the ears and the heart of this boy Samuel is a nerve jangling heart stopping radical back on your heels encounter with the living God, which he in turn is going to have to deliver to his boss whose called Eli who was the priest of God and he is facing the judgment of God. Now Samuel, welcome to the ranks of the prophets.

Let's get up and get on no wonder verse 15 and Samuel had a long Samuel Lee in his head in the morning. Please been up and down all night courses should be lying in his bed in the morning. The poor fellows tire, but you know that when you don't want to get up and is not because you're lazy is because when you get up you know you've got to do all you know you've got to see and what you've got to do what you've got to say is so devastating in his impact you try and squeeze as much time in your bed as you possibly can. We going to have to leave Samuel lying in his bed, at least until this evening.

There are times when God may call us to a difficult task when that fills us with dread and he persists until we hear him listing the Truth for Life with Alistair Begg. Please keep listening. Alastair will return to close with prayer in just a minute. If you're enjoying this brand-new study of first Samuel, you might be interested in knowing that the whole series is available on USB. It's titled, give us a king. It includes 54 messages through the entire book of first Samuel the give us a king. USB is available to purchase for just five dollars you'll find it on the mobile app and online@truthforlife.org/store and were excited about today's book recommendation that the book written by Alister along with his good friend Sinclair Ferguson.

The book is titled name above all names in the midst of the busyness of life and the diversions we face in this world, we can often find ourselves distracted from knowing the most important person we could ever know. This book helps us come to know Jesus. Even better, as we dive into seven key qualities that make him unique. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the person and work of Christ.

You'll learn about Jesus as the seed of the woman, the true prophet Jesus is the king that the first monarchy were learning about in first Samuel ultimately points us to this book comes with a companion study guide that you can complete on your own or use it with a small group you'll answer provocative questions that will help you gain a deeper understanding of Jesus as he is explained and revealed to us in Scripture request the book name above all names when you donate today to give. Visit us online at truthful, I.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884.

Now here's Alister with the closing prayer but our father, thank you that you are the God who speaks that into the darkness into the famine you deliver your word that on the days when it would appear that hope is gone, that your voice is no longer to be her you shine out in the light of your word and in the service of your prophets with silly thank you that the word that is spoken by him will prove to be a word of judgment is nevertheless a word of hope.

Reminder that there is one who is going to come who is going to fulfill all that it means to be a prophet in speaking the word of God to us is going to fulfill all that it means to be the priest of God sacrificing his very self on our behalf, who will be the king who out kings all the king so that he might rule and reign and subdue our rebellion. Thank you that this hope does not make is a shame in this part of our birthright. As a result of the fact that your were in the person of your son has come to us and changed us, and in his name we pray about Lapine. All of us sin, but God graciously forgives us when we turn to him in faith and repentance, but is there a point we can get to where forgiveness is no longer possible sure to listen tomorrow to find out the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living