Lessons from the life of Samuel - 1 Samuel - with Phil Whittall

Welcome to the Grace Church Weekly Podcast. We're an international church right

in the heart of Stockholm, Sweden.

Each week, we share a message that's rooted in the faithful teaching of God's

Word and open to the vibrant work of the Holy Spirit among His people.

Here's this week's message.

I'm reading from 1 Samuel 12, starting in verse 19.

It says, pray to the Lord your God for us or we will die, they said to Samuel.

For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.

Don't be afraid, Samuel reassured them. You have certainly done wrong,

but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart and don't turn your back on him.

Don't go back to worshiping where worthless idols that cannot help or rescue

you. They are totally useless.

The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name.

For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.

As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for

you, and I will continue to teach you what is good and right.

But be sure to fear the Lord are faithfully serving.

Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.

But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.

Father, we pray that as we look into your word, that you will speak to our hearts,

that what you want to say to us today will strengthen us and equip us.

We thank you for these stories.

We thank you for your word and the scripture that we can trust it.

We can rely on it, but help us to use it wisely and well so that we grow as

your disciples and as your followers in Jesus name, amen.

We're doing a series of studies from the book of Samuel, and today we're looking at Samuel.

He's actually, there's one and two Samuel. You might look in your Bibles and

see there's 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel.

Originally, that was just one book, Samuel. And actually, Samuel,

although his aim is on it, he actually disappears quite early on in the whole set.

But he gives, he's got his name on it. And Samuel is the last judge of Israel.

He's a prophet, a priest, and a kingmaker.

And after Moses, Samuel stands as one of Israel's greatest spiritual leaders.

And he's also one of the few characters to make a post-death appearance in the Bible.

Jesus would be one, he dies, then you see him again, right? Resurrection.

Something different happens with Samuel. We'll get to that later.

But Samuel has a post-death appearance, making him kind of intriguing.

And Samuel has lessons for everyone.

So we're going to take a look at the boy Samuel, Samuel the prophet, and old man, Samuel.

And there's one single thread that runs through all of Samuel's life.

Hearing and obeying the voice of the Lord.

Let's look at the boy Samuel. I want you to pay attention to a few verses.

Don't bring them all up, so click on them one at a time, so that's fine, just pause right there.

The boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.

Now this could just mean Samuel's geography, right?

He literally is growing up in the tabernacle. Yeah, that's his home.

But the places we grow up in shape us. You're shaped by the culture and the

people and the things that are around you.

That shapes you into the kind of way that you see the world.

And so Samuel's world is shaped by the worship he sees going on all around him every day.

Samuel grew up watching people offer sacrifices.

He grew up watching people seek God, seek wisdom, ask for forgiveness.

Trust God for rain and for harvests Samuel

watches people because he's at the heart and

the center of a place of pilgrimage Samuel is surrounded by worship as he grows

up and he grows up hearing the stories about the mighty acts of God so it says

he grew in the presence of the Lord,

he grew in the presence of the Lord.

Then this, next one. Now the boy Samuel continued to grow, both in stature and

in favor with the Lord and also with man.

So he's getting taller and stronger.

But it's not just physically. We see the spiritual formation of Samuel.

Everyone in Israel who comes to worship will sacrifice at Shiloh.

Okay, so this isn't in Jerusalem.

So before Jerusalem is established as the center of worship in Israel,

it's in a place called Shiloh. That's where the tabernacle rests.

That's where the Ark of the Covenant should be. It's been, I guess, captured.

But year after year, year after year, people go on pilgrimage there and they

would all have seen Samuel because Samuel was the little assistant to the chief priest, Eli.

And so they'll watch him. Everyone will watch Samuel. They'll see him perform his duties.

And they liked what they saw. They approved.

They think there's something about this young man, this boy.

But it wasn't just that the people approved of Samuel. It says the Lord approved of Samuel.

Parents want to think about as much about the spiritual formation of your children

as we do the mental, physical, emotional. We want them to be secure individuals.

We want them to grow up healthy.

We want them to be educated and learn skills.

We want them to grow up knowing the favor of God, being approved by God and

grow up in the presence of God.

So we don't neglect the shaping of their souls as part of their formation.

And then the third one, this is all in the space of a few verses.

We've got verse 21, verse 26, and at the start of chapter three,

all each one, the boy Samuel, the boy Samuel, the boy Samuel.

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli.

And the word of the Lord was rare in those days.

There was no frequent vision.

So Samuel's still a boy, but he's serving and ministering.

Someone said this week as we were talking about this, that there's no junior Holy Spirit.

It's the same Holy Spirit for everybody.

There isn't like the God for adults and then a different God for children.

A different Holy Spirit for children. There's not, it's the Holy Spirit.

And Samuel is serving the Lord as a child.

For us challenging, Are we making space for children to minister to the Lord,

giving them roles and jobs, but also including them into the worship,

not as something necessarily separate, but as part of the way of all of us being blessed?

He's under the watchful eye, though, of his teacher.

No one is too young to get involved in ministering to the Lord.

But everyone needs some training.

Everyone needs help. Everyone needs some education. We do it this way.

We get schooled in things.

So we serve and we get shaped. And that's Samuel.

Discipleship isn't a passive thing. This is true for all of us.

We serve and we get shaped.

It's a thing that we do.

But let's take a moment to consider that last week we looked at the story of

Eli, and we had this understanding that worship in Israel at this time is a pretty poor shame.

Under the leadership of Eli and his sons, worship has become corrupted,

the glory has departed, and as a result, people neither see or hear.

There's no word and there's no vision.

They're spiritually, if there's no word and there's no vision,

that means people are deaf and blind.

There's nothing to hear and there's nothing to see. And if there's nothing to

hear and there's nothing to see, then they're lacking wisdom and direction.

Sin has dulled the people to the voice of God.

The word of the Lord was rare, and there was no frequent vision.

There are religious houses in this land where the word of the Lord is not heard,

and the Spirit of God is not seen.

No word, no spirit. The glory of the gospel is departed from those houses.

How would we avoid such a similar fate?

How do we make sure that it's not true of us that the word of the Lord is rare?

And there's no frequent vision.

Remember when the Spirit comes at Pentecost, it's so that I'll pour out my Spirit

on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.

They'll have dreams, the summits and visions.

We'll both be hearing and seeing. The Spirit is supposed to be so that the Word

of the Lord isn't rare and vision isn't rare.

And then this is the last grow. 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 Beisheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord.

And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh. For the Lord revealed himself to Samuel

at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. and the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

So earlier, where Samuel is growing, the word of the Lord is rare and there's no frequent vision.

But because Samuel is someone who is trusting the Lord, the Lord appears again.

Starts revealing himself.

There's revelation, there's vision, and then comes through the word of the Lord.

And the word through Samuel comes to all Israel.

So through this ministry of Samuel, the word goes from being rare to being heard.

Go vision, infrequent to the Lord is appearing and making a revelation.

Samuel had been trained. He'd listened to the voice of the Lord.

He'd been obedient, even when it was difficult. It was Samuel had to take to

his mentor, someone who'd been a father figure in his life, the chief priest of Israel, Eli.

Samuel had to take to him as a boy a word of judgment.

That's not easy. But God was with him.

And because God was with him, people recognized him as a prophet. He was established.

So he grew, he grew, he grew, he has been established.

The silence has been broken. And reformation and renewal in the church always

begins with people hearing the word of the Lord and obeying it.

Now sometimes we get things mixed up we think because someone is successful,

that god must be with them it's not always the case.

We look at the success and think god must be with them which is samuel falls

into that trap when he's when he's anointing kings look at look how impressive

this person is oh god must be with them.

And God says, no, looking on the heart.

So we don't need to go seeking influence. God will give it to us or not.

But note that through Samuel, sight and sound have been restored.

Samuel sees and hears the law.

So let's like Samuel, be diligent students of scripture, because through it, we hear the words of God.

And second, we need to be filled with the spirit,

Ephesians, because it's through the Spirit, as it's said in Acts 2,

that we have dreams, visions, the Word speaks.

Whereas we know that in our hearts we can cry, Abba, Father,

because the Spirit is with us. It's a deposit of the guarantee of salvation.

We know that we are the children of God because of the Spirit.

We know that God is with us because the Spirit is speaking.

And let's keep coming to the well and saying, Holy Spirit, fill me up.

And thirdly it's really important that we live holy lives that we take righteousness

seriously the ways of God seriously put into practice what the Lord is teaching us.

So that's the boy Samuel. Now let's have a look at the prophet Samuel.

God has established Samuel. He's now judge and Eli is dead.

And it's Samuel who takes his place and is the judge of Israel.

And under Samuel's leadership, the defeats at the hands of the Philistines are reversed.

Israel has peace with some of its neighbors.

Integrity is restored to its corporate worship. It's a significant achievement.

Samuel teaches them just as Moses did and just as Joshua did.

And so this is kind of the heart of Samuel's message.

If you're returning to the Lord with all your heart,

then put away foreign gods and the Ashtoreth from Amami, which is an idol,

and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only.

And he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

And when the Lord helped Israel, Samuel made a note of it, put a great big stone

as a marker after a victory, and he called it Ebenezer,

which means the Lord has helped us to this point.

There's a physical reminder. Every time you see the rock, you go, the Lord has helped us.

What helps you remember what the Lord has done for you?

What will jog you on memory there's the lord who's given victory or the lord

has kept you lord has loved you sometimes we just need there's a cool reminders

don't we have them lots of different ways i've got one there's a number area

one i have a physical reminder,

something important we have them in different places you have photo albums,

on your phone if not actually in print in print.

What will give you confidence that the Lord will help you tomorrow?

Well, because until now, the Lord has helped us. What gives you faith to endure, to keep going?

See that stone? That reminds us the Lord has helped us.

He's helped us so far. We trust that he will help us in the future.

So Samuel, he works hard. He travels constantly. He has circuit around the middle

of Israel where he's going and judging Israel.

So literally, you know, doing the cases, casework.

Bearing the burdens of the people are patiently day after day,

setting their way right before the Lord.

And even in his hometown, he built an altar to the Lord.

So this work of national spiritual renewal that happens in Samuel's lifetime

didn't just happen in a day.

It was a work of a lifetime, many years.

Samuel pulled out his energies on behalf of God and his people.

And where we see most of what's recorded about Samuel is in the last part, Old Man Samuel.

The majority of the lessons that we get from Samuel are interesting enough in

this later season of his life, not as a youth, not as a man in his prime,

but in his later years as an old man.

And the first observation is that Samuel has sons who also are corrupt.

He appoints Joel and Abijah as judges, but they take bribes and they seek material wealth.

And so Samuel like he also

has the struggles of Elon his sons are

not good and this leads to one of

Samuel's toughest tests the toughest

probably the toughest moment of Samuel's life is right here where he faces rejection

the people reject his sons as leaders and in fact reject the whole notion of judges as leaders.

Samuel has been a judge all his life.

And because of his sons, the people who he has given his life for say,

not only do we not want your sons, we don't want any more leaders like you.

We want a king. Everyone else has got a king. We don't want judges.

How would you feel? How would you feel?

All his life, he's worked for God.

All his life has been in service of his people. And this is the thanks he gets.

You're old. Your sons don't walk in your ways. Give us a king like all the nations.

Samuel is saying, we're not alike, all the nations. You're God's people.

Rejection can be a painful trial. Every one of us will likely,

if we haven't already, at some point face the trial of rejection.

Someone will reject our love reject our guidance reject our worth,

this can hurt sometimes a lot maybe you've been rejected by a partner or a parent or a child,

colleagues, friends sometimes maybe some of you even at the church.

Maybe some of you have rejected someone and caused pain rejection,

stinks lives with people years after it happened so what do you do in moments like that.

Maybe Samuel remembered what his mother Hannah did.

Maybe Samuel just did what he always had learned to do.

Either way, Samuel went to the Lord.

He prayed to God. And it's from the Lord that he got the help that he needed.

First, God reminds him, the people are not rejecting you, they're rejecting me, God says.

The fact that God speaks to Samuel is enough to be reassured that God has not rejected him.

God is still speaking to him. Even when the people don't want to hear him any

longer, God is still speaking to him.

But this becomes a huge challenge because now God says, give them a king.

That's what they want. they'll see they're rejecting the kingship of god and

they're going to have a human king,

okay but this so the people of

god are now going for it's not even plan b plan stick a letter on less than

the best and there's just one narrow path samuel says the way this could work

out well for you you're asking for a king the only way this is going to work is if you,

and the kings,

follow the Lord they go.

If you don't or the king doesn't, this is going to go bad there.

Which is what happens.

Spoiler alert.

So the Lord has Samuel anoint Saul as king.

And Samuel retires. It's not his job to lead the people any longer.

It's the King's children.

Again, it's a tough moment. It's a tough moment. He's got to step aside.

Maybe he doesn't want to. Maybe he's not ready to. Maybe he's saying,

I've still got, you know, hey, I've still got something to give.

But he's not the man any longer. That's all. So Samuel speaks with the people

in what is effectively his retirement speech.

And he asks them outright, have I led you with integrity?

Have I taken bribes? Have I oppressed the poor? Have I cheated anyone?

And the people answer with a resounding, no, you have not.

Samuel admits, I'm old and gray.

Felt that one as I read it.

Samuel's been a public figure since he was a child. He's led the people since he was young.

It's quite something to stand there at work. It's effectively his retirement

and to have it affirmed that for his life, he is led with integrity.

That's something, isn't it?

He's exemplified honesty, devotion, perseverance, faithfulness.

You know what Samuel's done?

He's built a legacy. He's got a legacy.

Some of us will ruin

our legacies as kings did with a moment

of recklessness a moment

of foolishness a moment of giving

in to temptation what is david's legacy

man after god's own heart but

also a man who went and committed

adultery and murder the legacy gone

in a moment changed forever in a

moment you cannot both live for

a moment and for a legacy at the same time see legacy is a lifetime of obedience

faithful obedience in the same direction not being turning to the left or the

right away from the path of integrity and truth.

Kingdom legacy is built from daily obedience.

So even in his farewell speech, what Emma read to us, he makes clear that people

haven't chosen wisely. They've chosen poorly.

You actually done this evil in asking for a king. And during this kind of goodbye

farewell speech, Samuel goes, just so you know how unhappy God is about this,

There's going to be this kind of divine thunderstorm.

And God sends this thunder and everyone is terrified.

And Samuel's doing like classic Old Testament prophet stuff on the people of Israel.

You know this will show you thunder lining.

But Samuel also says to the people, the message he's preached to them all his

life, don't turn aside from following the Lord.

Serve the Lord with all your heart.

Do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver. They are empty.

But the Lord will not forsake his people. For his grains namesake has pleased

the Lord to make a people for himself.

You'll recognize the echo of those words in scripture,

moses said them joshua said them guess what

jesus said them love the lord your god with all your heart all your soul all

your strength love your neighbor as yourself jesus said that there's a lot of

things in life that you'll do you no great good don't chase after them don't

be anxious about these things,

but instead seek first the Lord

and his righteousness and all these other things will be added to you.

And you hear the shepherd's heart and say, far be it from me that I should sin

against the Lord by stopping to pray, by ceasing to pray for you.

And I will instill instruct you in the good and the right way.

And that's the voice of wisdom.

Good leaders are the ones that will pray for you, that instructs you in the good and the right way.

They'll call you to serve God with all of your heart and to remember the ways

that God has helped you to this point.

While Samuel thinks he will retire, but Saul sadly is not the king anyone had hoped for.

He's stressed and strained by the burdens of kingship and Saul continually fears the wrong thing.

Saul fears people instead of fearing God.

And Saul listens to the voice of the people instead of listening to the voice

of God. And so Samuel is called to rebuke the kid.

And only he could do it.

And he challenges Saul.

And it says, the Lord take delight in verbal friends and sacrifices as much

as he does in obeying the voice of the Lord.

To obey is better than sacrifice.

And to listen more is better than the fat of rams.

Friends, time and time again, we've said it. We don't sing songs on Sunday and ignore God on Monday.

God doesn't want performance or empty worship, but harps that are truly given

to him. And Samuel's gutted.

Grieves over Saul's failures.

And now in his old age, fears that Saul might kill him.

But the Lord has one more task for him. So he goes and finds David.

And so Samuel anoints two kings over Israel.

And then Samuel dies. And Israel mourns the loss of the last and the greatest of all the judges.

But that's not quite the last we hear of Samuel. In a very mysterious encounter,

Saul, who is losing his grip on everything, his family, his kingdom,

his sanity, turns to a witch for help.

And he persuades her to call up the spirit of Samuel from the grave.

And this witch is terrified, like, what have you made me do?

Who's this? It's like, what do you see? I see an old man. It's like, that's the one.

He's a scary old man and it's so Saul pleads with the spirit of Samuel saying tell me what do I do,

Saul simply says what the Lord said to you through me when I was alive is what

will happen you didn't obey the voice of the Lord his judgment is still on you,

even from the grave Samuel is not messing around.

Then Samuel and Jesus.

Luke writes of Jesus, he increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.

Just after Jesus had been found in the temple and talking with the leaders,

and they're amazed at his wisdom as a young boy.

Luke means for you to remember who else, the only other person in scripture

whom this is written about.

Salmon. Some tension. You're meant to make the connection. Jesus is a new Salmon.

Both boys grew up near the house of God, both heard the word of the Lord when others did not.

The word of the Lord was rare until the people heard it through Samuel.

While following with John the Baptist and Jesus, God breaks a 400-year silence

where the word of the Lord was rare, between Malachi and the New Testament, 400 years.

Samuel and Jesus, prophet, priest, and judge, bring them up.

The word of God, the presence of God as priest, the authority of God as judge.

Samuel's leadership is a preview of the Messiah's leadership.

Word-centered, worship-restoring, justice-seeking.

In him, the three offices of prophet, priest, and judge come together.

And in Christ, all three reach their fulfillment.

He's our true prophet. He's our high priest. and he is the judge of the living and the dead.

Samuel told the people, only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart.

Consider what great things he has done for you. So as we finish,

as we conclude, consider what Jesus has done for you. Bring up the next one.

Samuel said, if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord

your God, it will be well. So who reigns?

Who reigns over you?

Who reigns in your life?

For if it's Jesus who reigns, the true King, the Lord's anointed forever,

then it will be well with you.

If it's Jesus who reigns, it will be well with you, no matter what happens.

He will lead you is a shepherd through the wilderness. He will speak to you as he spoke to Samuel.

And by his spirit, the word of the Lord will not be rare among his people.

Samuel anointed Israel's first king, but Jesus is the king anointed without

measure, the spirit without measure.

He is the prophet whose word still awakens dead hearts and brings life.

He is the priest to sacrifice is enough once and for all.

He's the key, who will never be corrupt, never be replaced, never grow old.

So church, if the word of the Lord can sometimes feel rare in our time,

if we look around the cities and think, where's the Spirit of God?

Well, let's be like Samuel, who listens to the voice of the Lord in the night.

For the same God who spoke to a boy in Shiloh still speaks to those who wait

on him, still points us towards the Lord's anointed,

still leads us to Jesus.