They cannot believe in the invisible God with his visible. demonstration and evidences of His presence and his work, and so God again, he's not going to force his word on people, and nor should we. It is so nice. When God sends someone to you. The church, is it not nice when people willingly come to the church to hear God's word?
Or would you rather legislate it, mandate it? It's been tried and it's never worked well. You're listening to Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of 1 Samuel.
Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross-reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. But for now, let's join Pastor Rick in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 3 with today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio. Samuel 1 Samuel chapter 1. The calling of a prophet. That is our study tonight.
And uh Again, we're in 1 Samuel 3. We go right to the text.
Now, The boy Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli, and the word Of Yahweh was rare in those days, there was no widespread revelation.
Now some years have passed from chapter two into where we come now into this section of Scripture. And we know that because Samuel, of course, his mom was speaking to the Lord, asking for. This male child. And as she prayed, Eli the high priest thought she was drunk. Which means Eli could see her lips moving because the Bible tells us her lips were moving, but you could not hear her speak.
Well, by the time we come to this chapter, It uh evidently cataracts have formed on Eli's eyes and he doesn't see well anymore. And that helps us out to understand that there's been, you know, this this development with the eyes of of Eli. Josephus the prophet says that Samuel is pro is now twelve years old. Maybe that's close. He's probably twelve, fourteen, something like that.
And so now the boy, Samuel, and he still is a boy. Menster to Yahweh before Eli.
Now he's always serving. This is the third mention in two chapters. We find Samuel ministering before the Lord. And that creates this picture of action. Here is this young boy, he's given to God, and he's busy about doing what he's doing.
Uh I don't know, you know, uh not out in the back playing with conquer trucks or anything like that, it it just it seems like he's always serving. I'm sure he was just a little boy also, and he would get with the other little boys and play. But what is recorded for us is that even at this young age, he is serving. They are under the authority of Eli. who seems to be Eli A gentle man, even though he's got this big problem with his boys.
This pattern of ministry of course. Ministering before the Lord. It's continued into the New Testament, continued to this day. And we follow this pattern, Acts chapter 13. We read this last session.
As they ministered to The Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I have called them.
Well, we're going to see that happen with Samuel. This is the calling of a prophet. He's not a prophet at this point, at this verse, but he's going to be one by the time we're out of here. And and as a matter of fact, There the contrasts continue. We have the absence of the word in the beginning of this chapter.
By the end of this chapter we have this man who is Seeing God. because of the word. But that's getting ahead of things. We continue the word still in verse 1. The word of Yahweh was rare in those days, and that, of course, is going to be.
A contrast for us.
Well, of course it was rare in those days. Why should God speak to a people who were in full blown rebellion? Not all of them, but as a nation. Men like Elkinah and women like Hannah, they were interested in God very much. But many others were not.
And God's not going to cast pearl before swine. You know, you don't want the word, you're not going to get the word. It's it's it's a principle still in effect. We turn people off when we try to jam the word down their throat. You're going to get the gospel whether you like it or not.
Well They're not going to like you. and you're not going to get them saved. You're just going to irritate them and turn them off to God. And that's why we depend on the leading of the Spirit.
So, Paul says to the Galatians, I'll say this again later on this evening. Having begun in the spirit, are you made perfect in the flesh? A lot of people start off with Christ but don't want to continue with Him, and it's hard being led because you have to do without Christ. While you're waiting for God, to do whatever he's going to do with you. And there you just have to follow routine.
You go through the ministry. You serve in the routine. That's what Samuel is doing, he's doing the routine service. And it is a good service. The corrupted priesthood didn't help matters any.
That's why the word wasn't given. The very leaders of the faith weren't leading in the faith. There was no widespread revelation. Of course, that word revelation in our English is vision in the Hebrew, and they are connected because the visions are given by God. revealed.
Proverbs 29, 18, where there is no vision, says the old King James, where there is no revelation, says the new King James. Both accurate. Alternates, you could say. The people cast off restraint. But happy is he who keeps the law So, where there's no word coming from God, whether it is a fresh revelation as in the days of Samuel.
Or a Revelation of the scripture today, where there is no word, the people are not. restrained from their sin. They plunge into it. But happy are those that keep the law.
So God could not speak. through his leaders at his temple. At his temple. Today, we have places that call themselves churches. God can't speak there.
He's not permitted to speak there. The Bible is closed. Men go with their own opinions. They call in the X birds. Guys who used to be named Bert but aren't any more.
Here it was because either God was in second place, as with Eli and his sons, or he was in last place, as with his sons. Hophtai and Phineas couldn't get. God was in the way. He was just useful to get them what they wanted, their sin. Amos chapter 8, verse 11.
The prophet warns, Behold, The days are coming, says the Lord Yahweh, That I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine of bread. nor a thirst of water, but of hearing the words of Yahweh.
So the prophet warns the people, he said, You better watch out. You're not going to get anything from God. And that means there's going to be a cultural breakdown. We're seeing it. Micah also makes this prophecy.
Therefore you shall have night without vision. And you shall have darkness without divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets. And the day shall be dark for them. God is saying, fine, you want to play all these games with these other religions or no religion, whatever you think you've got.
You know the person that says to you, I don't believe what I can't see is an idolater. And they're around today. They act so sophisticated because they don't bow down to a figurine. They think they're not committing idolatry. They are.
They cannot believe in the invisible God with his visible demonstration and evidences of His presence and his work, and so God again, he's not going to force his word on people, and nor should we. It is so nice. When when God sends someone to you. The church, is it not nice when people willingly come to the church to hear God's word? Or would you rather legislate it, mandate it?
It's been tried, and it's never worked well. Verse 2. And it came to pass at that time while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see. We pause there.
So they're again telling us he could see Hannah praying. But now he can't, so some time has passed by. That's the idea. And he's living on the at uh in the temple precincts That is on the temple grounds, not where the Holy of Holy is, but there are. Facilities for the ministering priests.
To live close to the house of God, and Samuel is living there too. The house of God was, it required maintenance. You couldn't just close the doors. We'll be back next week. For example, the lampstand was not supposed to go out.
We're coming up to that in a moment. This house of God requires maintenance. It's just all sorts of work. I mean, our our men's maintenance ministry is extraordinary. You're trying to get them to come up with a formula to make hair grow again, but um they're working on it.
They get a lot done. Just one example, of course, our cleaning ministry, on and on. The house of God requires work. No one can go to a Bible preaching church and say, well, there's nothing for me to do. Uh that's on you.
That's not on God. When his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, there's our time stamp.
Now, verse 3. And before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of Yahweh, where the ark. Of God was and while Samuel was lying down.
Well, the Ark of Noah was a chest for people and animals, but the Ark of God was a chest for the Word of God, of course, the manna and the rod. the authority, the word, and the provisions of God that had the mercy seat for a lid. And that's uh Profound in itself. We won't take too much time. We don't take any more time on that.
But here, And before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of Yahweh.
Now, this is sort of an indication that a new day is dawning. in Israel. The lamp is going out, but it's not going to go out. It's just growing dim. It is a metaphorical commentary on the dimming ministry of Eli.
The Lamp of God was going out in the house of God. The lampstand was to be cared for twice a day, no less than twice a day, by the priest, Exodus twenty-seven. And you shall command the children of Israel. that they bring you pure olive Oil Pressed olives. For the light.
to cause the lamp to burn continually, In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the vale, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning. Before Yahweh, it shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.
So what was going on in the temple? Couldn't be seen by anybody but the priests, but it was for the people. There's a whole sermon there. I don't know. You know, I think when we read these words like that, you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives, when you read that, this is something that's very, it just draws us in.
We want God to be that authority. We want Him to tell us what we are supposed to do because we know. that he knows what is best and what is right. It says here in verse 3, while the ark of God uh where the Ark of God was.
So, the location of the Ark of the Covenant. Was there, Samuel was there, location, location, that's where he's going to get his prophet. And it says, while Samuel was lying down, Despite the darkness that characterized Shiloh with Hophti and Phineas and Eli not dealing with these monster sons of his. There's this glimmer of hope found in Samuel. That's how it's supposed to read, because that's what's going on.
A lot easier to read it than to live it in the days of Samuel. Here he is sleeping innocently. Unconscious of the sins that are all around him. He may have been conscious to some degree, but he doesn't seem to be. We're going to have a little fun with this.
He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Now I don't mean that, but it does. The story kind of plays that out a little bit for us in a cute way. In verse four. That Yahweh called Samuel, and he answered, Here I am.
So here he is sleeping, and he hears Samuel. Oh, what? He kind of wakes up like that. God is initiating this. John's Gospel Chapter three, this is John the Baptist.
When they came to John and said, Oh, the Lord, Jesus is across Jordan and He's baptizing everybody. They're all coming out to Him, John. You're going to lose disciples. Your church is going to grow small. His is going to grow big.
John replied this way. A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
Now who believes that? Because I see a lot of Christians don't want to believe that. They think that they have to go get the things. instead of just being ready to receive when given the command, Now being ready to receive is a lot of work. And so p picture yourself a paratrooper.
And you'll call to jump out of an airplane that's in the air. He's dumb. Yeah. You know, it's not. But anyway.
What happens if your parachute's not ready? You know, that you don't you know what happens.
Well, it's the way it is in Christianity. You have to be ready. I mean, that's true with everything. I mean, emergency rooms, hospital, emergency responders. What happens if they're not ready?
Did you put gas in the ambulance? No.
Well, then it's not an ambulance. It's a parked vehicle. John 6, 44, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. Do we believe that? Do we believe that when we lead someone to Christ, it is because God has brought that person to us and we're just closing the deal?
Again, John fourteen, six we all know this one. Jesus answered him and said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
So the question is. You've never had an experience with God. Why? Is it you or is it God? Is God saying you're not worth it?
Of course not. Calvary, the cross, Golgotha says, I died for you. Yeah. Now, the guilty don't like hearing that when guilty people are caught being guilty. They somehow don't like it.
I don't get that. Again, Martin Luther, who this is one quote of his I really like. I like a lot of Luther's quotes, actually. But one of them is this one. I do not know how not to offend guilty people.
Because guilty people get offended at being busted. And I don't get that. Wouldn't you just say, yeah, you got me, instead of, Lying or turning on the person. That's sin. Sin does that.
So If no one comes to the Father except through Christ, If no one goes to the Father unless they're drawn by the Father, If I'm not having this relationship with God, I better be asking what is going on. Or I become an idolater. where I don't believe in the God I can't see. And if that God doesn't allow me to do the things I want to do, he can't be my God. Then you're the God then.
You're dictating to him. All right, I can reason all night long.
Well, let me prove it. Yeah. And he answered, Here I am. That's Samuel responding. The Lord called Samuel.
He says, here I am. God is speaking audibly to Samuel. Even if it's in his head, he hears the voice. If no one else can hear it, Samuel hears it. Acts chapter 26.
Paul is telling about his conversion. He never forgot it. He knew what time of day it was still. Like John, when John met Christ, he said, it was about noonday, him and Andrew. I mean, they could not ever forget that.
Paul says to Agrippa and company At midday, O king, Along the road, I saw the light. From heaven. He makes that clear, does he not? You know, light in the tunnel. People having these visions on their, you know, the hallucinations when calling it as God.
Brighter than the sun, he says. Shining around me, and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard the voice speaking to me.
Now he goes on, Paul does, in a different part he Could we get information about his conversion and Sections He says in Acts 9: And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Where I'm going with this is Samuel hears the voice, no one else hears it. Maybe they're too far away. Evidently they're not that far away. Because Samuel can deduce that, well, I've heard Eli call me, so he's within range.
Daniel chapter 10, Daniel says, I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision. God has a way of isolating us, not in a negative way. but cutting us off from others so that he can get to us. And if you don't have it, You should want it. I got it.
I am not letting it go. I've been on that side of the tracks and I'm now going back. And if you're foolish enough to say, well, I got to try that life on those side of the tracks, and understand you are playing with arsenic. You are playing with poison. Satan hates your guts, and if you can't figure that out, what is wrong?
You haven't been to the right hospital ward. You just go to the wards where people get better. Every cemetery tells us that death is not fooling around the wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life. You either believe it or you don't.
Without faith, it's impossible to please God. It's not even possible. There's no logic like this anywhere else. I find people that they get angry that the prophecies of Christianity are getting fulfilled and have been fulfilled, and they don't want to hear it. They don't want the Bible to be right even though they can't prove it wrong.
Verse 5.
So he ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. And Eli probably sleeping himself sleeping himself, as we're told. He said, I did not call you. Lie down again. And he went and lay down.
Now, how do you, dads, how do you react when somebody interrupts your sleep? Because Eli does not, in fact, he's going to be a little soft with him. We'll get to this as we move forward. But what stands out about verse 5? He ran.
to Eli. There was no hesitation. He made haste. Was he trained to respond this way? I believe he was, but I also believe it came with him, with Samuel's personality.
He knew what he was supposed to do. He did it the best he could. Because we had the rest of his life to look at.
So we should pay attention to these lessons that are beneath the surface of the Scripture, and that's one of them. We just read this, we say, and he ran to Eli, and we get to the part where Eli says, I didn't call you, but we forget he ran there. I have a whole file I'm waiting to preach on. A series of runners of the Bible, because there are a lot of them.
Well, uh It continues in verse five and said, Here I am. For you called me. Not always easy to recognize God's voice. He thinks it's Eli. Again, do not Look to Christ in the beginning and then somewhere else after the beginning.
This is going to be his beginning. He's finally going to meet up with God, and he will never look anywhere else. Galatians three, again, are you so foolish? Having begun in the spirit, are you now being made perfect in the flesh? You began by trusting God, by submitting to God.
By just realizing that you are a sinner, and He is a pure and holy and merciful God. And the lid of the covenant rests upon you in Christ. Stay there. Don't go anywhere else. Don't try to perfect your Christianity in the flesh.
He continues in verse 5, and he said, I did not call you. Lie down again. When we don't know God, we risk running to the wrong person. Samuel does not know God here. This is one of the applications of the story.
The natural part is that he hears his voice, it's his name, he goes running to the wrong guy. That's understandable, but spiritually speaking. We're going to read in a moment that Samuel does not know God at this point in his life. He does not have the word of God. And so he runs to the wrong person.
What another lesson that is beneath the surface in this text. And he said And he went and he did lie down, as it tells us in verse 5. No objection. Verse six. Then Yahweh called again Samuel.
So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. He answered, I did not call you, my son. Lie down. You see, just a little insertion, my son. It's just it's just being gentle with him.
I think Eli was just a gentle guy, except w when women were praying. You drunk woman, what are you doing here? Of course, there might have been a precedent for that. You don't want to be too hard on him because he's got that big shadow over him with his sons. That's a tough one.
Anyway, coming back to this, it's interesting what God is doing. He will call him three times. He could have done it in one call. But it's kinda cute. But he keeps calling.
So In my life, when God is saying something to me, I don't always get it right away. He doesn't get disgusted with me. That's it. I called you once, I called you twice. He's more patient.
than anyone you'll ever meet.
So Samuel rose and went to Eli and said, Here I am, you called me.
So he's old enough to hear his name, old enough to dialogue with this. He's not a toddler. And Uh is Kind of another f a funny part to the story. Is Samuel Does Eli have the same voice as God? I knew what I I you wish you could Ask him.
Did he sound like Eli or was he just groggy? What was going on with that? I have so many questions. I have angels. If I ever saw an angel, I go, well, who does your laundry?
Because people got to do these things. Who makes this? Is there a, you know, where does it go? What are you wearing on your feet? Are they sandals made of leather?
I have so many questions. Anyway. First seven.
Now, Samuel did not yet know Yahweh, nor was the word of Yahweh yet revealed to him. That's very clear. He didn't know the word, he's too busy working. I mean, he's the one going into the temple, you know, pulling the curtains back and early, waking up. Everybody else is having their coffee and he's working.
So he knew of the Lord, he knew of his mother's God, he knew of his pastor's God, Eli. But he didn't know God. This is repeated all the time. This is a natural progression of. Conversion.
If you're a if you're born. in a safe place. Uh w do you insist on going to a dangerous place? Because you've never been? I mean why not make what's working work even better?
Why not develop it and perfect it? What? The flesh. Here's the call of the wild. Uh Uh Thanks for joining us for today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio.
This is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Rick is in the book of 1 Samuel. If you'd like to listen again to this or other messages or share it with someone you know, please visit crossreference radio.com. Here, you can also listen to interviews with Pastor Rick to learn more about his life and ministry. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never miss another edition.
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