Today on Real Life Radio. If you're a believer tonight and you have difficulties in life, know first of all that they're ordained by God. He knows all about him. And you can wrestle with yourself and say, Yeah, but I brought him upon myself. He still knows about them.
And he's using them in your life. This is real life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I'm David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's Word, the Bible. What do you say when a friend says their marriage might end?
Or how do you help a co-worker dealing with depression? Do you have the right words when your child opens up about school stress or family issues or something else? The Biblical Counseling Reference Guide by June Hunt. It's your go-to resource when real-life problems demand some real answers.
Now it's an easy to read book and it's simple to find answers that are from the Bible for every situation. With more than 580 topics and over 11,000 scripture references, you'll find what God's Word says about pretty much anything from anxiety and anger to loneliness, death, and a whole lot more.
Now this isn't a book that you're going to pick up and read cover to cover, but it is one that you'll reach for in a moment of need. And it's our thank you gift for your donation of any size to Real Life this month. And if you'd like to order your copy, and we hope you will, just visit jackhibbs.com slash real radio. That's jackhibbs.com slash real radio. Order your copy right away.
On today's edition of Real Life Radio. Pastor Jack begins his new series now called First Samuel and a message titled, It's Time to Trust God Because. Samuel was a man who was dedicated to God from birth. Israel's last judge and the first of the prophets. He was often referred to as the kingmaker, anointing both Saul and David to the throne of Israel.
Now, this book is full of action and compelling characters. It takes us deep into the personal relationships between kings and queens, soldiers and generals, shepherds and prophets. For 350 years, judges had governed Israel, but now, beginning with the childhood of Samuel, we'll discover his remarkable story.
So today Pastor Jack teaches us that Samuel's mother, named Hannah, she endured many hardships and tears. Devotion to the Lord is not without sorrow, but when we obey God in the midst of pain, his grace is always enough.
Now, with his message titled, It's Time to Trust God Because, here's Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs. It's time to trust in God. Verses 1 through 4. Let's read that together or follow it along with me.
Now there was a certain man. You ought to mark that in your Bible. A certain man. of Ramathem Zophim. of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jorham, the son of Elihu.
The son of Tohu The son of Zuf. The Ephraimite. And he had two wives. The name of one was Hannah. And the name of the other Was Finnae or Pinae, it's I've heard it all kinds of different ways here.
And Pinne had children, but Hannah had no children. This man, Elkanah, Went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also, the two sons of Elihophne.
Now listen. As Hoffney And his sons, as these two boys grew up, they grew up in the ministry. As the priests, it says, of the Lord, were there. Verse 4, and whenever. Time came.
For Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions. To his wife, And to all her sons and daughters. This is a very, very interesting thing, and we need to listen to this carefully and jot this down, if you would. Verses 1 through 4 speak about the situations that we have in life. can be difficult and and you might say well tell me something new But mark this down.
Situations have their difficulties in our lives. They have to. Consider what's going on here. Elkinah, this man, first of all, he's of the priestly line, he has his boys. In the ministry, they were born into it, they're of the lineage.
And you might say, well, because they're bored into it doesn't mean that they're automatically holy. Listen, automatically holy in this sense, that they're set aside, they're ordained for God's work. But personal holiness, practical, living it, they were not. That's the boys. Yeah.
But Elkanah. He's a man that is dedicated to God. He goes to worship. The scripture says he goes from year to year. To worship the Lord.
But there are difficulties, situations of difficulties of life. And this story begins with a hardship. Right from the get-go. You might want to take into consideration and remember that James chapter 1 tells us: my brethren counted all joy. No, nobody wants to hear this verse, but James says, Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Now, it is amazing until we begin to see God in the situation, the difficulty of our life, we can never count it joy.
Now what does this really mean? If you're a believer tonight and you have difficulties in life, know first of all that they're ordained by God. He knows all about him. And you can wrestle with yourself and say, Yeah, but I brought him upon myself. He still knows about them.
And he's using them in your life. And he's going to use them for good. James says, counted all joy.
Now, that word means to reckon. It means to determine. It means to figure it out and come to the conclusion. Did you hear, and can you hear the logic to this? There's no emotion in what James is saying.
I wish we could see him say this to us, huh? I always picture James kind of bow-legged with kind of a country accent, hard-nosed kind of farm guy. Tough. You know, count it all joy. He didn't suggest that he just said, now listen.
You got problems? Count it all joy. Do it. Take what's bugging you, take what the problem is, and determine this is the will of God, and because that's true, I am going to choose. To walk In the joy of the Lord.
It has nothing, and I'm so grateful, it has nothing to do with happiness. Joy Affects our happenstance. Happenstance determines if we're happy or unhappy. If you are joyful, seeing God in your situation, then you will be. Happy in heart.
That doesn't mean that when your house burns down or you know, evil tidings come or you perceived evil tidings, you go, Oh boy, look, my house is burning! Hallelujah! Have you ever seen people like that? It's like, no wonder why the world thinks we're nuts. They're going, Praise the Lord, hallelujah, and they're trying to talk themselves into some sort of a happy state.
Praise the Lord, but your house just burned. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord.
Well, you sound kind of sick. I'm not sick. I'm praise the Lord. You know what? I don't get that.
You know what? The joy of God in the midst of a difficulty and trial is when you say, you know what, my house just burned down. Or I'm sicker than a dog. I know God's in it. He knows I'm sick, or He knows my house just burned down.
I'm his. Seems to me The Lord's got a burned down house. Seems to me the Lord's got a sick servant here, and I can't do much while I'm sick.
So, Lord. Your will be done. You bought me, you own me. And rest in that. The situations of life.
They're difficult. Elkinah has a wife. He has two, obviously. And that wasn't God's will, but it's there in Scripture. Recording the story.
One Is cranking out kids. I mean, she is just a baby. Factory. We don't know how many kids. She has put out, but Hannah has has none.
And you might want to jot this down. It's interesting. It is believed by the Jewish scholars that Elkanah married Hanna first. And she never bore a child So Pinaya He took as a second wife to bear children. Does that sound familiar?
In scripture? And as we go through this chapter, there's nothing but problems between the two women, of course. Have you ever had two women in the ki same kitchen? It's a disaster. Can you imagine?
Having two wives in the same house. Can you imagine having a wife in the house? I mean that's tough. That's hard. The scripture The scripture says that we should dwell with our wives according to understanding.
Is that possible? Can you imagine having two wives? Elkina's got two wives.
Now, some scholars say they say that's so impossible for two women to live under the same roof. They believe that Elkina had two homes and two addresses to keep them separated, and it was only at feast time that they saw one another, as we'll. We'll see in our following studies. Don't know. We'll never know.
But Hannah was barren. Which leads us to the second consideration here. It's time to trust in God because of this, verses 5 through 8, relationships. have their difficulties. Do you know that?
Yeah. Oh, but listen to this situation. How can God be in this? But He is. But Hannah, the scripture says verse 5, He would give a double portion.
Elkanah would give a double portion, or he would allow to her more of the meat. offering very precious, but he would give her a double portion, for he loved Hannah. Although the Lord had closed her womb, can you mark that in the Bible? The Lord had closed her womb. And her rival Also, provoked her severely to make her miserable because the Lord had closed her womb.
Says it again.
So it was year by year when she went up to the house of the Lord that she provoked her. Panaya would be provoking Hanna. Therefore, she wept, Hannah's weeping. and did not eat. Then Elkanah, her husband, said to her, Hannah, why do you weep?
Why do you not eat? Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?
Well, that's a very sweet thing to say, I think. He loved her. Look at this. Hannah, why are you crying? It's the feast.
I mean, we go up. It's the great celebration, and the scholars debate about which one it is. Was it the celebration of ingathering or tabernacles? They don't know. They're not sure.
Tabernacles is assumed because of the joyous celebration. That's implied here. Great feasting, great rejoicing. Everyone's having a wonderful time, but Pania. is badgering And Eating verbally upon Hannah.
Can you imagine going up to worship? Can you imagine going to church and as soon as you show up? Oh, here she comes and Terrible. or families. You know, you get, come on, we got to go to church.
And there's all, you know, get and everything, and you know. I was going to say Satan sees to it, but I think the flesh sees to it. That you get in an argument before you get to church. And it's amazing how people are born again again. When they pull into the parking lot.
Praise the Lord. Hi. Hi, Mr. Parking Attendant. You know, and it's like, no, you part after you, no.
You know, and about a quarter mile earlier, it's like, I'm not going to church. I can't, you just drive me off the wall. And then they just pull in, it's praise the Lord. You're listening to real life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series, just go to jackhibbs.com.
That's jackhibbs.com. And for now, let's get back to our teaching. Once again, here's Pastor Jack. The Bible's honest, there's difficulties in relationships. And as Elkanah would give her a double portion, it says he did it, verse 5, because he loved her.
Now that doesn't mean he didn't love the other one. It just means that she cranked out babies. Because every Jewish man longed for a son. Plus, every Jewish man and woman, wife, by the way, loved. And look forward to having.
A quiverful. As the scripture puts it. You know what that means, don't you? A quiver? That's where you put all your arrows.
Boy, I tell you, you visit Israel today, it's a beautiful thing, especially the old. The old city of Jerusalem. And you go to the Jewish section. And there's this cute shops and stuff and restaurants and then there's this area where all these little kids are playing. And we've actually seen this happen where the old men and old women, now they have seen a lot.
70, 80, 90 years old. Remember, they were around before they had their nation back. And they sit on the bench and they watch the children play, and they're just fixed on the children, just fixed. And you can tell on those faces, there's no greater joy. Hannah didn't have that.
In fact, her rivalry had everything. And Elkhanah, in his awkward Expression. Gives her a double portion. He loves her. And he says, Come on, sweetheart, aren't I better to you than ten sons?
Ten's the number of a an actual bona fide synagogue. You have to have ten to meet. Aren't I better? then ten boys. Again, precious thing to say, but did it make Hannah feel any better?
No, not at all. Difficulties in relationships, difficulties in life. Absolutely. Her rival provoked her severely to make her miserable. Hated life.
Because the Lord had closed her womb. Mark that in your Bible. What's going on in your life? Listen. What's going on in your life?
Could it be so difficult? Could it be so? Can I say ugly to you? Ugly to me? But God is in it?
There's no way that could be true. Listen, it is true. Wait a minute, and let's make it personal. Maybe it's finances. Maybe it's health.
Maybe you cannot have a child, or whatever the case might be. What is it for you? What is it? Could it be that God's in it? Let me ask you something.
Are you His property? Then he's in it. Jack, why would I refuse to believe that God would allow this? Thing or this evil or this, whatever. Listen, I am not asking you to understand it, I don't understand it either.
But the scripture says in the opening verses of this book that Twice God closed her womb. Is he judging her? I don't think so. Is it for God's glory? I believe it is.
What's wrong in your life? You can run around. Like In fact, Elkinah, the area he came from, verses 1 and 2, it's a no man's land.
Nowhere. I mean, it's nowheresville. Elkanah could have said, man, I'm from nowhere land.
Nowhere. Depends on where you put the space. In nowhere, it could be nowhere. Maybe you're feeling I'm nowhere, man. Or it's God is now here.
Now, here, where? In your situation, in the difficulty, God. I'm at my wit's end. My heart is crushed. I have a rival or rivals that are coming against me.
I'm mocked. I'm made fun of. I can't produce. And yet, God was in it. I wonder, what do you think?
Do you think Hannah ever shook her fist or finger at God? I'll answer for you. I think she did. She's human. I'll answer for you.
So have you.
So have I. God, why? It's okay to ask God why. And then there's times when we say, God, why? In other words, you made the wrong decision, you should have let me deal with it.
Can you imagine? Jack, I want you to deal with Jupiter. It's kind of starting to wobble. All right. I'll take care of it.
Can you imagine this universe would fly apart in a millisecond? Any of you standing there? What I do. God's in it. Proverbs 30, verse 15.
There are three things that are never satisfied. Four. Never say enough. The grave? And number two, the barren womb.
Hannah was brokenhearted. Luke chapter 1, verse 6 and 7, but they had no child. Because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both well advanced in years. It's a disgrace in the Middle East to not bear a child.
No matter what the difficulty might be, even if it's the man's fault. It's a disgrace. Luke 1:35 goes on to say, Now, indeed, Elizabeth. Your relative has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is now the sixth month.
For her who has been called barren, for with God nothing will be impossible. Luke 1:37. Isn't that beautiful? We need to wrap this up. Listen carefully, real quickly.
God's into miracles. He loves them. In your situation, you might be saying, Well, I don't no way see a conclusion or a victory in what I'm in. Trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord because you know what?
God comes through. In the difficulties of life in every believer's life, he will come through. in the difficulty. God loves a challenge, if he has any, really. Is anything too hard for God?
What about Sarah's womb? Remember Sarah? Sarah brought forth Isaac. His name means laughter. God brings forth a boy.
From Sarah. Her womb was dead. I mean, Abraham says her womb's dead. And she brings forth a child. Rachel brings forth Joseph and Benjamin.
Her womb was dead. or closed. Manoah, hers was Baron, and she brought forth Samson. Hannah brings forth Samuel. Elizabeth brings forth John the Baptist, all from impossible situations.
So that was then. No, God's doing it still. It's amazing to me though. Yeah. That God had closed the womb, but He did it to His glory.
And finally, we'll end here 9 through 11. Devotion to God has its difficulties, and we'll end with this. Devotion to God has its difficulties, people. Are any of you considering being a Christian? A real one?
I want to be the first to tell you it's not easy. It's not easy to be a Christian. It's difficult. The scripture says in verse 9: So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking. By the way, we don't know if she ate or drank with them.
Elkina may have said, Come on, honey, eat, please, come on. And she might have. Drank or eaten a little something at this great celebration. Can you imagine doing that? Have you ever been in that condition where you're just sick to your stomach?
And you're supposed to, you know, okay, it's like you don't want to be there or you don't want to participate, but just, you know. We don't know. But she's hurting.
So she rose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. That's the original. Location of the tabernacle before Jerusalem.
Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat of the Doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul. and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, If you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me, And not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male child. Then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life.
and no razor shall come upon his head. Or he'll be a Nazarite. Dedicated to God. Very, very quickly, obedience in the light of pain. Difficulties in life.
David, his son, Dies. He was weeping, lamenting, fasting. He couldn't eat. He was sick. His son is dying.
Then his son dies. David gets up, shaves his face, combs his hair, washes himself, and goes to the temple and begins to worship God. Why? Because he learned obedience in the light of pain. And they said, What are you, David?
Have you lost your mind? Your son's dead. He said, Hey, while he was alive, I couldn't receive, but now that he's gone to be with God, it's done. It's over. I'm going to go into the house of the Lord to worship.
Obedience. Are you in a painful situation in life? It's time to trust God because, in obedience to Him, the pain. is controllable or the pain goes away. That's Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio with his message called It's Time to Trust God Because.
Thanks for joining us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack's brand new series called 1 Samuel, a series highlighting the life of the prophet Samuel, who was called by God during one of Israel's darkest ages to help turn the nation's heart back to true worship. and will continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. You ever felt like something's missing in your life? Maybe you've been searching for answers for peace or a sense of purpose?
You know, the truth is those longings are there because you were created to know God. At jackkibbs.com, there's a tab called No God. It's designed to help you discover what it truly means to have a relationship with God. This isn't about religion, it's about understanding who God is and why He loves you and how you can find hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. The page breaks it down in a simple, clear way, answering common questions and guiding you through the steps of faith.
It's a great place to explore and reflect whether you're just curious or you're ready to make that next step.
So don't miss out on the most important relationship you'll ever have. Visit that tab called know God at jackhibbs.com. And start your journey today. That's jackhibbs.com because knowing God changes everything in your life for the better. Take that next step, explore and reflect at the Know God section at jackhibbs.com.
This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in His Word. We'll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.
