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Study No.7 : Samuel Called : 1 Sam 3:1-10

A. Find Out:

      

1. What was the spiritual state of these days? v.1

2. Where did Samuel sleep? v.3

3. Who did Samuel think was calling? v.5

4. Why didn't he recognise the voice? v.7

5. How many times was it before Eli realised? v.8

6. How did he say Samuel should respond? v.9

 

B. Think :

1. Why hadn't Samuel been taught previously how to listen to God?

2. What was the Lord obviously wanting from Samuel before He said

     anything more?

3. Why do you think the Lord wasn't speaking to Eli?

 

C. Comment :

     The physical description of Eli in verse 2 could also describe his spiritual condition. Spiritually he could hardly see and probably hadn't had a vision from the Lord for a long time. He was also spiritually lying down, virtually inactive in his spiritual life, very sad! Verse 3 is also significant in the spiritual realm - the lamp of God had not gone out; Samuel was to be God's light in the land. Now we have this unusual episode of the Lord calling Samuel. Three times He calls, apparently audibly, and three times Samuel assumed it was Eli, and only on the third time did Eli realise it was the Lord!

     Samuel had obviously not been taught to expect God to speak. Many Christians today don't expect God to speak, but He does! God wanted an acknowledgement from Samuel, He wants an awareness of Himself in the person to whom He speaks. If thoughts come into your mind, they can come from self, Satan or God, and so we have to learn to discern their origins. God's "thoughts" do not drive or compel or bring guilt or fear or doubt, but they come in line with His written word, bringing love, peace, order, divine wisdom.

 

D. Application?

1. Does the description of Eli also describe my spiritual condition?

2. If God speaks then we need to learn to hear and acknowledge Him.

Study No.8 : The mark of a Prophet : 1 Sam 3:11-21

A. Find Out:    

       

1. What did the Lord say He would do? v.12

2. Why? v.13

3. What did Samuel feel about Eli? v.15

4. What was Eli's response to the prophecy? v.18

5. As what did all Israel recognise Samuel? v.20

6. How did the Lord reveal Himself to Samuel? v.21

 

B. Think :

1. What do you do if you DON'T let something "fall to the ground"? v.19

2. Look up Jeremiah 1:11,12a For Samuel it was "hearing", for Jeremiah it

     was seeing. What 2 forms of prophecy are indicated here?

3. What is the simple mark of a prophet?

 

C. Comment :

      Once Samuel has responded to the Lord, the Lord imparts this simple prophecy: He will judge Eli's family as He had said because Eli continues to sin and refuses to restrain his sinful sons. Samuel was naturally afraid to share this with Eli, fearful perhaps of what his response might be. Here we have a lesson to learn as we see Eli take and accept the word. How people respond to a word that God gives us to share is not our responsibility, the Lord may well have prepared that person's heart to receive it.

     Sadly Eli accepts it as it is and doesn't repent; as far as he's concerned it WILL be. He hasn't learnt that heart felt repentance always enables the Lord to relent. The Lord doesn't delight in any man's death (see Ezekiel 18:22). Thereafter Samuel grows up before God hearing God's words and being careful to hold onto what He says. Samuel a) hears carefully and b) retains the word that comes from God. Beware of being casual with the forth coming word of God. A prophet hears God's word and takes note of God's word and obeys God's word.

 

D. Application?

1. Are we able to freely receive God's word without a quibble AND respond

     to it in obedience.

2. Do we hold and retain God's word?

 

Study No.9 : God won't be Manipulated! : 1 Sam 4:1-11

A. Find Out:

       

1. What crisis was Israel facing? v.1,2

2. What did they think would be the answer? v.3

3. Who had to come with it? v.4

4. What was the effect upon Israel? v.5

5. What was the effect upon the Philistines? v.6-9

6. What was the outcome? v.10,11

 

B. Think :

1. What had the Ark been originally?

2. What did Israel think they could do by bringing the Ark?

3. How in this passage has the Lord fulfilled the principle of 2:30b and

     the prophecy of 2:34?

 

C. Comment :

     The Philistines were ongoing enemies of Israel. On this occasion Israel go to fight them but to their dismay they are defeated by them. There is no indication that Israel sought the Lord over this, and if they had done they would have realised afresh what God had already said: He was against them because they disdained Him! Israel then did something that was akin to superstition.

       The Ark of the Covenant was a box that had resided in the innermost part of the tabernacle and had been considered the dwelling place of the presence of God (see Exodus 25:22). Israel thought that if they took the Ark with them, they would also bring the presence of the Lord and that would help them overcome the enemy. In the event it simply stirred up the Philistines to fight harder and the defeat was even greater with Eli's two sons being killed,  just as God had said they would. There is a temptation to try to manipulate events or circumstances to try to make the Lord work for us - but He is God Almighty and He doesn't take sides! If we are wilfully unrighteous, He will step back and it is only our repentance that restores the relationship.

 

D. Application?

1. God calls us to follow Him, not to try to appease Him!

2. Repentance and belief in Jesus are the ONLY two things that move

    God's heart to mercy.

 

Study No.10 : Disaster : 1 Sam 4:12-22

A. Find Out:

       

1. What was Eli thinking? v.13

2. What news was he told? v.17

3. What caused him to fall to his death? v.18

4. What caused his daughter-in-law to go into labour? v.19

5. What was her baby named? v.21

6. Why? v.21,22

 

B. Think :

1. What first of all, was the human tragedy here?

2. What greater tragedy was perceived by the people concerned?

3. Why do you think that was?

 

C. Comment :

     News is brought to Eli that causes him great shock, so much so that he falls from his seat, breaks his neck and dies! We might have expected the news of his sons' deaths to have caused this shock, but it wasn't that, it was the news of the capture of the Ark of God. Similarly Eli's daughter-in-law hears the news of the deaths of her husband, brother-in-law AND father-in-law, and yet it appears that it is more than this that pushes her into premature labour, it is the news of the loss of the Ark of God!   As she dies she names her new baby by a name that reflects what she feels about the situation. In the midst of ungodliness these people know the truth about it!

     Two men have died for their sin of disdaining the Lord, a further man dies for his sin of negligence in respect of his sons, and now a woman dies because of premature birth and the loss of the Ark. For her perhaps, it seems as if any reason to struggle for life has gone! We thus see how the Ark, the symbol of the visible presence of God to these people, rated so highly to them. The tragedy is that they realised the significance of it but had done nothing previously to prevent it happening.  Prior to God's judgement, it is never too late to repent!

 

D. Application?

1. Are we casual about the presence of God in our midst, allowing sin to

     provoke His exodus?

2. Do we value the Lord's presence with us?

Study No.11 : No Competition Allowed : 1 Sam 5:1-12

A. Find Out:

       

1. Where did the Philistines take the Ark? v.1,2

2. What happened to the idol, Dagon? v.3,4

3. What happened to the people of Ashdod? v.6

4. What happened to the people of Gath? v.9

5. What was the reaction of the people of Ekron? v.10,11

6. What was happening to them? v.12

 

B. Think :

1. What was God causing to happen in every city of the Philistines where

     the Ark was taken?

2. What do you think was His purpose in doing that?

 

C. Comment :

     Merely because God has allowed the Philistines to defeat Israel, it doesn't mean He is going to let them get away with it and hold onto the Ark. The Philistines were idol worshippers, so they put the Ark in their temple alongside their god or idol, but God will not stand for competition! He had the Ark made as a place identifying His presence, whether it is in Israel or anywhere else. If it is next to a false idol then the idol had better watch out!

     Not only that but the Lord then afflicted the people of the town with some form of tumour. Gradually they become aware of what is happening, associate it with God and demand that the Ark be removed. Rather than send it back to Israel they send it to another Philistine town where the same thing occurs. When it is sent to a third town, the results came very quickly and the people cried out in distress. It was as if God was saying, "I am a holy God and if you bring my presence into your unholy midst, you must expect holy judgement upon your sin." The thing to do is either repent or remove yourself from God's presence. The Philistines sought to do the latter. "Religious" people are the first to be disciplined if they seek to come close to God in the wrong way!

 

D. Application?

1. God has no equals; there is no other worthy of worship.

2. Be holy as God is holy (Matthew 5:48)

 

Study No.12 : Returning the Ark : 1 Sam 6:1-12

A. Find Out:

       

1. Who did the Philistines turn to for help? v.2a

2. What had they decided to do? v.2b

3. What did they counsel? v.3

4. To what did they liken the situation? v.6

5. How would the cart be a sign? v.9

6. What happened to it? v.12

 

B. Think :

1. What understanding did this pagan priest of the Philistines have?

2. What question was still in the back of their minds?

3. How did they receive an answer to this?

 

C. Comment :

     The Philistines have come to the conclusion that the source of their misfortunes is the presence of the Ark of God in their land. They have obviously got to get rid of it, but how to do it in such a way that this 'god' who is afflicting them will be appeased? The priests come up with the idea of an offering to be sent back with it that might appease "him". They are reminded of the tough times the Egyptians had when they refused to let Israel go. Well, they are not going to go through the same sort of thing, they will return the Ark speedily, but how?

     The way they choose is interesting. If the cows, never used before to pull a cart, ignore their own calves and go in a straight path, not stopping to eat in the fields, then they will know that these animals are being directed supernaturally. And so it happens! We see in this passage the truth that is stated in Ecclesiastes 3:11, that God has put something in the hearts of men so that they know there is an additional dimension to life. These Philistines have the sneaky feeling that they are encountering something or some one bigger than them. They are right! God, the Lord of all creation, will quietly act into the affairs of men to draw their attention to Him. Watch out unbelieving world!

 

D. Application?

1. God doesn't need defending!

2. God can clearly be seen to guide.

Study No.13 : The Return of the Ark : 1 Sam 6:13 - 7:2

A. Find Out:

       

1. What was the Israelites' response when they saw the Ark? v.13

2. What did they do? v.14

3. Who took the Ark down? v.15

4. Why were some Israelites destroyed? v.19

5. How did the next group deal with it? v.1

6. How long did it stay there? v.2

 

B. Think :

1. How did the people of Beth Shemesh first of all respond giving respect to

     the Ark?

2. In what two ways did they subsequently fail?

3. How did the people of Kirieth Jearim act correctly?

 

C. Comment :

     Recently we have seen how the Philistines had been acting in respect of the Ark. Now we see how the "people of God" act on its return. First of all they rejoice and sacrifice and they appoint the priestly tribe of Levi to handle it. In all this they were very correct, but having done that they became casual and allowed the Ark to become a sight seeing object. As they looked on the gold offerings, probably put into the Ark, they too partook of the judgement of God that had fallen on the Philistines, and died.

     God was yet to show again (see 2 Samuel 6:6,7) that the Ark was holy and as such was not to be treated casually. At this point instead of repenting and seeking God's favour they quickly get rid of the Ark to their nearest neighbours. Note that there is obviously some fragmentation in Israel at this time,  in that there is no thought of national rejoicing or taking it back to Shiloh from where it came. Even Christians are not immune from treating God casually (see 1 Corinthians 11:29,30) and need reminding He is still a holy God!

 

D. Application?

1. We show the sort of people we are by our attitude towards God.

2. God will not excuse blatant disregard of the holy. He will discipline with

     judgement.

RECAP No.2  "The Call of Samuel... and Decline"  1 Sam 3-6

SUMMARY :  

         

In these 7 studies we have seen:

- The Lord call Samuel

- Samuel's first prophetic word

- The ark being taken by the Philistines

- The death of Eli

- God dealing with the Philistines

- The ark returning to Israel

 

COMMENT :

      These chapters give strong warnings about having a relationship with the Lord. Samuel is called into relationship but is told that Eli and his family are being taken out. The Philistines inadvertently find themselves in close contact with the Lord and realise that is a serious matter with serious consequences. Knowing the Lord thus has consequences that most of us as Christians don't often think about. Because He is holy, He calls us to be holy and there are strong consequences if we refuse the call. Yes, grace and mercy are always there but we are still held responsible for our own actions.

 

LESSONS :

1. We need to learn to listen to God.

2. God holds us responsible for how we respond to Him.

3. Repentance opens the way for mercy to operate.

4. God has NO equals and will brook no competition.

5. What we think of Him tells the sort of people we are.

6. God doesn't need defending, He's the Lord!

 

PRAY :

     Ask the Lord to help you learn to listen to Him more effectively.

 

PART 3 : "We Want a King"

     In these next chapters watch for the amazing grace of God as He provides a man to be king for them, after the people have rejected HIM as king over them.  These are chapters of shame and yet wonderful grace.