Let us turn once again to the
Holy Word of God and the text I want to direct you to with
the Lord's help this evening for a while is the last verse
in that chapter we read in 1st Samuel and the third chapter
and verse 21. We read and the Lord appeared
again in Shiloh for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in
Shiloh by the words of the Lord. 1 Samuel 3 21 And the Lord appeared again in
Shiloh for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by
the words of the Lord. Previously in the chapter at
verse 7 we're told, Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither
was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto Samuel. So the chapter really contains
an account of the manner in which the Lord revealed himself to
this young child. And as we come to Consider the
words of the text. I want really to take up the
theme then of the Lord's revelation to Samuel. The Lord's revelation. We know that all real religion
is a revelation from the Lord. The Apostle Paul himself tells
us how that gospel that he preached, he received it not of men, neither
was he taught it of men. It was what God showed him, what
God gave to him. And of course there in the opening
chapter of Galatians he makes that remarkable statement how
he pleased God who separated him from his mother's womb and
called him by his grace to reveal his son in him. And we've often remarked on the
significance of the preposition We might have expected him to
say it pleased the Lord to reveal His Son to him. And there is
a revelation to man. Of course that's what the Bible
itself is. It's a revelation of God to man
when we read it. God is declaring Himself as it
were and all ultimately comes to its full fruition in
the New Testament. and the ministry of the Lord
Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten
Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared
Him." There's a declaration of God, a revelation of God to us
then. But real religion is inward. The Kingdom of God is within
you, says the Lord Jesus Christ. God must reveal Himself in us. And this is how the Lord comes
and deals with this young child, and calls him to be his servant,
the Prophet. Well, as we look at the text,
I want to say something with regards, first of all, to the
rareness, the rareness of God's words. And then secondly, the
revelation of that words. Remember how the chapter opens? We're told, aren't we, how the
child Samuel is ministering unto the Lord before Eli. He's been
devoted by his mother. She'd been barren. She pleaded
with the Lord for this child. He'd given her the child and
then she devoted him to the service of the Lord. And she'd taken
him to the tabernacle and left him there with Eli, the high
priest. And the child He's ministering
unto the Lord before Eli. And we're told this. The word
of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open vision. What a statement he's at. The
word of the Lord was precious. Now the word that's used here
literally means rare. The word of the Lord was rare
in those days. No open vision. when a thing
is rare it's much priced and so it becomes valuable and precious
gold is precious because there's not a great deal of gold in the
world it's a precious metal well this was true of God's word at
that time it was precious because it was a rare thing And why was it so rare? What was the cause? Well, it
says, doesn't it, there was no open vision. And again, the word
is an interesting word, this word open, no open vision. The word literally means to burst
open, and to spread abroad. It's the same word that we find
in Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 10. thy presses shall burst out the same word there, burst out
it's rendered to spread abroad thy presses shall burst out with
new wine it says an abundance you see great vintage that's
what's been spoken of by the Prophet and this is true or the
reverse of that was true at that time with regards to the word
of God. It was not bursting out, it was
not spreading abroad. There was no open vision, there
was no settled and established prophets of the Lord. God's word
was not readily found. What a terrible thing. Remember
how Amos speaks of such a famine upon the land. Behold the days
come, saith the Lord, when I'll send a famine upon the land,
not a famine of bread, not a thirst of water, but a famine of the
hearing of the word of God. That's interesting. Not just
a famine of the word, but the hearing. And surely we have that
in our day. How few want to hear the word
of God. How few have any regard for the
word of God. It is a fearful judgment that
God visits upon a people when there's a famine of His Word.
We have the Word. Bibles are still readily available. They're being published all the
time, but who wants a Bible? Who wants to read the Word of
God? Who wants to hear the Word of God being preached? It's a
terrible judgment. It's a great blessing, of course.
when our eyes are opened to the wonder of God's word and the
blessings of the means of grace. How God has ordained, hasn't
he, the reading of his word, the preaching of his word. The public reading of God's words
was a great blessing that came upon this nation at the time
of the Protestant Reformation. when the great Bibles were to
be placed in every parish church, the chain Bibles, and people
would gather and hear God's Word being read in their own native
tongue, what a favour, a blessing. And of course, because previous
to that there were no educated ministers, they knew not the
Word of God, The homilies were also produced at that time. So,
besides the reading of the Bible, the reading of the homilies in
the parish churches. Those short sermons written by
some of the reformers. Until God was pleased to raise
up a company of faithful ministers of his worth. Oh, it is a terrible
judgment. that comes upon the people where
there's not that hungering and thirsting after God's Word, that
desire for the Word of God and the reading of it and the preaching
of it. And here of course we have judgment. And the judgment
comes because in many ways of the immorality of the priests,
the sons the sons of Eli, what wicked men They were, we read
of them in the previous chapter, chapter 2. There at verse 22, Eli was very old, we're
told, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel. And
as they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation. These tabernacle prostitutes,
they're lying with these women. What's happening? God himself
is being robbed really. He's not having that that really
belongs to him. The priests only want to satisfy
their own desires and their own lusts. Again, look at what we're
told concerning these wicked sons. In verse 12 of chapter 2, the
sons of Eli were sons of Belial, they knew not the Lord. They
knew not the Lord. And then we are told how when
the people bring their various sacrifices, and of course the
priests have their portion. But what they want to do is to
satisfy their own desires. What wickedness is this that
these men are practicing? we're told there at verse 17
in that chapter how the sin of the young men was very great
before the Lord for men abhorred the offering of the Lord instead
of encouraging the people to bring their offerings and to
present them before the Lord they are simply satisfying themselves
and their own appetites and God doesn't wink at these things
God deals with the sins of his people and
deals with the sins of these priests and of course under the
gospel there's no there's no priestly caste anymore we believe
in the priesthood of all believers we're all priests to God we don't
offer animal sacrifices we present him the fruit of our lips But
how God takes account of the sins of His people, the sins
of His priests. And we see it again in the language
of the prophecy of Malachi, how He reproves the priest in Isdah,
how they were robbing God of His tithes. And there in Malachi
2 and verse 7 He says, The priest's lips should keep knowledge, and
they should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger
of the Lord of hosts. Are we those who are faithful?
You know when God's judgment begins, it begins at the house
of God, doesn't it? Now we have to look to ourselves
and examine ourselves when we think of the sad state of affairs
in this once favored land. God's judgment, you see. This
is why the the word of the Lord was so rare. God is sovereign
over all of these matters. And again, we see that even those
who had some measure of godliness were not all that they should
have been. Now, Hannah was a wife of Alkanah. We're told in the opening chapter,
and remember how we read there of how he would take his family
every year up to the place where the Lord God was to be worshipped.
Every year he would go to that place. In verse 3 of chapter 1 this
man, we read of him and his two wives Peninar and Hannah in the
second verse, this man went up out of his city yearly to worship
and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. and we're
told how the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of
the Lord, were there. But it's interesting, he goes
up yearly. But what did God require of his people? Back in Deuteronomy, chapter
16, they were to go for the three great feasts of the Lord. They
were to go, not yearly, but thrice yearly. they were to be there
for the Feast of the Passover and they were to go up for the
Feast of Weeks or Pentecost as it was sometimes called and also
for the Feast of Tabernacles and so even the Godly you see
are not rendering what service they should to the Lord they
are robbing the Lord Then I say again, God doesn't wink at any
of these things. He's a God of judgment. He deals
with His people. And yet, although the word of
the Lord was rare, it's not all judgment. In judgment, God does
remember His mercy. That's our comfort, surely. God
is a merciful God. there was a prophet, there was
no, as it were, established prophetic office, it seems, but God would
occasionally raise a man and send a man, and God certainly
does that with regards to Eli, there in verse 27 of chapter
2, we're told, Now there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith
the Lord, and he rebukes him really because he has not dealt
with this matter of his own sons and their wicked ways and God's
curse is going to fall upon the house of Eli because of his foolishness
and his following. God does in a sense take account
of the situation when he sends such a man to speak plainly to
the high priest. And of course, as we see in this
chapter now, God is raising up one, Samuel, to be the Lord's
mouthpiece. And of course, the whole of this
book, and the book that follows it, the second book, this tells
us something of the ministry of this man. He's a merciful
God, he's a gracious God. as he calls Samuel and we can
observe certain things with regards to the way in which the Lord
God is calling Samuel the time that the call comes interesting
isn't it what we're told there at the beginning of the chapter
Verse 3, Ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the
Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep,
that the Lord called Samuel. Ere the lamp of God went out
in the temple of the Lord. Here there's a reference to that
series Night Time. is there serving God in the tabernacle
and we see back in Exodus 27 and there at verses 20 and 21
that one of the tasks of the priest was to dress the candelabra
with its seven lights remember which was to shine there in the
holy place And so it seems it's at night. It represents something of the
darkness of the times. The days are dark days. And yet
in the midst of all the darkness and deadness that surrounds the
people of God at such a time, yet here is God working in the
midst of the darkness. The light shines in the darkness.
and of course there's not only the time when this is happening,
it's the place, it's Shiloh, it's where the it's where the
temple of the Lord or where the tabernacle of the Lord is set
up and established when they first come into the possession
of that land. Remember what we're told in the book of Joshua there in in Joshua 18. We read the whole congregation
of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh and set up
the tabernacle of the congregation there and the land was subdued
before them. Coming now to the possession
of that land that God had promised to their fathers, to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob They've subdued the land and the tabernacle is
set up. It was forever being removed
throughout all the wilderness wanderings, but it's established
permanently now at Shiloh. Later, in the reign of King David,
when Jerusalem was taken from the Jebusites, David would remove
the tabernacle from Shiloh and establish it on Manzion. until
the days of King Solomon who builds the temple of the Lord.
Shiloh is a significant place, you see. And we're told that
in the text the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. The Lord appeared
in Shiloh and the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by
the word of the Lord. Surely the place is a significant
place. In fact, how is it spoken of
previously here? It's the house of the Lord. Verse
15, Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house
of the Lord. It's where God is. Shiloh, the
Tabernacle, the Holy of Holies. Wasn't that where God had promised
that He would meet with the children of Israel? back in Exodus 25,
where Moses is receiving all the instruction for the furnishings,
and you know the passage there where he speaks of the Ark of
the Covenant, which contains the tables, the two tables of
the Lord, the Ten Commandments, God's covenant with Israel, and
atop that the mercy seat with the cherubims, one on each end,
and God's promise that there he will meet with his people
from above the mercy seat, from between the cherubims, the promise
of God's presence. And yet, whilst there's all that
to take account of, there's also the fact that it is a place where
there is terrible sin being committed by these wicked sons as a lay
with the women that assembled it says at the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation. It's a wicked place and yet in
the midst of all that wickedness God is pleased to come and appear
again in calling this young man to be his prophet and to be the
one who will proclaim the word of the Lord. and how boldly he will proclaim
that word what we have here in the context in verse 19 the Lord was with
him and he let none of his words fall to the ground and all Israel
from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to
be a prophet of the Lord oh there is then here not only God's judgment
to be perceived, God's Word had been so rare, it was so precious
because of that, but now God is beginning to take account
and God is going to work again graciously by the hand of this
young man, Samuel. And then turning in the second
place to the revelation, or the revelation of God's Word. and
how wonderful is the grace of God three times we read how Samuel is called and each
time of course he's only a youngster he thinks it's it's Eli the priest
calling him and so he speaks to Eli He's laid down to sleep there
at verse 3, and the Lord called Samuel. And the aunt said, here
am I, and he runs off to Eli. And Eli sends him back to his
bed, and the Lord called yet again, verse 6, Samuel. And he goes back to the priest,
who says, I call not my son, lie down again. and then the Lord calls the third
time in verse 8 and now Eli begins to realize what's happening Eli
perceived that the Lord had called the child therefore he instructs
him go lie down and he shall be if he called him thou shalt
say speak Lord for thy servants heareth he's a sad man in many
ways Eli there's so much good in the man and yet how he fails
in the matter of his wicked sons. And then we're told how the Lord
came and called at other times. But mark the difference here. When he comes a fourth time,
he calls, Samuel, Samuel. There's a double calling of the
name. Isn't that the grace of God?
Isn't that the grace of God? previously he just mentioned
his name the once Samuel and now there is a double call he
calls his own sheep by name and now here clearly it is Samuel
who is being called and more than that what do we read also
with regards to this fourth call in verse 10 as the Lord calls and comes and stands there the Lord called,
the Lord came and stood it says and called as at other times
now we don't read previously of the Lord coming and standing
but we do there and surely we recognize when we read the passage
every word every detail is important and significant it's all God's
work there's something more impressive
with regards to this final call God's presence you see There's something permanent about
the fact that the Lord is there, as he calls this young man. And
then the Lord reveals himself to him. The Lord revealed himself
to Samuel in Shiloh. And how does he reveal himself
to Samuel? By the word of the Lord. Who is the word of the Lord?
Isn't this really the Lord Jesus Christ himself? Now the Lord does appear many
times in the Old Testament Scriptures, the angel of the Lord. Now there are these, what they
call theophanies, these appearances. before the New Testament, before
the Incarnation. How does the Lord reveal Himself? By the words of the Lord. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. So this is the Word of the Lord. And we're told aren't we then
how the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. And we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth, says John. The Word was made flesh
and dwelt amongst us, but here is the Lord, you see. He appears
to Samuel the fourth time and He stands there, He dwells there. How does God reveal Himself?
He only ever reveals Himself in and through the person and
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way that we
can ever know God. No man hath seen God at any time. The only
begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared
Him. Now I know that's stated there in the New Testament in
the opening chapter of John, but it holds true for all of
Scripture. No man at any time. Old Testament,
New Testament. No man hath seen God at any time. There is significance then in
these words, by the word of the Lord. all it is in and through
the Lord Jesus Christ and then again in Shiloh is where
the tabernacle is and think of the association the tabernacle,
the temple and the association with the Lord Jesus Christ and this morning we were looking
at those words in John the beginning of the second chapter remember
what the Lord goes on to say we read up to verse 11 if we
read on we'd have come to what Christ says concerning the tabernacle
destroy this tabernacle and in three days I will raise it up
he says and they amazed the Jews it took 46 years to build the
tabernacle and you're gonna raise it in
three days and it says he was speaking of the temple of his
body. And when he rose again from the dead the disciples remembered
that. We know that the tabernacle,
the temple, this is all typical, it's a type of the Lord Jesus. He is that tabernacle which the
Lord pitched, as we read in Hebrews. Which the Lord pitched and not
man. the human nature of the Lord Jesus. You see there's intimations
here in the text that direct us to the Lord Jesus Christ.
How the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in China by the word
of the Lord. It is only in the Lord Jesus
Christ that we can ever know God. There's no other way. and it's life eternal to know
thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Here
is this this young man a child really
but what are we told Samuel grew and the Lord was with him he
grew not only physically but surely he's growing spiritually
all the time he's growing in grace and in the knowledge of
his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and he's becoming ever more established
that's what we're told isn't it? in verse 20 Samuel was established
to be a prophet of the Lord doesn't the Lord establish his people. That's what he means to grow
in grace, to become more established. To grow in grace, to grow in
faith, to be more faithful to the Lord. There's that exhortation
as it were that we find in the fifth chapter of Peter's first
epistle. There at verse 10, the God of
all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ
Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish,
strengthen, settle you. What words are those? All the
trials will come, there'll be sufferings. It will be so throughout
the ministry of this young man Samuel as he grows. and as he's
exercising his ministry as a prophet you can read through the books
or the books really, two books of Sam. And their sufferings, there's
no avoiding trials and troubles. All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus they suffer persecution. The Lord himself says in the
world you shall have tribulation. Be of good cheer, I have overcome
the world. We can't avoid these things. I don't want trials,
or troubles, or sufferings. I don't want that at all. Isn't
this what the Lord has appointed for his people? That strange
course that the Christian has to tread. Those words of Peter there in
that fifth chapter of his first letter, after you have suffered a while
make you perfect establish strengthen settle you how did God establish Samuel
initially? when he came to him he came to him, he stood with
him the Lord came and stood and revealed himself made himself
known to this young child he's going to be a prophet you
see and it must be the Lord Jesus then who is with him as he's
called to this particular office just as it was with the apostle
Paul when he's called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ it was
the Lord wasn't it who met with him there at the very gates of Damascus, where he's
going to persecute Christians. It's the Lord who arrests him.
As he says to the Philippians in chapter 3, he was apprehended
of Christ Jesus. And that's what he's speaking
of, where the Lord really arrested him, laid his hand upon him. And it must be the case also
here with the Prophet Samuel. Why do I say that? Well, what are we told in the
New Testament in Revelation, Revelation 19.10? The testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. All the Old Testament prophets
had the testimony of Jesus. What do we read concerning them
in in Peter. Searching what or what manner
of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify.
It's the Spirit of Christ who's in them. It's the Lord Jesus
Christ who is here. The Old Testament office of the
prophets. Of course it goes back to Moses. If they speak not according to
that law, there's no light in them, says Isaiah. They appeal to the Lord of Moses,
the first five books of scripture. And remember what's said concerning
the prophets whom God will raise up as he speaks there to his
servant Moses in Deuteronomy 18. In verse 15, the Lord says to
Moses, The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet
from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me. Unto
him ye shall hearken. God is going to raise up a prophet
from the midst of Israel like unto Moses. And then the Lord speaks directly
in verse 18 of that chapter, I will raise them up a prophet
from among their brethren like unto thee, and I will put my
words in his mouth, and shall speak unto them, and he shall
speak unto them all that I shall command him. Now, the reference
there ultimately is to the Lord Jesus. He is the great prophet. With Him we have the sealing
of the Prophecy. In the language of Daniel 10,
remember. He has finished the transgression,
He's made an end of sin, He's made reconciliation for iniquity,
He's brought in everlasting righteousness, He's sealed the vision and the
prophecy. No more prophet. Jesus is the
last and great prophet. Mohammed is a false prophet. must be a false prophet can be
no more prophet all is fulfilled in the office of the Lord Jesus and here is the Lord with Samuel
and what do we read the Lord was with him and he let none of his words
fall to the ground none of his words would ever
fire This is a precious word, not
precious now in the sense of rare. No, that's not rare in
the ministry of this Samuel. What does he speak? He speaks
wonderful things. You read through the books of
Samuel. And of course we have much of the record of the life
and ministry of David. recorded in the books of Sabbath.
And David, the remarkable type of the Lord Jesus Christ Christ
comes, doesn't he? The seed of David, the son of
David. Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ is
here, you see. When I think about we have that
word precious, don't we? concerning Christ in the epistles
of Peter unto you which believe He is precious unto you which
believe He is precious whereby are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises of course there in the New Testament it's
not the same word as we have here in the Old Testament here
we have a Hebrew word which literally means rare but the word that
we have there in the Epistles of Peter, it's a Greek word,
and it doesn't mean rare, it means honourable. Honourable, unto you which believe
he is precious, he's honourable. Those exceeding, great and honourable
promises. All that honourable promises
that God gives us in the Gospel, because they all have their accomplishments. You see, concerning Sam, the
Lord did let none of his words fall to the ground. Every word,
every word must be accomplished. We're told concerning Joshua,
there failed not of any of the good things which the Lord spake
unto him. All came to pass. they found
that any of the words that God gave to his servant Joshua all
came to pass and you know when we come to the New Testament
do we not have a more sure word of prophecy we have a more sure
word of prophecy where unto says Peter ye do well that ye take
heed or we must take heed to the words of God take heed to
all that God is saying to us in His Holy Scriptures embracing
not only promises but precepts also His words can never fall to the
ground they must have their blessed accomplishment and all that those
words might have their accomplishment in us by that blessed and gracious
ministry of the Spirit or to know that ministry of the Spirit
revealing the things of Christ not just revealing those truths
to us but receiving those revealing those truths in us to know what
it is to have that faith that comes by the operation of God
that faith that is the gift of God because we come under the
Word of God and we need that blessed ministry of God the Holy
Spirit that he might come to us the Spirit of Christ just
as he is the one who is here coming to his servant Samuel
all those many, many years ago. The Lord, the Covenant God of
Israel appeared again in Shiloh for the Lord revealed himself
to Samuel in Shiloh by the words of the Lord. Oh, the Lord be
pleased and to bless his words to us today. Amen. We're going to sing our concluding
praise. The hymn is 352 Latune Baker
292 The moon and stars shall lose
their light, the sun shall sink in endless night. Both heaven
and earth shall pass away, the works of nature all decay. But
they that in the Lord confide and shelter in his wounded side
shall see the danger overpass, stand every storm and live at
last. His word is this. Poor sinners
here, believe on me and banish fear. Cease from your own works,
bad or good, and wash your garments in my blood. The hymn 352 and
the tune 292.