Turn with me to 1 Samuel chapter
3. Lord willing, this will be our
last study in 1 Samuel chapter 3 tonight. I want you to look
at verse 19 with me. Let's begin in verse 19. As we already know, Hannah Dedicated,
the word the scripture uses here is lent. She lent Samuel to the
Lord. That phrase lent him there, and
the word that is said means returned him. I thought that was really
good. The Lord gave Hannah Samuel and
she returned him to the Lord. Everything that we have, brothers
and sisters, but our sin comes from the Lord. It comes from
our God. As a young boy, Samuel served the Lord under Eli. Samuel served the Lord, but he
didn't know the Lord. The Lord revealed himself as
he was serving the Lord. The Lord revealed himself to
Samuel. The Lord called Samuel by grace and all this God purpose
before the world began. So it is with you who believe. Verse 19, and Samuel grew, and
the Lord was with him, and did 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. And the Lord appeared again in
Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by
the word of the Lord." You know the story well. The Lord called
on Samuel twice, and not knowing that it was the Lord, Samuel
went to Eli. And Eli said, go lay down with
me, and the Lord called again. You know, I was thinking when
the Lord begins to deal with a sinner, in pervenient grace. Grace before grace is what that
means. Then in most cases, they confer
with flesh and blood. That's what Samuel did. He conferred
with Eli. And the majority of time, when
the Lord begins to deal with a chosen sinner, they seek him
from among the world's religion. Most all of us have that story
to tell. And it's simply conferring with
flesh and blood. not confirming with the Lord.
But as Paul said for the elect of God, of the elect of God and
for the elect of God, he said, when it pleased God, when it
pleased the God who separated us from our mother's womb and
called us by His grace, as God did Samuel, to reveal His Son
in me. That's why God calls His people,
to reveal Christ to them. And he said, I confer not with
flesh and blood. No sir, we come face to face
with God. We come face to face with His
gospel, His Son, and like Peter, flesh and blood didn't reveal
that to us. That's what the Lord told him. He said, Peter said,
thou art the Christ. the son of the living God. And
he said, the flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you, but
my father in heaven did, Matthew 16, 17. The first message the
Lord gave Samuel, as you remember, was a message of condemnation
to Eli's two sons. But Samuel told Eli every word. And Eli accepted the sovereign
will and purpose of the Lord. You see, the true gospel message
that we preach in this place is at first condemnation to the
fallen sinner that hears it. I remember the first time I heard
it, I thought, oh my, I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble. If I
have to be perfect to be accepted, then I'm in a heap of trouble. But all the hope that Samuel
found in doing was reduced to nothing. He'd served in the tabernacle,
and then when the Lord revealed himself to him, he said, this
has all been for nothing. What saves us is the will, the
word, and the work of Christ. The word of the Lord took precedence
over all Samuel's former religion and hope. And it will yours too.
It will be yours too. The Lord has showed you that
it's not by works of righteousness that you do, but it's by the
finished work of righteousness that Christ has done for you.
And Samuel proved himself faithful in this. He held nothing back
from Eli, and Eli acknowledged that Samuel's word came from
the Lord. Well, he was just a young man
at the time, probably 12, 13 years old. And Eli said, and
I love these words, It is the Lord. It's the Lord. When Samuel spoke the words,
he said, it's the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good. And it's the same with every
true God called pastor and preacher. I remember the first time I heard
the word of the Lord, I knew it was the Lord. I knew it was
the Lord and I knew and I submitted and I vowed that as my sovereign
king, that he would do what seemed him good. And he, at the same
time, is working all these things together for his people's good,
so that we rejoice in the fact that he does what seems good.
And I was more than all right with that, regardless of what
it was. The measure of a true pastor
whom God has called and put into the ministry is summed up in
a single fact. He's bound to tell the truth
to every sinner because of who it is he's speaking on the behalf
of. I often tell you, don't get upset
with me. This is what the Lord said. This
is the Lord's word, not mine. And always remember that. This
is the word of the Lord. He's bound to tell the truth.
the pastor, the preacher is. And it's the only way that we
can rightfully give an account to the souls that we've been
placed in charge of. And that's to preach the gospel,
God's word. Not what I think, not what I
believe, but what God says. And I'm thankful that he's caused
me to believe his word. And I don't believe a man can
truly preach the gospel. the true gospel, unless God has
revealed it to him. Like Paul, I come to you in weakness. I don't come to you with excellency
of speech. I don't come to you with any
great wisdom. I came simply proclaiming, reporting, declaring, and preaching
the testimony of God. Not my testimony, but the Lord's
testimony. This is the testimony of God.
This is God's Word, His testimony that He's left for us. And it's
about His beloved Son from cover to cover. It's a message of Him. How do we come? We come in demonstration
of the Spirit and of power, that our faith should not stand in
the wisdom of man. Listen, if your faith stands
in the wisdom of man, it's gonna soon play out on you. It's not
gonna last. But it stands in the power of
God. Man's doing will not stand the test of time, but Christ's
doing will. and his spirit and power will
always get the job done. Now notice the first phrase in
verse 19, we're told, and Samuel grew. Now I know that in one
sense of the word is talking about he grew physically in stature. Chapter two, verse 16, we're
told, but Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child girded
with a linen ephod. In chapter two, verse 26, we're
told, and the child Samuel grew on and was in favor both with
the Lord and also with men. And in chapter three, verse one,
we're told, and the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before
Eli. So my question to you is something
to consider. How could Samuel be spoken of
in the same terms of ministering both before he knew the Lord
and after the Lord revealed Himself to him? You know, there are many
who do not know the Lord and serve in false religion. But
Samuel was serving the true and the living God. Can one serve
the Lord who does not know the Lord? Well, I just said a moment
ago, I didn't believe they could. But what we must remember is
that true salvation is not only considered in the realm of time,
but also in the realm of eternity. Samuel was the Lord's by election. Samuel was the Lord's by predestination. Samuel was the Lord's before
the world began. And though Samuel did not know
the Lord, the Lord knew him. And it's the same with you. Before
you ever knew the Lord, the Lord knew you. He set his affection
on you. And in time, he was gonna call
you by his grace and save you by his grace. And one day soon,
very soon, glorify you by his grace. Samuel came into this
world viewed by God in Christ. And Samuel, like every man and
woman, was born a sinner. But Samuel was also holy. Holy in the eyes of God, because
Christ had been made to be Samuel's sanctification. He was set apart,
God set him apart. And in the eyes of God, he was
already holy and saved. Samuel was the Lord's in eternity
before he knew the Lord in time, and that's the case with all
believers. That's why our salvation is certain, before we've done
any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election,
might stand. Not of anything that we do, but
of God and His mercy and grace. That's why we were saved. That's
why we are saved. And that's why we're being saved. saved by the election of God
in Christ before time was, saved in the realm of time when we
believed on the Lord Jesus, and completely saved in eternity
when we are glorified and completely conformed to the image of the
Lord Jesus Christ. That was the Lord's will and
purpose, not for the world, but for those that he gave to Christ.
And all that the Father giveth me, the Lord Jesus said, will
come to me, and I'll in no wise cast him out. Yes, I'm saved
and I'm always saved. Not because of anything that
I do, but because of what Christ did for me. And that's good news. That's good news. Neither Samuel's
person or service would have been accepted by God. Now listen,
except in Christ, the beloved. And that's the only way anything
that we do is accepted of God. All the events that led to Samuel's
day of calling, his day of revelation, his day of redemption, were the
works of God's sovereign providence. Any good work that we do, that
God might use in any way, is because God worked in us to do
His good pleasure. Any works that we have are because
of Him. They begin in eternity and election,
but they begin in the time with the Lord shutting Hannah's womb. That's how this book started
out. Her womb was dead. She couldn't produce life. And
that's how our story began. We're dead in trespasses and
sin. We can do nothing to bring forth
life. And later in time, the Lord gave
Hannah life within. And that's our story. The Lord
gave us life within. And There could be no doubt that
Samuel was born. There's no doubt that Samuel
was born and Samuel grew physically, as I said a moment ago, but there's
also no doubt that this growth primarily refers to Samuel's
growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. God showed him that
the sacrifices made on behalf of God's chosen people pictured
in typified Christ. Every lamb that was slain, every
bull and bullock pictured the Lord Jesus Christ shedding His
blood for the sins of His people. And God showed him that the sacrifices
made on behalf of God's people were just that. The Old Testament
is about Jesus Christ. That's why God's people loved
the study of the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the declaration
that the Messiah, the Savior, the sacrifice, and the substitute
was coming. There's one coming. There's one
coming. He's gonna crush the serpent's
head. And it all points to Christ and
Him crucified, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
And no doubt that when Samuel saw that Christ was the Lamb
of God that taketh away the sin of the world, He saw the atrocious
sin of Eli's son. Samuel grew up in Christ. I like
that. He grew up in Christ. He pictures
the Lord Jesus as the prophet of God who grew in wisdom and
stature and was declared to be the promised prophet. And Samuel
as a prophet was a picture of the prophet. Jesus Christ, and
he's also a picture of the elect of God. The Old Testament is
full of pictures of Christ and his people. And how wonderful
that is. I've told you before, you know,
I've got, we've got pictures of our children hanging on our
refrigerator and everywhere in our house. But when they're there,
we don't look at those pictures. We look at them. And friends,
we have Christ. We have Him. We really do. He
lives within us. And we don't have to always hang
on to the pictures when we've got Him. Lord, help us to do
just that. The second phrase of chapter
19 shows us that Samuel grew, and look at this, and the Lord
was with him. This is the means and the result
of the chosen sinner growing in the grace and in the knowledge
of the Lord. The Lord was with him, and it's the Lord with us. That's how we grow in grace and
in the knowledge of Christ, by the Lord himself teaching us.
Truly, the Lord is with His people. Samuel lived in the presence
of the Lord. All God's elect do the same.
The Lord was Samuel's help. Is the Lord not every believer's
help? Isaiah chapter two, verse three
says, come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us His ways. And we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth
the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." John 6, 45,
the Lord Jesus said, it's written in the prophets, in the Old Testament
prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. That's what Isaiah
was saying. Every man therefore that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father cometh to me. Well, where
else would we go? He has the words to eternal life.
Not going to come to the preacher. Not going to come to the priest.
Not going to come to the front of the church. We're going to
come to Christ. We walk in His path. You know what that means?
We follow Him. Walking in His path means we
follow Him. And the Lord assured Samuel success
in all that he did. And it's the same with you and
I who believe. All our successes come from God. Every one of them. Look at the
end of verse 19. The Lord did not let none of
his, Samuel's words, fall to the ground. You know, I have
often felt in preaching that my words came out and just fell
right to the ground. And there's been times when I've
preached and I feel like my words, the Lord took my words and he
used them. Now that's true success. for
a prophet, a preacher, and the Lord didn't let his words fall
to the ground. That simply means that Samuel
was a faithful prophet in speaking the word of God. And Peter tells
us something about that. He said, but the word of the
Lord endureth forever, and this is the word by which the gospel
is preached unto you. Joshua 1.8, the book of the law,
shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein
day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all
that is written therein, for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous." and then thou shalt have good success. Every true gospel preacher has
his words upheld by God through the means of gospel preaching.
And it doesn't matter what I feel like after I get through preaching,
the word of the Lord doesn't return unto him void. It accomplishes
what he sends it forth to accomplish. And Gene can tell you this, anybody
that preaches, the times that I have stepped down from this
pulpit and think that I did a great job, I've fallen flat on my face,
and the times that I felt like I could just run out the back
door in embarrassment, the Lord has used that to His glory. Why? Because we're, who's Paul? Who's
Paulism? But ministers by whom you believe. We plant, we water, God gives
the increase. This is the word of God. Not
my word. My word's not worth hearing.
But God's word is. What God told Samuel to say,
he said to his hearers. He spoke the word of God as it
was directly given to him from the very mouth of God. It's the same with every preacher.
This is the mouth of God right here in this book. It's the revealed
Word of God. And Samuel, he didn't debate
what God said. He didn't call for a council
of learned men to determine if what he said was theologically
correct. He spoke the Word of God, whether
it lined up with the general attitude and belief of the people
or whether it didn't. God said, thus saith the Lord,
you go tell my people. And he did. And he was successful. He was faithful. He spoke the
word of God. It was God's word, not his. And
every word accomplished what God sent it to accomplish. Samuel was called to say what
God said. It's every believer's responsibility
to believe what God says and to speak what God said. The preaching
of the gospel is always successful because God sends it forth in
power to accomplish what He intends to accomplish. He always causes
us to triumph in Christ by making manifest the savor of His knowledge
through preaching. It's by the means of preaching
that God saves them that believe. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad
that some of you have been here for Nearly 50 years. And aren't you glad the Lord
sent you to a place that has always preached the gospel? Oh, I tell you, He could have
just left you to yourself. You could be in one of these
mega churches somewhere, not hearing a word. God's not gonna
allow our words to fall to the ground, just as He didn't allow
Samuel's to do so. Now look at verse 20. And all
Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established
to be a prophet. That word established there in
verse 20 means faithful. That's what it means. Samuel
was faithful to be a prophet of the Lord. When God calls a
man to minister, when God reveals the truth to you through a man,
he's gonna be faithful to God's word. And you'll know that his
message comes from God. And somebody say, how do you
know? And you'll probably say something like that. I just know
that I know. I just know that I know. If you're
a believer, you'll know. There'll be no doubt that man
would be faithful to God and to man. God will honor that man
as he did Samuel. Whatever Samuel did as a prophet,
it proved true. It was accomplished in due season. And God fulfilled Samuel's word
because they were God's word. And friends, you can take the
words that I tell you week after week to heart because they're
God's word. It's not my word, it's what the
Lord promised, and it'll come to pass. He's not a man that
he should lie, son, a man that he should repent or change his
mind. He's God, and he can tell nothing but the truth. God fulfilled
Samuel's words because they were his. Isaiah 44, 26, God confirmeth
the word of his servant and performeth the counsel of his messengers. What a promise. God's Spirit's
gonna bear witness with your spirit that the gospel that I
preach to you is true. And I would tell you that if
you don't think it is, you shouldn't hear me. Romans 8, 16, the Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children
of God. How do I know that I'm a child
of God? I just know. God's Spirit bears witness with
my spirit that I'm one of His. 1 John 5, 6, and it is the Spirit
that beareth witness because the Spirit is truth. Hold your
place here in 1 Samuel and turn with me to the gospel of John
chapter five. I read these verses today in
just regular reading, and I thought to myself, this applies so much
to what we're talking about tonight, about bearing witness, God's
spirit bearing witness with our spirit. John chapter five, and look at
what our Lord Jesus said here in verse 30. John 5.30. The Lord said, I can of my own
self do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment
is just, because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the
Father which hath sent me. And if I bear witness of myself,
my witness is not true. There's another that beareth
witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesses
of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he beareth
witness unto the truth." Speaking of John the Baptist. But I receive
not testimony from man, but these things I say that you might be
saved. He was a burning and shining
light, and you were willing for a season to rejoice in His light.
But I have greater witness than that of John, for the works which
the Father has given me to finish, the same works that I do bear
witness to me that the Father has sent me." All the miracles,
the wondrous things that the Lord Jesus did was to prove who
He was. And they all, these physical
miracles that the Lord did, giving sight to the blind and hearing
to the deaf and legs to the lame, are all pictures of spiritual
things that the Lord has done for His people. He said, you
sinned unto John and he bear witness unto me, but I receive
not testimony of man, but these things I say that you might be
saved. Verse 35, he was a burning and
shining light, and you were willing for a season to rejoice in his
light. But I have greater witness than that of John, for the works
which the Father has sent me to finish, the same works that
I do, bear witness of me that the Father has sent me. And the
Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me.
And ye have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his
shape. and you have not his word abiding
in you, for whom he has sent, him you believe not." You didn't
believe John the Baptist and you don't believe God. Verse
39, search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal
life, and they are they which testify me. If you read the scriptures
and you don't see that they're about Christ from cover to cover,
then you've missed it. You've missed the gospel. You've
missed God's word. And then he says in verse 40,
and you will not come to me that you might have life. I receive
not honor for men, but I know you that you have not the love
of God in you. I am come in my father's name
and you receive me not. If another shall come in his
own name, him you will receive. How can you believe which receive
honor of one another and seek not the honor that cometh from
God only? Do not think that I will accuse
you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you,
even Moses, in whom you trust. For had you believed Moses, you
would have believed me, for he wrote of me." There you go, right
there, the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy. about Christ. There was no one
more established, faithful to be a prophet than the prophet,
the Lord Jesus Christ. He fulfilled every office of
prophet, priest, and king. So you see, dear friends, these
three verses are about the Lord Jesus Christ. His all scripture
is. The whole book, the Bible, is
about Him. The Old Testament says Christ's coming. He's coming. There's one coming that's going
to save you from your sin. There's no other means for one
to be saved. The New Testament says that He's
come. And it's bowing and believing and trusting in Him that saves
you. And the epistles that the apostles wrote to the churches
reveals the same one, the Lord Jesus. He's coming again. And
He's going to deliver His people from death in the grave. And
our corruption's gonna put on incorruption. How glorious is
that gonna be? What a day that's gonna be. This
sinful flesh is gonna be put in the ground, and God's gonna
give me a new body without sin. And I'm gonna see Christ as He
really is, and I'm gonna be known, I'm gonna know Him as I'm known
of Him. Man, that's gonna be some day. Now, back in 1 Samuel, Chapter three, verse 21. We see the source of the Word
of the Lord. We see in whom the Word of the
Lord is revealed. You already know who it is. It's
the Lord Jesus. It's His Word, the Word of the
Lord. Verse 21, and the Lord appeared
again in Shiloh, For the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in
Shiloh by the word of the Lord. The Lord Jehovah appeared again
in Shiloh. Shiloh is one of the Old Testament
names for Christ. We looked at that in somewhat
detail in our study of Joshua. And in Genesis chapter 49, verse
10, I won't turn you there, but speaking of Christ, we're told
this, the scepter, the scepter that the king holds,
representing his sovereignty and his kingship, shall not depart
from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh
come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Now,
the Israelites are called Jews under this day, and the name
Jew is short for Judah. That's where the name came from,
Judah. The kingship, the scepter of
Christ shall not depart from Judah. Jesus Christ is the King
of kings. He's the Lord of lords. His scepter,
his sovereignty, his kingship shall not depart, nor a lawgiver
from between his feet, stay with me on this, until Shiloh come. Not until Christ, who is shallow,
come. Now, two things are declared
necessary when shallow, the Messiah comes. The lawgiver and the scepter
must depart from Judah. The power of the law, the old
covenant, was only a shadow of good things to come. That's what
the book of Hebrews tells us. There's a new covenant, not one
of do and live. When Christ came, the old covenant,
the lawgiver and its power, its scepter were put away. Yes, Judah
pictures and typifies Christ, but Judah here is also a representative
of the old covenant that was put away when Christ came into
the world. And you know, the Jews insisted
upon keeping the law. That's what they were all about.
That's why they loved Moses, because he represented the law.
And it was because of that, that they insisted upon Christ being
put to death. They accused the holy author
of the law, the holy writer of the law, of being guilty of his
own holy law. And by putting the Lord Jesus
to death, the law was fulfilled and the Jews and their religion
would be put away forever. By their own words, the lawgiver
passed from between Judah's feet. And speaking with ignorance and
enmity and hostility for Christ, the Messiah, shallow in the flesh,
the Jews declared that the scepter representing the king and his
rule had departed from Judah. That's why we read in the story
of Christ's crucifixion, and it was the preparation of the
Passover, and about the sixth hour, he, Pilate, said unto the
Jews, behold your king. You remember that? But they cried
away with him, away with him, crucify him. And Pilate said
unto them, shall I crucify your king? And the chief priest answered,
we have no king but Caesar. In doing so, they claimed that
the scepter had departed from Judah. But that's when Shiloh
truly came. But unto the son he saith, thy
throne, O God, is forever. and ever a scepter of righteousness
is the scepter of thy kingdom." Listen, Christ is on the throne.
He's ruling and reigning. He's working all things after
the counsel of his own will. And Pilate, as you know, had
an inscription made and put it on the cross, Jesus of Nazareth,
the king of the Jews. And you remember what the chief
priest said? They said, don't, don't write that. Don't, don't
put that up there. If you're going to put something
up there, put that he said he was the king of the Jews. And
Pilate said, what I've written, I've written. You see God and
his power and his purpose and his providence had spoken is
the word of the Lord. Jesus Christ is king. And in
Genesis 49, Jacob with his dim and dying eyes, you ought to
read it sometime in your convenience, at your convenience. He was given
prophetic sight. He could see beyond Israel's
slavery in Egypt. He could see beyond their exodus
from Egypt. He could see beyond their wandering
in the desert. He could see beyond their entrance
into the promised land. He could see beyond the inheritance
of the tribes. He could see beyond the dividing
of the land. He could see beyond the scattering
of the enemy. And he saw Christ, who is his
people's Shiloh. And he speaks to Judah, but he's
speaking of Christ. And this is what he says, thy
brethren shall praise thee, and they ever one will. He said,
you shall defeat your enemies. And the Lord Jesus did. He defeated
sin, death, and hell. He said, thy father's children
shall bow to you. And everyone will. Everyone will. He said, you're a lion who can
defeat the prey. And you're gone up, and you've
stooped down. And only Christ stooped down
and has gone back up. And to you shall the gathering
of the people be. God's people were gathered together,
one in Christ. What a prophecy this was of the
Lord Jesus. Where did Jacob get the name
Shiloh? Well, it had never used before that he spoke it. God
gave it to him. You see, Shiloh was a gift from
God, and that's what Christ is. We're saved by grace through
faith. It's not of ourselves. It's in Christ, who is the gift
of God. There's no gift given like Him.
Shiloh means to Him it belongs. Shiloh means peace. Shiloh means
the Son. Shiloh means scent. Shiloh means
rest. Shiloh means prosper. Shiloh
means Christ. Shiloh was where God was worshiped. In Shiloh, the Lord is revealed. In Christ, God is revealed. And Christ is revealed in Shiloh,
how? By the Word of God. For in Him,
Christ, with all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, And I
love this, and you're complete in Him, which is the head of
all principality and power. Colossians 2, 9 and 10. Again,
verse 21, and I'll finish. The Lord appeared to Samuel in
Shiloh. God appeared to Samuel in Christ. The Lord revealed Himself to
Samuel in Shiloh. The Lord revealed Himself by
the Word of God in Shiloh. It's all in Christ. Jesus Christ
is the Lord. He's the revelation and He's
the Word. Jesus Christ is Shiloh. Dear
saints of God, Shiloh has come in the person of Christ and salvation
is complete and finished in him. What must I do to be saved? Believe
and trust in him. That's it. Rest in him. Rest,
rest, rest, rest. Labor to enter into rest. He's
our King. He's our Redeemer. He's our refuge
as we sung a few moments ago. He's our safety. He's our life.
He's our salvation. He's Alpha and Omega. He's the
first and the last, the beginning and the end. He's everything.
He's the author and the finisher of our faith. He gives us faith
and he keeps us in the faith. He is Shiloh. Is that where you
dwell? Do you dwell in Shiloh? Do you
dwell in Christ? Well, if you're saved, you do.
May God be pleased to make it so for His glory, our good, and
for Christ's sake.