First Samuel chapter two, please. First Samuel chapter two. As you know from our study thus
far, Hannah had vowed to dedicate Samuel to the Lord, and she did
as she had vowed. Look at the last part of chapter
one, verse 27. She said, for this child I prayed,
And the Lord hath given me my petition, which I asked of him. Therefore also I have lent him
to the Lord. As long as he liveth, he shall
be lent to the Lord. And he worshiped the Lord there. Who worshiped the Lord there? Verse 27, the last part of chapter
one. Well, some commentators think
that that's talking about Elkanah, her husband, who Hannah brought
the child Samuel to Eli, who with Hannah did. And some Bible
scholars believe that this speaks of Eli to whom the child was
brought. And others, including me, believe
that this refers to Samuel himself. who bowed himself before the
Lord and worshiped the Lord. Even though Samuel was still
young, he was born to serve the Lord according to the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. As all things are, everything
becomes to pass in time. The Lord determined by his counsel
and foreknowledge before the world ever was. And that's such
a comforting bond. So in verse 11 of chapter two,
look there with me, Elkanah and Hannah return home with Samuel. And what is Samuel doing? And the child did minister. He
attended to the things of the temple. unto the Lord before
Eli the priest. Now this young lad, probably,
most people think probably around 12 years old, is happily serving
and worshiping the Lord under the guidance of Eli. Well, what
about Eli's boys? Didn't they serve in the temple?
I meant to tell you a moment ago, that was verse 11. Verse
12 now, now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial. They knew not
the Lord. Now that word or title Belial
there means wicked, means unprofitable, it means abandoned wretches. You know, if God abandons a man,
he's gonna be a wretch. and it became a name used for
the devil. Matter of fact, if you look it
up in the dictionary today, it'll tell you a name for the devil. Now, these two boys, Hophni and
Phinehas, were the sons of Eli physically, but the Lord says
they were the sons of the devil. They were so spiritually. And
what makes someone such? You ever thought about it? You
know, this world and Hollywood and all makes a big deal out
of demon possession today. What makes someone such? Is it blatant immorality? Is it a wicked disposition? Is it an evil entitlement? Well, those things are the result
of what makes them such. Verse 12 tells us why. They knew
not the Lord. It's just that simple. Now that
word knew or the word know also has a couple different meanings,
probably more than two, but two that I'll mention. One meaning
expressing factual knowledge of something. You know something,
you book knowledge, you look into a book, you research something,
you know something. It means to have some insight,
maybe some understanding, mental assertion, awareness, consciousness
of something. And then the other meaning for
the word know or knew depicts an intimate, personal relationship
with a person. To know someone in an intimate
way by experience and relationship. An intimate connection between
two who love one another. You remember when Mary became
with child and the Lord's mother, earthly mother, it said that
she knew not a man. That's what that's talking about.
She hadn't had an intimate relationship with a man. And that's the kind
of knowledge that these two boys of Eli lacked towards God. They had no intimate, no experimental,
no passion for or knowledge of the Lord. Now they knew some
things about the Lord, and they could tell you some things concerning
God, but they did not know Him, not in an intimate way. You know,
in the scriptures where Paul said that I might know him, in
the Amplified version, I remember reading that years ago. And it
said that I may become more deeply and intimately acquainted with
him, that I might know, that I might love him, have passion
for him. Oh my, that's what this is talking
about. They had no intimate knowledge of God. They had no real intimacy
with God, no fear for God, no reverence, no personal respect
for God. And in these two sons of Elial,
we clearly see the depths to which the priesthood of Israel
had fallen. These two men were marked men.
They would be given no space for repentance. You know, sometimes
the Lord does that. He said, my spirit will not always
dwell with man. Sometimes God's had enough. It's
His prerogative. Is it unfair that God has enough?
No, He's God. The book of Hebrews gives us
great warning when it comes to the sin of unbelief. Matter of
fact, the whole of Scripture gives comfort to those who believe
and it warms those who do not believe. The Lord was grieved
with Israel in the days of the temptation in the wilderness.
God himself said, they tempted me. God declared they had proved
him for 40 years. He said, they do always air in
their heart. You see, that's where the problem
is. And he said, they've not known my ways. There you go. That was the cause of Israel's
unbelief. And it's the cause of men and
women's unbelief today. God said, so I swear in my wrath
that they shall not enter into my rest. Take heed, brethren,
the writer of Hebrews said, lest there be in any of you, now listen,
in you what? An evil heart of unbelief in
departing from the living God. My, my. That makes me tremble. So we see that they could not
enter in, speaking of the rest of God and the land of promise,
because of unbelief, Hebrews 4, 6. And the admonishment every
believer is given is let us labor, therefore, to enter into rest.
We talked about that this past Sunday, that we labor to enter
into his rest. And that's what God's people
do. He said, lest any of you fall after the same example of
unbelief. Now, look at verse 13 here in
1 Samuel chapter 2. It says, And the priest custom
with the people was, that when any man offered sacrifice, the
priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, or
boiling, in a pot, The priest's servant came with a flesh hook
of three teeth in his hand, and he struck it, or put it, stuck
it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot. All that the
flesh hook brought up, the priest took for himself. So they did,
and Shiloh went to all the Israelites that came thither. Also, before
they burnt the fat, the priest served and came and said to the
man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, for
he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any
man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently,
and then take as much as thy soul desired. Then he would answer
him, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now, and if not, I'll take
it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young
men was great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering
of the Lord. This, let me try to explain in
a little more detail what Hockney and Phineas were doing here.
This priest, they had invented a way, they'd come up with a
way that they could get more than what God had assigned them,
this priest. And yes, the priest would live
by the priesthood. But God had promised he'd take
care of the priest. And God promised their every
need would be met. They received everything they
needed from God's hand. And we as believers are called
kings and priests. And being such, it leaves nothing
for us to do but praise the Lord with thankful hearts. I remember Brother Montgomery
saying many times when he was in seminary or in Bible college,
that he and Sue, you know, he worked, you know, part-time jobs
when he had to go to school full-time, and they'd have a particular
bill that was due, and they thought, I don't know how we're going
to pay it, and go to the mailbox, and there'd be a check in the
mailbox for just the amount that they needed. The Lord's going
to take care of His people. You know that, and I know that.
And it was the same with the priest. And we're called kings
and priests, and nothing for us to do but to praise the Lord
and thank the Lord and trust in Him. We shall reign on the
earth, God providing all our need in Christ. He's the one
thing needful. And when this particular sacrifice
was offered, it was beneficial to all involved. God received
the first of what belonged to Him. He was given, the fat was
burned as a sacrifice unto Him. The offerer received what belonged
to him. And the priest who made the offering
received what belonged to him. So each one received different
parts, but they all received of the offering. This picture
is what every believer receives by grace in, by, and through,
and because of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. God
receives the glory, the sinner receives grace and faith and
salvation, and the servant is judged by God to be faithful
in Christ. And John tells us, and of his
fullness, have all we received in grace for grace. Now, Phinehas
and Hophni devised a way that they could get more. And they
took more of the sacrifice for themselves than God's law stipulated. They demanded the choice portions
before completing the actual sacrifice of this offering. And
in doing this, they esteemed themselves above the people whom
they served. They satisfied their own lust
without any regard to God's law. But the sacrifice was boiled
in the pot. Hophni and Phinehas demanded
the priest's portion before it was. And not only did this gave
them more than God allowed, but it robbed the offerer of what
rightly belonged to them. They took it by force, as we
read. They said, if you don't do it,
we're going to take it anyway. And they became wealthy off the
people of God. I don't know if they took them
and sold them or what. But as I was reading this and
looking at this, it took a little time to figure out exactly what
they were doing. But I thought to myself, that's
exactly what religion does today. Religion mirrors the same horrible
principle. Have you ever seen some of the
mansions these Harlings live in? They've got their own private
jets and they're multi-millionaires. And you ask if they have Interviewers,
news folks ask them about it and they claim that they're just
receiving blessings from God. Well, you know, God just blessed
us. This is something that we need for the ministry. Gospel preaching is the ministry
of God. And let me tell you, He'll provide
all our needs. Not all are great. What we see
with these harlings is nothing but greed. And a popular message
in religion today is the message of health and wealth and prosperity. God doesn't want you to be sick.
God wants you to be rich. Well, the Lord Jesus Christ wasn't
rich. The scripture says He didn't
have any place to lay His hand. Well, the Lord didn't have any
money. He told Peter to go cast a hook in the sea and take up
a fish and take from its mouth a piece of money, a coin, I don't
know what it was, in order for him to pay his tribute taxes.
He didn't go down to the first bank of Nazareth and make a big
withdrawal out of his savings account. No, he didn't have any
money. He had to retrieve it from a
fish that the Lord sent. Somewhere along the line, that
fish swallowed that money, and that just so happened to be the
fish that Peter caught, or whoever, which one of the disciples. My,
my. It's all about worldly prosperity
today. Not spiritual prosperity, but
worldly. You know, John said this, Beloved,
I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health. Nothing wrong with being able
to enjoy this life a bit and being healthy. But he added this,
even as your soul prospers, If you're so good and prosper, earthly
prosperity won't have any effectual saving mercy and grace in and
on you. If anything, worldly prosperity
will do you harm, and it'll lead you astray. Paul told Timothy,
you remember what he said about demons? He said, for demons hath
forsaken me, having loved this present evil world, and is departed. He's gone. Men can't serve two
masters. Our Lord told us that. Man cannot
please both God and man. The Lord told us that. Man cannot
rightly love the Lord and love this world. Our Lord told us
that. Love not the world, John said,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man loved the
world, the love of the Father is not any. For all that's in
the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride
of life is not of the fathers of the world. and the world passeth
away, and the less thereof, but he that doeth the will of God
abideth forever." That's soul prosperity. That's what that's
talking about. And if a man is consumed with
the prosperity of this world, I can assure you he's not of
God, and he's not preaching the truth concerning God. Now, before
the sacrifice was to be portioned or divided, the fat was to be
removed and first and immediately burned before the Lord. It was
the first sacrifice, the first of the offering to Him. And after
the fat was consumed with fire, The priest was to receive the
breast and the shoulder of the animal. In this picture, Christ
carrying the believer on his shoulder and on his heart. These things meant something.
The offerer was to receive the rest of the sacrifice. That which
belonged to the Lord was to be given to Him. And this pictures
the truth of the preeminence of Christ and the singular source
of all our blessings, all the blessings that God gives us.
He gets the first. When we ask something of the
Lord, we're to ask in Christ's name. When we thank the Lord
and praise Him, we're giving Him the first fruit. Lord, we
acknowledge that You gave this to us. What did we have that
we didn't receive? What have we received that you
didn't give us? And if we received it from you, why do we glory
in it? No, we don't. We give you the glory. We give
you the praise and the honor. This praise equates with burning
the fat as a sweet savor unto God. And to approach God or to
thank God and disregard Christ is to praise God as if we're
the authors of our own salvation. Listen, I've told you this before,
and I know you know it's so. You read your Bible in Ephesians,
in Him, by Him, through Him. Because of Him, it's all about
Christ. In Christ, in Christ, in Christ. Without acknowledging Christ,
thanking and praising Him, We were taken to ourselves more
than we have a right to, just like these two sons of Belial
do. And those who are taking it by
force, Shame. Condemnation awakes, I'm
telling you. They're marked men. They're marked
men. What a great sin it is to abhor
Christ, who is the offering of the Lord. You see, that's what
this picture is. Christ is this offering. That's what this offering
represents. Look at verse 17 again. Wherefore
the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for
men abhorred the offering of the Lord. It got to the point
where men hated to even go to Shiloh to make this offering
because they were being robbed. They knew it was wrong. But look
at verse 18. Oh, have words precious. But
Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child girded with
a linen ephod. And moreover, his mother made
him a little coat and brought it to him from year to year when
she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. We'll talk more about that cult,
that little cult, in a future study. But there's no doubt in
my mind that Elkanah knew what Eli's sons were doing. They did
it to him. And I think 1 Samuel 1, verse
3 shines a whole lot of light on that. Look over there. Let's
turn back a page. Verse 3. It says, and this man,
speaking of Elkanah, went up out of his city yearly to worship
and sacrifice unto the Lord of Host and Shiloh. And look what
it says there at the end of that verse. And the two sons of Eli,
Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. There
wouldn't have been any reason to put that there if they weren't
doing it then. They were doing it then, they
were doing it to him. Now there's no indication that Elkanah tried
to remedy this man. He believed the promises of God.
There's a lesson here. He knew that those who trusted
God would be set among princes and would be pillars of the earth. I'm going to be honest with you.
I used to get mad. I still do get a little mad,
a little angry at these harrowing, millionaire, self-professed preachers. But what good does it do? Huh? Doesn't do any good. All it does
is make me mad. God's going to take care of it.
He's going to take care of it. just as he's gonna take care
of these two sons of Belial. Look at verse 30, no, excuse
me, verse 23. Here we find Eli confronting
his sons with these ungodly practices. Look at it. And he said unto
them, why do you such things? For I hear of your evil dealings
by all this people. Oh, they were complaining. Oaks
were complaining. Nay, my sons, for it is no good
report that I hear. Ye make the Lord's people to
transgress. If one man sin against another,
the judge shall judge him. But if a man sin against the
Lord, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding, they hearken
not unto the voice of their father. And look at those last words,
because the Lord would slay them. God's gonna take care of it.
God is going to tell you. Vengeance is mine, saith the
Lord. It was the Lord's purpose and
decree. It was the Lord's will and purpose to slay them. Now
folks will get mad at you for saying that, but that's what
this book teaches. Who kills and makes alive? The
Lord does. Who brings down to the grave
and raises up? The Lord does. These boys were judicially blind
to God's holy justice. They'd hardened their heart to
God's law. They despised the commandments
of the Lord. They were determined to do things
their way. They had no respect for the holy
justice of God, and they would not have God to rule over them.
And there's always, always a consequence for sin, disobedience, pride,
and entitlement. Always. The Word of God is clear. Now listen, the Lord's either
gonna, that consequence is either gonna be poured out on me because
of my sin, or it's gonna be poured out upon my Savior. but it's
gonna be poured out. There's a consequence for sin.
Word of God is clear. God's not gonna share His glory
with another. And the contrast is given in
verse 18. Again, we see it clearly. God gonna raise up a young man
named Samuel to minister to the Lord while the rest of these
priests minister to themselves. In all this darkness and deceitfulness,
there's a light. There's a light. Did you notice
that Samuel was girded with an ephod made of linen by his mother? You know, the ephod was the garment
of a priest. Verse 19 tells us that she made
him a new ephod each year and brought it to him at the time
of the yearly sacrifice. She knew God had his hand upon
him. You better believe she did. What
a picture Hannah is of the church here. The church in scripture
is often referred to as a carrying mother, one who cares for the
one who ministers the things of God. With everything that
was going on, Hannah representing the church and Elkanah, her husband,
they weren't distracted from serving God. They didn't like
what was going on. It happened to them too, but
they weren't distracted. And we can't be. That's the lesson
here. We can't be distracted. We've
got to keep on keeping on. We've got to keep on preaching
the gospel. We've got to keep on declaring
Christ and Him crucified. With all that's going on in this
religious world today, we as the church of God cannot be distracted. Hannah wasn't distracted from
caring for Samuel. And God's true church go about
their business of offering the sacrifice of praise and worship
and furthering the gospel regardless of what transpires around us.
Whatever transpires around us, we know the Lord is the first
cause. Know we? That's right. He's allowed
it. He's allowed it. A lot of folks
come election time are going to be upset. I'm not going to
be one of them, regardless of how it turns out. Because God's
behind it all. Don't ever forget that. The true
church does not worry and fret about the activities of the world's
religion. They do what God has called them
to do. Without fanfare, without world
recognition, but with calm, resolve, and contentment, we simply worship
Christ and we simply preach Christ. Look at verse 20 again. I was
so blessed to think about this. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his
wife and said, the Lord give thee seed of this woman for the
loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went into their own
home. And look at this. And the Lord visited Hannah so
that she could save and bear three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before
the Lord. Look at verse 26. And the child
Samuel grew on and was in favor both with the Lord and also with
men. Now what we have here is just
a continuation of the blessing that Elkanah and Hannah received
from the Lord. The Lord gave Hannah Samuel that
He's keeping on giving. He'd give him more, and he gives
her more children. Though Hannah prayed for just
one child, the Lord, as He always gloriously does, added grace
upon grace and gave far above what Hannah could think or ask.
Isn't that what the Lord does? That's what Paul wrote in Ephesians
chapter 3, verse 20, now, unto him that is able to do what?
Exceeding abundantly above all that we could think or ask according
to the power that worketh in us. Not any power that we have
ourselves. That's not what that's talking
about. That's talking about the power of the Holy Spirit within
us. Hannah dedicated Samuel to God,
and she honored the Lord with her act, and God blessing her
wasn't payback with interest that she received from the Lord.
You know, men talk about when the Lord said, you know, if you
sow this, you'll return 20, 30, 50, 100 fold. God doesn't pay back debts to
us with interest. God is not indebted to any man
or woman that way. All God's blessings are conditioned
entirely upon His grace. James said, but He giveth more
grace. More grace, and more grace, and more grace. Aren't you glad?
I need it every day. Every day I need more grace.
You know, the whole story here began with the Lord shutting
up Hannah's womb, bringing her to the point where she called
upon the Lord, and promising if the Lord gave her a child,
a son, that she would dedicate him to the Lord. And this was
the divine providence of God working to the end that God would
give the barren many children. That's a picture of the church
there too. Is that not what God has done for the church? God
brings many children out of His once barren church. amid all
that's wrong in this world. And there's a lot wrong. At least
we think so, but it's really all right, because the Lord does
what's right, doesn't He? But all that we see is wrong
in this world, especially in religion. God's purpose for His
people is not altered or discouraged. Okay, I'm going to finish up,
but turn with me to Acts chapter 2. If you would, you can let
your place go in 1 Samuel. Look at Acts chapter 2. Just
turn quickly to a couple places. Acts chapter 2, verse 40. On the day of Pentecost, Peter,
with many other words, testified and exhorted, preached. Look
what he says in verse 40. Save yourselves from this untoward
generation. Then they, that gladly received
His Word, His preaching, were baptized. And the same day there
were added unto them about 3,000 souls. You think those souls
prospered? And they continued steadfastly
in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of
bread and in prayers. Listen, this was a... This was
a revival. This was a conference like none
ever before or after. Verse 43, And fear came upon
every soul. Now that's not scaredy-cat fear. That's talking about reverence.
The reverence of God came upon every soul. And many wonders
and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together,
and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods,
and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they,
continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread
from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and
singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all
the people. And the Lord added, to the church
daily, such as should be said." Look over Galatians chapter 4.
This is the last place I'll turn you. Verse 26. Galatians 4, verse
26. Adding children to the barren. Galatians 4, look at verse 26. But Jerusalem, which is above,
is free. He's talking about New Jerusalem,
which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou
barren that bearest not, break forth and cry, thou that rebellest
not, for the desolate hath many more children than she which
hath a husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was,
are the children of promise. Isn't that precious? Listen,
Samuel grew before the Lord. But speaking the truth in love,
may we grow up unto him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ. We talk about growing in grace
and in the knowledge of the Lord. That's what this is talking about.
But grow in grace in the knowledge of the Lord our Savior Jesus
Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. There are many
in religion today that do not know the Lord. They're sons and daughters of
Belial. They're men and women without
Christ. That's what they are. Their religion
is self-serving. They personally benefit by oppressing
others. And it all stems, every bit of
it, from not knowing God. The Apostle Paul asked the question
that we should all ask ourselves. We should all consider often
in light of what we do see around us. It's found in Romans chapter
three, verse three. It won't turn me there. It says,
for what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the
faith of God without effect? God forbid. God is true. Let God be true and every man
a liar. Does the unbelief of this world
make void the promises of God concerning Jesus Christ and His
salvation that was accomplished with us? No, not in the least. God forbid. Let no such thought
in your mind. And this is a great lesson. And
that's what we're taught here in 1 Samuel 2. In spite of the
sin of these two sons of Belial, Elkanah, I'll get it out in a
moment. In spite of the sin that they
committed, Hannah and Elkanah continued to serve God. And Samuel
grew in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. That's what we got
to do. We can't get discouraged. You know, we can't get angry
and mad. God's going to take care of it.
God's going to take care of it. This world is, in this world
is much to discourage of. The darkness deepens, helpers
fail, comforts flee, earth's joys grow dim. Change and decay
all around we see, and we cry to the Lord, O thou who changest
not, abide with me. And you know what? That's our
hope and that's our comfort. Our Lord Jesus said, yea, I've
loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore, because of that,
with loving kindness have I drawn you. He said, I'll never, never
leave you nor forsake you. Why? Because the Lord loved you
and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto
your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and
redeemed you out of the house of bondmen from the hand of Pharaoh
king of Egypt. Now, therefore, that the Lord
thy God, no, therefore, that the Lord thy God, he is God,
the faithful God, which keepeth covenant mercy with them that
love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. That's your God, if your God
is the God of the Bible. He's the only God, the only true
God. He said, there's none beside
me. Friends, we love him because
he first loved us. Even our love for Him, if we
love Him, is because He loved us. And regardless of what happens
in this religious, ungodly, God-forsaken world around us, a true servant
of God will say, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, for loving me
and saving me. Isn't that your prayer tonight?
Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Thank you for loving me. Causing
me to love you back. Saving me by your grace. I believe
that's why you're here tonight. You want to give reverence and
worship to the Lord who loves you and gave himself for you. And may God enable us to do that.