the third chapter of the book of 1 Samuel. Third chapter of the book of 1 Samuel. And I'd like to start reading with verse 11. We kind of got down to that point last time and we'll probably, we'll do a little reviewing here. But Samuel is on the brink of becoming the prophet of God. and the priest for Israel, and it won't be very long, and he'll be assigned that task.

Now, we're gonna find out in this chapter that all Israel realized he has the call of God. He is God's chosen vessel for that time, and they realized that. How many realized that, it doesn't say, but it says Israel did realize that. And we found out that, it's interesting to note that God called him in a special, specific way, but he lets us know before he calls him that last time that Samuel did not know the Lord.

So the Lord is going to do something for him. And in that, much like I find with the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, when he was saved, he was also called to the ministry. And it appears that way with Samuel, that as soon as he was saved, he was called to the ministry. Now, Paul said, I am thankful that I could be counted faithful to be put into the ministry. Nobody calls themselves. Now, there's a lot of self-called people. but they are real ministers are put into the ministry. They're put there by God, not by themselves. And we're going to look at some contrast here in our study tonight.

What does the Bible say about Samuel as being put into the ministry and what kind of minister he will be? And also, the warnings that he gives many times in the Old Testament. And it just reminds me of many of the warnings that we find in the New Testament that God gave through his servant, Saul, Paul, the apostle to the churches. Same kind of warnings were given. Here's the signs, take care of it.

All right, 1 Samuel 3, verse 11 says, the Lord said to Samuel, behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone that hear that shall tingle. In that day, I will perform against Eli all the things which I have spoken concerning his house.

Now, it just popped out at me with that verse of scripture that the Lord never reveals two opposite things. Now, he may reveal different things, but he doesn't reveal opposite things to people. He reveals the same thing, maybe in a little different manner or from a different book. But there's never a conflict in what he reveals. So what he revealed to the man of God in the previous chapter and what he revealed to Samuel is identical. It is the same message.

And when God said that I've already shared this with him, but he's going to have him do it again, We find that as Samuel does that, he is speaking for God when he is commanded to do so, and he only shares what God had given to him. And that's truly what we find as a minister in the Old Testament, a prophet in the Old Testament, and the New Testament apostles and preachers in the New Testament. And through time, this is the same thing that we find there. So in that day, And I've spoken concerning this house in verse 12, for I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth through the man of God, previous chapter, he's already told us.

Now it's wonderful that God continues to repeat his message. Now, when he continues to repeat the gospel, and we're thankful for that, he continues to repeat the gospel, but he also continues to repeat the warnings that come. And this warning is given to Eli. Now, I was just thinking of those folks that are having trouble, those folks that are having health issues, those folks, and the message that came to Eli, the response he made, I don't know whether I could make.

We're going to read that in just a minute. But it's just so significant of his place in his mind, as the Holy Spirit had revealed unto him what's going to happen, that he's at peace with it. He is graciously accepting it. God has given him. We'll read that in just a moment.

In that day, oh, verse 13, for I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth because his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not. Therefore, I have sworn in the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice or offering forever." Now, if we take that and look at it, we're gonna find out that just as Jesus Christ did not go to the cross for everybody, here is a clear statement about that.

Their sins would not be purged. Their iniquities will not be paid for. And that's the only reason that God would hate Esau. He hates workers of iniquity. And if the sin is not paid for, they are workers of iniquity. Now we have enough iniquity about ourselves. We're just can be so thankful that God in his great purpose of grace has put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So here we have this Eli, the iniquity of his house, it's not gonna be purged, it's not gonna be an offering made for it, it's going to be over.

Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord and Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. Can you imagine what was going through his mind from the time he got that message till the time the sun came up and he was about his business around the tabernacle? And then Eli, then Eli called Samuel and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, here am I. And he said, what is the thing that the Lord has said unto thee?

I pray thee, hide it not from me. Isn't that quite a request? To just think about that. Don't hinder, don't hide anything from me. And you know, that's truly what God's people pray for. Don't hide it from me. Don't make a lie out of it. Don't make it something that it's not. Bring me the truth. I want to know the truth.

Now, it goes on to tell us there, I pray thee, hide it not from me. God do so to thee and more also if thou hide anything from me of all the things which he said unto thee. So, Eli makes a statement about Samuel, if you're honest with God, if you're called of God, you're going to be honest with people and you're going to be honest with me. So, then Samuel told him every wit everything and hid nothing from him.

Isn't that our privilege? To tell everything. Now I mentioned up at the VA the Bible is a big book and there's lots in it and I will never get it all studied. Every time we go to it, we find out something new, better, good, but we'll never get it all studied.

Well, Samuel told him every wit, he had nothing from him, and he said, this is Eli said about the message that was delivered to him, it is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. What a statement that is made here by Eli. It allows us to look into his heart. It allows us to look into his relationship with God. I can go centuries ahead and I've mentioned her many times about Mary when she found out she was going to expect a baby. Be unto me according to thy word. How can these things be? Be it unto me according to thy word. So today it is evident that the Lord only speaks through his written word. Now he spoke through a prophet then. He spoke through a man of God then. But God only uses his preachers to bring the word of God today.

I mentioned not too long ago I have a strong reservation when someone comes up to me and tells me, I want to tell you what God shared with me last night. And my response is going to be to that when it happens, chapter and verse. Because I don't want to hear anything else. That's not valid. The only thing that's valid is His Word. So that's why it's so important that we use His Word to declare the truth about God. There's nothing better to reveal God than God Himself out of His Word. So that's our responsibility. Don't make it any different than it is. Don't try to make it more palatable. Just simply declare the Word of God. All right.

Today, it's so evident that we have that. During this time, we had a lot of visits from a lot of people. In the Old Testament, this particular phrase is used about 430 times, and that is, thus saith the Lord. Now in the book of Ezekiel, 130 times that term is used. And if you have a Bible, I think I have one out there on the front pew, if you have a Bible that has all of the Old Testament words of God in red, you have a lot of red. in the book of Ezekiel and Leviticus and throughout the Old Testament because He spoke. He spoke personally to them. He speaks to us personally through His Word. It's a revelation to us through His Word.

In the book of Isaiah chapter eight, would you turn there with me? The book of Isaiah chapter eight is, we think about the faithfulness of Eli to the word, not to his family, but to the word, and the faithfulness of Samuel to the word, to God, and others in the Old Testament that were faithful to God's word. They heard the command and they obeyed it. Moses, Joshua, Caleb, David, many of those in the Old Testament, the old prophets. But here in the book of Isaiah chapter eight, we have this verse of scripture that shares with us why people don't follow that pattern. Isaiah chapter eight, verse 20.

The scriptures share this, to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, Isaiah 8, verse 20, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Now, the gospel to many is very difficult. And to his people, it's so simple, he did it all. He is the author and finisher of all things with regard to our salvation.

But this pattern, and we're gonna, since we looked at Eli and what he had to say about the word that came to him, and we're gonna look at Samuel more and more, I wanna spend just a little bit of time on what the Bible has to say, particularly in the Old Testament, with regard to those who are not faithful to God's word.

But I want to go over to the book of 2 Thessalonians first. You'll turn with me to the book of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, we have a reason that people are not, and that's what we're gonna find out with regard to most of these folks in the Old Testament that we're gonna read about tonight.

God had sent them something, but he hadn't sent them his word. Here it tells us about God sending people something, but it's not his word that he sent to them. In 2 Thessalonians chapter two, verse eight, It says, and then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved.

Now, one of the signs of a false prophet we're gonna notice in the Old Testament is what they had to say doesn't come to pass. Right now, in our world, there are many people telling what will not come to pass. I don't know how many times in my life I have heard preachers say, on this day, the end of the world. And they're a false prophet to even list that, to say that. We do know when the Lord's gonna come back. I can just put it on a very simple statement. When the last sheep is saved, then he'll come back. Let's go on here.

It says in verse 11, for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion. Now it's interesting that he sent them this. He's the one that sent them strong delusion, not just delusion, but strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. So he has given them strong delusion that they might be damned. That's a hard statement, but it's the truth.

All right, let's go over to the book of Deuteronomy. As we look at a few things that those in the Old Testament declared themselves as false prophets and God identified this for them and the same is true today. There are gonna be people that say things that are not the truth and they don't come to pass either. They're just don't, they're guessing. And right now the world, The Christian religious world is just at wit's end on when the temple is gonna be rebuilt, when is the calf, the red heifer calf gonna be born, when all that's gonna take place, so we can send more money to have it taken care of.

Well, all of that is just, anyway, back to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 18, if you would go there with me. Deuteronomy chapter 18, we have this said by the Lord, in his word, to be very careful, verse 21 and 22. Last two verses of this chapter, we have these words written about false prophets. And they were not just in the times of Moses, but they were in the times all the time down to the kings and throughout the kings and the prophets. And even up to the last book of the Old Testament, we had people, and if thou say a thing, say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord has spoken? when a prophet speaketh." Deuteronomy 18, 21.

If thou say, just a moment, yes. If thou say in thy heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath spoken, when a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if that thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken. But the prophet that hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shall not be afraid of him. if he says something and it doesn't come to pass. And usually that's in some date prediction.

But we find it all over when it comes to the gospel, saying things that are not true. They are a false prophet. Now, we're going to get over to Samuel. We're going to find out everything that God ever told him he is going to be sharing. Honestly, straightforward. And just as he did with Eli, the second time the word of the Lord came to him. Travel with me, if you would, over to 2 Peter 3. In 2 Peter 3, we read this about the same subject. 2 Peter 3, verse 9.

It's so imperative. Oh, keep your ears open. Test it. About every time I visit with Brother Wayne Boyd, he brings up a subject of hearing that clear sound of a silver dollar. The old silver dollar. Such a ping they put out, such a tone they had. And the $8, it's just a clunk. Well, the gospel is a true ping, true sound.

2 Peter 3, verse 9, it says, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness. but is long-suffering to usward. What does it say? As some men count slackness, they made statements about God, and now they're, well, but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. When you see that happen, okay, Take it to the bank. It's here. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation in godliness. So here we have God is not slack concerning his promise. He has made promises, he will fulfill them, he will keep them, Old Testament as well as New Testament. What's going on today is just a microcosm of what's gone on throughout the centuries through time.

All right, in Deuteronomy, going back to the book of Deuteronomy, we find another thing that these false prophets that God identified and wanted them to be well noticed, He wanted them to understand that they were not his prophets, they were false prophets. It tells us here about another set, another dimension of false prophet.

Deuteronomy chapter 13 and verse one, if there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods. Do you see what I just did?

Now let's go over here to this God, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them. Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, for that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. So if someone comes along and says, I have this sign, and if it comes to pass, we're going to go over here to this group and worship. We're going to go over to this idol and worship. And God says, don't you dare do that. That is just a test that God gave you. Are you going to follow after idols? Are you going to follow after the Lord?

The next realm that he gives us is found in the book of Micah. Micah chapter three. In the book of Micah chapter three, and we're also gonna look at a verse in Jeremiah, but Micah chapter three in verse 11, we read this. Another reason that there are people out there selling their wares. Micah chapter three, verse 11. Micah chapter three in verse 11, we read this. The heads thereof judge for a reward. I went to Bible school, I've told this story for four months, was it Nancy? Five months. Five months, Dallas, Texas.

And I drove every day from the school or from our apartment down to right through where John F. Kennedy was going when he was assassinated. saw the grassy knoll every day, saw the book depository every day, and parked at a bank where I worked. And there was another young guy that was in the same school that rode with me every day because we worked at the same bank.

And one time I asked him why he became a preacher. And he said his answer. This was his answer. Becoming a doctor was going to take too long. A lawyer doesn't have the credibility that I would like. You know, we always talk about lawyers. And I found out that pastoring or preaching, I could make just as much money. It blew my doors off. But he was at least honest with me.

Well, it says here, the heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money. Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say, it is not the Lord among us. None evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountains of the house of the high places of the forest." The only thing that survived out of that is the church. It came through it. The church has always held to the truth of the gospel. The church has always held to preachers that are called of God.

And so we have here that there are those who, and it's just that way today, I have to share another experience. I used to sell World Book Encyclopedia. That's a noble job, I'll tell you. Now you sell a CD or whatever, I guess. There's no books about it. And we went to visit this preacher. The guy I was working with went to visit this preacher, and he's in his study, and he says, I'm just waiting until my insurance business builds up, and then I'm going to resign the pastorate. And those things make an impression on you when you're just young in the ministry.

But the heads thereof judge for reward, the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money. Turn back with me on that same subject to the book of Jeremiah, if you would. These are identifying marks that God gave to us throughout the Old Testament with regards to those who are the opposite of Eli in this sense, or the opposite of Samuel, or the opposite of Jeremiah, or the opposite of Ezekiel, or the opposite. They were all through, mixed in. And we've noticed that when we went through the book of the judges. There were those who pretended to have some and had nothing. Well, here in the book of Jeremiah chapter 6, would you turn with me to the book of Jeremiah chapter 6, and there in verse 13. Jeremiah chapter 6 and verse 13.

For from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness. And from the prophet, even unto the priest, everyone dealeth falsely. What a statement is made about the prophets, the false prophets that have come up. And then verse 14, I shared this yesterday with Mike and Lauren. I read it to this verse and I had to say, where did this verse come from? Because this verse shares with us that most people, most preachers, most prophets, Most leaders only offer a Band-Aid. What does it say there? They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly. They just offer a Band-Aid. If you clean up your life, things will go better. Well, that is a very short statement about how people end up without Christ.

The gospel is our, I hate to use the word business, but it is our business. It is the gospel that we are interested in. It's the gospel we want to hear. It is the gospel that we have before us. And there will always be those on the peripheral that want to interject something besides the gospel.

But here, it tells us that even those who do the pretending about the gospel, they have healed also the hurt of my daughter. just slightly, just a band-aid has been put on it. And that's, it is so wrong when we look at it from a spiritual context. And verse 8 of the same book, Jeremiah chapter 8, the same book of Jeremiah chapter 8, and there in verse 11, we have almost identical, where it tells us here again, this is the subject that they bring up. For they have healed the hurt of my daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 11. They have healed the hurt of my daughter. of my people slightly. And this is the message they give, peace.

We're going to look at a passage here in just a moment about the guy that was so adamant against Jeremiah. Hananiah was his name. And he just kept saying, you know, we have God, we have this, we have that, and God will surely give us peace. Well, Jeremiah is telling him the opposite, and he takes it in the mouth over it. We find that is everywhere. Oh God, God's gonna take care of you. God's gonna help you. And it makes it just a physical wealth operation. And how sad that is, a Band-Aid gospel.

In the book of Jeremiah, again, in chapter 14, Jeremiah chapter 14, I've got a screen on my Bible here that was not very helpful. Jeremiah chapter 14, verse 14. Then the Lord said unto me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name. I sent them not, neither have I commanded them. Neither speak unto them. They prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of naught, and the deceit of their heart." How many things are listed in that one verse of scripture about the problem that they were facing at that time by prophets that said, I've gone to Bible school and I know everything. In that same chapter, or same book, chapter 23, would you look there with me? Jeremiah chapter 23 and verse 16. Jeremiah chapter 23 and verse 16.

All of these things that I brought up tonight are one of several of the reasons I just cannot go to most churches on Sunday when I'm traveling. I just cannot listen to people lie about my God. I just cannot listen to them tell stories that are not true. It bothers me. So I try to make an effort to be somewhere where I can hear the gospel or I just sit and read my Bible. I get more out of that than going and listening to that.

Brother Gary Shepherd was down in Florida. He found a church, said there was sovereign grace, went there, never heard a word of the gospel, and never heard anything about a sovereign God. Well, he was hopeful that he found a place, because he often went down there. It wasn't that. Well, here we are.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you. They make you vain. They speak a vision of their own heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They say still unto them that despite thee, the Lord has said, ye shall have peace. And they say unto everyone that walketh after the imagination of their own heart, no evil shall come upon you." What a statement do we have here. We're going to find in just, I think it's the next chapter, we're going to find out that Israel follows the suit of almost all of this that we have read tonight.

They are going to get into a battle and they're not doing well. And the first suggestion is go to the tabernacle and get the Ark of the Covenant and surely God will honor us. Well, They got defeated and the ark was taken. So they were not exempt from this. It is such a sad state of affairs. And then, if you'll turn with me to the book of Jeremiah chapter 28. In Jeremiah chapter 28, we have some words said between Jeremiah and one of the opposing prophets that was more popular.

The false prophets were usually more popular because they just simply said, God loves you. God died for you. God will be good to you. And Jeremiah and the rest of the prophets says, God is a holy God. He demands perfection. The only way you can get it is in God almighty.

Jeremiah chapter 28 verse one, and it came to pass the same year in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah came Judah in the fourth year and in the fifth month that Hananiah the son of Ezra the prophet was at Gibeon spake unto me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priest and all the people saying, thus speaketh the Lord of hosts. Uses The same words.

The God of Israel saying, I have broken the yoke of the King of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord's house that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, took away from this place and carried them to Babylon. And I will bring again to this place Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, that all the captives of Judah that went into Babylon, saith the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the Lord. Even the prophet Jeremiah said, amen. The Lord do so, the Lord perform thy words which thou has prophesied to bring again the vessels of the Lord's house and all that is carried away captive from Babylon into this place. Nevertheless, hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears and in the ears of the people. The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries and against great kingdoms of war and of evil and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesied of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known that the Lord hath truly sent him.

Then Hezekiah the prophet took the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah's neck and break it. And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people saying, thus saith the Lord, even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, from the neck of all the nations within the space of two full years, and the prophet Jeremiah went his way. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hanani the prophet had broken the yoke from off his neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, go and tell Hanani, saying, thus saith the Lord, thou hast broken the yokes of the wood, but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and they shall serve him, and I have given him the beasts of the field also. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord hath not sent thee, but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth this year.

Thou shalt die because thou has taught rebellion against the Lord. So the prophet, so Hannah and I, the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. You did not tell the truth. And God said, I will prove what I have to say. You will die this year. Well, Hananiah probably learned too late it wasn't a good thing to prophesy ill about God.

The true prophets have declared the gospel from the very beginning and we're going to find that Samuel is no different. Samuel delivered that message. He delivered it clearly. Samuel told him every wit and hid nothing from Eli. Every word, every matter, everything is what the word wit means. Everything, he told him everything. Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, that's what we are to have. What did Jesus tell them? It's not by bread alone, but every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord. Now going over to, Just a couple of minutes left. Turn with me back to the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 3, if you would. 1 Samuel, chapter 3. In 1 Samuel, chapter 3, there in verse 19. After reading all that about those false prophets, this is quite a statement. It says, in Samuel grew and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground." In other words, Samuel told the truth.

None of his words fell to the ground. And then in verse 20, and all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Jehovah. Verse 20, Samuel grew in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord favored him, did not let none of his words fall to the ground. One translation says, in everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. Every word he had to say, because it was from the Lord. Samuel was a chosen vessel. All Israel knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.

Whether they believed it or not, they knew that. And closing, would you turn with me to 1 Timothy 1, verse 12. 1 Timothy 1, verse 12, we read here about this prophet, New Testament prophet, New Testament apostle, New Testament preacher of grace. He makes this comment about himself. And I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who hath enabled me for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry."

Do you think that those are the words of Samuel? Also, when God came to him and called him into the ministry and said he was established in Israel as a prophet and God did not let any of his words fall to the ground? I think that that's what we find with regard to this person also, because none of Paul's words written down, given to him by the Holy Spirit, have ever fallen to the ground. They are all the Word of God.

So we close with the thought how blessed it was to be in a time when God had a man that knew something about the gospel. And he's going to be put into a leadership role and lead Israel for quite a long period of time, I think 60 years. He's going to be a faithful servant of God. He's going to face kings that would like to destroy him.

He's going to face all kinds of people, but it didn't make a difference. He loved God. He was called to this ministry and all of the false prophets around him took him as a negative. And he looked at them as the negative. There was going to be these folks all the way around. So God was faithful. enabling him to be counted faithful, putting him into the ministry. And Lord willing, we'll follow his ministry for a time here in the book of 1 Samuel as we come back to it. God bless you as we continue to study.