Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / The Rise of Samuel

Transcript

The Rise of Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: that thy house and the house of thy father should
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: walk before me forever. But now the Lord saith, Be
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: it far from me, for them that honor me I
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: 1 Samuel 2.20 Lord, I know that you are not
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: taken back by bold prayers. So, like Hannah, I will
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: not be ashamed to lay before you and make my
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: request known. Thank you, Jesus, that because of your sacrifice
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: I can come boldly before the Lord in prayer and
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: make the desires of my heart known to Him. As
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: a child of God, living in alignment with my assignment,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: I thank you in advance for moving and working on
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: my behalf to bring my purpose into focus. In the
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: same way Hannah dedicated Samuel to do your work, I
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: also dedicate and devote my gifts, my promotions, and all
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: opportunities to you, because my focus is to bring you glory. Therefore,
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: I will listen when you call me like Samuel. I
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: will say, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening, because
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: I know that one word from you is worth a
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: thousand elsewhere. I declare that I am chosen and that
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: I am set apart. I will live differently, speak differently,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: think differently, and believe differently because I've been called to
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: do great things. The days of me playing small so
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: others don't get uncomfortable are done. You've placed me where
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: I am, and I am ready to receive my calling.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: I am your servant. Speak, Lord. I'm ready. In Jesus' name. Amen.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com The Rise of Samuel.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: The Rise of Samuel In our last story, we learned
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: about the romance of Ruth and her kinsman redeemer, Boaz.
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: Boaz redeemed Ruth from her poverty and loneliness, and the
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: two were married. They had a child named Obed, who
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: would be the grandfather of one of Israel's greatest kings.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: Now we begin a new adventure with Samuel, a prophet, judge,
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: and ruler over Israel. He would pave the way for
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: a new era in Israel, the era of kings. Inspired
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: by the book of 1 Samuel.
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: to get a copy of the Jesus book, simply go
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: to jackgraham.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: you for your support. In yesterday's episode, we heard the
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: story of how Boaz and Ruth married and had a
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: son named Obed. Obed would be the grandfather of Israel's
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: greatest king, David. It was the dawn of a new
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: era in the history of God's people, the age of
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: the kings. And today we'll hear how this new era
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: began with a child born to a woman named Hannah.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: This child named Samuel would be promised to God's service
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: by his mother Hannah, who had prayed and longed for
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: him many years. Samuel would grow to be a great
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: prophet and judge, but first, he would serve in the
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: temple and receive a very special calling from God. Let's
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: listen to today's reading.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: The country of Israel lived in captivity to their own idolatry.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: After the civil war of Benjamin and Israel, the people
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: retreated back into their old ways of idol worship and
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: living selfishly. During this time, there were a few remaining
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: faithful who continued to devote their lives to the Lord,
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: seeking Him in all their ways. One of those people
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: was a man in the hill country of Ephraim, Elkanah.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Elkanah had two wives, since one of his wives, Hannah,
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: was unable to have children. His other wife, Phenina, had
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: many children, but Elkanah loved Hannah more. Phenina lived without
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: the undivided love of her husband and spied Hannah because
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: of it. She tormented and teased Hannah endlessly. Just as
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: Jacob's wives, Rachel and Leah, the two women hated one
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: another because of their husband's lack of sense. Year by year,
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: Hannah would endure the relentless provocation from Penina. Hannah would
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: often approach the altar of God to pray. Day after day,
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: she would enter into the house of the Lord and
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: beg Him for a child. One day, she lay on
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: the floor of the temple and wept bitterly. Her tears
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: fell upon the altar. and her indiscernible prayers echoed through
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: the empty chamber. Hannah lifted her eyes to heaven and prayed,
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: Lord of hosts, maker of heaven and earth, please look
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: at my pain and have pity on me. If you
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: give me a son, I promise to give him to
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: you as a servant for the rest of his life.
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: As Hannah continued to pray, Eli, the priest of the temple,
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: watched her. Hanna was speaking so deeply and from her
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: heart that it almost seemed as though she was drunk. Eli,
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: an already grumpy old man, scoffed at her and said,
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: How long will you lay there drunk? Hanna turned around,
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: startled by Eli's voice. She wiped her face and stood up.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: Oh no, my lord, I am simply a woman with
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: a troubled spirit. I was bearing my soul before God.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: She spoke softly, embarrassed at Eli's comments. Please do not
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: see me as a worthless woman. I just pray with
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: great anxiety. Eli saw that she was truly distraught. He
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: sighed and then gave a quick smile. Go in peace,
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: he said. God will answer. I am sure of it.
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: Then Eli departed to leave Hannah to her prayers. Hannah
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: smiled and returned to her husband to eat. They worshipped
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: God more in the house of God and returned home.
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: Time passed. and Penina's pestering lost all its sting, for
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: Hannah had conceived a son and named him Samuel. The
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: Lord had answered her prayers. Hannah remembered her prayer to God.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: She swore to God that if she was given a son,
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: she would offer him up into his service. When Samuel
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: was old enough, she brought him to Eli. Hannah held
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: her child, trusting that God would be faithful to do
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: great things because of her faithfulness. Her heart broke, just
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: as Abraham's once did when he brought Isaac to the altar.
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: So Samuel studied and served under Eli. He grew to
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: be strong, wise, and attentive to the voice of God's Spirit.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: Samuel became like a son to Eli, which was fitting
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: since his sons grew up to be wicked and worthless men.
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: They would steal from the offerings given to God and
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: treat his altar like their own personal feeding trough. The
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: two men used their influence to seduce women who desired
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: to serve God. They took advantage of the people and
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: treated God's children as objects for their own pleasure. Eli
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: was an old man and unable to keep his sons
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: from sinning. Eli tried reasoning with them, saying, If you
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: sin against man, there may be someone to pray on
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: your behalf for forgiveness. But you are sinning against God,
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: and there may be no one to help you. Naturally,
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: the men refused to listen and continued to sin against
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: God and His children. God was about to do a
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: new work in Israel, a work of great justice, peace,
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: and deliverance. He would not tolerate the priestly family to
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: continue in such sin and selfishness. God's rage is not
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: unpredictable or uncalled for. His anger is precise and always
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: pointed towards those who would hurt His people and scorn
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: His name. Therefore God's rage burst like a mighty wildfire
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: against the sons of Eli. He spoke in an ancient fury.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: The voice of a righteous king bellowed in Eli's ear
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: as he spoke, saying, Did I reveal myself to your
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: forefathers in Egypt all to have you scorn my offering table?
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: Your sons fatten themselves with the worship of my people.
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: They abuse and neglect, and you have allowed it. Eli
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: began to tremble as God spoke. Behold, the days are
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: coming where your sons will be cast out into darkness.
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: They shall behold the prosperity of my people and look
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: upon them with envy. They shall both die on the
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: same day, and I shall raise up a priest of
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: my own, who shall be unified with my heart and mind,
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: and your son's lines shall beg for bread. Years had passed,
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: and the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord of Eli.
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: He served Eli in his old age. He would tend
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: to him, feed him, and perform the duties of a
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: priest on his behalf. Samuel was attentive and eager to
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: help God's people draw closer to him. One night Samuel
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: was lying down in the temple of God where the
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: Ark of the Covenant lay. The candles in the temple
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: flickered and made shadows dance around the walls. There was
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: a slight breeze coming in through the back, and Samuel
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: slept in the coolness of night. Then a faint whisper
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: grazed the ear of Samuel. He opened his eyes and
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: walked towards Eli's chamber and said, Here I am, Eli.
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: You called for me? Eli woke up from his sleep
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: and said, You must be dreaming. I did not call
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: for you. Go back to sleep. Sir Samuel went back
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: into the floor of the temple to rest. As he
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: began to drift, he heard that still and quiet voice
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: once again. Samuel, the voice whispered intensely. Samuel jolted awake
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: this time, running to the bedside of Eli.' Here I am, Eli!'
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: he shouted. Eli shook in his bed, surprised and annoyed
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: that he had been waken up again. He did not
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: call him and shooed Samuel out of his room. Again,
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: as Samuel was falling asleep, a voice beckoned him. When
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: he went to the bedside of Eli again, Eli perceived
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: it might be from the Lord. Eli waved for Samuel
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: to come closer. He held his hand and spoke gently, saying,' Samuel,
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: If you hear the voice again, do not come running
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: to me. Ask for it to speak again and listen carefully.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: Samuel left Eli and knelt down at the altar of God.
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: He closed his eyes, intent on listening. Samuel! Samuel! the
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: voice said again. Samuel remained still. Small drops of sweat
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: began to form around his forehead. He knew now that
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: it was the Lord who beckoned him. Samuel gulped and said,
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: Here I am, Lord. Your servant hears. Pleased, God spoke
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: with Samuel. Their conversation reflected dimly the time God visited
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: Moses in fire. God spoke with clarity, strength, and love
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: for his people. Behold, I am making things new in Israel.
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: Everyone who hears will quiver as I eradicate the sons
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: of Eli to establish my new priesthood. The next morning,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: Eli inquired of what Samuel heard from God. Samuel was
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: not sure whether he should divulge everything to Eli, for
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: it meant grave news for his sons. Over breakfast, Samuel
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: told Eli of his experience. Somber, thoughtful, and content, Eli
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: spoke and said, If it is the Lord's will, so
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: be it. After this, Samuel grew, and the Lord was
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: with him in everything he did. The favor of Joseph
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: was upon him. Every word Samuel spoke uplifted the people,
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: and no exhortation fell on deaf ears. Every tribe of
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: Israel recognized Samuel as their prophet and priest. It would
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: be Samuel who would endure the complaints of Israel, as
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: Moses once did. He would lead them well, and soon
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: he would pave the way for a new era in Israel,
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: the era of kings.
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: Today's story begins with a man named Elkanah who lived
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: in Ephraim. He was one of the few who remained
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: faithful to God in those days. But though he was faithful,
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: he was also flawed because he had two wives, Hannah
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: and Penanah. His wives were bitter rivals, just like Leah
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: and Rachel. You see, though Penanah had given him many children,
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: Elkanah loved Hannah more. Hannah, however, was unable to conceive
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: and Peninnah held this over Hannah's head, ruthlessly tormenting her.
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: Every year when Elkanah went to offer sacrifices to God
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: in the temple at Shiloh, Hannah would plead to God
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: for a son. This continued year after year. Finally, one
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: day as she prayed, she promised God that if he'd
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: give her a son, she would give that son back
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: to God to serve him all his life. When Eli,
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: the temple priest, saw her praying, her lips moving without
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: making a sound as she spoke to God, he thought
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: she was drunk. Listen to her response in 1 Samuel
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: 1 15. Hannah answered, No, my Lord, I am a
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: before the Lord. We should always remember when we are troubled,
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: when we are in turmoil, when we are in anguish
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: and desperate. There is no better place to pour out
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: our hearts, our souls, than to God. God hears our
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: prayers and cares for us, just as he did for Hannah.
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: Hearing this response, Eli told her to go in peace,
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: that God would answer her request. So Hannah became pregnant
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: with a son. She was overjoyed. But Hannah also knew
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: that her son would not stay with her because she
• 15:12
  Speaker 3: had promised to God that she would give him back
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: to him. True to her word, when Samuel was weaned,
• 15:19
  Speaker 3: she took him to Eli to be raised in the
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: service of God. And because of her great faithfulness, God
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: blessed Hannah even more, giving her three more sons and
• 15:28
  Speaker 3: two daughters. It's absolutely true, isn't it, that you can
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: never outgive God. So Eli raised Samuel like a son.
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: And that's a very good thing because his own sons,
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: we find out, were up to no good. They served themselves,
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: not God, under the guise of their own priesthood. It
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: was a terrible affront to Almighty God, and he would
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: not allow this to continue. But despite warnings, they would
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: not stop. So God told Eli that his sons would
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: be cast out, and rather than work through Eli's worthless offspring,
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: God would raise up another priest, one who would serve
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: him with integrity and devotion. One night as he was sleeping,
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: Samuel heard a voice calling, but it was not Eli.
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: Two more times he thought Eli was calling him and
• 16:16
  Speaker 3: ran away. to Eli's room. Eli then understood what was
• 16:20
  Speaker 3: going on and told Samuel to ask the voice to
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: speak next time and then to listen. Samuel heard the
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: voice again, and this time he did listen. God told
• 16:31
  Speaker 3: Samuel he was about to make things new in Israel
• 16:33
  Speaker 3: and that Eli's line would be wiped out to make
• 16:36
  Speaker 3: way for a new priesthood. When Eli heard the news,
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: he submitted to God's will, trusting in the grace and
• 16:43
  Speaker 3: the goodness of God even in this. Samuel would be
• 16:47
  Speaker 3: this next priest, one like Israel had never known before.
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: He would help usher in the time of kings. But first,
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: Israel would be visited by an old enemy, and we'll
• 16:57
  Speaker 3: hear that story the next time. Dear Lord, we thank
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: you that you always hear our prayers. We thank you
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: that you speak to us even as we listen to you.
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: So today, we say, speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: just like Samuel of old. Just like Samuel so long ago,
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: we submit our lives to do your will. Speak, Lord.
• 17:24
  Speaker 3: We are listening. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. And before
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: we go, I wanted to let you know that the
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast is an outreach of PowerPoint
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: Ministries and can only come to you each week through
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: the support of listeners like you. Your support today is
• 17:46
  Speaker 3: so important that we want to thank you for your
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: gift by giving you a copy of my book called
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: The Jesus Book. This book is a powerful guide that
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: shows how every book in the Bible points to Christ
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: and how you can better read and understand the Bible
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: and how God's Word transforms our lives. So to get
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: your copy of The Jesus Book, simply go to jackgram.org
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank you for
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: your support.