Tomorrow will mark nearly 500 years since Luther first nailed the theses to the church door in Wittenberg, protesting the selling of indulgences by John Tetzel, and leading to the protestant Reformation. It is a day we celebrate, a day in which God brought forth a glorious work in the midst of some of the church’s darkest days. And it is good that we remember and celebrate this work, for we can express our appreciation to the Lord and remind ourselves of what God has done in our history. This is especially helpful in a day when the church seems ignorant of our history.

Something we need to realize, however, is that this kind of work is not new with God. In fact, it seems to be the rule rather than the exception. For one look throughout church history and the Scriptures will show that it is often that God displays his power and might through the life of an individual during some of the darkest days of the church. We can see it in the life of William Carey, whose life we will look at tonight. And we also see it in our text this morning as we begin our study through the books of 1 and 2 Samuel.

1 Samuel opens with Israel in as much disarray as they were in when the book of Judges ended. Judges had ended with the horrible rape and murder of a woman not by some foreign people but from the Israelites themselves and with the Israelites continuing to sin. The book ends with the author declaring, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). And as there is not much room between the books of Judges and Samuel in the Scripture, neither is there much difference in the setting of each. As the books of Samuel open we find that the Israelites are continuing to be threatened by the Philistines and are themselves deep in sin. The priests themselves are stealing from the people, committing sexual acts with those who come to worship, and blaspheming the Lord (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25), and, though many know of it, nothing is being done to stop it.

Yet in the midst of this dark scene, God is doing something great. He is raising up a child who will serve as in some ways as a prophet, priest, and judge. Most importantly, however, he will serve to move Israel from the time when Judges led the people to the Monarchy, the time when Israel would have a king. And, chiefly, Samuel would be the one who would anoint David as king, the one who would receive an important covenant from the Lord in 2 Samuel 7 that one of his descendants would reign on the throne of an everlasting kingdom. This transition from the judges to kings in order to bring about the Anointed King, Jesus of Nazareth, is the crucial role these two books play in the storyline of Scripture.

However, this morning I want us to turn our attention to these first three chapters of 1 Samuel. These three chapters are made up of three stories. In 1:1-2:10 we find the story of Hannah and her giving birth to a son, in 2:11-36 we find the story of Eli’s sons Phinehas and Hophni being judged by the Lord, and in 3:1-4:1a we find the story of the call of Samuel as God raises him up to be a prophet among his people. Therefore, I want us to look this morning at each of these sections (these stories), and see what each story teaches us before turning to the broader story of the three chapters as a whole and seeing what we learn from it.

In regards to the Hannah story, we see that …

Because of God’s character and his care for his children we can and should entrust our cares to Him (1:1-2:10)

As the book of Samuel opens, we find ourselves caught up in the story of a woman in a difficult situation. She is married to a man who loves her dearly, but she can bear him no children. And to make matters worse, she is tormented by the mocking of one who is also married to her husband. In some ways, then, Hannah’s struggle is similar to that of Sarah, except that whereas Sarah contended with one who was simply a slave, Hannah’s ‘rival’ has full marital status just as she does. Therefore, as if wanting children without being able to conceive isn’t hard enough, Peninnah mocks Hannah so that she is driven to tears and unable to be comforted by her loving husband.

Therefore, as the family traveled to Shiloh to worship the Lord and offer sacrifices, Hannah went to the temple deeply distressed and began to pray. We read in 1 Samuel 1:10-11, “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.’” She declared that if God would only grant her a son that she would consecrate her son to the Lord as a Nazarite.

As she prayed, however, she was praying silently, only moving her lips. What I’m not sure of is whether praying silently was done rarely or drunkenness had become common even in the temple or both. But, whatever the contributing factor, Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk. Therefore he tells her to put away her wine, but she responds, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation” (1:15-16). Thus, Eli blesses her, and she goes away and soon conceives, naming her son Samuel.

Now ever since the Exodus, it had been the custom of the Israelites to consecrate their firstborn to the Lord. It was a way to remind them that God had spared their firstborn, even as he had taken the firstborn of the Egyptians. God had made it so that the Levites could substitute for the firstborn in serving the Lord as an aid to the priests. However, Hannah feels so obligated to the Lord that she offers her firstborn to the service of the temple, declaring in 1:27-28, “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore, I have lent him to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD.”

Then she prays, the content of which we see in 2:1-10. And it is here that we see the truths that Hannah had grown to treasure. She first declares in the first three verses that God is a God who knows her situation and cares for her. She declares, “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” Now we indeed see her celebrating over the mocking of Peninnah, but we also see her celebration because God is a God of knowledge, knowing her actions.

God is one who knows us and knows our actions. One of the most difficult things to face in life is going through a situation of great struggle in which you feel that no one knows what you’re going through. Yes, people might be aware of your struggle and know things are hard for you, but nobody really knows what’s going on inside of you, how your heart is affected each second, how tormented you are under the weight of your circumstances. Hannah had no doubt felt that as Peninnah mocked her and her husband could not find words to comfort her. But here she declares what we need to know as well, “God knows.” The one who knit you together in your mother’s womb and had recorded the days of your life in his book when as yet there were none of them knows. He knows your struggle. He knows your heart. He knows everything about you. That, in itself, might not be much comfort, but Hannah moves on, declaring in verses 4-10 that God cares for his children and works for their good. She speaks of God doing this in the past, present, and in final judgment, showing that it is how he has always acted and always will.

She proclaims in 2:4-10, “The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world. \"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.\"

Hannah knows that God sees her affliction and that he cares to and is able to labor for her good. That’s why she entrusts him with her hurt, her distress, her affliction, her tears. And it is instructive for us as well. Because we know God alone knows us in and out and because he alone is able to work all things for our greatest good, may we be faithful in pouring out our souls to him, entrusting all details of our lives into his hands.

In the next section, which intertwines the stories of Samuel and Eli’s wicked sons, we see (focusing mainly on Eli’s sons) that …

We must obey God’s every command, not ever thinking we are wiser than him (2:11-36)

1 Samuel 2:11-36 shows us a picture of Eli’s wicked sons. They disobeyed the laws which told the priest what his share of the sacrifice could be, even demanding the meat before it was boiled (2:13-17). And if that was not enough blasphemy, they involved themselves sexually with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting (2:22). These practices were known by all of Israel so that Eli heard the news and confronted his sons. But they would not listen to their father. God had given them over to their sin as judgment. Their sin had made repentance impossible. Such was God’s judgment against them (2:25) – a note to us not to celebrate the fact that we are not being caught in our sin. Eli never removed them from serving, however. And then a prophet came and announced to him that his two sons would die as judgment for their sins and toward Eli for not restraining them (2:27-36).

In fact, as Samuel is called to deliver the same message later, he points out that the punishment is chiefly due to Eli’s sin. God declares to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever” (3:11-14).

Ironically, in Eli’s attempt to love his sons, Eli disobeyed God’s commands and thereby did not honor the Lord and aided his sons in their destruction. In short, he attempted to be wiser than God. He attempted to disobey what God commanded because he thought his actions would be more loving, and in doing so he failed to honor God and to love his sons.

This should serve as a warning to us. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked. He is to be obeyed, and his commandments are given for our good. When I was growing up my mom would say to me, “When I tell you to do something your job is to do it. If I say jump, you simply ask, ‘How high?’” And she would have preferred me to ask that question on my way up!

That was a good lesson, however, because such is the case with God. He is sovereign, and he is our Lord. He knows what is best and has commanded us to do certain things. Therefore, our job is not to reason what might be best for us and to figure out if God’s commands might fit into that. Our job is to obey the one we call, “Lord.”

But we see this all the time in the church, don’t we? Far too often individuals in the church are saying, “I know what the Bible commands, but I think it would be more loving or good or better or helpful if we …” And so we exalt ourselves over God and walk toward our own demise. If we try to ‘love’ people instead of choosing to love God and allowing him to dictate what loving others looks like, then we will end up working toward their demise. Eli no doubt did what he did because he wanted good for his sons, and he aided them in their destruction. The same can be true in the church.

Yet, this is not confined to the corporate level. We do this individually as well. We get impatient or too self-focused and begin to think that we deserve to sin, and in our attempt to be wiser than God we end up wanting less for ourselves than God wants for us and dishonor him. Therefore, wherever you are and whatever your circumstances, may we not be like Eli, but may we say, “We will obey God’s Word whatever the cost and whatever the objections and entrust our lives into the hands of a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”

Finally, in the story of Samuel (3:1-4:1a) we see that …

God will equip us to walk in obedience to him (3:1-4:1a)

Chapter 3 begins with the note that “the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision” and it ends with the declaration, “And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel” (3:19-4:1a). The chapter begins at a low point and ends with God having established a prophet through whom he continually spoke. Seeing this and what happens in the chapter itself teaches us that God equips us to walk in obedience to him.

The story of Samuel’s call is an interesting one. Samuel is asleep in the temple when he hears someone calling to him, “Samuel.” Therefore he runs to Eli, tells him he’s here, and is told by Eli that he has not called him. This happens three times before Eli discerns that it is the Lord calling him and says, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servants hears’” (3:9). Samuel does, and the Lord declares to him that night that he will carry out the word spoken against Eli.

The next morning, Samuel is obviously reluctant to talk about this with Eli. He is just a boy and has been given a message of judgment against the one who has cared for him as a father cares for his son. Yet Eli charges him to do so, declaring, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you” (3:18). Therefore, Samuel tells him and the chapter ends with the text we saw earlier (3:19-4:1a) that God had raised up a prophet and let none of his words fall to the ground.

This text teaches us again and again that God is one who equips us to walk in obedience. He calls Samuel, and when Samuel does not understand it is God, the Lord provides Eli to teach him and instruct him in what to do. Then, when Samuel feels unable to deliver that word of judgment, the Lord leads Eli to charge him in a sense that he is unable to do otherwise. Do you not see the kindness of the Lord here? God is equipping and enabling Samuel to walk in obedience. And for the whole of Israel, they did not heart God’s word, which was necessary to walk in obedience. Yet, God raises up a prophet to declare to them his commands and aid them in obedience.

The same is true for us. God has not left us alone to obey his commands. First, he has sent his Son to bring about our salvation, giving us new hearts so that we are no longer slaves to sin. Then, he has put his Spirit within us. Then, he has given us his word to instruct us. Then, he has given us the church to exhort and encourage us. Even this morning, God is equipping and enabling us to obey him. Therefore, let us not fret at the difficulty of obedience but decide today that we will obey and trust a God who knows us, cares for us, and enables us to obey.

These first three chapters teach us to cast our cares upon the Lord, to obey him no matter the situation, and to trust that he will equip and enable us in that obedience. But it teaches more, for we must also see these three chapters not simply as three stories but as one story.

1 Samuel 1:1-4:1a is one story of God taking a desperate and dark situation in Israel’s history, when even the priests were corrupt, and working for the salvation of his people. He is raising up Samuel, whom the Lord will use to usher in the monarchy, which will pave the way for Israel’s greatest King and David’s greatest Son, Jesus of Nazareth. 1 Samuel 1:1-4:1a teaches us many lessons even as we have looked at a few of them this morning. But ultimately it is a story of God working to bring about the salvation of his people, including us, by paving the way for the sending of his Son. As we see these three chapters, there are clear hints that these stories point beyond themselves. In the midst of Hannah’s prayer, she declares, “The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed” (2:10). We know who the Anointed is. Then, in the midst of recording the story of Hophni and Phinehas, we find that Samuel’s story is intertwined in their midst. It’s as if God is saying, “Even in the midst of this dark time I am working out my plan of redemption.”

Yes, 1 Samuel 1:1-4:1a is about a woman for whom having a son was impossible giving birth to a son who would watch their evil priests around him judged and who would be raised up to be Israel’s prophet. But it’s purpose is to remind us that there was another woman for whom conception seemed impossible, for she had never been with a man. And yet she gave birth to a Son who would live in the midst of a perverse people and yet would be raised up on a cross to die for our sins and three days later would be raised from the dead so that we might live eternally.

Therefore, let us this morning entrust our lives and this church to the hands of a God who will work gloriously in the midst of a culture of death because we know that his Son has accomplished all necessary to bring us life. Amen.

THE BEGINNINGS OF HOPE IN THE DARKEST OF DAYS