GROWING PAINS

GROWING PAINS 1 SAM. 1-4

The Book of Samuel tells the story starting before his birth, the life of the priest Eli and his sons, and Samuel as an old man. We will compare and contrast these lives. This book's central concern is the feelings and passions that a person can identify with realistically. We will look at the choices and results of their growing pains and apply these lessons to our own lives. 

 BACKGROUND OF SAMUEL

1.  Hannah and the miracle child (Samuel 1:1-28).
2. The Bible tells of many significant adults, but only a handful of significant pregnancies. Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob & Esau, Perez, Samson, John the Baptist, and Jesus are the others.
3. An exceptional birth hints at the divine purpose of the individual.
4. We exalt God because He has the power to reverse a person's life completely. God blessed her with more children as a sign of God's completed work in her.
5. His name means "name of God" or "I asked the Lord for him."
6. He acted as Judge and Prophet.
7. He anointed two Kings Saul and David.
8. Samuel is the last judge. Samuel is the first of the prophets. In the book of Acts, Peter also considers Samuel to be the first of the prophets—after Moses (Ac 3:24).
9. A prophet is someone who speaks on behalf of God. Samuel isn't the first person to be called a prophet in the Bible (Moses is both earlier and greater), but as far as we can tell, he leads an order of prophets in Israel (1 Sa 19:20).

I. Hannah-grows as noted from her prayer of thanksgiving she proves that once a person of being victimized by others criticism 1Sam. 2 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation.

Hannah came up every year with a new linen tunic for him. (growing pains surviving a less than ideal childhood and being a distance from one's parents). Growing pains serving the Lord no matter what our circumstances. 

II. The ascent of Samuel is in contrast to Eli and his sons (Sam. 2:12-26). Like us today, Samuel is growing up in an indifferent society—complacency in parenting and general attitudes in society—Growing pains.

1. Samuel was given to God and to serve at the Temple at three years old.
2. Elie's Evil sons. They were stealing the sacrifice from the Lord. Sexual immorality and Eli never Fathering them. Their sin against God.
3. Living in a corrupt environment and still being faithful to God is GROWING PAINS.
4. Even though a sinful culture surrounded Samuel, he continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and man (Sam 2: 26). 

THE CALL OF SAMUEL

(Samuel 3:1-21) Now Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.  At that time, Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the Temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

WHAT TO DO WHEN GOD CALLS YOUR NAME

 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, "Here I am!" and ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down.  And the Lord called again, "Samuel!" and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.  And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.  Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place (Crossway Bibles, 2016). 

LISTENING TO THOSE MORE EXPERIENCED THAN US

 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant hears." Then the Lord said 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 (Crossway Bibles, 2016)."

BEING AFRAID TO DO WHAT GOD TELLS YOU TO DO.

Honoring your life's vision, even if it is not the popular thing to do this, is part of growing pains.

(Sam: 3:15) Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.  But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he said, "Here I am." And Eli said, "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." So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him." 

Eli received confirmation of what God told him directly. Instead of wondering that a little boy gets the word direct from the Lord and repent, Eli remains complacent, and he said in our language, "IT IS WHAT IS" and continued to let his sons do whatever and wipe out the entire line of Eli. This is our society today. We do what feels good without regard to lining ourselves up to God.

(Sam. 2:22- 25) Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.  And he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people.  No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad.  If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death (Crossway Bibles, 2016).

GROWING PAINS: If one chooses to sin, the sin grows deeper and deeper—God's faithfulness is available to us when we repent. When we put ourselves beyond human aid, such as occult practices, we need something more profound to need deliverance. We need to repent from our inner vows and judgments that we made. We need to apologize to God for the evil done against Him. Remember, God is faithful to forgive. Be quick to admit your mistakes. That is an excellent key for a good life. That will result in a better life. Had Hophni and Phinehas listened to their father and repented, there may have been a chance for them.

WHEN YOU FOLLOW GOD, PEOPLE BEGIN TO TRUST YOU.

(Growing pains) The Value of being Godly. 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 Lord's word. 

DEATH OF ELI AND HIS SONS: GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD

(Sam. 4: 12-22) A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.  When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out.  When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is this uproar?" Then the man hurried and came and told Eli.  Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set so that he could not see.  And the man said to Eli, "I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today." And he said, "How did it go, my son?" He who brought the news answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured." As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her.  And about the time of her death, the women attending her said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son." But she did not answer or pay attention.  And she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured (Crossway Bibles, 2016)."

Growing pains: If we suffer and have a hard life, we need to look at the past and our bad choices. We learn from our lessons and do not become bitter. God is the Ruler of the Universe; his wonders He will perform. God does not hate us. He cannot have fellowship with us when we are in sin. He is faithful to restore the harmony the same way a parent spanks their child, and after he or she cries, they hug them and move on to the next thing. The fellowship is restored with that parent, and God is the same way. He is faithful to restore the connection. He is also devoted to carrying out His perfect will. We need to be on the RIGHT SIDE, which is the GOOD SIDE.

SAMUELS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 Samuel is a priest. He begins his ministry serving the chief priest in the tabernacle (1 Sa 3:1). Samuel makes sacrifices on behalf of the people and offers intercessory prayers to God for them (1 Sa 7:9.)

Samuel is a Nazarite. Like the mighty Samson, Samuel was dedicated to the Lord as a child. This dedication was for life, so he never cuts his hair (1 Sa 1:11, Nu 6:1–21).

Samuel is the only ghost we meet in the Bible. After Samuel dies, Saul meets with an Ewok—er, a witch of En-dor (1 Sa 28:7). The medium conjures up Samuel's spirit, who isn't too happy about what Saul has done. You can read the whole story in First Samuel chapter 28.

Samuel led the greatest Passovers. Hundreds of years after Samuel's death, a king named Josiah celebrates the Passover. It's such an affair, and the author says it's the most significant Passover ever—well, ever since Samuel's day (2 Ch 35:18).

Samuel was remembered for his prayers. The psalmist who penned Psalm 99 ranks him with Moses and Aaron as one who called upon the Lord's name (Ps 99:6).

Samuel became strong. Powerful leader.

He is also a workaholic like Eli because his sons can also not carry on as Prophets and Judges' line through Samuel. Our only perfect Prophet, Priest, and King are the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this, Israel asks for a King. This leads to Samuel anointing two kings. The first is Saul and the Second is David. If we are given the privilege of working in the church, it means nothing if our children do not love God. Children are our legacy and future of carrying the message of Jesus Christ. We must as a church value our children, ask new families to come to church, and raise a new generation of people who follow God not because they are told to but because the genuine love of God has been transmitted to them. That is part of the GREAT commission, and we are responsible for that. FRIENDS DO LET FRIEND GO TO HELL. 😊

CONCLUSION

1. Life and whether we are happy are based on the right choices that line up with God's will.
2. Others' complacency surrounds us, and there is much temptation just to let go and be very lazy. Doing nothing is still a choice we actively make.
3. When we make mistakes, God is faithful to forgive. We must remember that God is always about LOVE, and He is always ready to receive us. We must not listen to the devil tell us that what we did is unforgivable that would make what Jesus did on the cross a mockery. God will forgive you. 
4. Turning your life around to Jesus will result in a Happy life.