Samuels
call, are we hearing Gods voice? I
Samuel 2:12-36, 3:1-21
Presuppositionaly
I believe:
Idolatry is not something we go out with an intention of
doing; it is very subtle, it’s what we will naturally do if we don’t hold
ourselves in check. We know that there is idolatry in us; when we are
disobeying Gods word concerning child discipleship.
“The heart of man is a virtual Idol
factory” John Calvin
1) The story of Eli is for us at HBC. If
we like Eli make an Idol of our children they will harden their heart and God
will destroy them! – Entitlement –selfishness/self-willed – ungrateful –taking
for granted.
a) Make an idol of children? How do we
know? Samuel 2:29,3:13
i) Not properly disciplining
(1) Despise not the chastening of the
lord -Hebrews 12:5
(2) A wise son heareth his father's
instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.
Proverbs 13:1
b) Elevating to high stations without
the character to stand-- They are Priests of the living God – Shilo is where
the Ark of the Covenant is.
i) Luke 16:10 “One who is faithful in a
very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little
is also dishonest in much.
ii) He who is faithful in small things
will be faithful in big things.
(1) A small thing could be an assigned
chore while a big thing could be running the whole household.
(2) A small thing could be handling a
knife properly, while a big thing is handling a gun properly
c) They can become arrogant and full of
selfish lust –
Hophni and Phinehas did whatever
suited their flesh. –sons of Belial.
Their actions display who they serve.
Romans 6
i) 2Timothy 3:2-4 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of
money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful,
unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not
loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the
appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
(1) The apostle is grabbing a lot of adjectives,
to help us get a feel for those who fight against God.
(2) But notice “Lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God”
(3) We are a nation of “lovers of
pleasure”! The thing about this “lovers of pleasure” is that it feeds on
immaturity.
(a) What’s better a high self-esteem or a
low one? Neither, in either case the center (reference point) is you. It
is idolatry and we move in relation to our idols. We become predictable and
controllable by evil.
(b) We get
(i) Suicide, Drug use, Immorality of all
kinds, Video game addictions, Being controlling or manipulating of others
(emotional payoff), Pretty much any addiction can be tied to being lovers of
pleasure.
(ii) Unmotivated to serve/ half committed
(iii)Thoughtless
(iv)
Laziness—Education—Chores
1. Not taking ownership of their life
(v) Un-Forgiveness
(vi)
Unrepentant
(vii)
Discouraged
or angry
(viii)
Independent
spirit
(c) What do we want to see –
cheerfulness- service- self-sacrifice-enthusiasm- energetic- diligent- punctual
– accountable. To participate in the ways of life, and put away the paths of
death. They will seek the wisdom of their parents.
(i) When we don’t see any of this stuff
going on, we are seeing rebellion.
These are the natural
result of a mature right relationship with God and parents.
d) Whose job is it to see that children
grow up and are mature?
i) Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not
provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and
instruction of the Lord. Any questions?
(1) Discipline= 3809 paideía (from 3811
/paideúō, see there) – properly, instruction that trains someone to reach full
development (maturity).
(a) Self-control- wisdom –responsibility
(2) Instruction= 3559 /nouthesía
("warning through teaching") improves a person's reasoning so they
can reach God's solution – i.e. by going through His thought-process.
ii) Salvation is of the Lord but maturity
is our part. It’s our job men are you on it?
(a) Deuteronomy 29:29“The secret things
belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our
sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
(2) It’s about observable maturity.
Do your children need constant supervision?
(i) 1peter 5:8 be sober-minded; be
watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour.
(3) It’s about the mind. Is your
child’s thinking biblical? (Put on the
mind of Christ) expressed through attitudes. PRIDE ISSUE
(i) Philippians2:5 Let each of you look not
only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, a 6who,
though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped.
iii) Bad actions come from bad thoughts
(James 1:14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own
desire). A correct “mind will and emotion” will cause us to shun pride and
embrace humility.
2) We lose God’s guidance/protection
turning to sin
a) Deuteronomy 9:17 (Moses)So I took
hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them
before your eyes.
b) No judges/prophets (did evil in the sight
of the Lord.) 7 times in the book of Judges ->Bondage
c) Losing the law -2 Kings 22:8-10 (King
Josiah)
i) Sin in the temple
ii) Prostitution m/f
iii) Child sacrifice
iv) Ashera poles
v) There are terrible things going on in
the temple of the living God and their ignorance has made them proud and wise.
You are either obeying God or doing what’s right in your own eyes.
d) In America this looks like
i) Turning to places like Harvard or
Yale for wisdom and not to God.
ii) Children not listening to parents
about marriage
iii) Immaturity in anyone over 13
iv) Being led by a worldly spirit of
music rather than the spirit of God
3) Drought of the word – Samuel 3:1
a) God raises up prophets
i) Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD your God
will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it
is to him you shall listen - God raises
up prophets
b) God withholds prophets
i) Psalms 74:9 we do not see our signs;
there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long
ii) Amos 8:12 'They shall wander from sea
to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of
the LORD, but shall not find it'
iii) Lamentations 2;9 Her gates have sunk
into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are
among the nations; the law is know more , and her prophets find no vision from
the Lord.
iv) Ezekiel 7:26 the king mourns, the
prince is wrapped in despair, and the hand of the people of the land are
paralyzed by terror. According to their way I will do to them, and according to
their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
4) Why this rejection of Eli? -Eli is
no Abraham
i) Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man,
what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to
love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
b) Eli rebukes his grown sons but does act.
V2:22
(1) It’s important to note that verbal railing
or apathy will both cast our children’s heart away from us through mistrust;
both rest on a selfish idolatry. God demands clear action with a view on restoration.
Mistrust destroys relationship.
->How does God parent - God’s voice is
gentle, sounds like the Bible, is peaceful, steadfast, reliable, single minded,
personal, glorifying to Jesus which leads me to be more like Him, and convicting
rather than condemning.
(2) Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son,
and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. à Delight to your heart is not a
sobbing child locked away; it is a restored relationship.
(3) All too often discipline becomes
about us, “I’m tired, mad and out of patience”
(i) If you say that inside then run to
the cross with that idol, it is sin.
(b) Discipline is about
(i) Unity & relationship (proverbs
29:17)
(ii) love(proverbs 13:24) Whoever spares the rod
hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
(iii)The cross (Ephesians 2:8). For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: not of works lest any man should boast.
c) Eli’s sons are out of control
(1) Stealing from God – cut off/death-
Leviticus 7:25 - They took meat (Eli ate
it also) vv2:29
(2) Adultery – death penalty -
Deuteronomy 22:22 –Samuel 2:22
(3) Rebellious son – Death penalty
–Deuteronomy 21:18 – Samuel 2:25
ii) We believe culturally that when our
children are grown and gone that we can wash our hands of them and let sleeping
dogs lie. That’s not wisdom from God.
(a) Deuteronomy 21:18 “If a man has a
stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the
voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them,
then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the
elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives,
d) Abraham commands his children after
him (Faithfulness of Elkanah &
Hannah)
i) Genesis 18:19 For I have chosen him,
that he may command his
children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and
justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
(1) Command= (6680) Tsavah
=Imperfect3masculine singular àImperfect =It’s a work in progress(We are Commanding,
not once, ongoing state of motion) à Masculine= It’s a man. à Singular= There is only one leader.
(a) Used 3 times and each time it is
general, not specific
(i) Genesis 2:16 The LORD God commanded
the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;
(ii) Deuteronomy 28:8 "The LORD will
command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand
to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
(2) How is he commanding? In reference to
God. Keep= (8104) Shamar = it’s about observing and remembering who God is.
Loving the creator.
(a) This is 400 years before the law is
written by Moses!
(i) Its relational and a life shared with
your children, Good and bad.
1. Hey kids remember where uncle Lott
lives in that big city? Well they don’t follow the ways of God and are consumed
with pleasing themselves and taking advantage of one another for unjust gain.
God burned them with fire ---every man, woman, child, dog, cat, mouse, donkey,
ox, and bird. We can’t even find were the city was; there is just a great big
area of desolation. Uncle Lott made it out with your cousins but he lost auntie
on the way.
(ii) This “Keep” is not in observance of
the minimum standard. That is our modern day mechanistic life. What’s a
cog? Well it has these specifications and we can measure the tolerances to see
if it passes.
1. No! A thousand times no! We have
killed education with this thinking.
Life is not about these minimum standards it’s about running as hard as
you can fighting as hard as you can; working as hard as you can; loving God as
hard as you can ------->is HE not worthy!!!
Visiting a
house – just inside the door
Or
Meal -worship -fellowship – relationship.
>Go all in –We don’t just stand at the
door happy to be in, no we run to the arms of the Father.
Matthew 18:3
and He said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”
A stubborn
one will stand and stare at the line in self-righteous approval.
The little child will run to the
father with reckless abandon!
5) God rejects two and selects one >Samuel 2:12-36
