Five things from the life of Samuel

Last Sunday at Calvary Chapel of Wilmington we looked at the life of Samuel the prophet.  Samuel was a transitional figure between the time that God ruled the nation of Israel through His appointed judges, and the monarchy that we established under king Saul.  But Samuel was also much more than just a judge; he was a model of godly leadership. Samuel was a man who had learned to hear the voice of God, be obedient to His words, and speak the truth, no matter what the consequences might be. Samuel was like EF Hutton: When he spoke, everyone listened!

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Samuel was not only a leader, he was also a leader of leaders:  He was the chief advisor to kings and military captains of Israel. Serving as judge prior to Saul’s monarchy, Samuel embodied three great ministries: That of prophet, priest, and king.  Samuel was, in a way, a ‘forerunner’ to Jesus Christ. During Saul’s reign, he was sought for counsel to hear from the Lord.  When a new king was to be anointed (David), Samuel was the man God called to anoint that king. We read in 1 Samuel 3 how Samuel was established before the people:

So 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 had been established as a prophet of the Lord. (1 Sam 3:19-20)

How was it that Samuel became a man who was honored, respected, and that people listened to?  It was because Samuel established a ministry of truth, faithfulness, and integrity before God and the people.

Truth:

Samuel never hid or misused word of God – he spoke the words God gave him, nothing added, nothing taken away. He would never change the word to suit his needs, or to suit the environment, or to suit the culture.

Faithfulness:

Samuel did whatever God put in front of him, regardless of what other people thought; regardless of  what the king thought; regardless of even what Samuel thought! When God told Samuel to confront Saul about his disobedience, Samuel knew that Saul might strike him, but Samuel obeyed. When the people asked for a king, Samuel knew it was a bad idea, yet God told him to do it anyway, so Samuel faithfully carried out the choosing of Saul.

Integrity:

Samuel never asked for anything more than what was proper portion as a priest.

He never used his position to gain influence, privilege, or wealth (as the sons of Eli, and even his own sons had done). Perhaps the greatest example was when God called Samuel to hand over power to Saul, he did it!

And because of his truthfulness, his faithfulness, and his integrity, God raised him up, blessed him, and established him in the eyes of the people.

There are 5 things we can learn from Samuel’s life:

#1 – Being a great man or woman of God is not something you have to be born into, or lucky enough to fall into; you can simply follow Samuel’s model.

• Seek to hear the voice of God
• Be obedient to His words.
• Establish a walk of truth, faithfulness, and integrity.

#2 – To parents; our priority should be to raise up our children in the house of God, teach them God’s ways, teach them to hear from God, teach them to be obedient to God. 

There is no greater calling than to raise up the next generation of men and women that will call upon the name of the Lord.

#3 – To younger people: Just because you don’t have a ‘horror-story’ testimony does not mean that you don't have a testimony.

Some people have awesome testimonies; “I was a Hell’s Angel,” or “I was a heroin addict, and God saved me! “ Hey, its awesome when God saves someone from that life.  Those testimonies make great press, but you don’t have to have to have a period of sin in order to have credibility. The greatest testimony is the testimony of one who has, like Samuel, walked with God all of their days, and honored God in all of their ways!  

#4 – How we invest our time, talents, and treasure is NOT only for our lifetime.

The things we do in the kingdom will carry on for generations. Our work in the kingdom, our ministry, the peoples lives that we impact, the children we raise up and send out; All of these things work to build a godly heritage that will live on after we pass on.

But not only in this life, that heritage will greet us in heaven:

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy. (1 Thess 2:19-20)

#5 God will always raise up another to carry on the mission:

“And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.” (1 Sam 25:1b)

When Samuel passed from the scene, the work God started in him did not die, but was carried on through David. As one leader passes from the scene, God always has another ready to take the mantle and carry on the work. The work is never finished; the mission is not completed until Christ returns for his church!

Pastor Clay