Skip to content 1 Samuel 1-31 - The Bible from 30,000 Feet | Skip Heitzig Apr 25 · 1 hr 5 min ...more
1 Samuel 1-31 - The Bible from 30,000 Feet | Skip Heitzig
April 25, 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
Israel seeks leadership; Saul chosen but flawed by pride. From the ashes of King Saul's calamitous reign, God raised up an unlikely man who would become Israel's next king, a man after His own heart.
Series The Bible from 30,000 Feet | Skip Heitzig
Skip Heitzig ministers to over 15,000 people as senior pastor of Calvary Church in Albuquerque. He reaches out to thousands across the nation and throughout the
April 25, 2024 · 1 hr 5 min · The Bible from 30,000 Feet | Skip Heitzig
Israel seeks leadership; Saul chosen but flawed by pride. From the ashes of King Saul's calamitous reign, God raised up an unlikely man who would become Israel's next king, a man after His own heart. ...more Show the full description Show less Israel seeks leadership; Saul chosen but flawed by pride. From the ashes of King Saul's calamitous reign, God raised up an unlikely man who would become Israel's next king, a man after His own heart.
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In this video 0:00 The Role of a Prophet and the Ruin of a Priest18:50 The Rule of a Politician and the Rise of a Poet1:04:07 Lessons from Leadership and Legacy
The Role of a Prophet and the Ruin of a Priest 0:02 The Bible from 30000 feet, soaring through the scripture from Genesis to Revelation.0:13 Would you turn in your bibles, please, to the book of first Samuel? The books of Samuel and Kings and Chronicles0:27 form a new period in history that lasts 575 years. They're books of transition. And it's first0:39 Samuel is the first of the first and second books. First and second Samuel, first and second Kings, first and second Chronicles. In the Hebrew Bible, it was0:50 simply the books of Samuel, the books of Kings, and the books of Chronicles. Interestingly, in the Greek version, this is just all extra added information. It's a bonus.1:02 It's for free. In the Septuagint version, first and second Samuel is first Kings and second Kings, and first Kings and second Kings is1:14 third Kings and fourth Kings. So in our bibles, it's first Samuel, second Samuel, first Kings, second Kings, first Chronicles, and second Chronicles. It begins around1:26 1100 BC and stretches all the way to the Babylonian captivity. Now, we'll be talking a little bit about those dates and that1:38 time later on. What's important for you to know is that essentially, this will cover almost to the very end of Old Testament history. Once they go into captivity and then they return1:50 from captivity, and that's the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Esther is thrown in there somewhere. When they return, there's 400 years of silence, and then God
2:02 speaks again afresh in the New Testament. So we're beginning a march in first Samuel to the end of second Chronicles, which takes us all the way to the Babylonian captivity.
2:14 Somebody once said that there's 3 types of leaders. There's those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who I have no idea what's happening. We
2:26 find all 3 of those types of leaders in the book of First Samuel. And we find those 3 types of leaders in 4 distinct people, Eli,
2:39 Samuel, Saul, and David. Those are the 4 big pillars that this book really is centered around. Eli, Samuel, Saul, and David.
2:50 So it's the story of a priest, a prophet, a politician, and a poet. And, you know, preachers like to alliterate things, so these are handles you can grab a hold of from memory. The
3:02 key concept of this book as I see it, is influence. Influence. Good or bad influence. Sometimes you can have tremendous power and be a wonderful,
3:14 awesome influence. At other times, you can have lots of power, and you can be the worst example to the people that you are called to lead. So we're gonna look at the role of a prophet, the
3:25 ruin of a priest, the rule of a politician, and the rise of a poet. Now because we're at 30000 feet and you can see how many chapters are in this book,
3:37 31, we can't be afforded the same type of pace we had last time in the book of Ruth with only 4 chapters. We could almost read the whole thing, and we didn't even do that. So we are again at cruising
3:49 altitude. We are again at 30000 feet, and we're just gonna notice, the landscape, and I'm gonna break it down for you in in terms of the most memorable things to look at. Now many will
4:01 regard Samuel as the last judge in the period of Judges, and they call him that for a good reason. The book of first Samuel says that he judged Israel
4:13 for 40 years, so he could be classified as a judge. But more than that, he is called also in this book a seer. And a seer was the old
4:24 name this book tells us for a prophet. So when Samuel emerges on the scene, God calls him to be a prophetic voice to the nation. So you can look at him as the last
4:36 judge and the first prophet, technically, in terms of the prophets that emerge on the land. The book opens with a couple. A guy by the name of Elkanah
4:49 and his wife Hannah. Actually, he has 2 wives, so you can just see that this is shortly after the period of Judges. There are problems even in this family.
5:01 Any man that thinks he can please 2 women is absolutely insane. He has 2 wives and he is unable to please them. 1 is named Hannah, and she really
5:13 occupies the main thrust of the early chapter of chapter 1 and even chapter 2 of this book. They are infertile. Peninnah, the other wife, can bear, but
5:24 Hannah is infertile. And because of that, she is in deep grief. And in her grief, she she does the right thing. Man, she talks to the Lord about it, and the Lord opens up her womb. And so we
5:36 come to the role of a prophet, when we look here. I'm gonna take you to chapter 1 verse 20. I'm not gonna begin in verse 1. God answers the prayer of Hannah.
5:48 Verse 20, it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son and called his name Shmuel. That's the Hebrew pronunciation.
6:00 Samuel, as we say it, saying, because I have asked for him from the Lord. She names the baby after a circumstance at
6:12 the baby's birth. She feel that this is a direct answer to prayer. She asked God for a child. God gave her this child. So she calls the child, God hears. Shmuel,
6:24 or God answers. God has answered my prayer. I'm going to look at you and call you by name. Your whole life, I'm going to say, hey, God answers. Come over here. Hey, God hears. It's time for dinner.
6:36 So she will be reminded of the answered prayer every time that name is called. Well, she goes to the tabernacle where she had prayed and tells the priest that is presiding
6:49 over the tabernacle by the name of Eli in those days, in verse 27, for this child I prayed. And the Lord has granted me my petition, which I asked of
7:00 Him. Now from the birth of Samuel, the judge slash prophet, to the death of Saul is 94 years. So in this book, we're
7:12 covering about a, a hundred year period. She goes back home with the child, weans the child till the child is between 3 and 5 years of age.
7:24 But notice this. Therefore, verse 28, I have lent him to the Lord, she says. I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he
7:36 lives, he shall be lent to the Lord. And so they worship the Lord's Lord there. Now that's a strange phrase, right? Here's my kid. I'm gonna lend him to God
7:49 Because truth be told, God lent the child to you. It's really not yours. You're a steward over that child. But each child, I believe, is a special creation of God, and we see ourselves as parents, as stewards for a
8:00 period of time to help shape. But she says to Eli, here's my son. I'm gonna lend him to God. It's a strange phrase. What it means is I am irrevocably giving
8:12 him over to the service of the Lord. And essentially, she drops him off at the tabernacle from a very young age to be a priest in training, or a prophet in training, or a seer in
8:24 training. He is to remain in the tabernacle and be exposed to the rules, the principles, the values of God. She's giving her child to the Lord. Now sometimes we use,
8:36 this verse when we do baby dedications, that this these parents are lending this child in hopes that this child will walk and serve the Lord all the days of his or her life.
8:49 Hannah's greatest desire was that her child follow God's call for his life. Hannah's greatest desire was not, number 1,
9:01 go to the best schools. Number 2, get the best possible education and be the smartest in the class. Number 3, make varsity volleyball or basketball. None of that. She was
9:13 focused primarily, not that those things are bad, primarily on a spiritual value, a spiritual emphasis to serve the Lord all the days of his life. Somebody once said, kids are the
9:25 only earthly possession you can take with you to heaven. And so we think of how can I train this child to walk hard after the ways of the Lord? So that's the role of a prophet. He's
9:37 emerging from this point on. Now, interspersed with the role of a prophet comes the ruin of a priest. I told you his name. We've already read about, him in terms of this conversation she is
9:48 having with him. His name is Eli. He is serving as the priest, of the tabernacle. Now Eli was an interesting guy, a good guy, a godly guy, but very passive as a parent. Because his
10:00 own kids who will serve in the tabernacle as priests with him will do some pretty gnarly things, and all he will do is say, why'd you do that? He won't put a stop to it. He won't kick him out of the
10:12 priesthood. He just asks a lame question without any follow through response. So he's very, very passive. Chapter 2 verse 12, it says, now the sons of Eli
10:24 were corrupt. They did not know the Lord. Now just mark that. These are they're on staff
10:36 in God's house, and they don't know the Lord. Some people think, well, if you go to church, you're a Christian. Right? That just sort of automatically happens. I come to
10:48 church, therefore, I must be a Christian. Well, you can go to a garage, and you will not become an automobile. Going to a place of anything doesn't make you necessarily what that
11:00 thing is all about or specializing in. In fact, I I would say that, Christian hangouts, like churches, are sometimes more dangerous,
11:13 because they're sometimes filled with people who think that's all I have to do is just attend and listen and sing, and I'm I'm right with God. I say
11:24 that it's dangerous for this reason. Think of it in terms of spiritual warfare. Think of what I'm about to say in terms of spiritual warfare. The upper room in Jerusalem, Jesus had his last supper with his disciples
11:36 in. I know, you've often read the passage, but man, that would have been so cool to be a part of the Last Supper. Probably the upper room was the most dangerous room in all of Jerusalem that night
11:49 because Satan was there at that supper. It said when the supper was ended, Satan entered Judas. So he was there all along ready to get to somebody
12:01 who was that close to Jesus Christ. Well, Eli's sons, by the name they're named Hophni and Phinehas, they're immoral. They're immoral with the tabernacle
12:14 itself because young women would come to the tabernacle. He'd be checking them out instead of worshiping God, And then he would lay with them, that is have sexual relations with them somewhere near the door of the
12:25 tabernacle. He will find out, Eli will find out, ask the question why do you do it, But make no remediate act at all. Not only that,
12:37 but they become corrupt with the sacrifices the people are bringing. That's also mentioned in this book. So in the midst of all that corruption that's going on, that's mentioned about in verse 22, by the way,
12:49 of chapter 2. In the midst of all that, God calls a prophet. God calls Samuel to be a prophet. Chapter 3 verse 1, here's the call. Then the boy Samuel
13:02 ministered to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was rare in those days. It's a remarkable passage.
13:14 I have underlined this in my, I'd say, bible, my bibles that I have had over the years. I always underline this verse. It's it's insightful.
13:26 It says the word of the Lord was rare in those days, and there was no widespread revelation. God wasn't speaking much in those days,
13:38 and for a good reason. People were not listening much in those days. God had nothing more to say to a people that wouldn't hear what he had to say. Everyone is doing right in his own eyes,
13:50 last verse of Judges tells us. That's their MO. So I think that's how God works. If you don't wanna hear his voice, God has nothing more to say to you. If God gave you a directive,
14:02 God gave you a revelation, God gave you his word, and you're not about obeying that. Why should He speak anything more to you until you say, okay, I'm gonna do that. I'm
14:14 gonna agree with that. I'm gonna get in line with that principle. So the Word of the Lord was rare in those days. There was no widespread revelation. I I am intrigued by that verse because I think this verse
14:26 could be said about many pulpits, even in our own country. The Word of God was rare. There was no widespread revelation. This is why
14:38 Paul told young Timothy years later, preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of season. I believe, my opinion, is that most
14:50 contemporary preaching is marked by a lack of confidence in scripture. Scripture isn't preached. It's not thus says the Lord. Here's
15:02 the word of the Lord. It's just cool, clever sayings and my opinions about life. And I'm not interested in any preacher's opinion. I don't come to a church to
15:13 hear a preacher's opinion or clever what he's saying. I wanna hear a sure word from the Lord. Amen. Well, unfortunately, many become embarrassed by the Bible. But the
15:25 Bible says about the Bible this, Hebrews 4. The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than a 2 edged sword. It is a discerner of the
15:37 thoughts and the intents of the heart, that little section ends. I think that the modern church has become more fascinated with technology rather than theology.
15:50 And I think we need to get back to good theological through the Bible doctrinal preaching to strengthen believers, especially in this day and age. So having said that,
16:03 Samuel's young. And not like the rest of the people who are not listening to the word of the Lord, Samuel is. He's all ears. So 3 times, the Lord calls
16:15 him. And it's funny how he calls him. He calls him like this. Samuel. And he wakes him up out of his sleep. Samuel gets up out of his sleep, goes to Eli the
16:27 priest, what do you want? Eli goes, what are you what are you talking about? What do I want? Said, well, you called my name. I didn't call your name. Go back to bed. So he goes back to bed. When he falls asleep,
16:39 God interrupts his sleep. Samuel. He wakes up again, goes to Eli. Same thing. Go back to bed. Third time it happens. After the third time,
16:51 verse 9, therefore Eli said to Samuel, go lie down, and it shall be, if he calls you, he, meaning this is God speaking. It's not me, it's God. If he calls
17:02 you, that you must say, speak, Lord, your servant hears. I love this. It's sort of like saying, well, pick up the phone, dummy.
17:15 If God's calling you from heaven, pick up the phone. Sometimes God calls us, and we don't wait long enough to to get an answer. You know, we pray about something, and then,
17:27 well, what did God say? I don't know. I didn't I didn't, like, hang around till, like, wait for it. Now I'm not saying that God will always say something, and certainly don't expect a, an audible sound
17:39 out of heaven, but the Lord can, on occasion, speak to you. Just yesterday, and I don't need to tell you the example of my own personal life, but I felt the Lord spoke, and he happened to speak a very important scripture
17:51 about something I was wrestling over and dealing with with another person. The Lord spoke as as clear as day in my mind an answer to that, And it was so good
18:03 for me to hear it, and it just hit the nail right on the head. So speak, Lord, your servant hears. Tell God that. Answer the phone. So Samuel went and laid down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood
18:15 and called as at other times. Samuel, Samuel, and Samuel. You can just picture the kid getting up out of bed, smile on his face. Here it goes. I'm answering the phone.
18:28 Speak, Lord. Your servant hears. Now something just to make a note of, God calls him 3 times, but does not
18:39 reveal his will until the fourth time. Gets his attention, and then he tells him the revelation after he says, speak, Lord, your servant hears. Let thatShow more
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