SAMUEL'S CALLING (2)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
0. Introduction
a) Samuel's calling
(Text: 1 Samuel 3:1-21)
1. What is the text all about?
a) The ark of God was kept in the Most Holy Place, the inner-most room of the tabernacle where only the high priest could enter once a year. In front of the Most Holy Place was the holy place, a small room where the other sacred furniture of the tabernacle was kept (the altar of incense, the table of showbread, the lampstand). Just outside the holy place was a court with small rooms where the priests were to stay. Samuel probably slept here with the other priests, only a few yards away from the ark.
b) One would naturally expect an audible message from God to be given to the priest Eli and not to the child Samuel. Eli was older and more experienced, and he held proper position. But God's chain of command is based on faith, not on age or position. In finding faithful followers, God may use unexpected channels. Be prepared for the Lord to work at any place, at any time, and through anyone he chooses.
c) Eli had spent his entire life in service to God. His responsibility was to oversee all the worship in Israel. But in pursuing this great mission he neglected the responsibilities in his own home. Don't let your desire to do God's work cause you to neglect your family. If you do, your mission may degenerate into a quest for personal importance, and your family will suffer the consequences of your neglect.
d) Atoned for (in 1 Samuel 3:14) means "forgiven." God was saying that the sin of Eli's sons could not be covered by sacrifice and that they would be punished.
e) The phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" was often used to describe the boundaries of the Promised Land. Dan was one of the northern most cities in the land, and Beersheba one of the cities farthest south. In this context, it was a way of emphasizing that everyone in Israel knew that Samuel was called to be a prophet.
The End ...
0. Introduction a) Samuel's calling
(Text: 1 Samuel 3:1-21)
1. What is the text all about?
a) The ark of God was kept in the Most Holy Place, the inner-most room of the tabernacle where only the high priest could enter once a year. In front of the Most Holy Place was the holy place, a small room where the other sacred furniture of the tabernacle was kept (the altar of incense, the table of showbread, the lampstand). Just outside the holy place was a court with small rooms where the priests were to stay. Samuel probably slept here with the other priests, only a few yards away from the ark.
b) One would naturally expect an audible message from God to be given to the priest Eli and not to the child Samuel. Eli was older and more experienced, and he held proper position. But God's chain of command is based on faith, not on age or position. In finding faithful followers, God may use unexpected channels. Be prepared for the Lord to work at any place, at any time, and through anyone he chooses.
c) Eli had spent his entire life in service to God. His responsibility was to oversee all the worship in Israel. But in pursuing this great mission he neglected the responsibilities in his own home. Don't let your desire to do God's work cause you to neglect your family. If you do, your mission may degenerate into a quest for personal importance, and your family will suffer the consequences of your neglect.
d) Atoned for (in 1 Samuel 3:14) means "forgiven." God was saying that the sin of Eli's sons could not be covered by sacrifice and that they would be punished.
e) The phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" was often used to describe the boundaries of the Promised Land. Dan was one of the northern most cities in the land, and Beersheba one of the cities farthest south. In this context, it was a way of emphasizing that everyone in Israel knew that Samuel was called to be a prophet.
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