Address—David Mearns
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Could we, uh, open our meeting this afternoon by singing hymn number 86?
And number 86. I would like to sing just the 1St 2 verses of number 86.
Oh, Lord, thou know.
Of heart by grave the squirt from cleaning and he went to swim with his mouth ever to God to the city of our hearts fly a little bit while I'm living in wandering wandering.
Perhaps we'll be able to sing the last verse at the end of this little climb together. Let's ask the Lord for His help.
Our God and our Father we.
Thank you most of all for the Lord Jesus.
We thank Thee for the pathway of that Blessed One and for the blessing into which we've been brought by that finished work on Calvary. We thank the our God that there is one now seated on high in the glory on our behalf.
And we long for that moment, Lord Jesus, when we'll hear that shout to be called home, to be with thyself. We long for that moment. And Lord Jesus, we would invite you to come, but we would be mindful to blessed Savior that we're still here.
And there's a manner.
In which to conduct ourselves.
While we're here we ask our God for help now as we would open my precious word and we would read from these blessed pages that there would be that that would be for the encouragement of each one of us here. God the needs are very.
Everyone here is on a different place in their pathway.
Each one of us is on a different camel to take us through the wilderness.
Some of us have to change camels sometimes. Some are bumpier than others. Father, we just ask that as we go through this scene, we would have an uplifted gaze. We'd ask these things, our God, as we give thanks in the worthy and the precious name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Turn with me, please, to the UMM, the book of First Samuel.
We are reading at home on the Lord's Day afternoon in, umm, you know, Thursday morning, rather in our Sunday school time. We're reading in Hebrews 11. And a few weeks ago, our brother George will be here. He suggested that, umm, that we look at a couple of chapters in, uh, in the book of Samuel, which we did, and it tweaked my interest and, uh, it's what I've been chewing on the last few weeks.
Is the life of Samuel. You know we often take up, umm, different characters.
Take up Jehoshaphat, we take up Josiah. Take up Hezekiah, we take up Jacob, we take up Abraham. Never heard Samuel's whole life being taken up. We sometimes take the earlier chapters, uh, in the Sunday school, but to see the life of Samuel and he's mentioned 143 times in the word.
To see the scope, it's interesting because the the although we have many characters in the Word of God, we don't have very many of them. Where we have their birth, we have their early days.
We have the next phase of their life. We have their their umm.
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Their, uh, their adult mature years.
As well as their death.
There are very, very few.
Characters in the word of God that we have that whole scope. And so I trust as we look at it, that certainly there'll be something for every one of us here and it'll touch our hearts to, to see the, the lifetime of this wonderful man of God. It doesn't seem like we had our, our, our mouths already wet as our brother took up a few verses from this, uh, from this book just in the last meeting.
Umm.
It's interesting the umm.
The I left my chair.
At the end of the last meeting, of course I was one of the ones I wanted to eat fast and I went and sat down at a table and sat down with a couple sisters and the sister said to me, So what happened to the dogs?
I said well.
Have the next meeting, maybe we'll hear about it then.
First Samuel chapter.
Chapter One.
We have here and I trust as we go through this, this portion as I said we did, we've looked at different.
Different scenarios in.
In Samuel S life and I just to perhaps I don't I don't do well with notes so I have a pile of clothes here that you're gonna have to pray real hard with me that.
That we'll have something that's got some sort of order to it Yeah. I would like to look at, as I said, I would like to look first of all at his mother, just to touch on it. And I've taken up his, his mother and the, and the, and then the coats before, uh, actually right from this platform, umm.
But I snapped what I really want to look at, I want to look at his mother, look at his early days, look at the days afterwards that, umm, that uh, uh, affected him as a young man to look at. Umm, somebody came in contact with. We, we know that he comes in contact with some young man. He comes in contact with some young women. I'd like to maybe touch on marriage. I'd like to maybe touch on a subject that we don't touch on at all, and that is singlehood.
Very, very important subject.
Amongst the people of God, singlehood, we don't do well with it.
At the end of Samuel's life, there's another thing we take. It's interesting. At the end of the Samuel's life, it says, and Samuel died.
You know, how is it that we never talk about death other than at a funeral? And at that time our emotions are.
They're they're, they're over the top. And, and it's, it's hard to perhaps address those things. And, and usually we, we try to completely eclipse the subject of the death with the coming of the Lord. And that is not a bad thing. That is not a bad thing. We, we, we, we appreciate the coming of the Lord is something that's eminent. You know, I lived with a sister.
Umm, before I was married, Ruby Wolf, you know, there's this, umm, there's this plaque we sometimes see on a wall, don't we? And it says perhaps today, this sister used to get up every day and as I go at the door, she'd say probably today, you know, I really enjoyed that. And it's, it's something that that we that's needful for us to have before us. But as I said, sometimes it eclipses.
The thought of death.
I was at a funeral a couple weeks ago.
Young man.
30 years old.
Not exactly expected.
Lord will leave us here for some time. It would affect.
Many of us.
Have we addressed?
That subject? Well, before we get there, let's look at his birth in First Samuel.
1St chapter There came a certain man of Ramaph.
Ramazzam Zofem of Mount Ephraim, and his name was El Cana, the son of Jerome, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu the son of Zuff and Ephrathyte, and he had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, name of the other was Penina. Penina has children but Hannah had no children.
Just stop there.
Sometimes God in his sovereign ways.
Have seen to it.
Some of us have children.
Some don't.
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Both are ordered of him.
Both are a very blessed thing.
In this case we have.
Umm, we have a sister, Hannah, Umm, and she desired, I don't believe she just desired to have a son. She desired to have a deliverer for the people of God. That's what she really desired in her heart. It was a time in Israel's history that was at an all time low. And oh, she desired to have a deliverer for God's people.
Oh, that there were delivers here, these young men that are sitting in the front row, how we desire delivers for God's people. And when the time was that Elquina offered, he gave the Padina his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters portions. But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion, for he loved Hannah, but the Lord had shut up her womb.
And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb, and as He did so year by year, when she went up to the House of the Lord, she provoked her. Therefore she wept and did not eat.
Here's a woman who has seen some sorrow.
Verse 9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon the seat by the post of the temple of the Lord. Interesting. Now this line of priests is through the line of Itamar. It wasn't through the line of Eliezer, which changes later on in the book. And she vowed a vow here it says.
He liked to preach, sat upon a seat by the post of the temple of the Lord, and she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord a wept sword. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts.
Thou L indeed look upon the affliction of thine handmaid, and Remember Me, and not forget thine handmaid, but will give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall come no razor upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart, on her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought that she had drunken.
And Eli said unto her.
How will, how long will thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee? Anna answered and said, Nay, no, my Lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord.
Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Oh, a bright spot in Eli's life, Go in peace, the God of Israel, grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat.
And her countenance was no more sad.
I want to look at this time, lest I forget to.
Umm, a verse in Chapter 9.
It doesn't say this about Hannah, but it gives the thought this morning in our in our prayer meeting.
Our brother Henry made a comment in his prayer that I really appreciated because I've been doing a little study on a comment that he made comment that he made in his prayer meeting this morning and I really appreciate it. He, he besought the Lord. He said, Lord look upon us.
Look upon us. Notice what it says in Chapter 9 here.
And verse 16 tomorrow about this time, I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people into the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon my people. That's a that's a statement we find a number of times in the word of God. We have it in connection with the people of God when they're under ******* in Egypt. And the Lord says I have looked upon their affliction.
We have it in connection with Leah. When Leah was to give birth, she said the Lord has looked.
Upon my affliction, you know, we go to the Gospels. What do we find in connection with Peter?
It says and the Lord looked on Peter.
Oh my, each one of us find the Lord looking upon us this afternoon.
For blessing in our lives. So here we find that although we don't have that expression here, we find the very same thought it came to pass. Verse 20.
When the time was come about, after Hannah had conceived that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord, and the man Alkena and all his his went up to OfferUp offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice in his vow. But Hannah went not up, for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may be a that he may.
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Appear before the Lord, and there abide forever in Alkina. Her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good.
Tariantov weaned him, only the Lord established His word. So the woman abode and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
Now I'm just gonna read the next little portion here. When she had weaned him, she, she took him up with her with three bullocks and one heef of flour and a bottle of wine, and brought him into the House of the Lord in Shiloh when the child was young. And they slew a Bullock and brought the child to Eli. And she said, Oh my Lord, as thy soul liveth, my Lord, I am the woman you know. I just love this spirit.
Because.
You know, if you look in the next, if you look at her prayer and I I would encourage you to to look at Hannah's prayer. It it it's such a beautiful prayer. In the third verse of the second chapter she says talk no more so exceedingly proud. Let not arrogance see come out of your mouth for God is the Lord is the God of knowledge and by him actions are ways. I just think of all the many things that Hannah could could say to Eli at this time that would have been absolutely true. She could have said, you know, I'm the woman that stood here and you thought I was in a drunken stupor. There's none of that.
Beautiful, beautiful spirit that we hear, see here in connection with Hannah, she says, Oh my Lord, as I so liveth, my Lord, I am the woman.
That stood by the year, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition, which I asked of him. Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he liveth, he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.
We won't do this.
But if we were to look at the circumstances.
Into which this young boy was taken to this place as.
As to what was going on there, it would have been the very, very last place on the face of this earth that we would have wanted to take our child.
But here's a woman, she has such confidence in the Lord.
What does she say in the next chapter? She says he will keep the feet of his Saints.
He will keep the feet of his Saints.
You know, I'm just gonna interject at this point.
The rest of the story that I told this morning.
And there might be some here that didn't hear it, so just reiterate. I was at a woman's house this past week and I had spoken to her with regards to her father. I'd gone to see her father. Her father's a cancer patient. He's not long for this world.
When I arrived at his house.
There was dogs barking. I rapped on the door, he opened the door. I came in there. There was there was two dogs in in cages. They were they were causing an awful fuss barking and they were the pups from the other two. They were as I said this morning, they were plus 90 plus pounds big dogs. The mother was a little bit bigger. The male who wasn't caged and was in the corner 160 lbs of him he immediately.
Stood up, marched toward me with purpose and quickly, and came and put his head right up against my leg and growled. This growl was, as I mentioned earlier, was like.
I, I only said it was like a Harley that was being Rev, but it was like one that had an old muffler. He was really growling. And to, to add to it, the other two dogs that were cheating, they were egging this other one on. And I'm thinking the man has just told me that, uh, these dogs, umm, they're not going to hurt me really.
Umm.
I don't know how else to explain the the situation except my eyes were really big.
And you know, umm, it's often that, lo, it's often like that, the scenarios that come across our pathway that umm, you know, the scripture says be not as afraid of sudden fear. It's something that we are afraid of sudden fear. Umm, the man, the man was grinning at me because obviously he'd seen this scenario happen before. He said, don't worry at all. He said, actually just reach down and start, uh, and start uh, rubbing them under the ears.
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You know, I'm, you know, and I, I, I started to do that and you know, the dog, just the, the huge growl just kind of starts calm breakdown. And he was just, they sound like a purring cat. And I thought, well, that's amazing.
Here I thought, umm, uh, it was the end of May. And yet, you know, dear ones, often the Lord speaks to us just like that man spoke to me.
And we don't believe him.
We do not believe him. I didn't believe that man for a minute that this dog was not going to hurt me.
You know.
This portion that we have if we were to go into the UMM.
Into the the next chapter and you know, I'm, I'm just going to do something here that's umm, that's maybe gonna have effect on a certain amount of people here. Look at umm, look at umm, these new Bibles are hard.
I'm looking for the place.
Where it says umm.
It says here the Baron hath brought forth seven. Third is the fifth verse of the second chapter.
It's it's for those here.
Who have had the sorrow of the Lord taking home a little one?
And I, I know that there's a lot here that have had that sorrow, perhaps in miscarriage or perhaps like my wife and I to have a couple of children that, that were born and they lived for a short while and then the Lord took them home. Or perhaps there's some here who have had, uh, children taken home. There are lots in the word that have had this sorrow. And I would just suggest this because it says here in verse 20.
One of the chapter the Lord visited Hannah so she conceived their three sons, two daughters that's five and the child Samuel 6 but she says here in that in that earlier portion the Baron half born 7 for anybody that would like to speak with me after about this that have gone through that sorrow. I'd be happy and I don't wanna take it up now, but I believe that perhaps if you look at.
Some other scriptures in connection with this dear woman that she perhaps passed through that sorrow and I know it's a real sorrow and it's hard, you know, because often when I.
Often when there are dear sisters here that have the joy of looking forward to having a little one, and then the Lord takes them home and umm.
It's very, very difficult.
And umm, and only the Lord can come in in a special way and you know, people, well meaning people draw alongside and say, you know what? Time heals things and uh, but you know.
Once we have little ones that are born like that, umm, people ask us how many children we have. I always say 6.
Two little ones before they took home. They'd be 30 now.
But it's very real and those of you who have gone through that sorrow.
Umm, my heart aches with you knowing what the sorrow is and knowing too that here's a woman that had a sorrow to in a very special way. But take those scriptures and there's other scriptures to add to it. As I said, we could, we could look at if you and I always enjoy a time like this because there's many brethren that come up with many other meditations that they have in connection with these things. Let's, uh, let's pass on now.
To umm, to Samuel himself.
In the third chapter, the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. So here's this young boy.
The word of the Lord is precious. In those days there was no open vision.
And this is the portion that we, we, umm, we look at in Sunday school sometimes. I'm not gonna take it up in that vein. Uh, the Lord called Samuels. We have in the fourth verse, the sixth verse, the Lord called yet Samuel again and uh, seven first. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. And the Lord called Samuel on the 8th, 1St the third time we have this discourse between him and Eli and the eighth verse where he arose and went to Eli and said, here am I for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
Therefore Eli sent him to Samuel. Go lie down, and it shall be if he called thee, that thou shalt say, Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.
You know, that was wonderful advice for Eli, that that came from Eli. And that is tremendous advice for every one of us here. Speak, Lord, for thy servant, heareth. Do we do we do we do that in the morning?
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Did we do that this morning when we got up? Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.
You know, we understand the concept of the Lord speaking and we like that.
And we understand the concept of hearing.
And we like that too.
But the concept.
Of being a servant.
And having no will of our own.
So that we really get the message.
That's where sometimes we have a hard time believing what the Lord says, just like I had a hard time believing that man when he said to me, dogs aren't going to hurt you.
Speak, Lord.
For thy servant.
Heereth.
I might say that if we say speak Lord, I'm going to hear.
That's not really gonna interrupt our lives very much.
But if we say, speak, Lord for thy servant, hear us.
And we really, truly want to take that character. It is going to interrupt our lives.
I I don't particularly like to have my life interrupted. I've had it interrupted lots.
But if we really, truly.
Pray here.
What Eli said to dear little Samuel. Speak, Lord.
For thy servant heareth it is going to indeed.
Rearrange.
Our life.
We know what happens.
Umm, let's say we take up these rest of these verses in the Sunday school. We we sing umm.
Oh, give me Samuel's ear. You know, I wonder if that actually comes from another portion.
In in in verse Chapter 9.
Just just a detail here that.
I I'm always amazed at the the the details of the of the Spirit of God lays out in in Chapter 9.
And verse 15.
And we would read it this way. Now the Lord had told Samuel a day before Saul came saying, and so on. But that's not what it says. It says the Lord had told Samuel in his ear.
No interesting detail.
In his ear. I those of you who are students, I, I would encourage you to look at Mr. Darby's note which transfers us over to the book of Ruth. And then it goes through a number of them in, in first and second Samuel in connection with this thought. But isn't that an interesting statement? The Lord had told Samuel in his ear that there would be no mistake as to his communication. And that's what the Lord's desire is for each one of us, that when there's a communication, it's not vague.
And that's where I have difficulty. The Lord gives me a very, very straight, clear message and I skate and maybe try to arrange the message a little differently. There's no question here, the Lord had told Samuel in his ear. Well, back to our chapter here. Let's go on to.
To the end of the third chapter.
Where we have some growth with Samuel.
And we could pick up on that.
Umm, in the previous in the previous chapter, the 2nd chapter, we find in 21St the child Samuel grew before the Lord and the 26th the child Samuel grew on here, the 19th chapter that Samuel grew. And I just maybe pause there for a moment. I hadn't thought of this at the time, but.
Many of us were here last year.
Has there been growth?
Has there been? Has there been real growth in our lives?
That's a searching question, isn't it? Now here in the in the in the 4th chapter.
It says the word of the Lord. The word of Samuel came unto all Israel. I'm going to compare this chapter here.
To what we have in UMM.
In the 7th chapter, So in chapter 4, the word of Samuel came to all Israel now. Now Israel went out against the Philistines of battle and pitched beside Ebenezer. The Philistines pitched in aphic. The Philistines put themselves in a ray against Israel. And when they had joined the battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines and they slew of the of the army in the field about 4000 men. Where it's not given to us what the communication of Samuel was to the people of God, that's not given to us.
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But what is given to us is that they went into battle. No direction from the Lord for them to go into battle. None.
And isn't that like me sometimes?
When there's no direction from the Lord to do something and I.
Decide that that's really what I should be doing. No direction here, and it didn't end well. Didn't end well at all. 4000 slain. Now let's flip over, as I said, to the 7th chapter.
The the communication here is very interesting because.
Samuel speaking in the third verse of Chapter 7, Samuel spake unto all the House of Israel, saying, If you do, return unto the Lord with all your hearts. And as I say, I don't know what he communicated to the people of God at that time, but evidently it wasn't listened to. If you do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and asteroids from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the children of Israel did put away Balaam and Ashtaroth, and serve the Lord only.
And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to MISPA, and I will pray for you unto the Lord.
You know, Samuel was someone, it might be good to look at a couple of verses that turn over to, uh, the Psalms, Psalm 99 for a moment. Sorry for all these scriptures that we're turning to. Uh, we're not going to touch on all 143 times to mention Samuel, but there's a few that are very helpful for us. So Psalm 99 and the sixth verse.
We read three people that interceded.
For the people of God, Moses we read about a number of times, Aaron in #16 particularly Moses in Exodus 32, but Aaron in in Numbers 13, where we read that he stood between the living and the dead. And it says, and Moses, Aaron among the priests, and Samuel among them, that call upon his name. They called upon the Lord, and he answered them. And then turn over to the book of Jeremiah for a moment. Jeremiah chapter 15.
And the Lord speaking in connection with his people that have gone astray in Jeremiah 15 and the first verse then said, the Lord unto me through most, though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be towards this people. Here's two people he selects as those that earnestly interceded for the people of God. And that particular time in Jeremiah's day, he says it's going to be of no effect.
But Samuel was a man that interceded for the people of God.
And in connection with that previous chapter, when there was when there was failure with the with the Philistines, it says here in the eighth verse.
Of Chapter 7, First Samuel. The children of Israel came to Samuel.
They said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, and he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
Samuel took a ******* lamb.
And he offered it.
Wholly unto the Lord. And Samuel cried unto the Lord, and Israel, and the Lord heard him.
And Samuel was offering up the burnt, offering the Philistines junior to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered a great Thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomforted them.
And they were smitten before Israel.
And the men of Israel went out of mitzvah and pursued the Philistines, and smoked them until they came onto Beth's car. And Samuel took a stone and set it between Mispa and Shannon called the name of it Ebenezer, saying hitherto.
Hath the Lord helped us?
My brother shared with me once.
I can find it in my hymn book.
Some of these hymns have been altered.
UMM and I appreciate the alterations that are that are have been for our good and blessing. It's good sometimes to look at some of the original UMM exercises of those that penned these hymns #10 in our appendix goes like this. In the original, Mr. Newton penned it this way. His love and times past forbids us to think he'll leave us at last in trouble to sink.
The next two lines. This is how Mr. Newton penned it.
Each sweet Ebenezer.
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I have in review confirms his good pleasure to help me.
Quite through. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that beautiful? And I appreciate the thought that we have in that tense hymn as well. It's a wonderful thing. But in connection with what we have here, Samuel took a stone, set it between Mispa and Shen, and call the name of it. Ebenezer saying hit her to Hath the Lord helped us? And isn't that something that everyone of us?
Can do as we look over our pathway.
Now the next chapter.
We had this brought before us this morning.
In the 8th chapter we progress. Now Samuel has brought his family up.
Looking to pass when Samuel was old.
He made his son's judges over Israel.
The name of the first born was Jewel.
In the name of the second the buyer. They were judges in Beersheba.
And his sons walked not.
In his ways, but turned aside after lucre and took bribes and perverted judgment.
All the elders gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel and to Raima, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways.
Before we go on to what our brother brought before us this morning in connection with the.
These first few verses.
They touch a pretty raw spot with many of us here.
That have had children.
That have been brought up in the fear of God.
But have decided not to walk.
In the ways in which they were brought up.
And I would suggest that this is one of the times.
In Samuel's history.
When the enemy came in like a flood.
With these two boys that he's had such high hopes for.
They were born as two little babies.
He sought to bring them up.
They came to the point where.
They were so showing some some ability. They came to the point where he thought he could put them in a position where they'd be a help to the people of God and it was disastrous.
And at that point in our lives.
The enemy says.
Throw the towel in.
It's of no use.
All this time and effort that you've poured into your child.
I would just like to.
The encouragement to any here.
Who have heavy, heavy hearts.
Who have wept and sobbed?
Over your children.
May I be an encouragement to you?
See Samuel.
And how he purposely went on from this point on in a manner that he was such a help to the people of God. Oh, how the enemy wanted to turn him aside at this point. How the enemy wants to turn us aside when that is our portion.
May the Word of God be an encouragement to us.
But these things are real.
And David could say in the early Psalms the 4th Psalm in pressure.
I'm enlarged.
Some of us have parents.
That have caused us grief.
Some of us have partners that have caused this grief. That is a time when the enemy wants to come in.
And destroy.
Wants to come in in a special way, a special attack to seek to get us to be discouraged and to get our eyes.
Off that blessed one, our Lord Jesus.
I don't know what it took.
To have the people of God always to have that upward gaze to to go through.
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The wilderness and every time that pillar of fire moved, every time the the cloud moved to have an uplifted gaze. You know they didn't always do it. And we know that because it says when they came to eat them.
There's this this discussion that goes on. There's this negotiation with Edom. I'd like to go through your land. And Edom says, no, you're not going to do that. Well, we're not going to. We're not going to eat anything. We're not going to drink anything. We're just going to stay on the Kings Highway. We're just going to go right through. No, you're not going to do it. I read that portion. I thought, why not just look at the cloud? Why not? Why not just look at pillar fire? Forget about what the enemy says. Just look at the cloud and do just what the cloud. You know, sometimes there are those times in our lives.
When we've been looking down and the cloud has moved and we haven't seen it and when we look up it's way over there and how did it get there? Did it go this way? Did it go that way? Did it go back this way 1St and then come around that way?
Those things are very, very real. And it's times like this in our life that the enemy of our souls would have us to get our eyes instead of being lifted up to have our gaze downward. Oh, maybe we'd be encouraged by Samuel's pathway. But now comes this very, very difficult time in in, in Samuel's life.
They come to Samuel and it says here as our brother read to us this morning.
The thing that pleased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
Well, it sounds as Samuel, hearken unto the voices of the people in all that they say unto thee. For they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them, according to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt. Unto this day wherewith they have forsaken me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice. Howbeit solemnly, protest, protest solemnly.
What a time this was for Samuel to hear these words from the people of God and to to just be so burdened about it and to go to the Lord and know he was right.
And and to to be be able to tell the Lord the whole story and to say, you know, they shouldn't be asking for a king. And the Lord says, umm, give him a king. Really.
Sometimes there are those scenarios in our own life.
Now it says about the minivisacar they had understanding of the times.
Know what Israel ought to do.
And here the Lord said give him a king. You know what was at stake here. We find it in the UMM in the 12Th chapter.
This is what was at stake in this 8th chapter.
Chapter 12.
Chapter 12.
And verse 11 The Lord sent Zerubbabel, umm beaten Jephthah, and Samuel delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelt safe. But when he saw that Nehash, the king of the children of Ammon, came against you, he said unto me, Nay, but a king shall reign over us, when the Lord your God was king. That is the issue. In the 8th chapter it was Nahash.
You know what characterized Nahash? We don't have the time, but if we were to to look at it in the rest of this chapter, what Ehas wanted to do, he wanted to poke out.
The right eyes of all the people.
That's what you want to do, and if you can, just picture an army standing there with their Shields.
And poking out behind behind that shield with that eye.
That's already poked out. You'd have to put your whole head out and make you susceptible to getting slaughtered by the enemy.
That's what the implications were of having their right eyes plucked out. And, you know, that's what the enemy of our souls. We hadn't, we had just in our, our reading, umm, uh, Thursday night, uh, in, uh, in Regal Ferry, in, uh, in first Corinthians, turn there for a moment because this is really what's at stake all the way through our lives in, in first Corinthians chapter 2.
The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for their foolishness unto him. Verse 14 of chapter two of First Corinthians.
The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for their foolishness under him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually.
Discerned. The enemy of our souls wants to do away with our spiritual discernment, and that's what's at stake there in the 8th and the 12Th chapter. So let's go back to the first Samuel.
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We're we're not doing well here.
With time, so we're going to skip over.
And.
Maybe look at the 15th chapter for a moment.
15th chapter.
Then came and and verse 10. Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up a Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments, And it grieves Samuel.
And he cried unto the Lord.
All night.
I mentioned Samuel was a was a real.
Man of intercession, this has challenged me. I don't know, but you feel you. You young folks here, have you done any all nighters ever?
Samuel did.
And it gave him tremendous moral power.
I, I, I pray lots and long. I don't know that I've ever done an all nighter. Samuel. It says he cried unto the Lord.
All night.
Now let's go back to Chapter 9.
So we'll look at two more portions. We'll look at the there's many, many that I had anticipated looking at, which we won't look at. We'll look at Chapter 9 and we'll look at Chapter 25.
In Chapter 9, this has to do with the ***** and has to do with Saul being being anointed.
And we find this, this scenario in the 11Th verse that has touched my heart because we find.
We find 2 expressions 1 here in the 11Th verse it says that they went up to the hills of the city. They found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? And they answered him and said, He is, Behold, he is before you. Make haste now, for he came today to the city, for that the sacrifice of the people today in the high place. And as soon as he'd be coming to the city, he shall straightway find him before he go up to the high place to eat, for the people will not.
Until they come, because they just bless the sacrifice.
Uh, I'm gonna read one other portion. Umm.
In in chapter 13.
I'm sorry.
Umm, where do we find the? There's a verse that says in connection with all there followed him a band.
Of men whose heart?
Whose heart Scott had touched.
Let me find that for me.
Thank you. Chapter 10, verse 26.
The next chapter.
And Saul also went home to give you, and there went with him a band of men whose hearts God had touched. And we don't have the time to look at the previous verses which have to do with Samuel, but I would like to make this comment to those here who are young men and those here who are young women.
It's a beautiful portion, isn't it, to see these young women going up to draw water. And there's been so many young sisters here that for my good and blessing have shared things with me to show that they've drawn water. And I, I would just make this comment because I, I made it earlier in connection with our young people.
We read in in Genesis. It is not good.
For man to dwell alone.
And maybe we push that.
Beyond what we should.
I say that because.
It's not for.
Every young sister in this room to be married.
It's not for.
Every young brother.
In this room to be married.
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It's a wonderful thing. It's it's something that I've enjoyed in my own life. It's something I look forward to as a young person, but it is not for everyone.
And sometimes.
We make it as gathered Saints. Very awkward for someone.
And that's not to be their portion.
And I would encourage you young people, if that is the portion that the Lord has for you, it's a wonderful portion.
If the Lord has for you.
To live a life of singlehood, That too.
Is a wonderful portion.
And let's be careful in our interaction with each other.
As to what perhaps the pathway of the Lord is for each one of us. My daughter challenged me a couple of years ago. I was on her case. Umm, she flagged a couple of guys by and as a dad, I'd like to see her married. And she said, she sat me down one day and she said, you know, dad, I'm very, very happy.
I am very, very happy. I am busy.
My life is very productive.
I'm very happy with my walk with the Lord.
I'm not sure the Lord wants me to be married.
So then a young man came along.
And drew alongside her.
And she said the same thing to him.
She said. You know.
I am very happy.
With my life.
The Lord is really blessed by efforts.
And you're gonna have to really convince me.
That to move out of this situation is better.
Dear sisters.
Those of you who.
Perhaps would love to be married, but maybe it's not what the Lord has for you.
I would I would encourage you to be like these young sisters.
That went up to draw water.
We don't read any sadness here, we read of those that live the happy, fulfilling life and there are those in the word that were like that.
Let's be mindful of what the Lord's pathway is for us.
The pathway of his choosing, if it is to be married, wonderful, but if it's not, wonderful as well. And I would say the same to you, dear young brothers. Now let's turn to chapter 25, chapter 25, verse one.
First Samuel 25 and verse one.
And Samuel died.
And all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house in Raima. And David arose and went down to the wilderness apparent.
That's an interesting statement, isn't it? Ann Samuel died.
You know there's a brother in our assembly.
He's in a nursing home. How now? Charlie Luby And we love very much.
It's very hard scenario now for for him and and Aleta who have been a tremendous blessing to those of us in Rio Ferry.
He's in the home, she's living in her house. Umm, she goes there every day. It's hard.
Charlie had a chat with me a number of years ago.
He said. You know Dave, umm.
We have an interesting perspective in our society on death.
I said all.
He said yeah, when I was a boy.
People came to the point where.
They realized where they were well and, uh, death was on the horizon and they got down to business and died. They put their house in order and they and they died.
You know, I I don't read here that Samuel's son, UMM looked the situation over and decided, you know, it's really time to pull the life support.
We live in a different society.
Then since Samuel lived there.
We live in a different society with regards to these things and because of that we we we don't talk about them as as to.
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We we enjoy the the thought of the Lord's coming so much that it it sometimes eclipses us being able to practically exercise the things that we need to do in our lives. Let me ask a question in this company, how many people have wills? Well, if we were really expecting the Lord to come today, why would I bother to do a will? You know, I did one.
Ten years ago and we just did another one and it's very different. We had little children there and we had uncles and aunts that were looking after these little ones and umm, there are practical things in our lives that we need to deal with. And one of the things that that my son Umm said that is going to be a scenario that that comes to the forefront that he sees all the time is what?
They call where he works a procedure and what is it we call lots of things procedures.
It's medically assisted suicide.
You know on Samuel's day that that that's, that wasn't something that was ever raised. It's not something that was ever raised 20 years ago.
It's been, it's been, it's been crowded into our society. God is the author of life.
And that's a wonderful thing, you know, I.
And I appreciated your YY, your grandfather, Ralph Earson. And he's, I appreciated him because we were in Florida within, I so enjoyed his Sunday school classes. Uh, was, was a delight. And it was, it was hard for me when he was, when your family moved them back to, to uh, to Chicago, but became that time in his life.
Where he's in the hospital and there's not too much time and a nurse draws alongside his bed and she's trying to find out just how coherent he is and whatever. And she says to him, so do you know where you are? And dear brother Ralph says, yes, I'm on my deathbed. That is a marvelous thing. You know, I don't understand the concept of we we have people that are that are they're way beyond their three score and 10 and and.
And and we we pray that.
They've got a terminal illness and and we pray that the Lord would raise them up. You know, I these things are real. There comes there comes a time when.
As I said, God is the author of life and it's a blessed thing. I remember being down in umm, in California, there was a, there was a group of us, Umm, Bruce, you may have been there. We were in umm, we were in Charles and Bernice's home. We were talking about the Lord's coming.
And umm, brother Charles was quiet and we several brethren were talking about the, you know, his, his coming and, and how wonderful it is. And at the end of it, he, he said that, you know, umm, I'm really looking forward to the Lord's coming too. But you know what I really want, what I really want is to go through the article of death, just like my blessed Lord.
And the Lord granted him that. And I believe that's the portion that we have. We know when we read a scripture that says blessed.
In the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints. I believe that's the thought someone going through the article of death just like he did. We don't talk about these things. We eclipsed it with the Lord's coming, which is is wonderful and that's what we need to have before us on a daily basis.
But if the Lord leaves us here, there are some of us who are going to be taken.
There was a time in my life where I.
Look death square in the face, the doctor said. You've got cancer.
And it was the king of terrors, as we read in the word of God.
How do we face these things when they come upon us?
Let's not end there though. You know it says he was buried in Rhema. If we're to turn to the UMM.
We've already gone over time here if we return to the 4th.
The umm, the 7th chapter just for one verse before we close.
Verse 15, Chapter 7, Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year and circuit the Bethel and Gilgal and Mispa and judged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Rhema, for there was his house, and there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar unto the Lord. You know what Rhema means? It means the high places. That's where Samuel dwelt.
That's where we need to dwell. That's a blessed thing.
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A blessed thing to dwell in the high places, to keep our eyes lifted up. That's where our gaze needs to be. Yes, there's these practical things that are needful for us, but we are looking for that moment when the Lord Jesus will give that shout to call us home to be with himself. And that's a marvelous, marvelous hope that we have before us all that we might dwell in Rhema. And you know, that's where they buried him. They buried him. That's where his heart was. His heart was in the high places, and that's where he was buried.
Wonderful story. You know, if we were to turn, let's let's turn to that last verse of that hymn that we we sang. If we were to turn the book of Acts, we find Samuel mentioned a number of times and it's always in a in a very positive note as he was such a blessing to the people of God. But let's turn now to that, to him.
Would somebody help me with the number even? Sorry, thank you Number 86, if somebody could raise the last verse.
Of number 86.
I'm going to stay in the electronics days.
'Re going to show like.
Those five training comments and then everything.
Is there anything different?
I don't know my magnifying.
We pray, our God and our Father, we thank Thee for Thy precious word. We thank Thee that we're able to sing thoughts like these, and we earnestly pray that Thy love would indeed constrain us.
We thank Thee for the life of Samuel, and we thank Thee, our God for each one here. We just would earnestly pray that each of us will be able to say on a regular basis, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.
And that we might find ourselves dwelling at Rhema and to be mindful too.
Of Ebenezer, as we look over our pathway and realize hitherto hath the Lord helped us, and so we just would ask our God now for thy help as we go through the rest of this day for thy blessing upon us, and we do so in the worthy.
In the precious name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, Amen.