“Samuel: Intercession” - part 1

Let us look once again at Samuel, to continue our study in the intercession ministry of the Church.

As we saw last week, Hannah’s prayer in chapter one of   1 Samuel gave witness to the power of divine providence to create possibilities for the future that seemed impossible through human and historical resources alone.

Samuel’s birth, the outcome of her prayer, suggested hope for perishing Israel. 

Israel’s future was to be changed through his birth by tying it to kingship in Israel in establishing it as a nation.

Always remember that the Lord’s providential working in this way affirmed His presence and the going on in His salvation history as it would ultimately be consummated in Jesus Christ.

The true source of transforming power was to be, and is in Him and - by the grace of God that was showered upon Hannah - this insight into spiritual life that we know now in Christ - was being foreshadowed.

The key line in her praise song to this truth is in 1 Sam 2:9: ‘For not by might does one prevail’.

It gives rise to this truth of wealth, - that all treasures are in Him, and what we have each moment, grace upon grace, we have in Christ alone.

Every generation has needed this word: ‘...for not by might does one prevail...’. 
Especially do we need this today, because it speaks of one of the most enduring of human temptations - the temptation to believe that we can control our own destiny and, perhaps, the outcome of history, as well.

Hannah’s hope became hope for Israel and, - for us, too - for, it is a hope that does not tilt in favor of what the world defines as ‘might’ - that definition leaves us powerless and without hope.

We live in a time that constantly evidences a belief in human might, - a hopeless, impotent might that has such finality in its limitations.

Look at what is going on in our nation today. 

We pride ourselves in our military might, in our political might, in our technological might, in our diplomatic might.

Even at the personal level, we live in a society that worships the might of the individual, of self-fulfillment and the ways to get to that place.

And in our churches, we think much about the might in membership growth, the might in program enhancing, the might in maintenance handling.

It is a difficult admission to say that no man can be strong through his own power, is it not?

It is in Hannah’s experience that we see a different reality altogether at work in the world - a reality that so many of us fail to acknowledge, even in our daily family lives.     

Hannah saw Jehovah as a God Who could reverse this world’s pattern, its power arrangement - she did not see in Him a ‘might’ exercised in an unconcerned, disinterested, self-serving way.

But - she saw One Who invested in the downtrodden, in the powerless, in the barren - giving new life in grace and power.

Paul wrote about this surprising shape of God’s power in 
1 Cor 1:27-29: ‘God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,  and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God.’ (NASV) 

Thus, in Hannah’s prayer, and tonight - in Samuel’s young life, as I hope we will see - the priorities of God are invested in those without power and might by the world’s standards - those the world believes cannot possibly prevail.

Her child, Samuel, given in a direct, mighty answer to her prayer, under the surroundings of prayer, was to develop into a man of prayer and character in the Lord’s  determined plan.

I would like to look into his childhood, tonight, as the Lord prepared him for this mighty work.

The transition from his mother’s care into the care of Eli, the priest, started early in his life.

Let us start in ch 2, verse 11 where already we see: ‘And the child did minister unto the Lord’.

As a young boy, he learned from Eli - under his superintendence and instructions.

He served in the presence of the Lord, helping in the duties that were performed by the priests in worship.

And - in following on in vs 12-17, Eli’s sons could have served as threats to Samuel’s godly upbringing, except for the mighty, protecting grace of God working on Samuel’s behalf.

Hophni and Phinehas turned out to be worthless priests, and did not trouble themselves about the Lord nor did they fear Him. (v 12)

They went so far as exercising their personal might through intimidation (see v 16 for this), showing contempt toward God’s ordinance of sacrifice.

God is to be praised for keeping Samuel from their evil influences: they were an abomination to the Lord, but, in contrast to their foolishness, the record states: ‘but Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child girded with a linen ephod.’(v 18)

His priestly clothing, supplied by his mother, was in harmony with the spiritual relation in which he stood to Eli and to the Lord. 

And, in v 21, ‘the boy Samuel grew up with the Lord’, near Him, under His protection and blessing, and continued to ‘grow on, and was in favor both with the Lord, and also with men.’ (v 26)

In 3:1, we see there: ‘...the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days: there was no open vision.’

The Lord’s call came to Samuel shortly after, so that, by
v 7, we see the following: ‘Now Samuel did not know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him’.

It was Eli who perceived that it was the Lord calling Samuel one night.

Samuel had never heard the Lord’s voice before, had never had any personal dealings with Him - this was his very first personal encounter with the Lord God Most High!

The Lord was about to speak directly to Samuel, giving a direct revelation of Himself, a personal revelation of Himself, 
to this young child who was not mighty in strength and power, but who was mighty in heart.

It was at the third call - after Eli’s instruction to him about listening to the Lord’s voice - that Samuel responded to the call of the Lord.

What a blessed testimony of our Lord - approaching, calling a little child, a child who could have easily panicked and become frightened so as not to be in a position to hear and listen to a God of might and power, yet a tender God of love being expressed to a young boy’s heart.

I cannot help but wonder how Eli felt about Jehovah finally opening the window of heaven to visit the land once again through this revelation of Himself to Samuel!

And - doing it through a little child, no less! 
That is humbling to a grown, mighty man - and a high priest, at that! 

Samuel’s childlike heart responded so easily, so directly: ‘Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth’, - such a response of willingness, of submission, of the listening heart to commune with his God. (3:10)

Does it not do your heart good when we, first find ourselves in such a position before the Lord, with a listening, softened, childlike heart, and, then, to see others of His children respond the same way toward the ministry of His Word?

When visiting with Dan Holmes last Monday, my heart was blessed beyond words! 

I met an altogether different Dan.

His face was shining as I had never seen it before.

As I inquired as to what had happened, he told me, how he found himself crying out to the Lord with his whole heart and then he realized that the Lord was changing his entire being.

‘It was a miracle’ he told me, and now he understands what Paul said in 2.Cor.5:17, ‘...If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away, behold they have become new.’ (Interlinear)

He said several times, ‘It is a miracle! - I feel so alive and so free!’ 

He wondered why he could not have seen it before in all those years of his life.

I was able to assure him that this was God’s time for him, and so the Lord called him with His effectual call, revealed Himself to Dan, and Dan responded. ‘Thank God!’

Here is proof once again, that a closed, hardened heart cannot receive anything from the Lord - his heart had been  closed for a very long time.

And - it took some time for the Lord to break it open and soften it to hear His voice.
 
Only as the heart opens to the glory of Christ and the salvation He so freely gives can anyone receive from Him.

Yes, ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear...’ (Isa 59:1)

On Wednesday evenings and on Sunday mornings, we have been praying much for this young man in intercession.

The news was not always very encouraging along the way.

But - I say, - and I hope you join with me in saying, - ‘Praise the Name of the Lord our God!’ - that Name that speaks of His omnipotent way!  

This is another vindication of His mighty, saving power. 

And - now - before we go on with Samuel, I would also like to say to each of us, as my long-time friend, David DuPlesis, said to me once when he was alive: ‘Sieg, God always catches his fish first, and then, he cleans them.’ - so it will be with this new creation in Christ.

We do not expect perfection but we do expect the continuation of a whole new inclination of life - to increase his understanding of the measure of Christ now within him - of an increasing abhorrence toward sin and those things that displease our Lord. 

This will be the time to go on standing in intercession as the Lord continues His work in him - a work that each of us ought to be appreciating more and more as He also is continuing that same work in us, His people, His Church. 

The Lord is not through with any of us yet, so we all stand together with this new life in Christ.

And, let me encourage each one of us to keep our hearts open before the Lord - let Him soften the hard parts in us, and make us pliable to Him and His will.

We all need a ‘Samuel childlike heart’ - a heart that will respond lovingly to our Lord Jesus Christ, to be able to freely receive a greater revelation of Himself in us.

I mention all of this because it is in these prayer influences, being in direct contact with them in God’s sanctuary of His people, under which the Church always is to operate.

Now continuing with Samuel, ‘The Lord came and stood...’ (v 10) before Samuel - it was not a dream - this was real - this was an objectively, real time of Jehovah’s self-manifestation to this child. 

To Samuel’s soft, listening heart, the Lord was able to speak - and speak He did!

He told this little child of what He was about to do.

When Samuel replied just as Eli had instructed him to do, the Lord announced His judgment against Eli’s house, for the sins of Eli’s sons. 

What they did brought a cursing upon themselves, as the Hebrew language indicates, and Eli’s whole house would be judged without the punishment ever being removed from it.

When Eli inquired about the divine revelation given to Samuel, Samuel told him everything.

How hard it must have been for this young boy - to tell the person that he probably honored and respected most, not only as the high priest but also as his own parental guardian, about this terrible news.

But as difficult as that may have been for him, and as young as he was, he proved himself to be someone who the Lord could trust to carry forward His divine word - and THAT was the important part of Samuel’s entire life.

See how it is emphasized in chapter 3:19: ‘Samuel grew before the Lord, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of His words fall to the ground.’

Notice that: ‘...he left no word unfulfilled which the Lord had spoken to him’ - ‘...he did not ignore any of his words.’

How many times has the word been spoken to our hearts: ‘be kind one to another, patient, forgiving...pray for one another...’ and so many other words and we have left them unfulfilled - let them fall to the ground?

Is this not an amazing, wonderful, and exciting example of our Lord’s perfect ways in the heart of one whose heart is so inclined to Him alone?
There is here a very young child, having been under his parents’ tutelage for a relatively short period of time in his life, grew up in ‘the house of prayer’, and was mentored by the high priest, a high priest who had difficulty keeping his own sons in check, yet could ‘parent’ Samuel in the Lord’s way with the grace that God gave, in answer to his parent’s prayerful hearts in dedicating him to the Lord - he had learned the worth of the divine word!

Does this not testify to the might and power of God to keep the heart tender and soft to His own will and purpose?

O - the mighty hand of God! It surely is ‘...not by [man’s] might, not by [man’s] power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Zech 4:6) 

How prayer - prayer led by the Spirit of God - can bring forth His mighty hand upon the earth, - His precious word where no revelation had been before!

To offer prayer - to utter certain wishes - to appeal to certain promises - is an easy thing that can be learned by any, even the very young.

But - to pray according to the will of God, to speak words and thoughts that actually reach right back into the heart of God so that He opens heaven - that kind of praying depends on hearing the voice of God within the heart.

Only then can we speak in the voice and language that moves Him to mighty action.

How fortunate Israel was to have this one young life being prepared to dispense the heavenly revelations to come - to be the spokesman of their Almighty God Who had been silent to them for so long.
Samuel would learn more and more, that ‘it is not by might that one prevails’ but through the Word of God spoken to him while he, as he grew on into the Lord’s work, and gave himself ‘to prayer and the ministry of the word’. (Acts 6:4)

And how fortunate they were to have someone among them who would keep in constant contact with his God, who would learn how to pray, and whose prayers would rain down upon them God’s might and power that brings with it hope.

It certainly is not the world’s way of looking at might and power - I can assure you of that!

A man’s prayer life must begin as Samuel’s - with a childlike, responsive heart.

That is an open field - no debris, no baggage there - where the Lord can begin refining and shaping according to His good pleasure.

Let me ask a few questions in closing - questions that should be answered in the secrets of the heart before the Lord only: -

Do we really - I mean, really - believe this solemn Word of the Lord?

Do we really know that His mighty power - mighty power that is impossible to have through human resources - do we really know that it is able to change a man’s heart completely - to give him a new inclination of life - an inclination that certifies Christ’s enthronment within? 

What response has there been within our hearts during these last number of weeks toward intercession ministry?

Has there been that personal intercession taking place within since we have started these studies? 

Has there been that earnest prayer - that prayer of depth and sincerity throughout the course of the week - for the deliverance and acceptance of His Word - even for tonight?

If the Lord cannot trust us to pray and intercede, He can trust us in nothing!

We become as worthless as Eli’s sons - thrashing about in our own personal might and power.

It is just as useless and impotent as these priests were, ‘for not by might does one prevail.’

If we know of the mighty power at work within ourselves we can also believe His Word that says: ‘Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’ (1 Jn 3:22)

I pray that each one of us will become serious before the Lord - let the secrets of our hearts pour out to Him so that He is able to clear the field of our vision and replace it with His vision - in the strength and power of His might alone!

Let us pray.