SERMON SEEDS ARCHIVES
1&2 SAMUEL
Through no fault of our own, about 5 years of Sermon Seeds was deleted from the Website of the First Baptist Church.
We decided that it was time to begin archiving them in a different way.
Please be patient as we gradually archive these outlines.
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1 SAMUEL 3:9 – GREAT ADVICE
In 1 Samuel 3:9 Eli the priest gives the young boy Samuel a piece of great advice that we should take as well. "Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place."
There are several lessons that we learn from this passage and other Scriptures.
GOD SPEAKS AT QUIET TIMES
When God spoke to Samuel, it was at night.
When God spoke to Joseph or Daniel, it was often in a dream.
When God spoke to John, it was at a quiet time. He was "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day." Revelation 1:10
When God spoke to Elijah on Mount Horeb, it was with a still, small voice. 1 Kings 19:12
It seems that it is during the times of solitude and quiet that God likes to speak. Psalm 46:10-11, Isaiah 30:15
GOD WANTS TO SPEAK TO US REGULARLY
Once God started speaking to Samuel, He continued to communicate. 1 Samuel 3:19-21
God wants to communicate with us regularly as we abide in Christ. John 15:4-7
GOD WANTS A WILLING LISTENER
Eli told Samuel to say to the Lord, "Speak."
In other words, Samuel was to be willing to hear from the Lord.
God wants a willing listener.
God wants his servants to listen for His voice.
GOD WANTS A YIELDED LISTENER
Eli told Samuel to say "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth."
Jesus is Lord and He has every right to instruct and command us.
We also are the Lord's servants. If we are the Lord's servants, we must therefore be yielded to His plans for our lives.
GOD WANTS AN ATTENTIVE LISTENER
Samuel was told to say "Thy servant heareth."
In other words, Samuel was to be alert.
He was to be desirous of hearing what the Lord had to say.
He was to listen with a "ready ear".
We are to listen to God, trying to get as much from Him as we can. So to speak, we are to hang on every word.
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1 SAMUEL 16:1-13 – LOOKING FOR A LEADER
There will be times in the course of God's work that a new leader will be needed.
Saul had been the king of Israel, but Saul had disqualified himself. 1 Samuel 13:5-16, 1 Samuel 15:1-31
The prophet Samuel, who had anointed Saul to be king, would be called upon again to appoint and anoint a new leader for Israel
SAMUEL'S MISSION - Vss. 1-3
Vs. 1 - There is a time to stop lamenting for a leader who is gone or has disqualified himself. Joshua had to stop lamenting the loss of Moses, good leader, and move on (Joshua 1:1-2).
Samuel had to stop lamenting the loss of Saul, who had failed, and move on.
Sometimes we fail in our churches to get over the loss of a leader good or bad and move on under God's direction.
Vss. 2-3 - Samuel was to step out in faith to find and anoint a new leader. God would protect him from the enemy and guide him to the man of God's choosing. Although God provides His leaders, he gives His children the job of looking for them.
SAMUEL'S METHOD - Vss. 4-11
Each "candidate" in Jesse's family was brought before Samuel.
Samuel, in a sense, examined them. But the ultimate choice was up to God. Samuel set aside his own personal opinions in order to do the will of God. He listened for God's voice during this process. As we search for leaders, we must also set aside our own opinions to find the men and women of God's choosing. We must look to the Lord for His choice. Psalm 32:8
SAMUEL'S MAN - Vss. 12-13
Samuel's "man" was closer to being a boy. Samuel's man was lowest in rank in a large family. Samuel's man was a man God filled with His Holy Spirit. Samuel's man was a man after God's own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22
As we search for leaders, let's make sure our man is really God's man.
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2 Samuel 7 – WHEN GOD SAID “NO!”
In 2 Kings 7 we see that David had plans to build God a house (temple). God said, “No”. As we study this passage, we will see that even when God says “No”, He does not cease to be gracious and to have good reasons for the refusals that He makes.
THERE WAS GOOD RESOLVE – Vss. 1-3
- Vs. 1 – David had a time of peace. One of the things that David did in his time of peace was to think and plan.
- Vs. 2 – Nathan the Prophet was a spiritual advisor to King David. Nathan was a faithful friend who was not afraid to stand up for what is right.
- David’s statement in verse 2 implied that he was planning to build a permanent building to be the house of God.
- David realized that he, David, was living in a nice house made of cedar, while God's house was a tent. Remember the ark was a box containing the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron, and a jar of manna. On top of the ark was the mercy seat. God made his physical presence known by dwelling above the mercy seat.
- Vs. 3 – Nathan was probably thrilled with the prospects of a new house for the Lord. He could see no reason why God would say “No”. There are times in our lives when we too have thought something was a good idea until we prayed about it or gave it more consideration.
- Perhaps Nathan should have prayed about this before he gave his approval.
THERE WAS A SURPRISING REFUSAL – Vss. 4-9
- Vss. 4-5 – Notice how God refers to David. Even though God was about to turn David down, it did not mean that David had been demoted in God’s eyes. Just because God says “No” to us, it does not mean that he thinks any less of us. We just do not have His plans.
- David’s motives were actually pure and commendable before God. 2 Chronicles 6:8
- God is even clearer in his refusal of David’s plans in 1 Chronicles 17:4, where it says, Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in:
- Vss. 6-7 – God had not requested that anyone build Him a house.
- Vss. 8-9 – God had blessed David. It is important for us to remember how God has blessed us, especially when He says, “No”.
- Remember that God has different jobs for each one of us. David was primarily a warrior, not a builder. David’s son was to be the builder. 1 Chronicles 22:8-9
- We need to remember that God will not give us every job. He has not qualified us for every job. But whatever job God has given us we should do well for Him. Colossians 3:17
THERE WAS COMFORTING REASSURANCE – Vss. 10-17
- Vss. 10-11 – These verses contain phenomenal promises for David.
- David is assured of God’s ultimate plan for Israel and for his house. David should have been able to relax.
- Vss. 12-15 – God’s house would be built by Solomon. David’s desire would be fulfilled. Sometimes God chooses to do through someone else what we wanted to do ourselves.
- Vs. 16 – There will be a time when David’s Kingdom will be established through one of his descendants. Luke 1:30-33
THERE WAS AN AWED RESPONSE – Vss. 18-29
- Vs. 18 – David was awed by what God had done for him.
- Vs. 19 – David was awed by the future promises for his family.
- Vss. 20-21 – David was awed at God’s revelation towards him.
- Vs. 22 – David was awed at God’s greatness.
- Vss. 23-24 – David was awed at God’s greatness towards Israel.
- Vss. 25-29 – In these closing requests David expressed acceptance, faith, and desire before God.
- 1 Chronicles 29:1-9 shows David’s personal commitment of his own resources to the building of the temple. Although he would not build the temple, he did what he could to make construction easier for Solomon. In these verses, we also see David’s influence on others in the gathering of resources. David was not bitter because he couldn’t build the temple. He was enthusiastic that it would be built.