The word of the Lord as found in 1 Samuel 2:35, And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. (ESV)
This year I believe has been appointed by God to be one wherein each one of us will be raised up, and built up by the Lord. All through the Bible, we observe that God chose to raise one person specifically to fulfill His divine plans. Through that one selected individual God blessed an entire nation, and thereby accomplished His purposes. No wonder then that God expressly raised Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samson, Samuel, Saul, David, Solomon and the list goes on who would carry out His will in their life time, for this was God’s plan from the beginning of creation.
However, there were those who forget the very purpose for which God chose them. There are some who get inflated with pride when God begins to use them, and begin to think that they are indispensable. This is an erroneous thought as the Lord will use us only as long as we walk in obedience to Him, but when disobedience takes over, the Lord will choose to use someone else instead.
Let me highlight from the above mentioned list, two people whom the Lord chose but who wistfully failed to fulfill God’s purposes in spite of their calling. Samson, whom God chose to be a judge of Israel, and Saul who was raised to be the King of Israel. Though both of them were chosen by God, their disobedience made them miss out on God’s plan. However, this did not in any way thwart God’s purposes, for God raised someone else to replace them in due course.
God is in the process of constantly raising men and women who will carry out His plans in their life time. If we are faithful, the promise of God to us is that He will build for us a sure house. There may have been several disturbing, unsettling situations that we faced last year, the Lord assures us that He will establish us in the New Year. There are many who are left in a state of confusion and double mindedness, not sure of which way to turn to, and the Lord is willing to come into such a situation and turn it around.
The purpose of God’s choosing us
We read in 1 Samuel 2:27-28, Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: I revealed myself to your ancestors when they were under Pharaoh's control in Egypt. I chose one of your ancestors out of all the tribes of Israel to serve as my priest,… (GW)
Our God is one who specializes in choosing people. God has chosen each one of us for a specific purpose, especially those of us believe in Him, and are gathered together in His name. Here are a couple of reasons why we have been chosen by God.
• Chosen to be holy and perfect in His presence
The first reason God chose us as written in Ephesians 1:4, Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence. (GW)
God’s special purpose in choosing us is that we should be holy and perfect in His presence. God is not pleased if we pretend to be perfect before men, but desires that we stand faultless before Him.
• Chosen to proclaim the excellent qualities of God
The second reason we have been chosen by God is explained by Peter in 1 Peter 2:9, However, you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (GW)
We must constantly remind ourselves all throughout the New Year, that we are chosen by God to be those who will share the good news of the wonderful things that the Lord Jesus has done in our lives to everyone we meet. We receive so much from the Lord, but often are so hesitant and ashamed to share these testimonies of God’s goodness with others.
Eli failed to do the will of God
The context in which 1 Samuel 2:35, the promise verse for this year was recorded, was when Eli, who was called to be a priest before the Lord, failed to fulfill the will of the Lord in his life.
God longs that we co-operate with Him to accomplish His plan for our lives. There are some who take pride in being part of the non-cooperative movement, where they are in constant rebellion against the will of God. It is only when we live in obedience to the will of God, will the kingdom of God be established amongst us.
God honors those who honor Him
We read in 1 Samuel 2:30, "Therefore, the LORD God of Israel declares: I certainly thought that your family and your father's family would always live in my presence. "But now the LORD declares: I promise that I will honor those who honor me, and those who despise me will be considered insignificant. (GW)
The above mentioned verse should be highlighted and remembered as it is of utmost importance. The Lord declared to Eli that He was certain that Eli and his family would always live in His presence. But, on the contrary, Eli and his children dishonored God who had chosen and elected them to be His priests.
We may not realize this, but we dishonor God when we neglect being at church regularly, when we are not punctual, and when we don’t give the due importance to the reading and preaching of God’s word. Instead if we come prayerfully, and decide to obey the word of the Lord as is spoken to us, the Lord assures us that those who honor Him, He will honor them. For instance, when we tell someone that we will meet them at a certain time and delay meeting them, it is an indicator that we are disrespecting them. If we desire to receive honor from God, let us decide to honor God in every area of our lives.
When God honors a man
If we were to imagine what it would look like when God chooses to honor a man, here’s a great example from the Bible. There was a Jewish man named Mordecai, who sat at the palace of King Xerxes. At one time, Mordecai had helped to save the king’s life from an assassination plot. Mordecai’s good deed was not acknowledged, and he did not receive a reward for the same. However, when the king was reminded of this incident later, he decided to honor Mordecai. Mordecai was placed on the very horse that the king rode upon, was adorned with the royal apparel that the king wore, and was crowned with a royal crest on his head. Mordecai received all the accolades that was fitting for a king.
When God decides to honor a man or a woman, He will do for them everything that is due for a son or daughter of His to receive, and bestow on them His own power and authority.
Those who dishonor God will be considered insignificant
The other part of this verse is also to be taken note of, for it cautions us that those who dishonor God or despise Him will be making themselves insignificant. We must therefore decide to stay in the will of God. Here’s something crucial that we must remember, that if we miss out on God’s plan for our lives, His work will not be hindered, but He will instead find someone else to replace us. We are the ones who will be at a loss.
When Eli failed that is what the Lord told him in 1 Samuel 2:35, And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. (ESV)
Qualities of a person God will choose
A faithful person
God will raise up a person who is faithful to Him. A faithful person is one who is true on the inside. We read in Psalms 51:6, Behold, you delight in truth in the inward parts,.. (LEB) The Lord desires for integrity on our inmost being, not those who think something on the inside, but say something else on the outside.
What will a faithful person do?
A faithful person will do everything that is in accordance to God’s will, fulfilling that which is on His heart and mind. That is why Jesus taught his disciples to pray, ‘Let your will be done’.
It is recorded in 1 Samuel 13:14, But now your kingdom will not last. The LORD has searched for a man after his own heart. The LORD has appointed him as ruler of his people, because you didn't follow the command of the LORD." (GW)
The Lord rejected Eli and replaced him with a man who will be obedient to the Lord and His commands.
This comes as a caution to us that the Lord will reject those who are disobedient, and reinstate in that place a person who walks in obedience to God’s word.
What will the Lord do for a faithful man?
God promises to bless a faithful man and build him a sure house. Firstly God will build the person whom He has chosen. When Jesus was here on the earth, he called Peter to be His disciple. Peter was previously called Simon, which meant reed. Reeds are flimsy, and will sway with the wind. However, when Jesus called him, He became Petra or a rock on which the Lord said He would build His church.
Secondly God will build the person’s family. Only after we are built will God be able to build our family. There are many parents who want their children to do what they say, but do not want them to imitate what they do in practice. There are spouses who expect that their partner would change, parents expect children to change and children expect their parents to change. This is not a possibility, as it is only when we as individuals change, decide to be good examples, and allow God to build us up, will our families be built up in the Lord. When our families are changed people around us will see, and be amazed at the changeover which will result in many others coming to know the Lord.
Thirdly, when there is a transformation in the family, it will have a positive effect on society, because society is a group of families living together. For instance all of us are aware that alcohol is a major problem in many homes. Instead of giving warning on the bottles, if there is a change of heart inside people to be rid of the habit, there would be no need for wine shops, and we would have a society free from those addicted to alcohol. Each one of us can be the change agents who will bring tremendous revolution in our society. In my experience serving the Lord, I have seen that the ones who honor the Lord, and are regular to church, and take God’s word seriously, there has been exceptional change in their lives and in the lives of their children and this is evident to all those around.
Finally, God will use the faithful person to build the church. If the family is changed, society is transformed this will have a definite, and positive bearing on the church which will become the instrument to fulfill God’s will. Let us be those who have a firm and stable mind and not be double minded in every little thing. That is why Jesus prayed, ‘Let your kingdom come and your will be done’. This should be our prayers as individuals, as families, for our society and our church as well.
The end result
We read in Psalms 23:6, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (KJV)
If we seek the Lord and remain faithful to Him, we don’t need to run after goodness and mercy, for we are guaranteed that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives. We also have the assurance that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Let us seek the Lord sincerely, honor Him with all our heart, be firm in our faith, and when we do so the Lord has promised that He will build us up, build up our families, our society and the church to be a great blessing to everyone. God has chosen us, and may the Lord enable us to be that faithful person who will submit to Him and do His will in our lives. If we do so, we have the blessed affirmation that we will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
