“A Change is Coming”
1st Samuel 2:12-17
¨If I were to pick an opening statement for this message it would be the passage that we find in the book “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens, where it says “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
¨We live in a society and time that man before never has seen. Technological advancement is at an all time high; a cornucopia of any information that we desire is at our fingertips. We have our freedom; we don’t always have to wonder am I going to be lynched just because of the color of my skin. We live in a time that a hundred years ago would have put a person in an insane asylum for thinking this way. Our churches are growing and God’s Word is being preached all over the world. The trials and tribulations that our predecessors suffered has literally made this to be the best of times. Although we at this time are at war, it still is the best of times. Yet we struggle with what is one of the biggest weapons the devil uses and that is Racism.
¨I am not talking about Black vs. White as racism, because that’s not racism that’s prejudice. The core foundation and premises of racism is separation. We have Apostolic racism, Baptist racism, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran racism. This type of racism divides the church, which is the body of Christ. It is because of this type of racism we as children of God had developed the bondage of fear. Because this person preaches a certain way or this choir has a certain sound, churches find themselves fearful of fellowshipping with other churches, afraid that the people will leave because the grass looks greener over there. “Spiritual Racism.” I am reminded of the scripture that says “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father”. Now that this type of racism is present, and the devil has succeeded in separating us, through denominations and organizations, what he is trying to do now is put racism in the individual church. We see it here, the young people sit on this side of the church and the older saints sit on this side of the church. We say that this is where I have always sat, but the reason this is, is because the devil is trying to take the best of times and turn them into the worst of times, but I’m here to declare “A Change is Coming”.
This separation that the devil is causing is not a new thing, it has been going on ever since the Garden of Eden and this was the situation that was taking place with the Children of Israel here in our text.
ÞThe children of Israel were not under bondage at this time. They were not wondering in the wilderness. They were not worshipping idols; they did not have to worry about Pharaoh or his army. They were worshipping the one and only true God. They were offering up sacrifices to the Lord, they were living theirs lives the way God required them to live and doing the things God required them to do. In that essence it was the best of times. Even-though it was the best of times there was trouble in the temple. Don’t you know that when the church begins to do the things God requires the church to do that the devil begins to cause confusion within church and he tries to take the best of times and turn them into the worst of times.
ÞWatch this, Church get on fire for the Lord and the devil will try to bring confusion in the church and if we are not careful before you know it this side of the church is upset with this side of the church. This deacon is upset with that deacon, the organ player is upset with the drummer, half the church doesn’t like the pastor and the other half can’t stand his wife. WHY, because the devil realizes “A Change is Coming” and he is going to try every-thing he can to stop it.
ÞThis was the case with the Children of Israel. Eli, the High Priest, had two sons by the name of Hophni and Phinas, and these men were wicked men that caused a lot of distress and confusion among the people. The name Hophni means (Pugilist) boxer if you will and the name Phinehas means (Serpents mouth). We have a lot of fighters and liars in church today.
ÞThe Bible says these men were the sons of “Belial”, which is another name for the Satan, it means worthlessness, wickedness, and ungodly. Hophni and Phinehas refused to obey God, they didn’t hold to the custom of the priest; they stole the offering of the people that was a sacrifice to the Lord. They threatened the people with bodily harm, they caused the women, who had dedicated their lives to the Lord in the temple (Nuns if you will) to commit adultery. They defiled the temple and when confronted of their atrocities the failed to repent. At a time when things should have been the best of times for the Children of Israel, these men made it the worst of times, they caused confusion and fear and because of their power and position they were an Old Testament Mafia or Temple Tormentors.
ÞThe Bile doesn’t say this, but go with me in your spiritual imagination for a minute. I believe the children of Israel began to pray and ask God for a change. Know doubt they cried to the Lord and said Father you see the things we are doing, you see how we are living our lives the way that you require us to live. Lord we are doing the things that children of God are supposed to do, but Lord there is trouble in the temple. Lord we are coming before you asking you Lord for a break-through; Lord we need a change. After all the things that we have been through, Lord we know that this is not what you have for us. So Lord we need a change right now. Although they couldn’t see t a change was coming. Many times we may find ourselves in a situation like the children of Israel. We are doing the things God requires us to do, yet we find ourselves pressed, afflicted, discouraged, and depressed. We begin to pray and ask God for a break-through, we ask him for a change and it seems like our prayers are going un-answered, but hold on to God’s unchanging hand because “A Change is Coming”.
ÞUnderstand when God is about to take His people to another level, when He is about to make a change, when the current operating practices are about to go through a transformation, when traditional obligation is about to be converted into a realistic commitment. He needs for someone to get off of spiritual birth control and to develop the desire to get pregnant.
ÞWe see in the 1st chapter that the winds if desire had begun to blow by the house of a man by the name of Elkanah. The name Elkanah means acquired by God. Elkanah was a God fearing man; he lived his life the way God required him to. He worshipped the Lord, offered up sacrifices in Shiloh yearly, he took care of his family. He loved the Lord, he was truly a godly man, but Elkanah had two wives. (Someone say good God a mighty). The name of the one was Hannah and the name of the other was Peninah. The name Hannah means “Gracious” the name Peninah means “Pearl” it is imperative that you remember that because I’ll be going somewhere with that in a minute.
ÞThe Bible says that Peninah had children, but Hannah had no children because the Lord had shut up her womb. Understand that a certain stigma went with not being able to have children in those days. She was ridiculed, mocked, harassed, talked abut, made to feel as though she was incomplete and a misfit. It was even believed that she had sinned against God and this was the curse that God had placed upon her for the sin she had committed.
ÞEven-though she could not have children, Elkanah loved Hannah, not for what she could give him, but for what she meant to him. The Bible says that to Peninah and her children he gave portions, but to Hannah he gave a worthy portion. He treated her especially well. He gave her gifts, showered her with love; he treated her like a Nubian queen. But even in all of this Hannah wept. Elkanah asked her “Am I not better to thee than ten sons” he tried to comfort her, but Hannah still wept. Elkanah tried everything he could to make her happy, but was unable to. WHY, because Hannah’s problem was spiritual more than it was physical. When you have a spiritual problem physical things won’t fix it. When you have a spiritual problem materialistic things can’t solve it. When you have a spiritual problem, the only thing that will rectify it is something spiritual. That’s why our suicide rate is so high, because people have a spiritual problem and they are trying to solve it through physical and material means and it can’t be done.
Note: Man is unable to take the natural things to satisfy the spiritual; however, God will take the natural to produce the something in the spiritual.
ÞHannah’s problem was spiritual and not physical. Remember Hannah means “Gracious” and Peninah means, “Pearl”. When we think about a pearl we often think of something of great value, but understand that before a pearl becomes something of great value, it first is an irritant that has lodged itself into the body of an oyster, causing the oyster to produce nacre that envelopes the irritant until that thing that irritated it turns into something of great value.
ÞPeninah was Hannah’s irritant, for the Bible says Peninah provoked her. Often times God will allow a Peninah to enter into the life of a Hannah in order to cause that person to produce spiritual nacre, which is the image and likeness of God, until that thing that irritated you is turned into something of great value.
ÞLet me explain this: That supervisor that gives you a hard time for no reason at all has been strategically placed in your life by God to irritate you to the point, that you desire a change, which causes you to produce something of great value. WATCH THIS: ÞYou used to go to work, walk in, go to your desk, go about your day, but now, you go to work and before you get out of the car, you sit in the parking lot and begin to pray, why, because you are about to face Peninah. That Peninah has irritated you, causing you to produce spiritual nacre, because you desire a change. The spiritual nacre is Prayer; you didn’t use to pray before you went to work, but now, you are praying which produces a closer relationship with God, WHY, because of your Peninah.
ÞPeninah irritated Hannah so that she was in bitterness of soul. Bitterness of soul is according to the dictionary, the quality or state of being bitter, sharp, implacable, and resentful, in deep distress, grief and vexation. WATCH THIS: ÞWhat happens in bitterness of soul is “It causes the steel of disgust and anger to pierce the soul deep inside, which ignites a fire of desire for change.
ÞThat thing that has been irritating you, that person that has been aggravating you, has been positioned exactly where they are in order to cause a desire for change to impregnate you. (Any body ready to get pregnant?)
Peninah caused Hannah to do things differently.
1. She began to fast – she did not eat or drink. You don’t find anywhere in the Bible where she did that before.
2. She vowed a vow – She began to pray like never before.
¨When you get a desire for change, you get tired of being at the same old level, you get tired of having church as usual, and you begin to do things differently. Your praise changes, your hunger for the word changes your attitude changes. You used to skip Sunday school and Bible Class, but now you skip to it. You don’t quite understand it yourself, all you know is something is going on in me. YOU HAVE BECOME PREGNANT.
¨When this desire is first implanted in you people may not understand what is going on. Eli didn’t understand what was going on in Hannah. He marked her mouth and he seen her lips move, but he didn’t hear the words. He thought she was drunk. WATCH THIS:Þ See he was use to seeing the women that his sons had corrupted and how they acted a certain way, he was use to things being in a usual way. After she told him, he realized she had a desire, he told her to go and the Lord grant you your petition.
**After she returned home she conceived and gave birth to Samuel, which means “Asked of God”. **
WATCH THIS: ÞNo where after she had given birth do you ever find in the Bible where Peninah provoked her again, WHY, because a change had come.
¨When you have experienced a change, things that use to bother you don’t bother you any more. People that used to irritate you don’t irritate you any more. When you have been changed those clicks that wouldn’t let you in before, that talked about you, made you feel as some kind of misfit doesn’t bother you anymore, why, because a change has come. Old thing are passed away and behold all things have become new.
ÞI think about the 10 (ten) men that Jesus healed of leprosy and how 1 (one) came back to Thank Him. We always talk about the 1 (one) that came back and that’s good, because Thanksgiving is mandatory for the things God has done for us.
ÞGo with me in your spiritual imagination or a minute. If you read the 15th chapter of Leviticus, you’ll see all the things a person with leprosy went through. They were stripped of their identity, separated from family and friends, forced to yell unclean whenever someone came within 100 feet of them. They were sent outside of the city and left there to die. All their possessions were destroyed; they were considered the living dead. One day they saw Jesus and cried Master have mercy on us. Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the Priest, because it was only the Priest that could say if they were clean. So they went to show themselves to the priest. I like to believe that as they walked along the way they began to notice the change-taking place. No doubt being men they had a certain egotistical attitude about themselves, as we have men, and they began to think about all the stuff they had gone through. They got before the priest and said after all you have done to me, after all you took from me. After you left me out there alone to die. After you mistreated me, stripped me of my pride, my identity, my character, and my family. I met a man named Jesus. He picked me up and turned me around. He healed me. Now I have one question, I need to know how do you like me now.
¨Look at somebody and say How do you like me now. I used to be messed up, but I have been changed. Thank God for the abusive relationship. Thank God for those that made me feel that I was no good. Thank God for those in the church that made me feel as though I had spiritual leprosy. Thank God for my Peninah, because it caused me to produce something that brought a change in my life.
WATCH THIS: ÞIf it had not been for Peninah there would have not been a Samuel.
You better Thank God for the mess. If it had not been for the mess. If you had not been through hell. If you had not nearly lost your mind. If you had not got sick and tired of being hells garbage dump, you would not have:
1. Developed the bitterness of soul, which
2. Ignited the fire of desire for change, which
3. Put you in the position to seek God, which
4. Consummated your relationship, which
5. Impregnated you, which
6. Caused you to push until you gave birth, which
7. Changed your life, which
8. Took you to another level
¨If it had not been for the mess I never would have been irritated to the point of producing spiritual nacre, which turned my situation into a Pearl of great value in my life.
ÞYou might be in a situation right now that seems to be a total mess, but I think about Lazarus. When he died, his sisters Mary and Martha told Jesus if you had been here our brother would not have died. Jesus said show me were he lay, he told them to move the stone. Martha said surely by now he stinketh for it has been four days, but Jesus simply said Lazarus come forth, and Lazarus came forth. Mary and Martha and the people were weeping for Lazarus because they knew he was dead, but Jesus had made a change. You might be in a situation tonight that it seems as if it is dead, and in your mind it has begun to stink, but I dare you to tell your situation that “A Change is Coming”. I dare you to look at the mess in your life and tell that mess a change is coming. If your marriage is on the rocks, tell that mess a change is coming. If your body is racked with pain, I dare you to tell it to enjoy itself now, because a change is coming. I dare you to get a Lazarus anointing, tell that situation a change is coming and turn that mess around.
ÞLet me bring this thing home. After Hannah had weaned Samuel she gave him back to the Lord and he grew and stayed at the temple. I wondered why God would allow Hannah to give her son to Eli to grow up in the temple. I know that she made a vow and she was keeping her vow, but there was trouble in the temple. God revealed something to me. Remember in the beginning of this message I said the children of Israel prayed for a change, because of the mess that Hophni and Phinehas were doing. Well Samuel was that change they prayed for. That which changed Hannah was going to change Israel. If you read the rest of 1st Samuel you’ll see the change that Samuel made. What I’m trying to say is that thing that changed your life is also to help someone else. God is not a selfish God, he doesn’t just change you for you, but he changes you that you my help somebody else. God forbid we get saved and the only thing we do is come to church. God did not give you the Holy Ghost just to make it into Heaven, if the were the case 5 minutes after you received it you should have died, but he changed your life that you may let the world know “A Change is Coming”.
Elder Melvin Maughmer, Jr.
Boanerge Ministries
