Who By Faith - Samuel

Reading: Hebrews chapter 11 verse 32.

• Great leaders are rare to find.

• Time will tell if David Cameron will fit that description or not.

• As for Gordon Brown – well you can make your own mind up.

Ill:

• Gordon Brown in a restaurant with his cabinet.

• The waiter asked for his order and he replied, “I’ll have the roast beef please”.

• The waiter then asked him; “And what about the vegetables?”

• Gordon Brown replied; “They will have the same!”

Ill:

• Nick Clegg was named in Fabio Capello’s England squad.

• Apparently he wanted him to be in goal;

• Because he heard he could go to the left and right at the same time.

Samuel was a great leader:

• Few leaders of the Jewish nation filled so many rolls;

• And filled them with such distinction, as Samuel.

• Quote: “He is the man who wore six hats;

• Priest, Prophet, Judge, King-maker, Educator and Nation-builder.”

• He deserves to rank alongside Abraham and Moses;

• As one of the leading architects in Israel’s destiny.

Ill:

• Two sentences in the book of Acts underlines and highlights;

• The significance and importance of Samuel's career.

• Acts chapter 13 verse 20:

• “God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.”

• Acts chapter 3 verse 24.

• “All the prophets from Samuel on”,

Notice:

• Note those little words; ‘Until’ Samuel and ‘From’ Samuel;

• These suggestive prepositions indicate that Samuel’s life;

• Was a hinge, a bridge, a connecting-link, a meeting-place between two epochs"

• He was a key man, a great leader – the right man for those needy times.

• Samuel deserves to rank alongside Abraham and Moses;

• As a leading architect of the nations destiny,

• Note: The nation certainly appreciated him;

• That is evidenced by the universal reverence and love they show to him.

• 1 Samuel chapter 25 verse1:

• “Now Samuel died, and ALL Israel assembled and mourned for him”

• 1 Samuel chapter 25 verse28:

• “Now Samuel was dead, and ALL Israel had mourned for him”

I want us to look at this great man under four headings:

(1). Samuel the prophet.

“The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. 21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”

• Prophets were a special type of people,

• And there were three things that marked out a prophet – and seen in Samuel.

(a). Prophets were chosen by God and personally

called to their job.

• Being a Prophet did not come by legacy or by inheritance.

• It was irrelevant whether or not his father was a prophet,

• It was not something passed down or inherited.

• Being a Prophet was not an occupation that an individual chose,

• e.g. It was not the result of prayer or a devotional life,

• God chose the prophets,

• And God also chose the task that he asked them to do!

Ill:

• 1 Samuel chapter 3 we have the calling of Samuel recorded.

• In fact if you think back to the DVD clip,

• It was a threefold calling until Samuel responded and speak those famous words;

• “Speak Lord your servant is listening”.

(b). True prophets spoke for God as his personal

mouthpiece.

• A prophet was a middle man who listened to God;

• And then went to the people and delivered God's message.

• Ill: Postman a letter. Ill: ISP. Ill: Mobile & text message.

• Without them God’s message would not have been delivered or received.

•

• So a prophet was a middle man who listened to God;

• And then went to the people and delivered God's message.

• Note: They might not have understood what they were asked to say,

• But that was not important;

• The important thing is that they said, and they spoke God's words, God's message.

Note:

• If you were to read the boy Samuel’s first message from God (end of 1 Samuel chapter 3):

• It certainly was not a pleasant or an easy task;

• He had to tell his friend and his senior instructor Eli;

• That his time was up and judgement was on his family.

(c). Prophets operated as loners & not in groups.

• Now having said that let me point out:

• That Samuel actually started a school for the prophets (1 Samuel chapter 10 verse 5);

• What happened in these schools we are not told;