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Family Ministry Center │ Samuel Sons of Evil

FAMILY DEVOTIONS

FATHERS

Part Three

SAMUEL:

SONS OF EVIL

Samuel had a wonderful mother named Hannah.  She and her husband, Elkanah, went to Shiloh every year to offer sacrifices and to pay his vow (1 Samuel 1:21, page 438).   Please remember that Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were priests there during this time.  Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, had children and would provoke Hannah bitterly “because the LORD had closed her womb” (1 Samuel 1:6, page 437).  Even so, Elkanah loved Hanah, gave her a double portion, and was better to her “than ten sons” (1 Samuel 1:8, page 437).    Hannah really wanted a son, and if God would give her one, she vowed to God that she would “give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head” (1 Samuel 1:11, page 437; compare the law of the Nazarite in Numbers 6:1-21, page 225).  

The Birth of Samuel. One day Hannah was praying before the LORD and Eli watched her.  He thought she was drunk and told her to put away her wine (1 Samuel 1:14, page 437).  Notice here that Eli had no problem confronting Hannah, but neglected his sons Hophni and Phinehas.   She replied that she was not drunk, but praying because she was oppressed in spirit and pouring out her soul before the LORD.  She spoke out of her great concern and provocation.  Eli comforted her:  “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him” (1 Samuel 1:17, page 438).  As she went away, Hannah’s face lifted.  Shortly thereafter, Hannah conceived and gave birth to Samuel, the child of his mother’s prayer and devotion.  She named him Samuel “because I have asked him of the LORD” ( 1 Samuel 1:20, page 438).

The Ministry of Samuel.  After Hannah weaned Samuel, she and Elkanah went to Shiloh, and offered a bull as sacrifice for the boy (Leviticus 1:5, page 159; Luke 2:22-24, page 1598).  She then presented herself and Samuel to Eli and dedicated him to the service and worship of the LORD (1 Samuel 1:28, page 438).  Samuel then ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest (1 Samuel 2:11, page 439) and his mother brought him a “little robe” from year to year when she and Elkanah came to offer the yearly sacrifice (1 Samuel   2:19, page 438).  The LORD blessed Hannah and she gave birth to three sons and two daughters (1 Samuel 2:21, page 440).  Samuel grew before the LORD.  In Hannah, God saw a woman who honored Him by keeping her vow and presenting the child to the LORD for His service.  She had faith that God would keep His word and that her Son would prosper in His service (1 Samuel 2:1-11, pages 438-439–the Prayer of Hannah).  

The Prophecy of Eli.  The LORD used Samuel to deliver a message that would tingle the ears of everyone who heard it (1 Samuel 3:11, page 442).  But the message was of woe and doom for Eli and his household. Because Eli had failed to rebuke his sons, and participated in their evil, the “iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever” (1 Samuel 2:14, page 439).  Eli took this prophecy from the LORD by Samuel with grace: “It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him” (1 Samuel 3:18, page 442).  Samuel had been afraid to tell Eli about that first prophecy, but Samuel obeyed Eli’s urging and did not hide the terrible news from him (1 Samuel 3:15-18, page 442).  Samuel grew before the LORD, and the LORD was with him and did not let any of his words fail.  All Israel knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD, and the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD (1 Samuel 3:19-21, page 442).

Sons of Evil. As a youth, growing up in the temple with Eli and confirmed as a prophet who spoke for God, Samuel still had problems with his sons.  When Samuel had grown old, all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to him.  They had a simple message: your sons do not walk in your ways and so we demand you appoint a king like all the nations (1 Samuel 8:4, page 448).  The elders and people had great respect for Samuel, but absolutely none for his children.  Samuel’s sons may have had a wonderful father, but even so, they did not walk with God.  A father has no higher duty than to be sure his children walk with God. With Samuel, the period of Judges of Israel ends and the era of kings begins.  God told Samuel that the people of Israel, by asking for a king, had rejected God as their King.  They specifically asked for a “king to judge us” (1 Samuel 8:6, page 448).  But really, they also wanted a king to lead them in battle, like the other nations (1 Samuel 8:19-22, pages 448-449).  God told Samuel to grant their request, but required Samuel to warn them of the great cost of having a king.  In closing, Samuel declared that because the people had chosen a king for themselves, the LORD would not answer in the day they would cry out because of their king (1 Samuel 8:19, page 448).  The point about Samuel as father comes from his wonderful mother and father, and his devotion to the LORD as priest and prophet who anointed both Saul and David king of Israel.  Even so, his sons, like Eli’s sons, did not walk with God.

 So we learn more about fathers and their role in daily devotions.

       ●  Being a father in Christ means that even if you have a great ministry for Christ, be careful to spend time with your children so they too will walk in the way of the LORD.

       ●  Being a father in Christ means that you will always have a duty to your adult children, and to spend time with them, no matter how busy you are serving Jesus Christ.

       ●  Being a father in Christ means if your children stray from walking in the way of the LORD, then other people will not be looking to them for leadership in the same way they looked to you.

Application for Today

Samuel reminds each of us that serving Christ, even in a powerful ministry, never means that we neglect our duties at home to our families.  People will always inspect the lives of your children, and make their own decisions about them.  Your life and ministry will not replace the need you have to help your children, all of your life, to walk with God all of their lives.  Will you reach out to your children today, and encourage them to walk with God today?

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Christ Assembly dedicates this website to the Family Ministry Center. Special content on this website focuses upon fathers, mothers, children, families and spiritual life. The family of God relates directly to the kingdom of God. You cannot see the Kingdom of God without being born again. Likewise, you cannot join the family of God without being born again. Many people living in the family of God have severe spiritual challenges in their lives. Adult children who have embraced sin and fallen into a life of sin cause great concern. Spouses who do not believe. All kinds of issues face the family of God. At Christ Assembly, we seek to minister to all families, particularly the family of God. Christ Assembly provides free access to various studies from the Bible, the Word of God.

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Christ Assembly dedicates this website to the Family Ministry Center. Special content on this website focuses upon father, mothers, families and spiritual life. Christ Assembly provides free access to various studies from the Bible, the Word of God. The studies in this website are not inspired, but God produced the Bible, consisting of sixty-nine books (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament). The Holy Spirit inspired authors to produce original autographs of the Bible in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Those original authors wrote over the course of many centuries. They wrote divinely inspired words and every word was divinely inspired. The authors communicated in their own styles, and with their own vocabulary, but God breathed out every word of the final autographs. The words in the Bible really matter, and deserve careful study. 
 
As we study, we seek to love Jesus more because His word has instructed us so that we learn His ways. Eternal life consists in knowing God the Father, and Jesus Christ Whom God sent. As the eternal God of Glory, One with His Father, the Son of God took flesh and dwelt among us. Because of His death, He used His blood to purchase our redemption. He was raised for our justification. We now live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved us and gave Himself for us. By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit abides in every born-again believer and fills us with His presence and blessings. He leads us into all truth. Jesus is the truth, and the way, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Jesus, our Lord. 
 
We look forward to His imminent return to the clouds of earth, to snatch away the believers alive on earth, so that we may be forever with the Lord. When He returns to the clouds, He will bring with Him all those people in Christ who died before His return to the clouds. We encourage one another with the promises of God, Who makes our path grow brighter and brighter, until the full light of day shines forth. We love Jesus and look forward to seeing Him soon. After Jesus removes the believers from the earth, then a terrible period of seven years follows where God brings measured and precise judgments upon the people alive on earth. God cut those days of  Tribulation short, or no flesh would have been saved. Jesus will then return to earth, slay His enemies, and place His feet on the Mount of Olives where He ascended to heaven. He will then reign on earth for a thousand years, and believers will reign with Him. After the Millennial Reign of Christ, all unbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, and they will suffer according to their deeds done on earth. They will be cast into the Lake of Fire, a place of torment night and day for eternity, because they never received the free gift of salvation while alive on earth. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God. Today we invite you to come and see Jesus, and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart. Take His yoke upon you, for His burden is easy and His yoke is light. He will give you rest for your soul as you trust Him. We receive salvation only from Jesus, by faith alone in Jesus, Who gives us the free gift of eternal life. 
 
We accept the teaching of the Word of God. As born again believers, baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirit, the anointing from God teaches us all things. We love to study the Word of God as we abide in Christ Jesus our Lord. God blesses all of us when we read His word, hear His word, and heed His word. We share original studies of the Word of God without cost and we do not receive donations. We support the finances of this ministry through private means, so that we are not a burden to anyone. We oppose charging people to read books, articles, journals or other studies of the Word of God. Such work should be supported by donations, but not in prescribed amounts and not as a requirement to gain access to what God has freely provided. What God has freely given, we should freely share. Just as Paul worked making tents, so we work to support this ministry. 
 

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Christ Assembly provides free access to various studies from the Bible, the Word of God. The studies in this website are not inspired, but God produced the Bible, consisting of sixty-nine books (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament). The Holy Spirit inspired authors to produce original autographs of the Bible in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Those original authors wrote over the course of many centuries. They wrote divinely inspired words and every word was divinely inspired. The authors communicated in their own styles, and with their own vocabulary, but God breathed out every word of the final autographs. The words in the Bible really matter, and deserve careful study. 
 
As we study, we seek to love Jesus more because His word has instructed us so that we learn His ways. Eternal life consists in knowing God the Father, and Jesus Christ Whom God sent. As the eternal God of Glory, One with His Father, the Son of God took flesh and dwelt among us. Because of His death, He used His blood to purchase our redemption. He was raised for our justification. We now live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved us and gave Himself for us. By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit abides in every born-again believer and fills us with His presence and blessings. He leads us into all truth. Jesus is the truth, and the way, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Jesus, our Lord. 
 
We look forward to His imminent return to the clouds of earth, to snatch away the believers alive on earth, so that we may be forever with the Lord. When He returns to the clouds, He will bring with Him all those people in Christ who died before His return to the clouds. We encourage one another with the promises of God, Who makes our path grow brighter and brighter, until the full light of day shines forth. We love Jesus and look forward to seeing Him soon. After Jesus removes the believers from the earth, then a terrible period of seven years follows where God brings measured and precise judgments upon the people alive on earth. God cut those days of  Tribulation short, or no flesh would have been saved. Jesus will then return to earth, slay His enemies, and place His feet on the Mount of Olives where He ascended to heaven. He will then reign on earth for a thousand years, and believers will reign with Him. After the Millennial Reign of Christ, all unbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, and they will suffer according to their deeds done on earth. They will be cast into the Lake of Fire, a place of torment night and day for eternity, because they never received the free gift of salvation while alive on earth. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God. Today we invite you to come and see Jesus, and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart. Take His yoke upon you, for His burden is easy and His yoke is light. He will give you rest for your soul as you trust Him. We receive salvation only from Jesus, by faith alone in Jesus, Who gives us the free gift of eternal life. 
 
We accept the teaching of the Word of God. As born again believers, baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirit, the anointing from God teaches us all things. We love to study the Word of God as we abide in Christ Jesus our Lord. God blesses all of us when we read His word, hear His word, and heed His word. We share original studies of the Word of God without cost and we do not receive donations. We support the finances of this ministry through private means, so that we are not a burden to anyone. We oppose charging people to read books, articles, journals or other studies of the Word of God. Such work should be supported by donations, but not in prescribed amounts and not as a requirement to gain access to what God has freely provided. What God has freely given, we should freely share. Just as Paul worked making tents, so we work to support this ministry. 
 

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The author of all original material on this website retains all legal and equitable rights to the properties at issue. The author granted Christ Assembly a limited-use, revocable license to publish material on this website, while reserving all ownership rights to the original author. You may use any original material on this website to the glory of God, but you may not receive anything of value for such use. You may not receive any donations related to any original material on this website. All use of original material on this website is subject to the revocable, limited license above. You must conspicuously indicate on any use of the original material that it originated from ChristAssembly.org.  Any revocation of the license shall be posted on this website and all rights to use material may be revoked without prior notice. By copying and using any original material from this website, you consent to such license. Christ Assembly opposes any payment for access to studies, articles, journals, or other publications of studies concerning the Word of God. As God has freely given, so also the products of His grace should be freely shared.