Ben Stuart begins a new collection that will walk you through 1 and 2 Samuel. This week focuses on God’s opposition of the proud and the grace He gives to the humble.
Key Takeaway
In a world that seems to be growing ever darker, God is still in complete control. God is preserving His Glory and is constantly at work. Regardless of the direction the world is headed, the Lord reigns over all nations.
1) Hannah took her pain to the Lord.
She prayed to God about her circumstances and waited for Him to move, recognizing that He was sovereign over her life and the lives around her. She did not try to control the situation but sought God first to work on her behalf.
2) Hannah's song speaks not only of how God has worked in her life personally but to who God is and how he works overall.
Her song has 4 major themes that will direct the rest of the book.
- The Lord reigns even on a dark day.
- The humble will be lifted up.
- The proud will be brought low.
- God will raise up his anointed king.
3) The Lord will tolerate arrogance, sin against Him, and hypocrisy in His Church for a time.
He is patient and with a merciful hand is offering time for repentance. However, if repentance is refused, God will expose everything.
Hophni and Phinehas were actively disobeying God's commandments by violating the rules of sacrifice and sleeping with the women who served in the Tabernacle. 1 Samuel 2:12 calls the sons "worthless men".
Eli, the priest, was engaging in passive disobedience. In 1 Samuel 2:25, he gently rebukes his sons, but the rebuke does not match their constant actions. What they were doing was well-known and persistent; Eli was fully aware yet allowed it to continue and did nothing about it.
4) While things kept getting worse and worse for God's people, Samuel was growing.
That means that there is always hope. Nothing that is going on in the world is a surprise to God and he never leaves his people without hope. Samuel continued to grow in humility, wisdom, and in his relationship with God. He desires your heart, not just for you to "do the right thing" outwardly, but to grow in your walk with Him. Through this humility, God can use you to bring Himself glory.
Quote
"The God that rules the nations cares about your story."
Ben Stuart
Discussion Questions
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Ben Stuart Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.
