What a lovely way for a young man to start his life's work with the Lord God, "Speak; for thy servant heareth." (1Sam 3:10).  Our ears must be open and ready for what the Lord wants us to do.

V.19 Samuel was a faithful servant because he retained the word of Yahweh.  The ecclesia at Philadelphia was commended by the Lord for keeping His word (Rev 3:8).  And so, it behoves us, as faithful servants, to keep His word and handle it correctly (2Tim 2:15; James 1:22).

There is a lot of mention of the word of the LORD in this chapter. It begins in v1 "the word of the LORD was rare in those days". That is to say, there had been no revelation from God during the time of Eli and his sons for some time. The word of the LORD then came to Samuel, a mere boy at this time. It's significant that it came to him rather than the high priest or the other priests, his sons. In v17 Eli asks Samuel "what is the word that the LORD spoke to you?". The priest had to ask a boy for the word of the LORD! In v21 the pattern is set that the LORD revealed His word to Samuel regularly.

Interestingly, Eli did know about revelations from the LORD. When Samuel came to him, he knew that the call the boy had heard was God speaking to him. Eli also knew how one ought to address the Almighty (v8-9). It is likely that Eli had had similar experiences, especially as he was a priest and also the judge of Israel (4:18). The big difference between these two men, however, was what they did with the word of the LORD. Whenever we read of Eli he is within the confines of the house of God in Shiloh - yet he was supposed to Judge all of Israel! His apathy at fulfilling this task can be further seen by the amount of times he is described as sitting down. He had also become a very fat man, so it seems this was habitual. Eli had been saving the word of the LORD in his own heart. Samuel, on the other hand, was a man who used the word of the LORD, speaking to "all the house of Israel" (4:1, 7:3).  How did he speak to "all Israel"?  By getting up off his chair and travelling from city to city! (7:15-17).

We too have had the word of the LORD revealed to us. We can take the examples of either of these two men. Samuel sowed it. Eli saved it. When we come to the parables of Jesus we can see the lesson drawn out of this in his story of the talents (Matt 25:14-30). Just as the word of the LORD was taken away from Eli and given to another more worthy of it, so Jesus will do to us if we hide his word only in our hearts without investing it in others too.

3:2       That Eli ‘could not see’ here and 1Sam 4:15  doubtless is a comment on his physical condition. However it also reflected his spiritual condition.

V.18 The burden ( the Lord's message) was an extraordinary premonition of the judgments that impended over Eli's house; and the aged priest, having drawn the painful secret from Samuel, exclaimed "It is the Lord; let Him do what semeth good". Such is the spirit of meek and unmurmuring submission in which we ought to receive the dispensations of our Heaven Father, however severe and afflictive they may appear to be. 

V.10 Samuel said: Speak; for thy servant heareth (is listening). The Hebrew word translated heareth is shama which means to hear attentively and intelligently with the intention of obeying.

3:1     We might think that the only time when there was no direct message from God was between the Old and New Testament. However we see that this is so here – even though the tabernacle is standing. God was waiting for the man who would be the faithful priest so that he could appear to him. In like manner the silence between the testaments is broken by the coming of John.

V.1 It is supposed that Samuel was twelve years old at this time.  Samuel ministered (Heb. sharat which means serve or wait on) unto the LORD.  Jesus was also found in the temple at age twelve where He was serving Yahweh (Luke 2:42,46).

-The three unclean spirits which have infected society (Rev 16:13)

Consider this chapter is, so to speak, a conversation between Jesus and his Father.

He spoke to the two on the road to Emmaus from 'all the Scriptures' (Luke 24:27)

A couple of links with 2 Kings

The circumstance of the deliverance in the days of Elisha are used by Isaiah to remind Israel that God does actually deliver His people - maybe Isaiah was speaking this about the way in which the Assyrians were destroyed upon the mountains of Israel by the angel.

49:2  That Jesus’ words were like a sharp sword is seen in Rev 1:16, 19:21.

49:6 Isaiah is clear in his prophecies about the call of the gentiles. Israel did not see it in the days of Isaiah, nor in the days of Jesus and the apostles even when Paul – Acts 13:47 – quotes Isaiah’s words.

49:6 Read this verse as part of a conversation between God and Jesus. Jesus has expressed despair at the lack of response to his preaching amongst the Jews – Isa 49:4 – and so God responds that his message of salvation will extend to the gentiles also.

V.16 This reflects a probable custom the Jews had in marking their hands to represent their city and the temple (Exo 13:9).  Continuing this figure, Jesus bore the marks of crucifixion in His hands, which He revealed to His disciples (John 20:20).

49:20 ‘the place is to strait for me’ – drawing on the language of 2Kin 6:17– speaks of the increase of Jesus’ followers.

HAS GOD FORGOTTEN?

Have we ever felt like God may have forgotten us? It often happens when we go through a time of trouble that seems to lengthen the longer we put up with it. At those times it seems like prayers are no longer answered, and positive spiritual thoughts seem to evaporate before they have even been spoken.

When God afflicted his people Israel, they thought he had forgotten them. "But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me, the LORD has forgotten me.' Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands: your walls are ever before me!" (Isa 49:14-16) God will never forget his people Israel, and nor will he forget us.

Last week I was speaking to some parents of an adopted child who has gone off the rails. Many parents would have disowned him by now. But though he is not their flesh and blood, they still think of him, pray for him, visit him in prison and talk about him. As part of their family, they will never forget him. How much more is that with God?

Again, we can never fail to be reminded of important things by marks on our hands when they flash in front of our faces thousands of times a day. As children of God, he is reminded of us every time he sees his hands - not that he needs reminding!

Take courage. God will never forget of forsake us even when life is hard.

HAS GOD FORGOTTEN?

Have we ever felt like God may have forgotten us? It often happens when we go through a time of trouble that seems to lengthen the longer we put up with it. At those times it seems like prayers are no longer answered, and positive spiritual thoughts seem to evaporate before they have even been spoken.

When God afflicted his people Israel, they thought he had forgotten them. "But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me, the LORD has forgotten me.' Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands: your walls are ever before me!" (Isa 49:14-16) God will never forget his people Israel, and nor will he forget us.

Last week I was speaking to some parents of an adopted child who has gone off the rails. Many parents would have disowned him by now. But though he is not their flesh and blood, they still think of him, pray for him, visit him in prison and talk about him. As part of their family, they will never forget him. How much more is that with God?

Again, we can never fail to be reminded of important things by marks on our hands when they flash in front of our faces thousands of times a day. As children of God, he is reminded of us every time he sees his hands - not that he needs reminding!

Take courage. God will never forget of forsake us even when life is hard.

This chapter introduces the Messiah, Jesus. Yahweh will never forget His people or fail to deliver them (V.15).

V.2 See Rev 1:16

V.26 Consider the elements of flesh, blood and wine that relate to the demise of latter-day oppressors.

In the end times, the first opponent will be Gog and its confederates who will have invaded and devastated Israel.  Yahweh has prepared a feast of their flesh at Armageddon (Rev 16:16; 19:17,18 cf. Eze 39:17,18).  Jesus and the immortalized saints will subdue this oppressor.

After Gog, another opponent will be dealt with.

The false Babylonian system of worship that developed in the early centuries AD will have climbed to heights of untold wealth and power by the time Jesus returns.  Over the span of history, this oppressor has been guilty of violence against the Jewish people. Furthermore, true followers of Christ have been tortured and killed by this system, for their faith .  Much blood has been shed (Rev 17:6; 18:24). This system has seduced many people and nations by its intoxicating wine (Rev 17:2). Rome (Babylon), the seat of this system, will be destroyed by Jesus and His brethren (Rev 18:2,21).

Jesus' opposition to the nations will not yet have been completed. We shall see what comes next as we read Revelation.

Don't forget that this prophecy has a context. It sits within the story of the Assyrian invasion of the land. Previously in Isa 39 God had delivered Jerusalem as He promised, and the verse which follows it (40:1) is "Comfort, yes comfort My people... That her warfare has ended". So when 49:13 repeats the phrase, it is speaking of the same event "The LORD has comforted His people".

We're so used to seeing Jesus in prophecy that perhaps we allow it to blind us to the original context of scripture. That's a shame because there's so much to be learned from this time period. If we look at this prophecy within the context we will gain a fuller understanding of Jesus' mission. For example, verses 8,17,19 speak of the desolate land. This refers to the Assyrian invasion which had laid waste all the cities of Judah (36:1) and also "all nations and their lands" (37:18). So God having destroyed this great army (37:36) left a massive void that Hezekiah stepped into for a time. He (and his God) were seen as the saviour of the nations, not just of Israel. A massive pilgrimage must have ensued both of captive Jews, Israelites and other scattered people who saw Jerusalem as their beacon of hope (40:5, 11:10-13, 16). This is a vivid picture of many aspects of the work of Jesus which we will not appreciate if we lift verses out of their historical context.

49:4 Jesus may well have thought that he had laboured in vain at the end of his ministry. However the promise of verse :6 – I have given thee for a light for the gentiles – would have been a comfort and put things in perspective.

7 v.3 The sealing of the servants in their foreheads before the judgements of God further shows His concern for His servants and catches the way in which He, figuratively marked out those in Jerusalem in the Days of Zedekiah before the Babylonians overthrew the city. [Ezekiel 9:2-11]

8 v.2 The association of prayer with incense is seen in the words of the Psalmist [Psalm 141:2]. [Exodus 30:34-38] describes the manner of the manufacture of the incense. Notice that the constituent parts were to be beaten 'very small' - an indication of the need to offer prayer regularly and often. The quantity of each spice is not mentioned, just the relationship - 'like weight' indicates that there is no limit to the amount of prayer that we offer, just that our prayers must be 'balanced'. It was not to be imitated marking the need to recognise that we pray only to the Father. We have no other God to whom we make petition.

9 v.3-4 A swarm of locusts normally would devastate the grass of the earth. That these locusts do not, but only attack those who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads shows the wonderful power and care that our God has. He is able to differentiate between those who serve Him and those who do not when he judges the earth.

Numbers 1 records the numbering of Israel at the beginning of the wilderness journey. We will remember that none of those numbered at this time except Joshua and Caleb, were alive at the end of the wilderness journey. Do we see ourselves as being among the first or last numbering?

Whilst we certainly see references to Babylon in later chapters in Revelation it is important to note that the demise of 'Babylon' in Revelation starts early in the book.

Even before the Assyrian invasion of Judah Isaiah predicted the fall of Babylon (Chapter 14 and 15)

As Isaiah was reminding Israel about the demise of an upcoming enemy so the sixth angel predicted the demise of an evil system which sought to oppose truth.

7:11-12 Again we see God and the risen Jesus being praised. This time by the redeemed.

8:4 The smoke of worship and sacrifice here contrasts with the smoke of the bottomless pit (9:2)

9:2 Smoke rose as a furnace when Sodom was destroyed (Genesis 19:28) - an indication of the judgements of God against the wicked upon the earth.

Rev 7:9. At our baptism we “put on Christ” as a garment to cover our past sins. Those seen by John are all the saints whose sins have been covered by the forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ.

Rev 7:14.Although a man’s sins are forgiven by God at the time of his baptism, further forgiveness is dependant upon man’s own efforts to obey the word of God. We all must be willing to put forth the effort. We are familiar with what God said to Israel through the prophet Isaiah. (Isa 1:16-18.)

Rev 9:5,10. Why five months twice? (v.5, v.10) Why not one period of ten months? The locusts’ life cycle appears to be only five months; hence a ten month period would have been contrary to nature.

7:3 sealed the servants of God n their foreheads' quotes Eze 8:4 where the context are the same. On both occasions God is  holding back His judgements until the servants of God are safe.

8:8 Whilst we have seen before that the casting into the sea echoes the language of Jeremiah it also draws on the language of the deliverance from Egypt (Exo 15:4)

9:6 The horror of the fifth seal will be reminiscent of the time of the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Babylonians as the language of Jer 8:3 is quoted  - a stark reminder for Israel.back His judgements until the servants of God are safe.

8:1,2,13 To understand the unfolding of history subsequent to 90 AD, let us picture a three-sectioned telescope.  The first section contains the first six seals.  Then we open the second section where the seventh seal contains the six trumpets (incorporating two woes).  Then the third section is opened where the seventh trumpet (containing the third woe) contains the seven vials. Traditional interpretation marks the first trumpet at about 400 AD.  The sixth vial period is the present time.  The seventh vial marks Armageddon and the Lord's retribution on Babylon.  And so we see that we are very close to the Lord's return.  This should spur us on to get our houses in order. 

7:1  The holding back of the winds is rather like the restraining of the six men with swords – Eze 9:2 – who were restrained until the servants of God had been sealed. This is a major element of this chapter also.

8:3 That the prayers of the saints was offered with incense on the golden altar provides us with evidence that proves that the offering of incense under the law of Moses was but a shadow of prayer.

9:4 Amidst all the devastation that is to come we might be forgiven for thinking that we are at risk of being devoured in the trouble that is to come. However it is clear that the Father is well able to take care of His children. He is the one who is directing world events.

7:1  The holding back of the winds is rather like the restraining of the six men with swords – Eze 9:2– who were restrained until the servants of God had been sealed. This is a major element of this chapter also.

8:3  That the prayers of the saints was offered with incense on the golden altar provides us with evidence that proves that the offering of incense under the law of Moses was but a shadow of prayer.

9:4  Amidst all the devastation that is to come we might be forgiven for thinking that we are at risk of being devoured in the trouble that is to come. However it is clear that the Father is well able to take care of His children. He is the one who is directing world events.

7:16 The promise of blessing contained in this verse quotes Isa 49:10 which highlights the benefits of the kingdom of God that Jesus will establish.

7:9 The 144,000 clearly are taken from Israel. But notice the hope is not simply for Israel. In addition to the 144,000 there were others, too many to number, who clearly are gentiles. The way that they are described as those who ‘no man could number’ draws on the promise to Abraham Gen 22:17

The Lamb had opened six of the seals, and then in Rev 8:1 came to open the seventh. There was “silence in Heaven” or peace. Constantine had accepted Christianity, and it seemed almost as though the Kingdom had come. But this was not to be. State Christianity became a persecutor of the true church, and the ravages of persecution started again, typified by the trumpets being sounded.

7:4-8 144,000 are sealed from every tribe. The first tribe is Judah, which is the tribe of the Lord Jesus. Thus, the 144,000 represents (in symbol) the redeemed from all nations. Notice that Joseph replaces Ephraim, which confirms that the 144,000 speaks of spiritual Israel and not natural Israel. Also notice that the tribe of Dan is not represented. Why not?

The numeral 144,000 is made up of multiples of twelve and one thousand.

Twelve is the number of tribes and forms the basis of description for Israel. Spiritual Israel has been grafted into that commonwealth, and so it can be designated by the same number.

One thousand is a number that describes the perpetual nature of divine grace (Exo 20:6; Deut 7:9; Psa 105:8). The foursquare character of 144,000 (12,000 x 12,000) depicts completeness.

Twelve is associated with the heavenly City of Jerusalem (the redeemed saints) (Rev 21:2, 10-16, 21). One thousand is associated with divine grace in the Kingdom (Rev 20:6). Thus, the 144,000 represents the redeemed of the Lord in the Kingdom (vs.14-16; 21:4).

In Chapter 8, four trumpets are blown. A trumpet is blown to alert one’s attention to something. In this case, it was to alert the enemies of Rome to move against her. In the fifth century, various groups provoked Rome.

8:7 The first trumpet summoned the Goths

8:8 The second trumpet summoned the Vandals

8:10 The third trumpet summoned the Huns

8:12 The fourth trumpet sounded the diminution of Rome in the west and the birth of an eastern rival in Constantinople. It was Constantine who founded Constantinople in 330AD as a second Rome.

Finally, in 1054 AD there was an official Catholic split between east and west.  Rome continued in the west while the Orthodox Church ruled in the east.

This historical event is described by the legs of Nebuchadnezzar’s image in Dan 2. There we are told that the image has two iron legs. Iron is a symbol of Rome. Rome was split into two parts, east and west, hence two legs.

8:11 Wormwood is a plant of the genus artemesia.  Several varieties of the plant are found in Israel.  The plant is known for its bitterness.  Also, the poison hemlock is derived from this plant - just ask Hamlet. The bitter and deadly effect of the Huns is duly described by the wormwood figure.

9:20 the worshipping of Devils echoes the condemnation in Lev 17:7 of that sort of practice. The ‘devils’ in Leviticus are false God – idols.