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Awaken the Hero Within
Samuel
Dr. Greg Bourgond
Another often forgotten hero of the OT is Samuel the Prophet. We talk about Elijah, Elisha,
Daniel and Ezekiel but rarely Samuel—yet he is the only prophet mentioned by name in the
heroes of te faith in Bebrews Chapter 11.
1 Samuel 3:19-21
The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all
Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The
Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. NIV
Hebrews 11:32-34
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,
David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice,
and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames,
and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became
powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. NIV
The Life Application Bible makes the following comments regarding the life and ministry of Samuel, the
last and most effective of Israel’s judges.
“We often wonder about the childhoods of great people. We have little information about the early
years of most of the people mentioned in the Bible. One delightful exception is Samuel; he came as a
result of God’s answer to Hannah’s (his mother) fervent prayer for a child. In fact, the name Samuel
comes from the Hebrew expression, “heard of God.” God shaped Samuel from the start. Like Moses,
Samuel was called to fill many different roles; judge, priest, prophet, counselor, and God’s man at a
turning point in the history of Israel. God worked through Samuel because Samuel was willing to be one
thing: God’s servant.”
“Samuel showed that those whom God finds faithful in small things will be trusted with greater things.
He grew up assisting the high priest Eli in the tabernacle until God directed him to other responsibilities.
God was able to use Samuel because he was genuinely dedicated to God.”
Samuel
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“Samuel moved ahead because he was listening to God’s directions. Too often we ask God to control our
lives without making us give up the goals for which we strive. We ask God to help us to get where we
want to go. The first step in correcting this tendency is to turn over both the control and destination of
our lives to Him. The second step is to do what we already know God requires of us. The third step is to
listen for further direction from His Word—God’s map for life.”
Samuel’s Strengths and Accomplishments:
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Used by God to assist Israel’s transition from a loosely governed tribal people to a monarchy.
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Anointed the first two kings of Israel (Saul and David).
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Is listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11.
Samuel’s Weaknesses and Mistakes:
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Was unable to lead his sons into a close relationship with God.
When Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to anoint the second king of Israel God informed him of the
1 Samuel 16:1-7
The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over
Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have
chosen one of his sons to be king." But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill
me." The Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite
Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate."
Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled
when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?" Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have
come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he
consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw
Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord."
But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.
The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the
Lord looks at the heart." NIV
mistake so many of us make when we attribute greatest to someone based solely on the way they
appear on the surface.
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After anointing Saul as the first king of Israel much to Samuel’s disapproval he delivers his farewell
speech to the people of Israel.
1 Samuel 12:6-25
Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your
forefathers up out of Egypt. Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before
the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your fathers. "After Jacob entered
Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your forefathers out
of Egypt and settled them in this place. "But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of
Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who
fought against them. 10 They cried out to the Lord and said, 'We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and
served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve
you.' Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of
your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely.
"But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, 'No, we
want a king to rule over us'-even though the Lord your God was your king. Now here is the king you have
chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. If you fear the Lord and serve and obey
him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the
Lord your God — good! But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will
be against you, as it was against your fathers.
"Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! Is it not wheat
harvest now? I will call upon the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you
did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king." Then Samuel called upon the Lord, and that same day
the Lord sent thunder and rain. So, all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel. The people all said
to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our
other sins the evil of asking for a king." "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do
not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols.
They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name
the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it
from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good
and right. But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things
he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away." NIV
Samuel
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What lessons can we learn from the life of Samuel? Take the next ten minutes, review the
passages we have just read and what you know about the life of Samuel to write down
principles gleaned from his life and ministry.
I came up with eight…
1. Prayer is the bridge we must cross for influence and empowerment.
Samuel (and his mother) was a prayer warrior.
The Bible contains nearly fifty lengthy prayers recorded in prose sections and several
hundred shorter prayers or references to praying.
(Dictionary of Biblical Imagery © 1998 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. All rights reserved.)
Mighty men of God are prayer warriors.
ILLUS: Gaelan (Goodness & Integrity)
Not all prayer requires word—awareness, attitude, posture, work, reflection…
Romans 12:12 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. NIV
2. The significance of what leaders accomplish is directly related to their
relationship with God.
Samuel maintained a vibrant relationship with God to the end.
Significance and meaning can only come from the Creator who gives meaning and
significance to our lives.
Significance is more important than success. A life of significance is attained by living a
legacy worth leaving in the lives of people God places within our sphere of influence. The
only legacy worth living is a godly legacy.
We are wired to seek significance for our lives (Ps 139:13-18; Eccl 3:10-11; Eph 2:10)
God has a prescription for significance.
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We have a DESTINY to fulfill . . .God has ‘plans' for us! (Jeremiah 29:11)
We have a CONTRIBUTION to make . . .God has equipped us for His purposes! (1
Corinthians 12:4-7)
We have a MINISTRY to complete . . .Our objective is Christlikeness! (Ephesians 4:1116)
We have a LEGACY to leave . . .God wants us to invest in others! (1 Chronicles 28:8; 2
Timothy 2:2)
3. The kind of person we are is more important than anything we might do.
Samuel’s character spoke louder than his accomplishments.
It is not what you do that determines who you are. It is who you are in Christ that will
determine the significance of what you do.
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Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
NIV
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone,
the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation: NIV
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being
transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit. NIV
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you
your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. NIV
4. God is our salvation, not any authority in the world.
Samuel answered to one authority – God.
Ephesians 2:19-22 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens
with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is
joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built
together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. NIV
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there,
the Lord Jesus Christ, NIV
5. Outward appearances are deceiving, God looks at the heart.
Samuel accepted God’s correction.
Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. NLT
Proverbs 16:2 All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
NIV
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He
will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At
that time each will receive his praise from God. NIV
6. God looks for FAT leaders—faithful, available, and teachable.
Samuel was faithful, available, and teachable.
God can use leaders who depend upon Him. Independence from Him results in
dependence on the world. Dependence on Him results in independence from the world.
God looks for leaders who are faithful, available, and teachable.
1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
NIV
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2 Timothy 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust
to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. NIV
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by
deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. NIV
7. God speaks to those who will listen.
Samuel listened to the voice of God from an early age.
1 Kings 19:11-12 Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will
pass by." A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God,
but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the
earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle
and quiet whisper. The Message
God can be heard through His Word, through His Spirit, and through His creation.
God also uses destiny processing to shape his leaders…
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Awe Inspiring Experiences (God’s Anointing)
Indirect (Other People’s Influence)
Providential (Circumstances)
Blessing (Over Time)
8. There is no shortcut to finishing well.
Samuel finished his journey well.
Characteristics of Those Who Finished Well
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Spiritually Vibrant: one who maintains a personal vibrant relationship with God right up
to the end.
Learner: one who maintains a learning posture and continually learns from various
kinds of sources; life especially.
Christ-like: one who gives evidence of Christ-likeness in character as seen by the fruit
of the Spirit in a life.
Faithful and Obedient: one who lives out truth in a life so that convictions and promises
of God are seen to be real.
Legacy: one who leaves behind one or more ultimate contributions, that is, a lasting
legacy.
Destined: one who walks with a growing awareness of s sense of destiny and see some
or all of it fulfilled.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my
departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store
for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and
not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. NIV
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CONCLUSION:
What is your relationship with God?
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Distant?
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Stagnant?
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Vibrant?
What are you going to do about it?
Will you wait on God or will you expect God to wait on you?
To whom do you belong?
What is God calling you to do?
Will you listen?
Will you be Faithful, Available, and Teachable?
What are you doing now to ensure you will finish well?
Will you be a Samuel?
Samuel
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