10.03.09: 1 Samuel 1 - 10

"RUNNERS, take your mark," the starter barks his signal, and the crowd turns quiet attention to the athletes walking toward the line. "Get set"... in position now, muscles tense, nervously anticipating the sound of the gun. It resounds! And the race begins. In any contest, the start is important, but the finish is even more crucial. Often a front-runner will lose strength and fade into the middle of the pack. And there is the tragedy of the brilliant beginner who sets the pace for a time, but does not even finish. He quits the race burned out, exhausted, or injured.
First Samuel is a book of great beginnings... and tragic endings.

Be careful what you promise in prayer because God may take you up on it. Hannah so desperately wanted a child that she was willing to strike a bargain with God. God took her up on her promise, and to Hannah's credit, she did her part, even though it was painful (v.v 1:27,28).
Although we are not in a position to barter with God, he may still choose to answer a prayer that has an attached promise. When you pray, ask yourself, Will I follow through on any promises I make to God if he grants my request? It is dishonest and dangerous to ignore a promise, especially to God. God keeps his promises, and he expects you to keep yours.

When Hannah returns her only son to God this verse illustrates the kinds of gifts we should give to God. Do your gifts cost you little (Sunday mornings, a comfortable tithe), or are they gifts of sacrifice? Are you presenting God with tokens, or are you presenting him with your entire life?

"No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
There is no Rock like our God." 1 Samuel 2:2
Hannah praised God for being a Rock - firm, strong and unchanging. In our fast pace world, friends come and go, and circumstances change. Its difficult to find a solid foundation that will not change. Those who devote their lives to achievements, causes or possessions have as their security that which is finite and changeable. The possessions that we work so hard to obtain will all pass away. But God is always present. Hope in him. He will never fail.
Because we live in a world where evil bounds and where war and terrorism always threaten, we may forget that God is in control. Hannah saw God as 1. solid as a Rock (2:2), 2. the one who knows what we do (2:3), 3. sovereign over all the affairs of people (2:4-8), and 4. the Supreme Judge who administer perfect justice (2:10). Remembering God's sovereign control helps us put both world and personal events in perspective.

3.1-5. Although God had spoken directly and audibly with Moses and Joshua, his word became rare during the three centuries of rule by judges. By Eli's time, no Prophets were speaking God's message to Israel. Why? Look at the attitudes of Eli's sons. They refused to listen to God, and they allowed greed to block their communication with him. Instead of listening to God, Israel had turned to other sources of wisdom. But when God spoke to Samuel, the young boy responded, "Speak your servant is listening." (3:10)
Listening and responding is vital in a relationship with God. Although God does not always use the sound of human voice, he always speaks clearly through his Word. To receive his messages, we must be ready to listen and to act upon what he tells us. Like Samuel, be ready to say "Here I am" when God calls you to action.

Tourists and travelers purchase memorable souvenirs from the places they visit. What are your favorites? Souvenirs connects us to a place and an experience; they become hooks for our memories. Souvenirs also prove that we've been to a specific place, and they can be excellent discussion starters. The Philistines grab a priceless Israelite treasure and the Israelites build a collection of choice Canaanite items. In neither case are the souvenirs harmless. The Israelites took their collectibles from the inhabitants that they were to have driven from Canaan, clearly violating God's command.
As the Israelites began to inhabit Canaan, they were supposed to destroy all the idols they found. Instead, many people collected the idols, brought them home, and included them in their worship. They were clearly disobeying God because he had warned them to avoid idols (Exodus 20:4). Samuel saw the Israelites' sin and urged them to get rid of their foreign gods (1 Samuel 7:3).
Today idols don't look like the ancient gods of wood and stone, but they endangered us just as much. Whatever holds first place in a person's life is, in fact, that person's god. Money, success, material goods, pride, or anything else can be an idol if it takes God's place.
The Lord alone is worthy of our service and worship and we must let nothing rival him. If we have "foreign gods," we need to dethrone them, giving the true God his rightful place. What idols vie for control of your life? What should you do to keep God in first place?