I invite you to turn together tonight in the scriptures to 1st Samuel chapter 2. 1st Samuel chapter 2. That's found on page 289 as we're beginning at verse 12 and reading through verse 26. And we will actually back up to verse 11 of chapter 2. This is the word of the Lord. 1 Samuel 2, verse 11. Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, and the boy, says Samuel, was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest. Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. The custom of the priest with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come while the meat was boiling with a three-pronged fork in his hand, and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself this is what they did at shiloh to all the israelites who came there moreover before the fat was burned the priest servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing give meat for the priest priest to roast for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw and if the man said to him let them burn the fat first and then take as much as you wish he would say no you must give it now and if not i will take it by force thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the lord for the men treated the offering of the lord with contempt samuel was ministering before the lord a boy clothed with a linen ephod and his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice then eli would bless elkanah his wife and say may the lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the lord so then they would return to their home indeed the lord visited hannah and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters and the boy samuel grew in the presence of the lord now eli was very old and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all israel and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting and he said to them why do you do such things for i hear of your evil dealings from all these people know my sons it is no good report that i hear the people of the lord spreading abroad if someone sins against a man god will mediate for him but if someone sins against the lord who can intercede for him but they would not listen to the voice of their father for it was the will of the lord to put them to death now the boy samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the lord and also with man and there ends the reading of god's word one of the things that has overjoyed uh me uh as a pastor here in this place is to hear so many of You say to me, it is, Pastor, wonderful to come up to the house of the Lord to worship. That is one of the most encouraging things to hear of people who find it a great delight and a great blessing to come to worship, to bow down, to sing, to present offerings to the Lord. I don't know how much you've given thought to the fact of how blessed you are, if you can say that. If that is your attitude toward the worship of the Lord, the Lord has done something really wonderful for you, hasn't he? He really has. You should be deeply humbled to God by his goodness to you for so many in our day have not been able to think through the issues when it comes to what worship should be. And because of that, because of gross abuses in the ministry, because of all the problems that are going on in the ministry, we're finding more and more that people don't really enjoy to come up to the house of the Lord. They see no value in it. In fact, many are despising it as we looked at this morning. And I've given some thought to this as to why do people, why are they willing to tolerate so much abuse? People will tolerate a lot of compromise. There could be a few reasons for that. It's hard to sometimes understand what's happening. Is this right or is this wrong? And if priorities are wrong, the people then will be more willing to accept the bigger compromises. In other words, what really motivates people to come to church and why do they come and for what reasons? All that you have to answer. I don't know how many people tell me today that they are looking for a church and then I can almost expect what's coming. But I want a church with a good children's ministry. I want a church that has this. I want a church that has that. And I've come to the painful realization that we just don't understand the purpose of why we come up to the house of the Lord. The purpose of worship. Why we need to come. So tonight we're going to look at the story of Samuel. Behind the scenes, you'll notice in the midst of this darkness woven into this is the story of Samuel. But before we get to him, I want you to notice here that what has happened in the course of Israel's history, we've come to a point of one of the worst periods of apostasy that we ever see in Israel's history. I mean that. It's a terrible time. And the primary responsibility for this mess, the place where it is all focused, is on the corrupt leadership. It's tragic to open up the book of Samuel and find that so soon after they entered the land, the nation is being killed captive under darkness. The shocking thing about it is we're not looking out into the nations. We're not looking out into Canaan. We're looking into Israel and then we move closer and closer to the center of it all. We're right at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Where the worst apostasies and the worst abuses are going on. This is just moving to study and to realize that all of this is about pastoral neglect and pastoral abuse in its worst and ugliest forms that we've ever heard. But, when it seemed that all had been lost and that things were at their worst, we see the powerful hand of God working behind the scenes as He's weaving in this figure into the story who would be the one to come as a little priest and then speak the word of the Lord and set them free from oppression. I think you know that story. We'll come back to that. Samuel's opening scenes here are conveying the truth of the full application of what we study in the coming of Jesus. What Isaiah described, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. you're going to see all that language as the light is going out in Israel and then Samuel comes and is the light. And it's giving the basic message to us tonight in the beginning here is that the Lord desires to deliver from this oppression. The Lord will deliver from this oppression. He has sent a deliverer. And tonight as we look at this, we'll see how this all shows what the Lord has done in giving us His Son who has given us light and brought us out of the worst kind of dominion of darkness of Satan and delivered us from all of our sins. At this point in the story, Elkanah and Hannah have gone back and we read that Samuel has been left at Shiloh to minister before the Lord. That will be crucial to this. But before that, in verse 11, we read, Now, the sons of Eli were worthless, worthless men. They did not know the Lord. This is quite an opening when you're talking about the priesthood in Israel. The initial section of chapter 2 is opening our minds to something that we often don't recognize or we often choose not to recognize. but it is the great problem we've looked at in Jude of a community of faith going absolutely apostate. This is apostasy in the worst extreme. We learn a lot in the book of Samuel about false shepherds. We learn a lot in Samuel about the true shepherds and the true good shepherd, the king. But verse 12 may not immediately hit you the way that it should, But before Israel, we have to realize what a mind-blowing statement this was as they would read this throughout their history. We read, the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. It woodenly reads, the sons of Eli were sons of Belial. Wow. Remember when Eli confronted Hannah, she used this phrase, I am not a son of Belial. 1 Samuel is a literary masterpiece. There's so much here that shows the inspiration by the Spirit. It's just absolutely fabulous. A son of Belial was somebody closely associated with Satan himself. It meant a son of total worthless wickedness and destruction and rebellion. And it should blow our mind that these sons of Belial are the ones, the priests ministering at the tabernacle. They're performing the sacrifices. they're leading the worship services and what a thought god's holy nation a kingdom of priests the ones performing the sacrifices in israel are sons of belial i couldn't get that out of my head it's one of the most crucial things for the church to to realize for often why the church and so much conflict and so much discord and so much separation, so much fighting is because of this reality. Jesus told us very clearly, they don't come looking like wolves. Paul warned all over the place. You know his passage of Acts 20. I told you, I wept with tears. Savage wolves will come among you, not sparing the flock. Paul knew exactly what to look back in Israel's history and where to see it. 2 Corinthians 11 warns the New Testament church, it's no wonder Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It's not surprising then if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Where is this? In the church. Now, if we stopped here, we have nothing to go on, but the Lord is teaching us here how we can know how it goes wrong, where it goes wrong. There are indicators, there are markers. Samuel helps us with that. There are certain practices that the sons of Belial always tamper with. Always tamper with. And guess what it is? In the New Testament, we have, it's summed up, that leaders need to watch their doctrine in their life. 1 Samuel takes it right there. And zeroes in on their view of worship. On their view of worship. What's going on here? What's happening here? The custom of the priest with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come while the meat was boiling. He'd take a big fork, right, in his hand. He'd thrust it in the pan and all that the fork brought up, the priest would take. Big pot, boiled meat. He'd take it. this is what they did at shiloh to all the israelites who came moreover and we have more detail verse 15 before the fat was burned the priest servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing give meat for the priest roast the priest to roast for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw and if a man said to him no no no no listen he needs to burn the fat first then go ahead take what you want they would say no you give it now or we're taking it by force thus verse 17 the sin of the young man young men was very great in the eyes of the lord it was very great in the eyes of the lord what was the issue here well the issue was this was a connection with the thank offering that god had commanded in israel's history the priests in the law have been instructed what their own portion would be Leviticus 7 tells us that it was the right thigh and the breast now besides their portions they were stealing the meat from the offer so Hophni and Phinehas would send one of their servants with a big fork and they would just grab whatever they wanted they take the whole thing further the law had commanded that they could have their portion it had to be consecrated by burning to God by burning all the fat of the animal on the altar what they would just send without total disregard of God's commands and worship they would send their servant they would take the meat back raw they just took the offerings in full and when we come to this tragic verse 17 the lord's watching isn't he this was really really a great sin in the eyes of the lord why why this really gets me look what it says for the worshipers, the people, the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. You know, you guys, you come up every Sunday. This is not what a pastor likes to talk about, putting offerings in the pot, does he? You come up to do that. And you know, you should have a joyful, happy moment of worship. It's not intermission. You know that, right? Typically, we treat the offering as intermission. It's not intermission. It's actually an act of worship. You're presenting your offering to the Lord. And what kind of spirit do you come with? Well, you should be coming with, you know, if you've been moved by the gospel and you've been saved by His gracious love and you know how good He's been to you, you're putting that offering in in great thankfulness. This is what the Lord loves, a cheerful giver. And this kind of relationship has happened in worship. all of this was designed as we studied in Exodus to speak of Christ's sacrifice for your sins. It anticipated it. They're stealing it. They are stealing and taking what was designed to say thank you, Lord, for your salvation. Now we're learning a little bit here of how dangerous it is when a ministry is not doing what it's supposed to be doing. How do you feel in your consciences when church leaders tamper with the ministry for their own selfish gain? It makes you loathe worship. you have no joy in it. Those of you who have been here know exactly what I'm talking about. If you've been blessed all your life to sit under faithful ministers and this church has had a whole string of them, then this isn't going to so much relate to you. But if you have sat under the abuse and you know it, then you know exactly what the worshipers are feeling right now. We hate this. we're supposed to come up to worship the Lord and this is what's going on. That's not it. The whole ministry is one of oppression. What were they doing? Verse 22 tells you. Look at it. Now Eli was very old and he kept hearing what all his sons were doing to all Israel. How they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The servant ladies. I can't. I mean, it's just horrendous, isn't it? Corrupt leaders cannot help it. It's their life. Greatest tragedy is they're in positions of leadership. They've worked their way and wormed their way and they don't even know the Lord. A minister in this way of Satan holds people under a lot of bondage. Now, can I apply this to today? I think you've been seeing what's going on in the Roman Catholic Church. Right in front of you, 8,000. 8,000 have already come forward with serious abuses. 1,000, preying on children, sexually. You think the Lord doesn't see this? You don't think these things happen in our churches? What does God think about this? What does God do about this? What we learn next is demonstrating to us how zealous the Lord of hosts is for His house of prayer. There's a reason Jesus overturned tables. When the ministry is so far gone that the sons of Belial are the leaders and these kinds of fruits come out of it, you can be sure it's not going to be much longer. God is ready to judge. And He is. So verses 22 to 25, we see the Lord's perspective on this whole thing. If you've ever been confused and wonder what is going on? Where is the Lord? Here he is. Here he is. You want to see? You want to know what he thinks? Eli confronts his sons and I'm going to come back to that next time. But I want to really focus on something he says here. You really see the Lord speaking through him. Look at verse 23. Eli hears this and what does he say? Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons, it is no good report. No gospel I hear, right? The people of the Lord spreading abroad. This is awful. Then what does he say? You make the people transgress. This is what is most burdening about christian ministry about worship when false shepherds are leading in this way what are they doing in god's eyes they're forcing the people right on into sin and and and throughout israel's history at times the lord indicts the people just as much for the problem when he says the prophets prophesied by their own authority the priests say whatever they want to say and guess what my people love it so there was no discernment they actually welcomed it at times have you ever thought about this then in terms of worship people come to worship there's no real sense of who they're meeting with because the leadership really doesn't know the lord there's no exposition of the word of god there's no real understanding of transcendence there's no sense that anything heavenly is happening everything is is is casual and light and he has worked to impose his own inventions and own ideas on the people of what ministry should be and the people hate it they're burdened by it and he's forcing them into sin i think 20 verse 25 is the most important verse in this section to understand the gravity of it if someone sins against a man god will mediate for him but if someone sins against the lord who can intercede for him that is so important all of this tonight the whole point of the worship and the offerings was to make atonement for sins it had the goal of of bringing and declaring the gospel of the cleansing to teach people through the sacrifices of the blood of jesus to teach people what they need to teach people um the the forgiveness of their sins by disregarding this who are the priests disregarding That's the question of the text. Jesus. They're shoving him to the side. They're shoving him to the side. They were disregarding the very means that God had given to deal with people's sins. So if they had just been sinning against one another, Eli says, listen, God will deal with that, but sons, you're leading them to despise redemption. see it who's mediating then when you've cast the mediator aside you're leading people to despise what this is all about these offerings are about making known forgiveness and and and being thankful for for god's love and his favor in the gospel you've Correct it. Who's mediating then? That is something to think about. When you tamper with the means, do you know what you've done? If you attack that and sin against the Lord in that way, who's interceding? Which is exactly why Jesus said a lampstand can be pulled from a church. It can go on and he's not even there. you realize when we tamper with worship, there's a reason God protects it. When you take away Jesus and you shove Him to the side and you have leaders doing whatever they want to do, feel good ministries, appeasing the people and tickling their ears, they've led them into sin. And they've despised, or using Hebrew's language, they've trampled the Son of God underfoot. if the ministry displaces jesus who can intercede see false teachers not only will be evident um in their lives but the greatest evidence of sons of belial will be seen in their contempt and worship of the means that god has given to announce salvation and lead people in the thanksgiving they will refuse to lead you into God's saving grace they will refuse to make known sin and the need for the Savior it breaks my heart for the people are being forced to sin because of pastoral neglect so what happens here Eli talks to his sons they didn't listen for one great reason the time of judgment had come. The Lord, what does it say? They did not heed the voice of their father because the Lord desired to kill them. And praise the Lord, for He saved a lot of people that way. What a verse. These leaders were so incredibly hardened and stubborn in their sin, They wouldn't listen to anyone. And when Eli finally got around to correcting his sons, it was too late. Where's the answer? God cared. I love this. Behind the whole scenes, who's here? Who's here? Who's been woven into this story? A little priest? A true servant indeed? Verse 18. But Samuel ministered before the Lord. It's just, it's chilling. It's a chilling section. Even as a child wearing a linen ephod, here he comes. Here he comes. There's a child. As all this is going on, there's a child over in the tabernacle ministering constantly, literally before the face of Yahweh. And the text makes clear he's wearing the garment the priestly garment here's a true leader here's one whose righteous parents Elkanah and Hannah who year by year would come up and make him a linen garment the same garment that David wore when he danced he's a little priest and after a description of the horrors of the sons of belial verse 26 we read this beautiful statement but samuel grew in stature and in favor both with the lord and men behind the scenes god was working in his savior to come and they didn't even know it that's how faithful god was to deliver his people from their sins any of this sound familiar yeah it's Matthew 1 when a great imposter was on the throne an evil Edomite a son of Belial the worshipers in Israel were corrupt they were morally bankrupt and behind the scenes Luke tells us at the feast of the Passover two parents were looking for a son a little son where'd they find him so when they did not find him they returned to Jerusalem seeking him now so it was that after three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers both listening to them and asking them questions and all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers so when they saw him they were amazed and his mother said to him son why have you done this to us look your father and I have sought you anxiously he said to them Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about my father's business? I'm always before my father's face. And let me read what is said of Christ as you look at verse 26 again. And the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. Behind the scenes of history and entered into history is a Savior. A Savior who had come to do one great thing that the church needs to be focused on today more than ever. He had come to save His people from their sins. Matthew 1. All the talk today of what Christianity is supposed to accomplish, this is it right now. Save His people from their sins. You may feel today that this whole Christianity thing stands, this whole Christianity stands in the background and discouraged how things often are in the church, but we should know this reality. Just when Israel had been overrun with false shepherds, the announcement was made speaking to the false shepherds you eat the fat and clothe yourselves with wool you slaughter the fatlings but you do not feed the flock the weak you've not strengthened nor have you healed those who were sick nor bound up the broken nor brought back what was driven away nor sought what was lost but with force and cruelty you've ruled them so they were scattered because there was no shepherd and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered my sheep wandered but i will establish one shepherd over them and shall feed them with my servant david he shall feed them and be their shepherd and i the lord will be their god and my servant david a prince among them i the lord have spoken that's what this is showing us that Jesus has come and saved us. This is what the ministry is all about. And today He cares to raise up faithful under-shepherds who desire to make Him known and to minister the righteousness of Christ to you. To minister Him to you so that you have one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Loves you. And has forgiven you. And He will not let you be prey for false shepherds he's proved it for here you are today in worship and can you say it's been good to come up to the house of the lord can you say it's been a joy to worship him today and come and present an offering in his courts well then he's proven his love to you what a god he is where he is preached there is the forgiveness of your sins let's pray heavenly father we praise you tonight because you've been faithful and you'd show us these stories of how you do care for israel you overthrow the false shepherds and the wicked the sons of belial and give us a faithful pastor and your son the good shepherd may all your servants who minister in his name be faithful may the truth of jesus always be made known may the announcement of the forgiveness of sins be proclaimed everywhere and would you lord make your people glad in coming up to the house of the lord to worship for if and where jesus is indeed preached forgiveness is known and made known may your people come and say thank you with fullness of heart and great joy. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.