This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “I Samuel 1-7” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 8, 1998.
About this sermon
Ahab and Eli both function as mixed figures, capable of real faithfulness and real failure at once, not simply villains. Samuel’s own near-total disappearance from the narrative between 4:2 and 7:2 turns out to be prophetic rather than accidental. That silence anticipates both John the Baptist’s wilderness years and Christ’s own hidden decades before his ministry began.
Sermon transcript
We begin our scripture reading this morning in 1 Samuel 7. We are at verse 3. Give your attention to God’s word. and Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If you do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistine.”
Then the children of Israel did put away Baleen and Ashtaroth and served the Lord only. Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you unto the Lord. And they gathered together at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah. And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the words of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. And Samuel took a second lamb and offered it for a great offering wholly unto the Lord. And Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the great offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel.
But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines and discomfited them, and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mista and pursued the Philistines and smote them until they came under death’s car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mista and Shem and called the name of it Ebenezer, So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coasts of Israel, and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel from Ekron, even under Gath. And the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines.
And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites, and Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from year to year in circuits to Bethel and Gilgal and Mispah, and judged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Ramah, for there his house was, and there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar unto the Lord.”
And turning over to the book of 1 Kings, chapter 18, beginning with verse 41, this is 1 Kings 18.41.
And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink, and Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. And he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, Go up now, and look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go up again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, Behold, there arises a little cloud out of the sea like a man’s hand.
And he said, Go up and say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.’ And it came to pass in the meanwhile that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain, and Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.”
Pray with me now. Our Father, may there be for the good of our souls the building line upon line from your word, that even as there is this building enterprise for your word, there would be your building enterprise in us as we are built up in the knowledge of our God and built up unto the full maturity of Christ our Savior. Lord, bear with us in our weaknesses, bear with the weaknesses of your people, be gracious for Christ and may we, in the confidence of his cross and resurrection, continue to offer our petitions and to live our lives in thankful acknowledgment of all that he has done. In this day, O Lord, as your word has been a benefit to us, may it be a benefit to many. and may your church be established to your glory. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Is it possible for someone in the Bible to appear to us in two distinct lights? To be presented to us in two distinct hues? Now, I have in mind here a little more than the moral and spiritual ambivalence we observe in any number of figures throughout the course of Scripture.
Something more than the temporary moral collapse we observed in David, for instance. Even more than the spiritual obtuseness we observed in, say, Peter in Accessory of Sinoplast, Jesus rebuked him for standing between him and the cross, for minding the things of man, not the things of God. Although Peter and David may be compressed examples of the things I have in mind, I’m thinking more about a figure like Ahab, that wicked king of Israel whose wife was the equally, if not more, wicked Jezebel. This vile man absorbs into himself all that was corrupt in Israel.
He is a man of whom we might say he had no revealing features. At the same time, he becomes Exhibit A for the very thing of which I speak. someone made to appear in a completely different light than that which we might expect. And I’m thinking about the story in 1 Kings 18, verses 41 and following, which we have read. It is a story in which Ahab is made to look, believe it or not, very, very good. In fact, here is a story in which Ahab is made to look so good that he appears to be someone no less in stature than the royal son of God.
Elijah, you will remember, has slain the prophets of Baal earlier in this chapter. And that after the contest on the heights of Carmel, where Elijah had challenged those prophets of Baal to prove that Baal was God, the true God. But even after this triumph for Jehovah and the prophet Elijah, The drought that has been plaguing Israel for three years continues. So the story goes on and tells us about Elijah’s effectually fervent prayer for a way and the answer to that prayer.
Finally it is. The heavy showers come. that not before Elijah sends word to Ahab to be sure to precede those rains to Jezreel, his capital city. But as Ahab races towards the city ahead of those showers, Elijah, we are told, in the last verse of that eighteenth chapter and first case, Elijah, we are told, girded up his and ran before Ahab to the city. Now, you have this scene. Elijah, forerunner to the king. Elijah, forerunner to the king.
The king entering the city as the great showers of blessing ending the drought descends. I hope, even if you haven’t heard me speak on this text before, that you have run before me to the end of the story and into its meaning. This story, as obscure as it may appear, previews the coming of Christ, the true King of Israel. That one who will be preceded by his own Elijah, John the Baptist, that one who will enter into as the spiritual reigns from glory fall, eternally refreshing his people.
Ahab in 1 Kings 18, at the end of that chapter, stands before us as one upon whom and in whom the very Son of God shines, in whom we perceive the ultimate anointed one. So yes, someone in the Bible can appear to us in two distinct and even contrasting lights. You may recall some earlier messages from 1 Samuel. Eli himself, in certain instances, comes across quite positively that despite the negative judgment that is rendered upon him finally. You may recall Eli’s mediation beautifully presented on behalf of Cana in the first chapter. That mediation reflective of the coming mediation of the great priest Christ. And you might recall Eli’s response to the message from the child Samuel, Samuel having just received word from God concerning the judgment that was going to come on Eli’s house. Eli’s words at that time, strikingly powerful, wonderfully mature. It is the Lord. Let him do as seems fit to him.
But if a figure in scripture can be seen in one light in one story, and then in a different light in another story, Is it possible for someone in the Bible to appear to us in two distinct, different lights in the same story? Now, I readily admit I am very close to crossing over a line beyond which we are all liable to be lost in mass confusion. You might well be asking, well, just how many bells do I have to juggle when I’m interpreting the Bible? You might be asking further, why do you always make things so complicated?
If I go elsewhere, things seem to be quite simple, straightforward. When I come here, it’s like I’ve walked into a sophisticated golf game, and I don’t know the rules. I came in here expecting a little game of marbles. I find out that everybody’s playing chess. When I sit here and I listen to you, my brain begins to hurt.
I like the oldies, but you seem to like the real oldies. Be assured, my goal continues to be communication, not application. But my goal also remains to get to the bottom of the text. It remains the investigation with you and for you of the complexities of Scripture in order to open up with you and for you the full disclosure that God makes of Himself in His Word. That is why I forge on. That is why I insist upon this direction. and this type of preaching and exposition. Therefore, I ask again in all seriousness, despite the complication, is it possible for someone in the Bible to appear to us in two different lights in the same story? not in successive stories, but in the same story.
Take Samuel now, for instance, and his relationship to what we find in 1 Samuel 4-7. We spent time last week looking at these chapters in Ben Wright. investigating in them how Samuel, over the course of what is described here, embodies the whole of the Old Testament prophetic ministry of which he is the head. How, by looking at the events in 1 Samuel 4-7 and relating them to Samuel, we are able to see the history of the Old Testament people of God as they move through their history as a nation under the prophets.
Therefore, as I have said again and again, Israel’s double defeat at the hands of the Philistines at the beginning of 1 Samuel 4 anticipates the coming future double defeat of the nation of Israel in its northern and southern kingdom. The exile of the Ark of the Covenant in chapters 5 and 6 anticipates the exile of the people of God, particularly the people of Judah, exiled into Babylon some 500 years later. And the restoration of the Ark of the Covenant at the end of chapter 6 anticipates the restoration of the Jews to the land of Israel after the exile. with the sin of the men of Beth Shemesh spoken of in chapter 6 verse 9, anticipating the continuing corruption of the Jews after the restoration. The judgment of the Beth Shemesh that comes upon them anticipates the world’s censure of Israel’s nation for a form of worship that built upon externals such as the Ark of the Covenant, thus bringing us through the time of Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets, even to the end of the prophetic period.
And when Samuel 7 appears in 1 Samuel 7.3, with his message of repentance, After having been out of the scene for three chapters, we do not misjudge when we see in his appearance the capstone of the whole of the Old Testament prophetic ministry. We do not misjudge when we see in his appearance the anticipation of John the Baptist who leads us to Christ.
Now that’s quite a whirlwind tour. That’s quite a bicycle ride. But what happens now, if I discern in this very same picture in this very same story, another image altogether, one superimposed upon the other, as if you were looking at a double exposure. What if I were to say that somewhere the relationship to these chapters not only leads us to Christ, that also reveals Christ. What if I were to tell you in this one series of events, this one portion of scripture, you have the presentation of John the Baptist from one angle of vision, and then you are given an entirely different angle of vision, is in the same context. On the one hand, a figure who is leading us to Christ, but at the same time one in whom we perceive Christ himself.
What if I were to say that 1 Samuel 4-7 anticipates the entirety of the prophetic ministry leading to Christ, but also anticipates Christ himself and his ministry, which leads us up to nothing less than the end of the world. We have already had hints of Samuel’s Christ-likeness in the earlier chapters of 1 Samuel.
Hannah, Samuel’s mother, reads Samuel’s miraculous birth in light of the Lord’s climactic triumph over all the forces of evil. The bones of the mighty, she sings, are shattered, but they reach good on strength. Chapter 2, verse 4. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth, she sings. He will give strength to his king and will exalt the throne of his anointed. Chapter 2, verse 10.
But beyond Hannah’s song, there is also Samuel’s presentation to us in those early chapters in priestly fashion. even though he has no priestly connection identified for us in the course of the text. He serves at the sanctuary in Shiloh, and he wears the linen ephod in priestly style, chapter 2, verse 18. But throughout the course of the story, throughout the course of the telling of the tale, there is not one word about a levitical connection for this person, Samuel.
He is presented, therefore, as one who, without priestly lineage, without priestly connection, assumes priestly status and performs priestly ministry. When looking for the reason for this, we are reminded, are we not, of the coming Christ, who, although being of the tribe of Judah, assumes priestly status and performs priestly ministry. He is no descendant of Levi, but in his priesthood he belongs to an eternal order, one that transcends the order of Levi. It is described in various places in scripture as the order of Melchizedek.
Samuel appearing as it were without any Levitical birthline prefigures Christ, who is similarly presented to us. But that brings us back to 1 Samuel 4-7, and the manner in which Samuel, in relationship to these chapters, presents to us and preaches Christ. Now, at first this may baffle you a bit, because as you look at these chapters, you note that As I have noted often in this series, Samuel disappears after chapter 4 verse 1, only to reappear three chapters later in chapter 7 verse 3. How then is Samuel to be approached in these chapters? How is Samuel to be related to Christ when Samuel doesn’t as much appear in the main course of what is being presented here? How are we to perceive Christ in Samuel when, in fact, Samuel has been removed from view?
You no longer see him there. Well, the point is, of course, and possibly you’ve raced on before me once more, the point is, of course, that Christ also is removed from view. and removed from the scene. He is removed from the scene and from view by his death, his resurrection, and his ascension into heaven. But now I observe carefully the pattern of things subsequent to his removal, Christ’s removal. First judgment comes upon the old Israel and its institutions, and the glory of Israel departs.
By way of the Church to the Gentiles. Next, the Gentile gods are overflown, and God’s enemies themselves are humbled through the gospel. Then Christ reappears. He comes again and vindicates His name among those who are called by His name, and among those to whom His glory has circulated.
But look again at the story of 1 Samuel 4-7. The pattern is exactly the same. It is identical, Samuel is removed from the scene in chapter 4 verse 1, just as Christ shall be removed from the scene by his death, resurrection and ascension. Judgment then comes upon Israel, and she is defeated at the hands of the Philistines, just as judgment comes upon Israel following Christ’s ascension at the hands of the Romans. Then Dagon, the Philistine god, is overthrown, and the Philistines are humiliated by the token of God’s presence through his Ark of the Covenant, just as the Gentile gods and even the spiritual powers behind them are overthrown, and at the same time the Gentile nations humbled by the token of God’s presence in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And finally, Samuel reappears. in the midst of the vindication of God’s name among those called by God’s name, namely Israel, and among those in whom his glory in the ark has circulated, namely the Philistines, just as Jesus Christ will reappear and vindicate his own name among those called by his name the Church, and among those to whom his glory in the gospel has circulated, namely the nation.”
Samuel’s reappearance in 1 Samuel 7.3 is like the second coming of Christ. This means that the story of 1 Samuel 4-7 not only leads up to the presentation of Jesus Christ, as we said last week, but these chapters declare the coming departure and return of Jesus Christ in the coming departure and return of sin.
So yes, It is possible for someone in the Bible to appear to us in two distinct lights in one and the same story. Because this is so, we have for us the depths of the scripture which cannot be fathomed, as their comprehensiveness confirmed, the extent of their reach. In fact, the reach of scripture startles us, because it appears that even a text like 1 Samuel 4-7 is so dynamic, is so vital, is so alive, that it reaches out to include us. You see, it may well be that these chapters present the history of Israel leading up to the appearance of John the Baptist, and in that sense we may say that they simply have historical since the events in view precede us and our time. But now it is clear that these chapters also present the history of Jesus Christ, from his ascension to his return, the very time in which you presently find yourself, the present time in which you live. these chapters, even these chapters, by God’s design, reach out to touch the end of the world.
That is why the liberal critics around, they would scour a text and look for indications of a lingered date of composition. And if they find reference to the exile in an Old Testament text, they say, well, this means that this text was written after the time of the exile.
Foolishness, baloney, garbage! They have no idea what they’re talking about, and they have virtually no comprehension. of what is in view in the Word of God. You can’t get to the end of the images and the references. Mention of the exile in a text prior to the happening of the exile in the history of Israel doesn’t mean that that text was written after the exile, it means that it was written by God. who sees the exile from afar, who even stands himself beyond the exile. These texts in the Old Testament are envisioning things that are taking place to the end of the world.
How do you get beyond that? Where do you date the text? These chapters, then, in 1 Samuel, preview the present time, the time in which you live, the time in which the crucified risen, ascended Christ triumphs over idols, humbles nations, overthrows spiritual strongholds in preparation for his sudden reappearance when he shall judge his Church and the world, just as Samuel presented in 1 Samuel 7 judges Israel and mediates the defeat of the Philistines. The question is, of course, do you rejoice in this present time in Christ’s present activity, and do you await with longing expectation the day of his reappearance? Are you prepared to greet him?
May it be so. Let’s pray. Our Father, we pray for a patient spirit as we look to your word, that we would wring out of that word all that you have for us. And if we are to see Samuel in the light of John the Baptist, O God, may we appropriate that. And as we are to see Samuel as a prefiguration of Christ himself, may we benefit from that. us in our determination that we will not allow that in which we engage, when it comes to the Scriptures, to become foolishness and childish. We would be stretched, O God, and challenged, even as you force us and prod us to the deep things of the kingdom, and that knowledge of you in the profoundest sense. May our service to you in this regard be like our service to you in all regards, even as we prepare ourselves for the return of our Savior. Samuel comes again, but there is one greater, Jesus Christ, and he even presently is preparing to reappear. O Lord, may we be ready. Amen.
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