Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20011021.htm

1 AND 2 SAMUEL: GOD'S SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS IN OVERSIGHT
Part I: Adjusting Productively To God's ASSIGNED "Unfair Suffering Crucibles"
(1 Samuel 1:1-10 And Context)
  1. Introduction
    1. Though often believers can be pestered by ungodly oppressors, sometimes even God's hand appears to FURTHER that suffering, creating disillusionment in the believer's mind regarding God's goodness!
    2. God is a perfectly Good God -- that is to be sure, and why He might assign a believer the destiny of facing intensely unfair suffering crucibles can be appreciated in the life of Hannah in 1 Samuel:
  2. Adjusting Productively To God's ASSIGNED "Unfair Suffering Crucibles," 1 Samuel 1:1-10.
    1. When Hannah struggled in "in bitterness of soul" and prayer with weeping to the Lord in the temple in 1 Samuel 1:10, she struggled with what seemed to be a greatly unfair role in it all even on God's part!
      1. Hannah suffered initially from having been dealt a bad lot by others around her, 1 Sam. 1:1-5a, 6-8:
        1. Though God had made marriage to be monogamous in Genesis 2, Hannah had seen her husband, Elkanah wed a second wife to have sons as Hannah was barren, 1 Sam. 1:1-2, B.K.C., O.T., p. 433.
        2. Elkanah loved the barren Hannah and gave her double portions of gifts to offset her childlessness, but this only led to spite in the other wife, Peninnah, toward Hannah, 1 Samuel 1:3-5a, 6-7; Ibid.
      2. Yet, GOD Himself had allowed Hannah's pain to be advanced by causing her infertility, 1 Sam. 1:5b.
        1. From God's promises to Israel in Deuteronomy 7:12, 13-14, Hannah knew having children was a blessing for obeying God, so she would have viewed childlessness as God's curse for sin, Ibid.
        2. As Hannah was barren, she viewed her condition was inflamed by God's leading, cf. 1 Sam. 1:5b.
      3. Thus, as Hannah wept in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord in her infertile state, it was a struggle for her as a godly women to understand GOD'S goodness in her present circumstances!
    2. Nevertheless, looking at Hannah's suffering in God's Broadest context, her crucible was INVALUABLY NECESSARY in God's overall and ETERNAL plan as follows:
      1. Hannah lived during a spiritually dire era for Israel and God's whole program of redemption:
        1. Since the spiritually lofty days of Joshua when Israel had first entered Palestine, the nation had gone into a 300-year slide into apostasy during the Judges resulting in civil war, Ibid. with Judges 19-21.
        2. This fact is documented in 1 Samuel 2:12-17 and 2:27-33 where the sins of the High Priest's sons became so coarse and odious to God that He foretold the overthrow of the High Priest's household.
        3. Consequently, there was scarcely a home into which a male child in Israel could be born and raised to follow the Lord well enough so as to lead Israel into God's obedience with His great blessing.
      2. Consequently, God needed to produce a situation in which a godly child could be reared so He could be used of God to lead the nation in righteousness back to righteousness and blessing in His program.
      3. Hence, God placed Hannah into a circumstance of suffering to that end as follows:
        1. Due to her suffering, God knew Hannah would vow to raise Samuel as a lifelong Nazarite were she to bear him, meaning Samuel would be reared separate from Israel's evil, 1 Sam. 1:11; Num. 6:1-8.
        2. That man, Samuel, would be able to grow up to lead Israel with stability through the tragic days of Saul's reign until he anointed David to be Israel's good king, cf. 1 Samuel 16:1.
        3. Then, the elderly Samuel would influence David in a life of godliness by faith, cf. 1 Sam. 19:18.
        4. David in turn would be used of God to establish the monarchy through whom would come the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to rule the world's Messianic Kingdom, 2 Sam. 7:16f; Lk. 1:31f; Rev. 20:4.
      4. Hence, it was IMPERATIVE for GOD to have Hannah be BARREN until, in GREAT suffering, SHE would PLEDGE to rear Samuel TOTALLY SEPARATE from Israel's SIN around her!
Lesson: When the believer finds himself in a CRUCIBLE of "unfair" suffering, and GOD seems not only to LEAVE him there but even to ALLOW the suffering to INCREASE, he should not question God's goodness, but know there is a GREATER GOOD in the BROAD context of God's plan for him!

Application: Since INTENSELY "unfair" suffering ALLOWED by GOD is OFTEN used to INTENSIFY one's DEDICATION to SEPARATION from SIN, IF we thus suffer, we should evaluate where in life God seeks to INTENSIFY our STAND for HOLINESS, and ADJUST accordingly!