Okay, so let's look in 1 Samuel chapter number eight. We're gonna pick this up where we kind of dropped off on some of these things this morning. And we see here in verse one, and as I read this, I'm gonna read down just for a few verses. I'm not gonna read the entire chapter, but I'm gonna read down a few verses and you can look at just some of this progression here. when it talks about now, that word now is just that conjunction that's tying us in, telling us a timeframe has shifted. It's connecting us back to chapter seven, where it talked about what Samuel was doing and what he'd been doing for a long period of time. He's gone from being a younger man, a middle-aged man, doing what he was doing, We know a timeframe has elapsed of quite some years anywhere between 20 to 30 years in these chapters here from chapter six in the chapter seven. We get a little historical marker there where the Ark of the Covenant had been where it was at for 20 years before it really started creating some tension in the spirit of the people where they began to lament that the Ark was where it was at and where it was supposed to be. We believe Samuel played a major part in that. I think he was the revivalist that made a major part in preparing the hearts of the people. It just took some time to break that hard ground. and get that ground ready for the seed of the word. Chapter seven gives us an idea that the people turned to the Lord, took his advice, the ground became fertile. He planted the truth within them and then we see what he did from there on out until he reached a ripe old age that you would think he was coming to a calm ending of his life. A calm ending. of his life. He's already had a well-established character of being the man of God. His word didn't fall to the ground. He was reliable. He was trustworthy. And specifically because he was a man after God's own heart. And God already told us that. Remember where God said that, what he was gonna do? He was gonna raise up a guy like that. Go back to chapter number, let's see, chapter number two. Chapter number two, look in verse number 35. This was the character, the established character of Samuel. Who was behind establishing this character? We see it here. Chapter two, in verse 35, God says, I will raise up for myself. a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house and he shall walk before my anointed forever. So who was behind this? God was. This was the role of the priest. This was the role of God's man from that perspective as this guy that would be used by the Lord to do this particular work that God had set him apart to do. Let me give you a couple passages of Scripture. Matter of fact, let's go look at them. Go to Malachi chapter number two. Malachi chapter number two. We're gonna get in the chapter number Just briefly, what we're gonna do is establish some character of what was expected of God. And if God expects it and God establishes it, this would be the role that Samuel stepped in. Malachi is the last Older Testament book prior to the book of Matthew. Look in chapter number two. chapter number two and about verse number, let's see, about verse number five, let's just start, well, let's go with verse number four. He says, then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant with who? Now Levi was, the family that God had set apart for this responsibility. Samuel was of the tribe of Levi. Aaron and Moses was of the tribe of Levi. That my covenant with Levi may continue, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant, my arrangement, my orders, my agreement, my purpose, was with him and that covenant was one of both life and peace. And I gave them, that is the covenant, which came with what? Life and peace. I gave them to him that he might do what? What does that say? That he might what? That he might fear me. Remember we've said that word fear means that he would give place and priority and purpose to me, that he would give me the priority over his life. God gave him life and peace. The Bible says that there is forgiveness with the Lord that he might be feared. When God forgives and grants life, it's so that we would give place to him. You've heard me say this a thousand times over the last 12 years, where I've said, God never takes us from something without placing us in something. God never delivers us from a thing without delivering us to a thing, a service. He never delivers us from something without delivering us to something. God is always intentional and purposeful in everything He does. So when He grants life and peace, It is to grant that unto us that we might reverence or fear give proper place to him, that we yield to him. And that's in Psalm 130 in verse number four. Be a good place to write that down, Psalm 130 in verse four. David says, The Lord is forgiveness. He forgave us that we might fear him. What does the New Testament teach us about forgiveness? In the sense that he who's been forgiven much also what? Loves much. He who's been forgiven of much loves much. Why does he love much? because he's been given life and peace. And that life and peace puts us in a position to yield to the Lord, to give place to the Lord, to fear the Lord. So he feared me, verse number, we're still in verse number five, that he might fear me. So in result, he feared me and was reverent before my name, verse number six. The law of truth, the principles of truth were found where? In his mouth. And injustice was not found upon his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity and turned many away from iniquity. Turn many away from iniquity. Verse seven, for the lips of the servant of God, the priest who had life and peace, who feared God, should keep knowledge and people should seek the law from his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. Now that's a great responsibility, amen. Now think about this for us. One of the most wonderful principles of New Testament teaching is this, the priesthood of the believer. That God has made us a kingdom of priests and kings in the kingdom of God. That we are, as Samuel was, a priest who feared God, who the law was found upon, the principles of truth were found upon his lips, and that When people came to him, he gave revelations of knowledge. He gave the word of God away. And that word illuminated and gave people insight and wisdom. And as a result, what we see is he, Samuel, identified as the messenger of the Lord, was set apart by God to be a help to God's people. And because of the blood of Jesus, Every individual that has been bought by the blood of Jesus has become a priest for the kingdom of God. These principles still apply. For us, that when people seek us out, what should they find upon our lips? Not falsehood, not injustice, not deceit, but what? Truth. the law of truth, the knowledge of God. That's where Paul, we talked about this morning, what did Paul say? I count everything loss. Up to that point, Paul was a Pharisee, wasn't he? And he had a lot of law knowledge, he had a lot of pedigree behind him, but he says, I count all that loss. Not only that, I count everything loss. Everything that I got up to this point, I counted loss, simply to know him. and the fellowship of his sufferings, and the power of his resurrection. So when I speak, that's what he says later, let your words be seasoned with grace. Let your mouths be filled with the wisdom of God. Give away the knowledge of God. This ain't just for the preachers, And for the Sunday school teachers and the Bible teachers, this is for every blood-bought child of God, amen. That's the beauty of the priesthood of the believer, that I have access to intercede and communicate and talk with God, not only bring supplications and thanksgiving, but I can pray for other people. I could intercede for other people on their behalf, but not only intercede for them, but I also have the capacity to communicate for God to them. I can speak on God's behalf to them. Why? Because the lips that he's given me has been given me a lips to proclaim truth to them, and not an injustice, not falsehoods, But truth, that was the role of the priest and what God had set him apart for. And I'm thankful for my priesthood in the kingdom of God. I don't have to go to a priest. You don't have to go to the priest. You don't have to go through the preacher to get to God, amen. God's made you a priest so you have access to him, amen. You can speak for him and communicate. That's the beauty of it all. To think that I have to go to a group of people or a particular person or anything like that is ludicrous when it comes to understanding the older and newer testaments of God that he's made me a kingdom of priests. How do I know that? Look at Revelation. Go to Revelation. Revelation chapter number one. Revelation chapter number one. It's good to know what God said, amen? Our whole existence as the people of God of the newer Testament is based on these principles of the priesthood of the believer. That's why we believe in autonomy. We don't have anybody over us per se. The hierarchy over us that we have to go to to get things done or do anything or make intercession for us, we all go individually, amen? and corporately together as a body we can, but that's the whole point of the priesthood of the believer. But he says in verse number five of Revelation 1, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth, and all God's people said, to him who loved us. and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father. To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. And all God's people say it, amen. We are a kingdom of kings and priests, that we have the authority to walk in the authority of the Lord. But here's the key, something that we're gonna learn. Israel wanted a king, didn't they? God's gonna give them a king. Now the king that he gave them was a man who functioned and operated without a king over his life. And just because we are kings in the kingdom doesn't mean we have the authority to operate with independent initiative. What we do is we are to seek the Lord and hear from him, amen. What was the responsibility of the priest? To seek the Lord. What was the responsibility of the king? To seek the Lord and to hear from him. We're gonna find out that Samuel took the Word of God and read the provisions that God gave for the king in the Older Testament Book of Deuteronomy says, when you want a king down the road, way before they ever had a king, God says, this is how the king's gonna have to behave himself and this is what the king needs. The king must have a record of the Word of God written and access to it so that he can know how to function as a king over the people and not do his own thing. And that was very important for the kingdom is to know that and the same way with us. We've gotta know what God is, who he is, what he said, what he's doing, what he's doing in us and what he's doing in our day. And the only way to know that is to know him and to seek him and find out what he's already said, amen. So we see that was the responsibility of this priest, Samuel. Now there's other places we can go to and continue to look at these things. You take for an example, Ezra was one of those guys that left Babylon, came back to Jerusalem area and Ezra, matter of fact, let's just look at it. Find Ezra, the book of Ezra. Look in chapter number seven, Ezra seven. Ezra eventually is gonna cave in to the people and make a drastic mistake. And what we just read in Malachi was in response to Ezra's leadership and the other leaders in his day, when they made a bad choice of divorcing all their wives that they took from Babylon and brought back to Jerusalem. When they found out that they had made a mistake, they tried to fix the mistake with a mistake. And the priest gave them authority to do it and they sent all these kids and all these women away and left them. and put the blame on them where they was the one who had the responsibility and the priest gave them authorization to do it and the book of Malachi is the response to the fallacy of the priesthood when God said, look, the priest was to speak truth. And not injustice. They were to give away knowledge. You didn't do that. You created an injustice when you told them to do that. But you find the book of Ezra. If you look toward the end of Chronicles, you know, you got 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles. Find Ezra, chapter number seven, and look on verse, at verse number 10. This was Ezra's heart. For Ezra had prepared his heart to do a couple things. What were they? Number one, to seek the law of the Lord. Ezra 7, 10, to seek the law of the Lord. Second thing, fundamental, not only to seek God's ways, but to do it, to apply it, and then teach it to the people. That's the heart of the priest. That's the heart of the servant of God. To know him, to know what he says, to apply what he says, and teach what he says. That's what we are to be about. That's what Samuel was doing. He knew the Lord. He sought what God had said. He lived it, and then he always was teaching it. We're gonna find in the next, even though he's up in age, even though he steps in, even though the people ask for a king, God's gonna tell him to give the people what they ask for. And Samuel says, look, I'm gonna give you what you ask for, and I'm gonna pray for you, but I'm also gonna teach you. Why? Because that was the heart. of a man of God, a servant of God, who had been raised up to have a heart and a mind like God. That he's always gonna be teaching. Everything's a teachable moment. Everything, that means that for Samuel to be given away teachable moments, that meant Samuel had to be teachable himself. He had to be a good follower. Meaning he was meek and teachable. To be meek and teachable put you in the position to humbly and meekly teach others as you're journeying through life. And that's what we see. This is just a great, great picture. Give your life to know the Lord in his ways. Give yourself to obey what you know and give yourself to teach what we experience and that accords with the truth, just applying and teaching the truth. He says, he sought the way of God to walk in it and to teach it in Israel. Praise ye the Lord, amen. That ought to characterize each one of us. And that's what characterized Samuel. If you go back to chapter number eight of 1 Samuel, remember this, God raised him up. He's an old man. He's got an established character for what he was known for. We could pretty much say that, hey, exactly the purpose of the covenant of life and peace with Levi, Samuel walked in it. Why? Number one, because he was God's man. God said he was gonna raise up a man after his heart and his own mind. And God's not gonna do anything contrary to what he's already said, amen? You can count on that. If God raised him up for a purpose, God was gonna fulfill that purpose in and through his life. As a king, I can walk in God's righteousness. I can lead my wife and my family and those around me in the ways of the Lord. I have authority to walk in the ways of the Lord. And as a priest in the kingdom, the ways and the will and the wisdom of God should be found on my lips. It shouldn't be an injustice that comes across. but it ought to be truth that comes out. Not falsehood and corruption, but it's to help what? Turn, turn people, turn people from iniquity to turn and look to the Lord. And there's no greater iniquity, no greater iniquity for us than living life according to our own understanding. That's iniquity, that's wickedness, meaning that I'm independent, can think on my own, and I don't need the Lord. I don't need to seek the Lord. What does Jesus teach us as his disciple? If a man wanna come after me, he must first what? Deny himself, take up the assignment, and then come follow me. You'll never take up the assignment if you don't what? Denounce the right to govern your own life. See, it's not what we do that is the greatest troubles and iniquities. It's how we perceive Him and ourself and who's actually governing and leading my life. Who has the rights over my life? Understanding that puts me in a position to be dependent and leaning upon the Lord to take up the assignment of the ministry He's given me and then follow after Him, amen? A lot of times we point fingers and looking at what people do. but not in who they realize that they are or who they're not and how they walk with the Lord and trust Him from day to day. And it's my responsibility. It's your responsibility. As Jesus said, if any man wants to come after me, let him, encourage him. bless him in helping him see the need to deny himself, to take up his cross and follow after the Lord. That means we all have that responsibility, amen? That what truth comes off our lips to help people is, is to help them to say no to themselves and to say yes to Jesus. Say no to us. and yes to Jesus. And that's where we wanna be as we walk with the Lord. And we can trust him, amen? We can trust him and walk with him. So we'll pick up some of these things. Like I said, Lord willing, on Wednesday night, let the Lord help us. Y'all keep having fun in it. Ask God to help you and teach you. Remember what Ezra said he wanted to know? The law of truth. If he wanted to walk in it, and he wanted to teach it. So I pray as you seek the Lord, that you'll want to know him, what he said, how to live it, and treasure it. Share it with other people, amen. Father, we thank you, we bless you. Help us with these things, we need you today more than we ever have. We thank you for your kindness over us and your gentleness with us. We thank you for these Ebeneezers. We thank you for what has been written. You tell us these things were written for our insight. That through the trustworthiness of your testimony established in Samuel right now, and the comfort that you gave and showed him, that builds hope in us. And what you're doing in our journey and our walk right now, that you're teaching us that when we have concerns, when complaints come our way, When the curse is manifested before us, when the calm is interrupted with the problems of the fall, we're gonna be found like him, casting the burden upon you. And that you give us insight and wisdom on how to forewarn, how to teach, and how to pray, and how to do and walk with you so that we can know you and make you known in this earth. So we just praise you. We thank you for it in Jesus name. Amen. Love y'all. Y'all have a good night.