Trust and obey: life lessons from the ministry of Samuel.

 In the sixth part of our series on the relevance of the message and ministry of the non-writing prophets for today, Pete Dye looks at Samuel.

The significance of Samuel as one of the great men of God is often unrecognised. In some ways he was second only to Moses as a leader of God’s people - Israel. Samuel was also the last of the judges, and the measure of his worth as leader is seen in the kingdom that emerged under Saul and then David.

After settling in their land, the 12 tribes had quickly become disgruntled and divided. The structure of their nation was falling apart. The judges, whom God raised up, were often only recognised by one tribe or group of tribes, and only briefly did they unite the people. It was a time which the writer of the Book of Judges summarised as: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit” (Jud 21:25).

Samuel's Early Years

Samuel's father, Elkanah, had been married to his mother, Hannah, for several years. They had no children, so Elkanah took another wife who was fruitful and bore him children. Although this provided Elkanah with what he desired it also brought division into his household.

Hannah, a godly woman, took her burden to the Lord and vowed that if he gave her a son, she would give him back to the Lord. The Lord answered her prayer and Samuel was born. Hannah fulfilled her vow and brought Samuel to the Lord. He lived in the house of the Lord under the tutelage of Eli, without his mother's closeness. Eli, his substitute parent, was ineffective as a father - as was demonstrated by the behaviour of his sons Hophni and Phinehas, who were wicked men.

In some ways Samuel was second only to Moses as a leader of God’s people.

Although, at first, Samuel did not recognise the Lord speaking to him, once he did he responded immediately and gladly. This marked out his life; he was a man who heard God clearly and was obedient to what he heard. One of the great needs of today is for men and women to do just this. God has provided us with his written word as a benchmark, but he also speaks clearly through the prophetic word, which must always be tested.

Intimacy with God

In many ways, Samuel was a shadow of our model, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Psalmist describes the Messiah as the one who says, “I desire to do your will, O my God” (Ps 40:8). Jesus had an open ear to his Father. Is this not the secret of any ministry that God blesses? It begins with this kind of intimate relationship with God.

The Lord was with Samuel and his early experiences set the tone for his life. As God spoke to him so Samuel was able to speak the word of the Lord clearly to the nation. It was more than just the word of the Lord, however! Samuel had an intimacy with the Lord as the Lord revealed himself through his word (1 Sam 3:19-21). The Lord showed Samuel in incredible detail what would happen, and then confirmed his word by its fulfilment. In that way, God let ‘none of his words fall to the ground.’ Should we be expecting that kind of prophetic word today?

As a young man, Samuel knew intimacy with God through prayer. Like Moses, he was a man who talked with God. His public praying was a reflection of the private relationship he had with God. Jeremiah 15:1 links Samuel and Moses in this respect: “Then the LORD said to me: ‘Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!’”

The people of Israel had reached a situation of utter disgrace before God. They had been under Philistine oppression and had lost the Ark of God in battle. They had never had authority from God to use the Ark in the way that they did, and it was only a sovereign act of God that made the Philistines return it.

Samuel was a man who heard God clearly and was obedient to what he heard.

Repentance

20 years were to elapse before the people turned to the Lord in repentance: “It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord” (1 Sam 7:2). During this time Samuel was able to speak to the nation clearly about God’s terms.

If there was a seeking after God from the heart, then there were things to do to express that repentance. He called the nation to cleanse itself from the false gods that had been tolerated and they responded to his call. They put away all their false gods and determined to serve the Lord alone (1 Sam 7:4). On this basis, Samuel could call the nation to come together.

The implication of Scripture is that this repentance was in part the result of Samuel's ministry. Although his words had come to Israel, his words had also come to God in prayer. At the right time, in this national gathering, he could pray publicly for the people of God. Scripture records that the Lord both heard and answered his prayer (1 Sam 7:9).

Is this not relevant to God’s people today? Are there not false gods worshipped by God’s people in modem Britain? There are gods of materialism that are avidly worshipped in the modern church. They may be more sophisticated than the Roth of Samuel's day, but just as insidious and destructive to the people of God. Samuel was straight with God's people. They had to serve God alone and his preaching had great effect.

Man of Integrity

Another feature of Samuel’s ministry was that he was a man whose judgment could be trusted. He never judged to please men of importance. He could be trusted and did not accept bribes. He was scrupulously fair. Sometimes good men can make bad judges, and some bad men can make good judges. Samuel was both a good man and a good judge. Even while Saul was king, Samuel was the supportive elder statesman who did not get in Saul's way. Samuel made a circuit of Israel; from Bethel to Gilgal and Mizpah and then back to his administrative seat in Ramah, Samuel would travel the land.

Samuel was straight with God's people - they had to serve God alone, not idols.

Our modern world, despite its sophistication, is full of dishonesty. This even affects the Church. The Christian in business and work a few decades ago would be known for his integrity. I believe that Christian standards are slipping. We have become too much like our culture in its dishonesty. Maybe God is calling us afresh through Samuel to live lives of transparent honesty and integrity before the world and in the Church. People respect that and feel safe with it, even if it makes them feel uncomfortable. We need Christian leaders with that same characteristic.

Sacrifice and Cost

There was also a cost involved in Samuel’s life and ministry. His mother had promised him to God as a Nazirite (1 Sam 1:11). And so he was, his life was totally consecrated to God from his days in the sanctuary at Shiloh under Eli until his death.

But it was never easy. He went through experiences that the modern psychologist would use to excuse unrighteous behaviour. He left home at an early age and may have felt rejected. He lost the sanctuary that had been his home at Shiloh when it was destroyed by the Philistines. He could so easily have become bitter because of this. Then his sons disappointed him. He had great expectations of them and made them judges, but they accepted bribes and did not follow his ways.

He was the leader of Israel, but was told by God to first anoint Saul, and later David, to be king. Samuel felt deeply rejected by this, and God had to point out to him that it was the Lord who was being rejected. Samuel was only rejected because he was God’s anointed representative. What an example to us as we excuse our behaviour because of our circumstances!

Samuel's home was at Ramah. He administered justice and built an altar to the Lord there. His home, his work and his worship were all in harmony. Some Christians manage to compartmentalise their lives. They can be keen Christians as far as church is concerned, and yet at work no-one knows that they are Christians. Sometimes they are different at home to how they are in church. Samuel was consistent and presents a tremendous challenge to us. His godly life and example were the means which God used to bring together 12 ungodly tribes into a nation that was one under the leadership of David.

Negotiating an age of ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts'. 

Why do politicians find it so hard to tell the truth – the plain, simple and unvarnished truth? I was sad to see our Prime Minister refuse to answer a simple question this week as to whether or not she knew about the failure of the test firing of an unarmed rocket from the Trident submarine when the issue of renewing the weapon system was being debated in the Commons last summer.

Four times she was asked and four times she made little speeches, but dodged the question. She did not tell a direct lie; she simply refused to tell the truth.

It sometimes seems as though politicians have a different definition of ‘truth’. Donald Trump, during his first week in office, has striven to convince the public that he is more popular than Hillary Clinton who gained 3 million more votes than he did. He said this week that he didn’t try to win the ‘popular vote’ but he could have won it if he had tried! Trump also claimed that Clinton’s vote was inflated by fraudulent voting, for which there is no evidence – but that doesn’t seem to matter to him.

Aerial photographs of crowds at the Obama (top) and Trump (bottom) inaugurations. Crowd sizes have been disputed by Trump.‘Alternative Facts’

Trump’s spin doctor lambasted the press for reporting that the crowd attending the inauguration was not as great as the one attending Obama’s inauguration, despite the evidence of TV pictures and photographs, which Trump said were doctored.

Trump’s team also contested the truth of the vast crowd that demonstrated against his inauguration last Sunday. They invented a new term for truth – ‘alternative facts’! Just think of that as a definition of ‘truth’ – surely facts are facts and ‘alternative facts’ are lies! It’s as simple as that: you either have facts or lies.

May Vs. Trump

Donald Trump and Theresa May are meeting today for the first time in an historic encounter. Trump has already likened Mrs May to Margaret Thatcher, saying that he expects her to be his ‘Maggie’. He is the kind of man who prides himself on his female conquests and this meeting will be a particular challenge that he will be desperate to win. He will be wanting our PM to like him! But how will she respond?

Perhaps an even bigger question is – can Theresa May tell the truth to Donald Trump? He has announced that he is quite happy for American security services to use torture to obtain information from men suspected of being involved in terrorism. But this is directly against our national values.

It sometimes seems as though politicians have a different definition of 'truth'.

Moreover, our legal system would not allow the use of information in a trial that had been obtained under torture. It could mean that US and UK security services would be unable to share information on security issues affecting our nations. So, should Theresa May, on her first visit to the new President, jeopardise their relationship by not telling him the truth about British values?

These are difficult areas of moral responsibility for politicians to handle and our PM is going to require a great deal of wisdom. So much depends upon the importance the respective leaders put upon handling truth.

Great Battle Raging

What we’re seeing here is indicative of a great battle for truth raging right across the Western world. Another example of this is fake news deliberately being injected into the media. There is nothing new in the attempt to deceive the public with false information and by twisting the truth. It was the technique used by Joseph Goebbels who masterminded the Nazi brainwashing of the German public to make the murder of Jews socially acceptable.

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, when we remember the greatest act of mass murder in the history of the world, which happened in the lifetime of many still living. Many in the older generation will remember the sense of bewilderment as well as horror when the first pictures were published of the survivors in Auschwitz when Germany was defeated. It seemed beyond belief that such incredible mass murder and cruelty could have been carried out by human beings in our lifetime. Gradually it emerged that it was not only Germans who were involved; most of Europe was complicit in trying to exterminate the Jews.

There is a great battle for truth raging right across the Western world.

The rise of anti-Semitism today in Europe and across the world, which includes the increasing denial of the Holocaust, is part of the battle for truth. It is part of humanity’s self-delusion about our own goodness and popularity which millions of young people are seduced into worshipping through social media. It’s like Donald Trump trying to convince himself that he is the most popular President the USA has ever had! Why are we human beings so reluctant to face the truth about ourselves?

Defining Truth?

To answer this question, we must first ask: where do we get our definition of ‘truth’? In countries such as Britain with a long history of Christianity, our social and moral values are rooted in the Bible where truth, integrity, faithfulness and loyalty are seen to be attributes of God. These define the standard of ‘absolutes’, or fundament values, which we aim to follow.
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus made a seminal statement regarding truth. He said:

Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. (John 3:19)

This applies to nations as well as to individuals. There is really only one standard of truth and that is the one established by the God of Creation which is part of his own nature. When ‘alternative facts’ are peddled as ‘truth’ in a nation; that nation is in dire trouble because nobody can trust the word of their neighbours, friends, family, colleagues, or government any longer. So, the whole basis of our human relationships begins to break down. This is what we face once we abandon truth.

Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity to face the reality of our unredeemed human nature and admit that we really need what only God can do for us – to bring about a basic change in our human nature through responding to his love and what he has done for us through Jesus.

There is a really only one standard of truth and that is the one established by the God of Creation.

Paul Luckraft interviews Tony and Kathy Stewart, Founders and Directors of the Mount Moriah Trust, a non-denominational Christian ministry helping needy believers in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

The story of how Tony and Kathy founded the Mount Moriah Trust and how it has grown under God's guidance and provision is an inspiring example of obedience leading to fruitfulness. They both testify to how God has prepared them for serving him in this particular ministry and can look back over 15 years of his gracious guidance along every step of the way.

Journey to Faith

Starting in 1972, Tony and Kathy made several visits to Israel as part of Tony's working life -staying for up to three months at a time. Although nominal Christians, neither of them were born again believers, but the place and the people began to impact them. During this time Israel was often at war with its neighbours but somehow they always felt safe – even protected – without quite knowing why!

In 1993 the Lord brought them to himself and they began a spiritual journey, maturing in the faith mainly through Christian conferences and Ellel Ministries. They were also faithful members of a local church, but Replacement Theology was a strong feature there and the Holy Spirit spoke clearly to them about this, making them realise how unbiblical it was. An eventual change of church was an inevitable and necessary step of obedience.

Even before they became Christians, Tony and Kathy were impacted by the place and the people of Israel.

New Impetus in Jerusalem

In 2001 a major change occurred as a new impetus emerged. Kathy felt a strong prompting from the Holy Spirit to go to David Hathaway's Fire over Jerusalem conference and while she was there, a chance meeting with a Messianic Jew (who was a taxi driver at her hotel!) opened her eyes to the hardship Jews were facing due to the Second Intifada which had begun the previous year. In addition, Messianic Jews were experiencing persecution and often lost their jobs when it became known that they were believers in Yeshua (Jesus).

On returning home, the Stewarts' first step of obedience was to support this particular believer and his family. After three months, during a time of prayer God told Kathy to start a trust to help needy believers. He assured her that he was birthing this work, and even gave her the name – the Mount Moriah Trust. This was in August 2001; nine months later (28 May 2002) the charity was registered – or, rather, born!

After a chance meeting with a Messianic Jew in Jerusalem, Kathy and Tony became aware that God wanted to birth a bigger project through them: a trust to help needy believers in his Land.

Developing an Approach

They now knew what to do, but not always how to do it! However, Tony found that the experience and skills gained from his working life (he retired in 2005) were now being put to good use in setting up and administering the trust. Ken Burnett of Prayer for Israel became their patron, and they also had the support of their new church which was pro-Israel. But it was still a slow start and it wasn't clear how to operate – until God directed them again!

As a couple they were still providing financial support for the Jerusalem taxi driver and his family, and suddenly they realised that helping families was the way forward. Their focus was to stand alongside believing families and they started with three. With further help from Ken Burnett, contacts were made in Israel and the pattern of working was established – they would work alongside local pastors. This has been their standard method ever since. It is pastors on the ground in Israel who know best the needs of their congregation and how to help them. It would be through them that the financial and spiritual support would be channelled.

At first it was only Messianic Jews who received help, but in 2005 God told them to support Arab believers in Israel also, and pastors in Cana and Nazareth joined the work. This later spread to Palestinian brothers, those in Gaza and the West Bank, as God showed them that when it came to helping Christian believers, there was to be no prejudice. It was to be a balanced operation, like the two arms of a pair of scales. The phrase 'one new man' was impressed upon them as they realised how God wanted to break down walls and barriers.

At first aid was only given to Messianic Jews, but God soon encouraged them to broaden this to include all Christians in the region, Jew or Arab, breaking down barriers.

God Provides!

After this the work grew rapidly. There are now nearly 40 pastors involved in the Trust. Tony and Kathy visit them every year in October/November in order to assess the work. They review the effectiveness of the past year's support and agree with the pastors what they need for the coming year. Tony and Kathy then return home and wait for God to provide! After all that is what God has promised through naming the trust himself – Moriah is the place where he provided the lamb for Abraham to sacrifice (Gen 22:8).

No direct fundraising is necessary. No special appeals are made. Contacts happen as God draws people to the work and under his leading they start to give. Last year £130,000 was raised and it is rising year on year. A total of over one million pounds has now been sent out. Every penny goes to the congregations - nothing is taken out for administration, travel or other costs, which are met privately.

Not only are the agreed needs met each year but there is often something left over to help with emergencies that arise during the year. This is only to be expected - after all, God had given Tony and Kathy a picture of the loaves and fishes, which adorns their logo alongside their motto, 'God provides'.

The story of the Mount Moriah Trust is an inspiring example of obedience leading to fruitfulness, through God's guidance and provision.

Scripture-Based Ministry

God's word has always been a strong motivation for Tony and Kathy, and the ministry has been founded on certain scriptures. "Comfort, comfort my people" (Isa 40:1) was a key word, as were the exhortations of Paul to "share with God's people who are in need" (Rom 12:13) and to "do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Gal 6:10).

The support provided to the elderly, widows, single mums and families is mainly for basic humanitarian needs – food parcels/vouchers, medicines, clothes etc. In recent years the Lord has guided them to support children and youths, ensuring that they have all the books and equipment that they need to get the best education possible, and strengthening their walk with the Lord through sponsoring attendance at summer and winter Bible camps. Helping the next generation to lift themselves out of poverty is seen as a key to the future.

Each step of the way has been guided by God, simply because he planned it from the beginning. Divine appointments keep happening. There are now contacts in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia - plenty to keep Tony and Kathy, God's faithful servants, busy for the rest of their lives! They know there will be more to come – but not knowing exactly how or from where makes this an exciting adventure. God will lead, and they will follow.

Each step of the way has been guided by God, who planned it from the beginning. The future will be an exciting adventure – God will lead and they will follow.

Discover more about the Mount Moriah Trust's work for yourself by visiting their website, mountmoriah.org.uk. Contact Tony and Kathy via the site if you would like to be sent resources to share with others. You can also sign up to receive regular newsletters and invite Tony and Kathy to speak in your area.

Or explore their YouTube channel, where you can listen to some of the local pastors speaking, as well as view the Mount Moriah Trust DVD entitled 'The Heart of God'.

Clifford Hill looks at questions of trust surrounding the recent Russian plane crash, noting similarities between today's threats and life in the time of Jeremiah.

The human tragedies behind the crash of the Russian passenger airliner over the Sinai Desert are incalculable. The loss of all 224 people on board plunged the whole city of St Petersburg into mourning as most of the returning holidaymakers came from there.

Tourists Stranded

The knock-on effect in the cancellation of returning flights for British tourists stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh is a small inconvenience in comparison with the terrible loss of life suffered by the Russian people.

Was the British Government right in suspending flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh? The Egyptian Government was understandably furious because of the effect upon its tourism industry, which is the strongest part of its economy. But any government's first commitment is to the safety of its own citizens, so the UK has surely been right in taking steps to ensure the safety of flights home for the thousands of British holidaymakers who were potentially at risk.

Questions of Trust

Tributes outside Pulkovo airport, St Petersburg.All of this raises major questions of trust. We all put our trust in others every time we leave our own home. If we are travelling by bus or train or boarding an aircraft, we put our trust in the driver or the pilot. But even when we drive our own car on the road we are dependent upon other motorists obeying the rules and not endangering our lives. We have to trust other people every day in a multitude of circumstances.

We all also know that there are risks involved in travelling today. If terrorists are determined to get a bomb on board an aeroplane they will find a way of doing it - even if it is simply paying a crooked bag-handler working at the airport.

Trust is at the heart of all our human relationships; from travelling in safety to business transactions. Businessmen need to be able to trust the word of those with whom they are signing contracts or the whole economic activity of society would be impaired. Even in simple everyday things there has to be trust. If we cannot trust the shopkeeper to sell us healthy food or trustworthy goods, life would come to a standstill.

Trust Breakdown

If trust breaks down the whole life of the community breaks down. But that was the situation in Jerusalem in the time of the prophet Jeremiah (around 600 BC, a turbulent period in history). In chapter 9 he describes the breakdown of trust. He says,

Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth (Jer 9:4-5).

Jeremiah warns the citizens of Jerusalem: "You live in the midst of deception". The dire scene that he describes has some similarity to the situation facing us today. On the international front there was a growing threat of terrorism and at home there had been a catastrophic collapse of faith and morality.

Jeremiah describes a scene much like our own today, with a domestic collapse of faith and an international threat of terrorism.

The Assyrian Empire based at Nineveh (which today is called Mosul and is the capital of the Islamic State) had just been overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar (609 BC), the ruthless dictator of the rising Babylonian Empire. The Assyrians had been a byword for cruelty and the Babylonians were already outdoing them. Their army was on the move through Syria and threatening the tiny state of Judah and its capital Jerusalem.

Both the political and religious authorities assured the people that there was nothing to worry about because God was on their side! They said that as long as the Temple stood in Jerusalem, God would never allow an enemy to enter the gates of the City because it was his special shrine. Jeremiah could see everywhere lies and deception, greed and corruption, immorality and injustice. He publicly proclaimed that God would not defend the City so long as it was full of evil and faithlessness. He said,

From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain, prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace', 'Peace', they say, when there is no peace. (Jer 8:10).

In Jeremiah's time, the authorities assured the people that God would protect them – but Jeremiah proclaimed that they were deceiving themselves.

Urgent Warnings

As the Babylonian merciless murderers drew closer, burning and raping cities and even destroying the countryside on their way towards Jerusalem, Jeremiah's warnings became even more urgent. He told the people that they were putting their trust in a building created by human hands instead of the God of Creation who had made a covenant with their forefathers which they were now breaking. As anxiety increased among the people, instead of turning to God in repentance, they turned to different forms of idolatry and divination.

Recent research shows that less than half the population in Britain now believe in Jesus and only about 10% are regular churchgoers.¹ This means that we are not only abandoning our heritage of Christian faith that has protected this nation for hundreds of years, but it means that there are fewer people of faith praying for the nation and ensuring a covering of protection over the land at the very time when the threat of terrorism is rising.

In modern Britain, our Christian heritage is being abandoned, leaving less and less people to pray for the protection of the nation.

In Jeremiah's day his warnings went unheeded. In 587 BC the army of terrorists broke through the walls of Jerusalem and ran amok through the City tearing down the Temple and all the great buildings, slaughtering the people as they went from street to street. An eyewitness wrote,

The Kings of the earth did not believe nor did any of the world's people, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous (Lam 4:12).

Real Wisdom

This should be a strong warning to us. Where do we put our trust? Is it in politicians; or bankers and brokers; or social reformers; or educationalists; or philosophers? But these are just fallible human beings and what we are facing are no less than demonic spiritual forces that cannot be overcome with physical force or human wisdom.

The threats we face today cannot be overcome with physical force or human wisdom. So in what - or whom - will we place our trust?

As Jeremiah said of the people in Jerusalem, "Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?" (8:9) In Britain today we face a similar question – what kind of wisdom do we have as we face the rising tide of destruction that threatens us? If God would allow it to happen to Jerusalem, why do we think it cannot happen to us in Britain? Surely our only hope is to re-discover the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whom as a nation we have so wilfully and stupidly abandoned.

Weighed in the Balance

The warning signs are everywhere to be seen. The writing is on the wall for Britain and the nations of Europe that have despised their great Christian heritage. We are being weighed in the balance as God is slowly withdrawing his covering of protection. The midnight hour approaches for Britain and Europe.

Will there be repentance and turning before catastrophe strikes? That is still a question. We may not have long to wait for the answer. But what are we doing to warn our families and friends and others to help save our nation?

References

1 Jesus 'not a real person' many believe. BBC News, 31 October 2015.