Persevere In Faith Series

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Oct 12, 2014

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Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:19-4:22

In John 16:33 Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In
the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Jesus allowed us
to know that trials will happen in our life.

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Summary: Whatever happens do what God says!

Before we read Chapter 4 of 1 Samuel, open your Bibles for a moment to Exodus 13…. Page….
Remember that God saved His people Israel from Egypt; now look at Exodus 13:17…..

From the very beginning, God allowed a people called the Philistines to go against Israel, God’s Chosen
People. Why? What did we learn last week from 1 Samuel 3??

God is always teaching! And sometimes things happen, that are painful, but God is still teaching! Now,
jump ahead with me to 1 Samuel 17….

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Read along with me v45-50….

God is always teaching, the question is, are we listening? David heard and listened to God and took the
appropriate actions!

Before reading our passage, let us pray our commitment to God’s Word shall we….

Read along with me now starting with 1 Samuel 3:19 through 1 Samuel 4…
Let us summarize the story.

Along with the truths at the end of 1 Samuel 3, v1a of 1 Samuel 4 tell us that Israel was listening to God!

And so, v1b: Israelites went to battle against the Philistines.

But, v2: Israel listened to God BUT they were defeated with 4000 killed!

Now what do we note in v4??

a. They questioned God!

b. “Let us…” - indicate no consultation with God!

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The Israelites decided on their own to take to war the Ark of the Covenant (which held the tablets with
the handwriting of God). Along with v5, what can we say about the Israelites in taking the Ark??

The Israelites were so excited when the Ark came that the ground shook! Why were they so excited?

v3-5: The Israelites knew the power of God!

Now, was it really that simple to take the Ark from the Temple? Who do we note guarding the Ark??

And what do we know about Eli’s sons?? Eli’s sons were known as wicked men and I bet they were paid
off in getting the Ark!

And so, do you think God was pleased with them taking the Ark, not only without asking but handled by
wicked men??
Let us note that there was no indication of God approving the taking of the Ark!

And what do we note from v6-8? God’s enemies, the Philistines also knew the power of God!

And so, even though the Philistines knew the power of God, they fought God’s people anyway; and what
happened according to v9-11?? God’s enemies defeated God’s people and they took the Ark as a
trophy!

Can God really be defeated by man? Stay tuned!!

But for now, look again at v18….

What’s significant about that verse??

Eli fell backwards and died not because he heard his sons died but …….. because the Ark of the covenant
(basically the Word of God) was stolen!

I’m not sure whether we will see Eli in heaven or not; but, Eli’s life is lesson isn’t it? As we noted last
week, we should learn from Eli’s life of what not to do!

But I believe God ended 1 Samuel 4 to sum up the lesson being taught.

What good happened in v19-22??

Godly women tried to encourage Phinehas’ wife!

But, what not so good thing happened in v19-22??

Phinehas’ wife lacked faith and she passed on her bitterness of God!!
Wow!! What a lesson! I believe the Biblical principle for us to grasp from this is this:

There will be times of troubles even when we follow God but we must never give up our faith in God!

Perhaps you’re going through some troubles right now; you know, because we live in a fallen world and
we still tend to sin, we will all face troubles in our lives! How will we handle them?

1. Do not question God, just do what He says!

I know this is easier said than done; but the first thing we must do is accept the truth that we must do
what God says!

without reproach, and it will be given him.

James 1:6 ESV / 35 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a
wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

2. Always consult with God before making a major decision!

James 1:5 ESV / 25 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all
Remember the 7 P’s!

3. Encourage others to stay strong in faith!

The best way to do this is to pray for each other and let each other know you are praying.

The Bible commands us to pray for one another, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another
and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great
power as it is working” (James 5:16, ESV). God manifests Himself in many ways when praying
together and for each other.Jun 17, 2021
  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in
fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11learningneighbor

 But those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

4. Be an example of persevering faith and not pass on bitterness against God!

If you’re bitter with God, those close to you will also be bitter!

Be strong in your faith in Jesus Christ and those close to you will be encouraged!

James brings an action-oriented perspective to the principles that we can trust God to provide for us
and that we must work for the benefit of others in need. If faith is real—if we truly trust God—then
our faith will lead to all kinds of practical actions for the benefit of others in need. This perspective
makes James an eminently practical book.

Perseverance, Wisdom, and Spiritual Growth (James 1:1–5)

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James begins by emphasizing the deep connection between daily life and spiritual growth.
Specifically, God uses the difficulties and challenges of daily life and work to increase our faith. “My
brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you
know that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its full effect, so that
you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4). “Any kind” of trial can be an
impetus for growth—including troubles at work—but James is particularly interested in challenges so
intense that they result in “the testing of [our] faith.”

What kinds of challenges do we face at work that might test our faith in—or faithfulness to—Christ?
One kind might be religious hostility. Depending on our situation, faith in Christ could expose us to
anything from minor prejudice to limited job opportunities to dismissal or even bodily harm or death
in the workplace. Even if others don’t put pressure on us, we may tempt ourselves to abandon our
faith if we think that being identified as a Christian is holding back our careers.

Another kind of trial could be ethical. We can be tempted to abandon faith—or faithfulness—by
committing theft, fraud, dishonesty, unfair dealings, or taking advantage of others in order to enrich
ourselves or advance our careers. Another kind of trial arises from failure at work. Some failures can
be so traumatic that they shake our faith. For example, getting laid off (made redundant) or
dismissed from a job may be so devastating that we question everything we previously relied on,
including faith in Christ. Or we may believe that God called us to our work, promised us greatness, or
owes us success because we have been faithful to him. Failure at work then seems to mean that God
cannot be trusted or does not even exist. Or we may be so gripped by fear that we doubt God will
continue to provide for our needs. All of these work-related challenges can test our faith.

What should we do if our faith is tested at work? Endure (James 1:3–4). James tells us that if we
can find a way not to give into the temptation to abandon the faith, to act unethically, or to despair,
then we will find God with us the whole time. If we don’t know how to resist these temptations,
James invites us to ask for the wisdom we need to do so (James 1:5). As the crisis passes, we find
that our maturity has grown. Instead feeling the lack of whatever we were afraid of losing, we feel the
joy of finding God’s help.

Depending on God (James 1:5–18)

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In speaking about wisdom, James begins to develop the principle that we can trust God to provide
for us. “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,
and it will be given you” (James 1:5). It may seem surprising that we can ask God for wisdom about
the tasks of ordinary work—making decisions, assessing opportunities, trusting colleagues or
customers, investing resources, and so on—but James tells us to “ask in faith, never doubting” that
God will give us the wisdom we need. Our problem is not that we expect too much help from God at
work, but that we expect too little (James 1:8).

It is absolutely essential to grasp this. If we doubt that God is the source of all we need, then we are
what James calls “double-minded.” We have not yet made up our mind whether to follow Christ or
not. This makes us “unstable in every way,” and we will not be able to accomplish much for the
benefit of anyone, or able even to “receive anything from the Lord” on our own behalf (James 1:7).
James is under no illusions about how hard it can be to trust God. He knows all too well the trials his
audience is already beginning to experience throughout the breadth of the Roman Empire (James
1:1–2). Yet he insists that the Christian life must begin with trusting God to provide.
He immediately applies this to the economic sphere in James 1:9–11. Rich people must not delude
themselves that this is due to their own effort. If we depend on our own abilities, we will “wither
away” even while we go about our business. Conversely, poor people should not think this is due to
God’s disfavor. Instead, they should expect to be “raised up” by God. Success or failure comes from
many factors beyond ourselves. Those who have ever lost their livelihood due to recession, corporate
sale, office relocation, crop failure, discrimination, hurricane damage, or a thousand other factors
can testify to that. God does not promise us economic success at work, nor does he doom us to
failure, but he uses both success and failure to develop the perseverance needed to overcome evil.
If James 2:1–8 invites us to call on God in times of trouble, then verses 9–11 remind us to call on
him in times of success as well.

Notice that although James contrasts the goodness of God with the evil of the world, he does not
allow us to imagine that we are on the side of angels and those around us on the side of devils.
Instead, the divide between good and evil runs down the middle of every Christian’s heart. “One is
tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it” (James 1:14). He is speaking to church
members. This should make us slow to identify church as good and workplace as bad. There is evil in
both spheres—as church scandals and business frauds alike remind us—yet by God’s grace we may
bring goodness to both.

In fact, the Christian community is one of the means God uses to raise up the poor. God’s promise to
provide for the poor is fulfilled—in part—by the generosity of his people, and their generosity is a
direct result of God’s generosity to them. “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is
from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). This affirms both that God is the
ultimate source of provision and that believers are responsible to do all they can to bring God’s
provision to those in need.