Lessons from this story:
1. In all circumstances of life, God is at work, even when we don't see him.
2. The work God loves to do in people is spiritual transformation.
3. Spiritual transformation is foundational for godly service.

Three positive checkmarks and one question mark as we evaluate Samuel's life:

1st checkmark: Samuel called the people to put away foreign gods and to follow Yahweh wholeheartedly (1 Samuel 7:2-6).
2nd checkmark: Samuel was a person who led with personal integrity (1 Samuel 12:3-5); he didn't use his authority for his own personal gain.
3rd checkmark: Samuel taught the people and prayed for them (1 Samuel 12:23).

Question mark: Why did Samuel appoint his sons as Israel's leaders if he knew that they were unjust and greedy? Notice the fact that his sons turned away from God does not imply that Samuel was somehow a bad parent. This question asks why he appointed people who were bad leaders.

Questions for personal reflection:
1. Are we wholehearted in our devotion to Jesus? 
2. Are we calling our friends and neighbors to be wholeheartedly devoted to God?
3. Are we living with personal integrity with those around us?
4. Are we praying for each other and for the people around us, and are we teaching them?

Sermon Series: "In Search of Humble Leadership: Looking at Samuel, Saul, and David, and Longing for the Messiah, Sermon 1"

3 purposes for this 7-week study:

1. To discover something about the author’s intent for writing this narrative: It’s not just to help us understand the facts. The author was a storyteller telling us this narrative for a purpose. One purpose is to put these three very different leaders of Israel on display as character studies.
2. To discover the role of this narrative history in the larger picture of the story of the gospel. Jesus said the whole of the OT narrative was fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus. How then does the narrative of 1 & 2 Samuel point us to Jesus? Samuel, Saul, and David are human leaders who have positive and negative traits, and they all leave us longing for a better leader who will fulfill the purposes of God on the earth completely. Unlike these three, Jesus consistently and fully obeyed the will of his Father with complete humility (see Philippians 2).
3. To enter briefly into the lives of the three main characters, seeking to learn from their successes and failures.

Two desired takeaways from these messages:

1. Like the two on the road to Emmaus, may our hearts burn within us as we understand these stories in their greater context of redemption.
2. May we be deeply challenged to examine our own hearts, especially when it’s so easy to point fingers at bad leaders around us.

Two observations from 1 Samuel 3

1. Samuel’s listening was a gift of grace that came through the prayers of faith of Samuel’s mother Hannah.
2. As Samuel listened to God, his words to the people became God’s words to the people (1 Samuel 3:19-4:1).

Takeaway from this story:
Where there seems to be a vacuum of healthy leadership around us, instead of criticizing others, let’s ask ourselves if our attitude is like Samuel’s attitude, an attitude of willingness to listen to the voice of God.

Ask yourselves:

1. Can your heart honestly say right now, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening”?
2. What daily practices do you need to change in order to settle your heart enough to hear what God might be saying to you?
3. Is there another follower of Jesus with whom you can sit and listen to the voice of God and read his word together?

The text from the message is found in Ruth 4.

Three important events from Ruth 4
1. a rescue (vv. 1-9)
Boaz was resolved to fix the problem quickly, was committed to justice, was prudent in what he did by calling witnesses, acted in integrity by telling the other kinsman redeemer the whole truth, and demonstrated wisdom by how he presented the situation (vv. 1-6).
 
2. a marriage (vv. 10-12)
The wedding was public and blessed by the witnesses.
 
3. a birth (vv. 13-22)
A child is a gift from God. The focus of vv. 14-15 falls on Naomi. The story began with Naomi’s losses and ends with her gains. The book concludes Boaz and Ruth’s son Obed with the future King David. God was not only caring for Naomi and Ruth; he was also preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah.
 
What can we learn from this book today?
1. No matter who you are, you have great value to God. God has a perfect plan and eternal purpose that governs your life.
2. Life must be lived with eternity in perspective. You may not understand God’s providential plans for your life, but God will carry things out for your good and for the glory of his name.
3. God’s best is yet to come.