Samuel's Obedience: Are YOU Obedient When The Message Hurts?

God rarely shouts over the noise. Sometimes He calls in the dark, and we assume it’s just a familiar voice like Eli’s. That’s why Samuel’s story hits so close to home. We’re Dominique and Hodaiah, and we’re walking through how Samuel grows from a prayed-for child into Israel’s last judge and a steady prophet whose leadership is marked by integrity, courage, and a life of prayer.

Transcript

Welcome Back And Series Setup

Dominique 0:00

Hello everyone, this is Dominique, and you are listening to the Ordinary Doing Extraordinary podcast. Y'all? Ha ha! I am joined by my husband Hodaiah today.

Hodaiah 0:11

What's up, y'all? We back.

Dominique 0:12

Y'all, the fireman is back after missing last week's episode. Fire. We are yeah, so we are happy to have you back, sir.

Hodaiah 0:21

I'm glad to be back.

Dominique 0:22

Yeah, let's go ahead and get started with episode 16, which will be all about Samuel. Bring fire. Okay, okay.

Anchor Verse And Why Samuel First?

Dominique 0:32

So we're gonna get started with our anchor verse, which is Hebrews 11, 32. And it says, What more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepta, David, Samuel, and the prophets.

Hodaiah 0:51

As you all can see in the anchor verse today, David is mentioned before Samuel. Our episode for next week, episode 17, will be on the story of David. So you may wonder why we are not doing David today? Look at it like this. When we are children, we must first learn to crawl before we walk, correct? Before we learn to ride a bicycle, we have training wheels, don't we? Can you imagine if a parent told a child to run before they have even learned how to walk? Or to ride a bike when they have not even learned the basics of using training wheels. In the same way, we do not want to throw you into the story of King David when the book of Samuel actually gives you the backstory to how King David came to be. We don't want to confuse you. If we first gave you the story of King David and then gave you the story of Samuel, it would feel like a flashback moment in a movie or TV show where they are reflecting on the past events.

Dominique 1:59

And y'all, let me say this. Hate it. I hate that.

Hodaiah 2:03

I'll be so confused. I'm like, what?

Dominique 2:04

It's like, are we talking about present day or is this something from the past? Yeah, anyway.

Hodaiah 2:08

I'm like, bro, y'all could have just started with that, but all right. It's like, why? It's just like ruining the whole thing, it's confusing. For real. So we just need you to trust us on

A Fireman Prayer

Hodaiah 2:17

this. And Dominique, I have felt so tired. I've been working really hard doing long work ships. Yeah. That's what comes with work. But I'll run with this fireman name you have given me. Okay. My God. My God. Give us strength, Lord. I call on the divine fire of the Holy Spirit. Refill our minds. Yeah. Strengthen us. For is it not written, man shall not live on bread alone. Fire. Yeah. Holy fire. Fire of the Holy Ghost. In the mighty, majestic, and magic name of Jesus. Yeah. ODE ministries will put our hands to the plow. Let the Holy Spirit strengthen us. Okay. It is not about the return of Hodiah. It is simply the return of the Lord's servant. I am nobody, Lord Jesus. All glory be to God. It's not about me. This podcast isn't about Dominique. This is all being done for the body of Christ. And with that, now let's get to it. Okay, okay.

Samuel’s Story

Hodaiah 3:20

Let's get into our summary of Samuel's life. Hannah, the wife of the Levite Elthana, struggled with infertility. She poured her heart out to the Lord in prayer about her struggles and offered to give her child to the Lord if he gave her a son. She gave birth to Samuel through faith. Samuel was in fact a product of faith. Through faith, she gave birth to Samuel, the last judge of Israel. Samuel grew up and led Israel during a time of spiritual decline. He called the nation to repentance. He urged them to abandon idols and guided them back to covenant faithfulness. Under his leadership, Israel experienced spiritual renewal and victory over their enemies. The Israelites then looked at other nations and decided they wanted a king just like them. Samuel warned the Israelites about the consequences of demanding that they have a king. Although this frustrated Samuel, he still obeyed God and anointed Saul as Israel's first king. When Saul later disobeyed God, Samuel courageously confronted him and later anointed David, a shepherd boy, as the future king of Israel. Samuel served faithfully until his death. He is remembered as a man of prayer, integrity, and obedience. His life shows that God uses those who listen closely, lead humbly, and remain faithful even when the message from the Lord may be a difficult one to accept.

Faith In Action

Hodaiah 5:00

Alright, and with that, let's get into our faith in action. First, responding when God called. As a young boy, Samuel served the Lord in the presence of a priest named Eli. Eli was essentially a mentor and spiritual guide for Samuel. Samuel one day began to hear the Lord call him, but mistook it to be Eli's voice. Eventually, he realized it was the Lord calling him. His response was, Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. The Lord then proclaimed judgment against Eli and his family. Samuel was afraid to relay this message to Eli, but eventually told him what the Lord said. And what we see here is how Samuel listened and obeyed God, even when the message involved judgment against his mentor Eli. He chose obedience over comfort. Next, leading Israel to repentance. Despite the failure of Israel's spiritual leaders, the sons of his mentor Eli, Hafni and Phineas, Samuel had to learn the ways of the Lord within a corrupt religious environment. At a time when the Lord's Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines, Samuel faithfully commanded the people to abandon foreign gods and worship only the Lord. And we see here how Samuel believed spiritual renewal, not military strength, was the key to deliverance. What we have next, praying instead of panicking. It was through faith that Samuel led the nation of Israel in repentance. Through fasting and repentance of their sins, the Lord revived Israel. It was through faith that Samuel made an offering to the Lord as the Philistines attempted to attack the Israelites at Mizpah. As the Israelites turned back to the Lord, the Lord answered Samuel and sent great thunder, which confused the Philistine armies and made way for the Israelites to defeat them. Rather than relying on strategy or weapons, Samuel trusted God through prayer, and God answered with victory.

Dominique 7:14

Yes, yes, it's such an amazing story.

Hodaiah 7:16

It is.

Dominique 8:22

Confronting Saul's disobedience. It was through faith that Samuel trusted the Lord after Saul was eventually rejected by God as King. Although Samuel mourned for Saul, the Lord told Samuel to travel to Bethlehem to anoint the new king of Israel, David. Even though Samuel feared the idea of traveling to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, due to the possibility of King Saul finding out his plans, Samuel trusted the Lord and was a faithful servant. He obeyed the Lord's command and anointed the next king of Israel, the warrior king David, a man after God's own heart. Yes. And our faith in action point, he chose faithfulness to God over loyalty to a king. Samuel trusted God's perspective rather than following his own feelings and making a choice that was based on outward appearance. And our last point here is faithful intercessor until the end. Samuel promised to never stop praying for the people of Israel. Our action point is he viewed prayer as a lifelong responsibility, not a temporary role.

Hodaiah 9:35

So powerful. That is so powerful.

Faith Challenges

Hodaiah 9:38

And now moving along, we're going to go on into our faith challenges. Samuel invested heavily in Saul, yet Saul repeatedly disobeyed God. And our faith challenge here, seeing someone he helped fall into rebellion. Samuel mourned for Saul, but ultimately submitted to God's judgment. Next, anointing David while Saul was still king. God instructed Samuel to anoint David even though Saul remained on the throne. So Samuel feared for his life. Samuel stated himself, How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me. But what we see is that Samuel trusted God's instructions and he still obeyed. Next, dealing with his own family's failures. Samuel's sons did not walk in his ways. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. Our faith challenge here is experiencing disappointment and grief as a father while remaining faithful as a spiritual leader. Samuel continued serving God despite the failures within his own household.

Spiritual Lessons & Takeaways

Dominique 10:51

Alright, so we're going to get into our spiritual lessons and takeaways here. Our first point is that God speaks to those who are listening. Samuel's ministry began when he responded, speak, for your servant is listening. Our lesson here is that a heart that is willing to listen and obey is a heart that God can use. Spiritual maturity begins with hearing God's word and responding to it. Make time to listen to God through Scripture and be ready to obey what He reveals.

Hodaiah 11:24

Yes. Next, obedience is more important than sacrifice. Scripture referenced 1 Samuel 15, verse 22, and that states, Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. Samuel taught that God desires obedience more than religious activity. Our lesson is that God is not impressed by outward acts of worship if your hearts are disobedient. And our takeaway from this, evaluate whether your actions are flowing from genuine obedience to God. Next, prayer is a powerful ministry. Samuel considered it a sin to stop praying for God's people. And our lesson here is that prayer is not optional for believers, it is a vital part of serving God and others. We need to faithfully pray for your family, church, friends, and leaders. Faithfulness matters more than popularity. Samuel warned Israel about the dangers of having a king, but the people rejected his counsel. And our lesson here is that God's servants are called to be faithful, not necessarily successful or popular. Speak God's truth with love, even when people do not want to hear it.

Dominique 12:42

Yes, that's a good point. Our next point here is that God looks at the heart. When Samuel saw David's older brothers, he assumed one of them would be chosen as the next king. And our lesson here is that God's standards are different from human standards. The takeaway, focus on developing godly character rather than merely outward appearance or achievement. Our next point is to trust God's plan even when you don't understand it. Samuel may not have understood why God chose David, but he obeyed. And our lesson is that God's wisdom is greater than ours. Trust God's direction even when the outcome is unclear.

Hodaiah 13:28

Yeah. And finally, courage is required to follow God. Samuel feared Saul's reaction when God told him to anoint David. And our lesson here is faith often requires courage in the face of uncertainty and opposition. Do what God says even when it involves risk.

Reflection Questions

Hodaiah 13:54

Thank you so much, guys, for just being on this journey with us. It's a beautiful thing. So in closing, the life of the prophet, judge, and spiritual leader of Israel, Samuel, is a powerful example of serving God faithfully in every season. No matter the cost, some key points to take from the life of Samuel are being obedient and listening to God's voice, serving the Lord and the body of Christ with a leadership rooted in righteousness, being bold in the spirit and confronting sin and injustice, staying persistent in prayer and praying for the body of Christ, and submitting to God's will, even when what we see in the physical does not match our understanding, yet still having faith in the Lord and putting His will above our own. Samuel was not from a royal bloodline of priests. He was called by God and answered the call of the Lord. Samuel's story reminds us that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. First, what does Samuel's willingness to listen and obey God from a young age teach us about responding to God's call? And then next, how did Samuel's integrity and faithfulness as a prophet and leader impact the nation of Israel?

Dominique 15:31

Well, thank you so much for those reflection questions.

Hodaiah 15:34

Yeah, yeah.

Dominique 15:34

Uh, we're definitely going to spend some time on those this

Closing Prayer

Dominique 15:37

week. And we'll go ahead and end this episode with our closing prayer. Fire prayers. Alright, fire man. Lord, thank you for the example of Samuel, a life marked by integrity, courage, and unwavering faithfulness. Like Samuel, help us to always keep our hearts attentive to your voice, responding, speak, Lord, for your servant hears. Grant us the courage to obey you even when it's difficult, the wisdom to prioritize your will over our own, and the persistence to pray faithfully for those around us. When we face uncertainty or disappointment, may we trust your plan over our own understanding, knowing that you are always at work. Help us to be ordinary people who, through faith and obedience, play a part in your extraordinary purposes. Amen.

Hodaiah 16:33

Amen and amen. Guys, thank y'all so much. We love you so much, but Jesus Christ loves you more. Yep. We are so humbled and we are so grateful for all of our listeners, um, for the believers, and even for those of you who don't believe, you absolutely can still tune in. We pray that you will come to Jesus Christ. That's what we want to see. That's what this whole podcast, this ministry that we're doing, this is God's ministry. This is not Hodiah's ministry. This is not Dominique's ministry. This is God's ministry.

Dominique 17:07

Yep.

Hodaiah 17:07

It's all about the Lord. We just want the body of believers to grow.

Dominique 17:12

Yep.

Hodaiah 17:13

Man.

Dominique 17:13

Yeah. So thank you guys so much for listening.

Hodaiah 17:17

And with that, you know what time it is.

Dominique 17:19

Uh, what's next?

Hodaiah 17:20

Y'all gonna join us next week for episode 17 of Heroes of Faith series.

Dominique 17:26

All right, all right. Thank y'all.

Hodaiah 17:28

Thank you

Outro Music

Hodaiah 17:29

guys.

Rapper Voice (Music) 17:29 Children's Choir (Music) 17:58