Trained in the Way

For some time now, the words of Proverbs 22 verse 6 have been running through my mind. I don't know if it's because of that time of year my mind goes back to the academic calendar, graduation, and test, and learning, and all that. But if you turn there with me, let's read it together. I'm sure you will remember this. It's become deeply embedded in our culture. Some people probably don't even know it's from the Bible. It's Proverbs 22 verse 6.

Let's see if we can get there first.

It's not a race, but it's kind of fun to do. Never mind. Proverbs 22 verse 6.

It reads like this, train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Now, it's a rather simple sentence, isn't it? Very simple. Easy to remember, easy to say. But I think you agree with me. Like most scriptures, the more we ponder it, the more we think on it, the more we work at it, it conveys a powerful meaning that belies such simple words. Isn't that the way it is with so many, almost all of God's scriptures, it would seem? Now, the scripture could evoke any number of questions from us. I like asking questions. Sometimes it's too many, but sometimes it is good. Well, whose child are we talking about? Whose child are we talking about? A child? Any child? What way is meant? What does train up mean? And why will he not depart from it?

So again, just a little mind play here, a little critical thinking. Well, what is being said?

Now, since this is a proverb of the Bible, we can safely assume that the child can mean anyone's child, and the way he should go would certainly seem to mean the way of God.

Train up can mean to teach, and not departing from it suggests a choice being made to keep the way taught and learned, as when a youth. But even these answers can create more questions, and that's again the beauty of God's Bible and God's Word, working with His Spirit in our hearts and minds, and it can lead us to deeper meanings, deeper connections, a deeper understanding of God and our relationship with Him and with others. In the sermon today, we will discuss Proverbs 22.6, or rather, we will address a question posed by Proverbs 22.6, and here's a question. Somebody else took my question thing. Questions are great things to start with. They're great hooks, and they get us thinking, and they keep us moving forward. So a question we're going to address today is this. What is necessary to train up a child in the way that he should go so that when he is old, he will not depart from it? What is necessary to train up a child in the way that he should go so that when he is old, he will not depart from it? And so we'll draw out some answers first by considering the life of a young person who became very old and his history is recorded for us in Scripture. We'll first look at the life of Samuel. We're going to look at the life of Samuel, and then we'll consider how the lessons and answers drawn from our investigation of Samuel apply to us as members of the body of Christ, the church. And so I've entitled this sermon, Trained in the Way. Trained in the Way. So let's go to the Old Testament and book one for Samuel. First Samuel 1, and we will begin in the very first verse. First Samuel chapter 1 verse 1.

And we read, now there was a certain man of Ramaphim, it's Sothim, and who can find that on the map right now, of the mountains of Ephraim. It's someplace in Israel. And his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeruam, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zeph and Ephraimite.

But as we look a little farther into other places in Scripture, we learn that Elkanah was actually a Levite, and from what we understand, he was living in Ephraim. Hence, he has been called an Ephraimite. First Chronicles 6, verse 33 through 34, just a reference there.

His genealogy is listed there as being of the descendant of Kohath. He was not of the line of Aaron. He was not of the priestly line. In Elkanah, as we read on down, he had two wives, Penina and Hannah. And again, though he was not a priest, Elkanah was a faithful and God-fearing man.

And we could draw that conclusion from verse 3. It describes how he went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice the Lord of Host in Shiloh. And we can imagine he went up yearly, no doubt connected to one or more of the annual festivals of God. Elkanah, Penina, Hannah and their family lived at a time when judges ruled over Israel. And if you've been keeping up with your Bible reading, we read that some weeks ago, and you're probably familiar with a number of these things. But in that tumultuous time is described in Judges 21-25. This way, it says, in that time, in those days, there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

And so it was a time when obedience and faithfulness to God in his way, defined by his commandments, his law, the the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, especially what they would have primarily had at that time, finding people are faithful to God in his way in those days was hard to find. And if you want to make a parallel with our own times, we might say that those times were perhaps not so unlike our own time today.

People doing whatever they wanted to do, people doing what was right in their own eyes. Now, even the sons of Eli, the high priest, did what they wanted to do. They did not fear God. And so, to set up a little more of the background for our Al-Kana and Hannah, let's look at 1 Samuel chapter 2 over a page or so.

1 Samuel 2 verse 12 through 17. And again, we're going to talk about the sons of Eli, the high priest. The sons were priests. They were leaders. They were among the leaders of Israel. And here we find that we are shown that Eli's sons, Haphni and Phineas, were their names. They blatantly were robbing from the offerings of the people. Let's notice then verse 12 and verse 14. And it's rather blunt and to the point, as Scripture often is. Now, the sons of Eli were corrupt.

They're crooked. They're shysters. They're thieves. Those are my additions. They were corrupt. They did not know the Lord. Now, isn't that interesting? Sons of the priest, and they did not know the Lord. Meaning, they did not walk in His way. They were not concerned about it. Continuing in verse 13. And the priest's custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, here's what they would do, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged flesh hook in his hand while the meat was boiling. And then he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself all that the flesh hook brought up.

And so they helped themselves through the offerings. It seemed to be part of the peace offerings, perhaps the families would eat afterwards, and they'd come and help themselves to... Do you think they took the smallest pieces? They probably took the best and choicest pieces. They were corrupt. And so they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. It happened to everybody. And so these men, these sons of Eli, were wicked thieves. Their behavior actually made the people hate to give offerings. And that's amazing. Look at verse 17. It's what it says. Therefore the sin of the young men, the sons of Eli, was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.

And so they were so corrupt, so not fearful of God in his way. People stopped wanting to make offerings to God. Well, why would they do that? Well, think about it. If we're giving our offerings to God, and you know somebody, as soon as you give it, put it out there, someone's going to come and put it in their own pocket, would that encourage you to want to keep giving offerings to God? No. And so their wickedness was turning people away from God.

For men abhorred the offering of the Lord. Now that wasn't their only account against them. Look at verse 22. In addition to that sin, verse 22 tells us that Eli's sons also lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

It's how brazen. How brazen. They were committing adultery right there, because we know at least one of the sons was married. They probably both were. In verse 24, Eli condemned his sons. He did condemn his son's behavior, and he said, verse 24, "'You make the Lord's people transgress.'" Their example and their behavior was encouraging people to sin, or it's teaching people. Their example was teaching people, turning them away from God into sin. And the response to their father is given to us in verse 25, "'Nevertheless, they his sons did not heed the voice of their father because the Lord desired to kill them.'" The reading's a little odd there, but God had already decided what had to happen to them, what was being waited for was the appropriate time. And so we have this as a backdrop to remind us that even the priests in Israel at that time were doing as they wanted to do. There was a time when they had very little reverence for God, and that is in such stark contrast to Al-Kana and Hannah and their family, because they went up yearly to worship and sacrifice to God in Shiloh. And so their behavior and what their leaders were doing, even in the priesthood, there really is a testimony of their faithfulness and devotion to God. And I point this out, I highlight this because this is going to have a direct bearing on Samuel and what happens with Samuel in his life. And so every year then, let's go back to the first chapter, and we're going to touch upon a little bit more of what is going on with that family. And so every year, again likely during one of the feast seasons, Al-Kana traveled with his wives and children to worship God at Shiloh where the tabernacle was. Beninah had many children, and as we read verse 6 through 7, or we refer there to verses 6 through 7, she was proud about it, and she cruelly tormented Hannah because Hannah was barren. Hannah had none. And after years of Beninah's spiteful taunts, Hannah prayed and made a very amazing vow to God. Let's look there. First chapter, 1 Samuel 1, verse 10 through 11. And breaking into the description here, the narrative.

And Hannah was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.

And then she made a vow, and she said, O Lord of Hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head. And so she vowed to give this son, which she's praying God would give to her, and really she seems to believe that God will give her that son. And so she made this vow, knowing full well what she was saying. And she vowed to set him apart then as a Nazarite. That's the reference to, no razor shall come on his head. If you want to know more about the Nazarite vow, you can look up later, Numbers 6, verse 1 through 8. It goes in much greater detail than we'll refer to here, but most references do agree, conferring with Scripture, that she vowed that her son would become a Nazarite in lifelong service to God. He'd never get a hair trim, he'd never get a haircut. That was part of what marked them out as set apart for special service to God. And of course, we know this story. God heard Hannah's prayer and blessed her with the son, Samuel. Samuel means heard by God, or a rather appropriate name. And Hannah, Hannah kept her vow. And it's interesting that Elkanah upheld her vow at that time, as Scripture relates. The husband had the right to disavow the wife's vow. If he didn't agree with it, he had the power to say something. If he didn't say anything, well, then it's set. He did not interfere. That means he agreed with her. He, too, you see, was willing to give his firstborn son through Hannah in service to God.

He was the proud father. And together, we can imagine just how much love they would have had for Samuel. She would have loved Samuel, nurtured him, and he would have nurtured and loved him, too. And together, they would have trained and taught Samuel in the way of God, the way that he should go.

In Samuel, as later years will show, late Samuel kept his mother's vow. He remained in Nazarite and set apart in service to God. He humbly served God his whole life.

Now, being faithful to God to keep the vow, Elkanah and Hannah would have taken the time they had Samuel with them to train him up, to train Samuel to fear God and to keep his commandments.

Any parents here know that some of the most important years in training up a child is the first two years of their lives. And there's that book, what was it? Robert Fulgram, Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten? And so, in a very, very young years, our children can learn so much. And we can only imagine that Elkanah and Hannah did very much the same thing with Samuel. They would have been faithful to follow the instructions, hold your place here in 1 Samuel. We can be confident, I think, to say that they would have followed the instructions of Deuteronomy 6, verse 4 through 9. Deuteronomy 6, verse 4 through 9.

Elkanah was of Levite, the tribe of Levi. He would have been aware of these things. He would have followed these things. These were parents devoted to God. Deuteronomy 6, verse 4 says, Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. And this vow they made, it seemed to exemplify that sort of love they had for God. And these words which I command to you today shall be in your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, when you rise up. As we mentioned before about these verses, pretty much every waking moment is a teaching moment both then, anciently, and still today to talk to our children, to teach them about the way of God. And then continuing on, verse 8, and you shall bind them, these commandments and ways of God, you shall bind them as a sign in your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

And so this idea that the idea here expressed, they shall be as a sign on your hand, as frontlets between your eyes, it's referring to not limited, just physical phylacteries on your hands or head, but it's really talking symbolically about God's law should be in the forefront of our minds, forefront of our thoughts. Our hands should be guided, our actions should be guided by God's law. That's what they are to be teaching their children. The scripture still applies today. It is part of God's inspired word. We do this today, still. Write them on the doorposts of your heart and on your gates. They should be there. They should be a part of our going in and our going out of our homes, everything we do. There should be no aspect of our lives that would not be impacted by God's law. And so, Alkana and Hannah would have taught and modeled, not just teach it, because you can't really teach something with heart unless you believe it yourself, and especially the ways of God. They would have practiced these things in order to teach them effectively, as they would have striven to do. And so, they would have modeled faithful obedience to God in his way. They would have taught him also about the Nazarite vow.

They would have told him how to keep it. No razor on your head, no products of the vine, no grapes or wine, no touching the dead and other things. They would have told him all these things.

And then true to her word, after Samuel was weaned, Hannah placed Samuel in Eli's care at the tabernacle. How old was Samuel? Well, weaned children could be rather young. Different cultures have different ages. Josephus, says Samuel, was 12 years old. That seems a little old to me. Very old to me. It's practically 13 adulthood in some ways. But that's Josephus. That's not scripture. I suspect he was younger than that. But Elkanah and Hannah were faithful to God, and they remained devoted to loving Samuel and doing what they can to support and preparing him to serve God for the rest of his life. We see an example of their continued involvement in his life, their continued love and support for him in 1 Samuel chapter 2. I gotta get back there. I didn't put a bookmark where I should have.

1 Samuel chapter 2 verse 18 through 21 verse 18. For Samuel 2 verse 18.

You know, we get a little vignette, a little insight. But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child he found a way to serve, and even as a child wearing a linen ephod, that linen garment. Moreover, his mother used to make him a little robe. He was little. I don't think he was a large 12-year-old, but I could be wrong. Who knows? We'll keep on with the story. She used to make him a little robe and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli, the high priest, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. He'd bless them both, both parents. And he'd say, the Lord give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the Lord, referring to Samuel. And then they would go to their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah so that she conceived to bore three sons and two daughters. And meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before the Lord. And it could mean, yes, he matured, he grew bigger, but it also could suggest he grew in the knowledge and the way of the Lord. Part of what we see here, part of a lesson we could take, is that God truly is rich to bless those who are faithful to him, those who are willing to sacrifice themselves in service to him and his people. And so, indeed, we see he blessed Hannah not only with a son, but many more children. She was richly blessed.

And unlike Eli's wicked sons, verse 26, skipping on down, still in chapter 2, verse 26 tells us, again, this child Samuel grew in stature and, elaborating more what we read earlier, in favor both with the Lord and men. And so it's interesting Eli had these wicked sons doing their sinful things we read about earlier, but Samuel grew in favor with the Lord. That means Samuel was growing in understanding and applying God's law and way and obedience and faithfulness.

It would seem we could argue, we would say, and I do say, he held true to his parents' training. He chose to remain faithful and obedient to God and to what he had been taught by them.

And God blessed Samuel in profound ways. First Samuel chapter 3 describes how God first revealed himself to Samuel in a vision. He told him to give a message, a message of condemnation to Eli because of the sins of his sons. Now Samuel was still just a boy. He was a boy, but already God was coming to him in visions to communicate messages to him. Verse 19 through 20, 1 Samuel 3, 19 through 20. So again, so Samuel grew and the Lord was with him. And let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord. Already, as a boy, as growing into be a young man. And no matter what terrible things happen, what else can we see about Samuel? No matter what terrible things happened, Samuel remained obedient to God. First Samuel 4 describes how the Philistines soundly defeated Israel in battle, killing 4,000 Israelites in the war. It was at that time you recall that the elders of Israel decided for themselves what was right. They thought it was a good idea and took it upon themselves to take the Ark of the Covenant from out of the Tabernacle and carry it into battle. Talk about audacity. The Ark was captured, do we recall? And it was then that Eli's two sons were killed. God knew they would be killed, and they were. And the new so shocked Eli. Remember what happened to Eli? He rolled off the back of his chair, hit the ground, breaking his neck. Samuel would have been there when these things were going on. Samuel may have been one of them to find Eli, maybe standing around him, seeing this. Seeing and knowing what God had delivered to him about the wickedness of Eli's sons and seeing this, you can imagine that would have left an impression in Samuel's mind. And of course, this also had been a very devastating time for Israel. And we read the account that the Ark was away from Israel for some months, and then it came back into their hands, as the narrative tells us. But it would have been a very demoralizing time, perhaps not so unlike how times can be demoralizing for us when things go awry. But Samuel remained faithful to God. He never turned from God. He never doubted God. It was some time later that Samuel was the one who had later rallied the Israelites to seek God against the Philistines. He prayed for God's intervention against the Philistines. First Samuel, chapter 7, verse 12-13. Samuel prayed to God. He got Israel to turn to God, and then God answered, and he helped Israel. First Samuel 7, verse 12. Then Samuel took a stone after that victory God accomplished for them, and then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mz. Pa. and Shin, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, Thus far the Lord has helped us. Thus far, perhaps signifying there's more to come if they would remain faithful to God.

And so the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come any more into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

And so what we see here is that Samuel became a judge. He became a judge, the last judge over Israel before the time of the kings would come. But in his old age, Samuel did not have rest in retirement. Can any of you imagine you're going to have rest in retirement in old age? Well, we can hope. Most of us don't want to rest too much. But Samuel did not have rest in retirement.

Even though in old age, he had to contend with unexpected events in his life, unexpected events even revolving around his own sons, his children. One of the things he had to contend with was a change that was suddenly coming upon, rather suddenly for him, upon their society and their culture as they had known it for some centuries now. It's interesting to think that Samuel had to face unexpected changes, not so much unlike what we're having to go through in our own society, in our culture today. In this case, what am I talking about? What changes in society? What cultural change? Israel wanted a king. They wanted a king, a human king, like the other nations.

First Samuel 8, 1-3 gives us some backdrop here. It tells us how in old age Samuel had made his two sons judges over Israel. But his sons make their choices as our children will. Samuel probably brought his children up in the way that they should go, but in some areas, they made different choices. They departed, we would say, from at least the path that their father held to tightly and securely. Verse 3 explains it this way, that it talks about how the two judges, his sons, did not walk in his ways, did not walk exactly as Samuel walked. They turned aside after dishonest gain. They took bribes, and they perverted justice.

I can imagine that caused Samuel great concern. In the people being fed up with these two sons of Samuel, they asked Samuel to make them a king. Verse 5, and they, referring to the elders of Israel, they came to Samuel and said, look, you are old. I guess reference the fact that you're not going to be here forever. You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. See, they liked the way Samuel was. Now make us a king to judges like all the nations.

And Samuel's response was one of displeasure. But the thing displeased, verse 6, the thing displeased Samuel, and when they said, give us a king to judge us. Now Samuel naturally thought that they were rejecting him. He must have taken it somewhat personally. But then he did a very important thing, an important thing that would be good for us to practice. In faith, he prayed for God's direction.

Before going any farther, he stopped and he prayed to God, continuing on verse 6, and so Samuel prayed to the Lord. Samuel was a man of faith. He trusted God. And the Lord said to Samuel, imagine, isn't that wonderful? God spoke back to Samuel. He communicated back to him. The Lord said to Samuel, heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, Samuel, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. And then what was Samuel's response? Did he bicker with God? Did he try to argue? Samuel did what he typically did. He humbly obeyed God. He humbly obeyed God. He was a man of faithful obedience and devotion to God.

Now let's turn to 1 Samuel 12, chapter 12, verse 1 through 5. Another little vignette here, another little piece of narrative. And so the people did not like the way Samuel's sons treated them. Their bribery, their twisting of the law in ways.

And they did point to Samuel's sons as their reason for wanting a king. But here, it becomes very clear as it states here, that they found no fault at all with Samuel. They did not fault Samuel. And we're going to look at these lines because these lines go a long way as a powerful testimony to Samuel's integrity and faithfulness, not only in keeping God's commandments, but also to his faithfulness to remain true to what his parents must have taught him so long ago as a child. He had never departed. And look what his example was. Chapter 12, verse 1. Now Samuel said to all Israel, Indeed, I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me. God told him to, and have made a king over you. God pointed to him that Saul, Benjaminite, would be the king. And now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray-headed. And look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. And here I am. Look at me. Judge me. Witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed. I will be referring to the king. Whose ox have I taken, Samuel asked? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you. And they said, You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man's hand.

And then he said to them, Well, the Lord has witnessed against you, and is anointed as witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

And again, what a powerful, powerful testimony to Samuel's integrity, to his faithfulness, to God, yes, but also to his training in the way that he was brought up, in the way that he should go. Testimony that even as an old man, gray-headed, he still held fast and had not departed from the way he had learned. Now, there's much more written about Samuel and how he lived in faithfulness to God. These chapters go from chapter one all the way to chapter five, discussing Samuel.

And God used Samuel in very important ways, especially in the founding of the kingdom of Israel. He used Samuel to anoint and counsel Saul, the first king. And then, later, when Saul proved faithless to God and rejected God, Samuel also anointed David as king.

And he even helped David at times to be protected and be kept safe from Saul. The Saul began to chase him and track him down to kill him. And yet, it's interesting, all these wonderful things that Samuel did. What does it say about his conclusion of life? What is written about Samuel's life at the end? We might expect a long list of accomplishments, a long accolade in Scripture. What does Scripture say? 1 Samuel 25 verse 1. It's a very simple sentence.

It says, then Samuel died, and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home and Ramah. Ramah would be an appropriate place. That's where his that was the home of his parents, Elkanah and Hannah, was his family home.

And all it says is, he died. He died.

Now, centuries later, God did inspire other Scriptures to be written that do more to acknowledge Samuel's devotion and faithfulness to God. For example, let's look at Jeremiah 15 verse 1. Jeremiah 15 verse 1. Of course, we understand the most important record God keeps is the Book of Life.

And God, no doubt, has Samuel's name written in the Book of Life. He was a faithful and righteous man. Jeremiah 15.1. Here we find God inspired Jeremiah with these words, and here Samuel is closely associated with no other than Moses. Jeremiah 15 verse 1. Then the Lord said to me, he said to me, Jeremiah, even if Moses and Samuel stood before me, my mind would not be favorable to this toward this people. Apparently Moses and Samuel had some influence with God, and we know that. But even they wouldn't convince God not to cast Israel out of my sight, it says, and let them go forth. Or cast them out of my sight, excuse me, and let them go forth. Samuel never departed from God, but obviously Israel kept up their track record of staying with God for a while and then rejecting him. And such was as it was in the time of Jeremiah. Let's also look at Hebrews 11 in the New Testament. Hebrews 11.32. Hebrews 11 we recognize oftentimes. It's called the faith chapter containing references to many of those who preceded us in faithfulness and devotion and obedience to God. Their names and accounts are listed here. Many are not. But Samuel's name is here. Hebrews 11, verse 32. He's listed, he's named among those renowned for their faith in God. Hebrews 11.32, and what more shall I say for the time and fail me to tell of Gideon and Berwick and Samson and Jeptha and also of David and Samuel and all the prophets. God knew, God recognized what Samuel had done. So that is the life, that's the review for now of Samuel's life. What can we learn from the history we reviewed about Samuel? What is necessary? What might we draw from what is necessary to train up a child in the way that he should go so that when he is old he will not depart from it?

That's the example of Samuel. He stuck with God. Many of us here have stuck with God a long time. Many of us here are going to stick with God a long time after we're not here. Some of us gray-headed like Samuel. The things necessary training up Samuel in the way of obedience and faithfulness to God, it's interesting to note, it kind of goes back to, interestingly, it goes back to many threads connect back to the sermon that was about today, how God creates events, setting things up for our calling. How about that? There are many things that were going on before Samuel was ever born that had a huge impact on Samuel and the man of faith that he became. God provided him with parents who revered God, parents who revered God in his law, parents who were dedicating themselves and dedicated to teaching their children, Samuel, in the way of God. And their desire for a child and the means to teach him to be devoted to God, all of that existed before Samuel was ever born. It was there. God had made events so that that would be ready. And we might say that Samuel's obedience and faithfulness to God, we could argue that it began, his obedience of faithfulness began, with his mother's faith.

It began with the faith of his mother and the trust she placed in God. What would there have been of Samuel if she hadn't been so faithful and dedicated to God?

Hannah believed God would give her a son. She prayed he would, and he did. And she vowed in turn to give that son to God for lifelong service to him, and she did. What dedication, what dedication of a loving mother. And of course, the father was supporting, Elkanah was supporting in this too. Can you imagine? Put yourself in Samuel's sandals.

Imagine how knowing about his mother's vow and devotion to God would have motivated Samuel in his choices in life. Imagine how knowing his mother's vow and all that his parents did and sacrificed for him and love toward God, how that would have impacted his own lifelong commitment to God.

Sometimes, no matter how old we are as children, we need to think about what our parents have done for us, not just physically and economically and socially and all that, but think about what our parents have done for us spiritually and still do for us spiritually. And their prayers and their dedication, their continued examples. And as we saw earlier, Elkanah and Hannah kept that up. They kept showing their son their love. They kept giving him clothes, visiting him. I'm sure they brought him some homemade hummus or something. I don't know. What would they bring him? Moms and dads do that. They loved their son, and they did what they can to show that support.

And so, even before Samuel went into service to God, Hannah and Elkanah taught him to be obedient and faithful. And wasn't that good that they did that before they turned him over to Eli? Because, were Eli's sons like? Yeah. Do you think Samuel would have lasted long in the ways of God without the parents' devotion and training? No, he would have quickly succumbed to the wickedness and sin of those two sons of the priest, Eli. His parents dedicated themselves to training Samuel the way that he should go. And even when he was old, as we've seen, he did not depart from it because he himself then had come to believe God. And he himself had come to serve God with the same sort of devotion inspired by his parents' example. And parents today, although we may think as we get older, we're not valued as much and maybe we're not, whether by our children or others. But we must not believe that. We are of tremendous value to God. We are tremendous value as parents or as brethren in the church, as we're going to talk about here in just a minute. We are of tremendous value or example what we say, what we do, how we live our lives.

And Samuel then served God. He taught God's way to others and he led God's people until his death. He kept serving. He didn't become too old to serve. He always found a way.

And so we all do and should. And so Samuel's history tells us that faithful parents in God's word are important to training up a child in the way that he should go.

But what if we don't have faithful parents? So now we're going to shift more to our present situation, our day and age, our society, our times. Again, maybe not so different from the past. It's hard to know exactly. What if we don't have faithful parents? What if we're adults now? I'm not a little boy like Samuel. Who's going to teach me God's way? Who's going to nurture me in the way of God? Is it too late for us to be trained up in the way that we should go? Is there ever a time when we stop being children? I'm not talking about being childish. Is there a time when we stop being children? No. No. No. We are children of God. We are children of God. It's not too late to be trained up in the way that we should go.

So where is the obedience and faithful devotion to be found? The sort of faith and devotion obedience like Hannah and Elkanah had, or like Samuel. Where is that faithful obedience devotion to be found today? Who are going to be like the loving parents we are reading about?

Where do we turn to be taught and guided, whatever our age, whether we're 102 or 2, to be guided in God's way and unto salvation, unto everlasting life? Who's going to be our loving parent? Who's going to help us?

The answer is the Church of God. Not a corporate body, not a building, not a group with limited to the marquee, but we're talking about the Church of God, that spiritual organism with Jesus Christ at its head, the body of Christ. The Church of God is to fulfill these things. The Father has called us to be part of His family. In accepting God's calling, the Father's call, and when we commit ourselves to Him in His way of life, we enter into that process called conversion. The process of conversion we know well. It means we need to repent and believe in the gospel. Those are the words of Jesus Christ, Mark 1.15. Repent and believe in the gospel, Christ's gospel, about the kingdom and everlasting life and our part in it. Not a prosperity gospel. That's false. That's false. And it's not a gospel about tolerance or being nice. Nothing wrong with being nice. But niceness is not the gospel of God.

We are then baptized. We make that commitment and receive God's gift of the Holy Spirit.

And God's Spirit in us is that begettle. It gives us that begettle to a new life, that new life that begins to grow in us. And as we yield ourselves to God in His Spirit, follow His Word, do what He says, can't just read about it, you've got to do it, we begin to thrive spiritually. And then, and so we receive God's gift, the Holy Spirit, laying on of hands. And God's Spirit gives us that new begettle. And it also becomes the guarantee.

It becomes a guarantee to us of everlasting life. It gives us that hope, a hope that need not ever go away. And with that, we become members of the body of Christ, the Church with Jesus Christ as the head. Turn with me to Galatians 4, 26. And so we become a part of the body.

We become the Church, the Church of God, that spiritual organism. Paul at times likened that spiritual, that Church, he likened it with qualities, that spiritual, nurturing love. He put it out there to us, described it as being like the love of a mother for her child. In Galatians 4, 26, it's where we get this phrase we talk about. Here Paul symbolically calls the Church of God Jerusalem above. He's talking about the Church of God. And he says, Galatians 4, 26, but Jerusalem above is free. And here's the phrase we're looking at, which is, the Church is the mother of us all. So there's this nurturing aspect of the Church. There's this aspect, the Church, just as a mother nurtures, a mother also teaches, so does the Church. Let's look also at 1 Thessalonians 2, 1 Thessalonians 2, 4 through 8. Paul likens, again, the Church's love for its members, part of the love he expressed, he and the apostles expressed, to the brethren. He likened it to the Church, the love within a Church, again, to a mother's love.

And so he talks about the gospel message they taught. He talks him how they spoke truth. They weren't trying to speak a gospel that was popular. God's way has never been widely popular, not with humanity. 1 Thessalonians 2, 4. But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words as you know. We didn't try to coerce you and trick you into something. Nor did we use a cloak for covetousness. We weren't just saying things so we can get your offering. We don't need a meat hook this time. We'll get your offering some other way.

No, that's not what they did. They said God is witness. Verse 6, nor did we see glory from men, either from you or from others. When we might have made demands as apostles of Christ, sure, we could have lorded it over you. Like priests who do not know God, who are corrupt. Verse 7, but we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. And so affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased. We are glad to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. There wasn't a superficial relationship Paul's talking about here, the apostles and the brethren. They had a relationship not founded on human love. He's talking about agape love, the love in the church, the love in the church that comes of God, for the church is of God. At the same time, Paul also describes this nurturing, supporting love for brethren in terms of a father's love as well. Look on down here, verse 10, continuing. Verse 10, You are witnesses, he continues, and God also how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe, as you know how he exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom, his own kingdom, in his own glory. I get a sense Paul's getting pumped up, what he's trying to convey to them. He's trying to get them excited about what he's doing. We need to be excited. Is there a difference between a mother's love and a father's love?

Well, what's been your experience?

Typically, stereotypically, we say mothers are more cuddly and all you poor thing, and and dads are more like, suck it up, get out there, you know, go on, go, go, you can do this, just do it.

Some of us have had moms have done the same thing, right? Get out there, do it, do it. That's part of the love. That's part of the parent's love, and God's love is that way. He's exhorting us, and Paul is part of what Paul's saying. This is what we're doing with you. This is part of what the church filled with God's love is about.

And this love, again, it is not a human source of love. Yes, we have love for one another, but the love Paul's talking about here and being referred to here is agape love. 1 John 4, 7 through 9, 1 John 4, 7 through 9 makes clear that God is the source of that agape love that is in his church. It's there in the church, it's in the church.

Some people say, I'm not feeling the love. Well, then we have a problem. 1 John 4, 7, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God.

And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, and he who does not love does not know God. Why? For God is love.

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.

Of course, God's commandments define for us God's way of love.

1 John 5, 3 tells us, for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. They're the same commandments that Elkanah and Hannah taught Samuel. The same ones God delivered to Moses.

The same ones our parents taught us, or the mother of us, all the churches taught us.

So we see this nurturing aspect of God's love in the church, but there's also this training aspect of the church.

The church also, like a loving parent, trains children in the way of God, in the way of Jesus Christ. He is the head of the church. Let's look at Ephesians 4, verse 11. And here for those, I'm looking at the table over here. I'm going off script a little bit, just so you know. Ephesians 4, verse 11. Paul describes in Ephesians 4, verse 11 through 16, that Christ established offices in the church. In their offices, their purpose, which ultimately is to help every member of the body of Christ, the church, become more like Jesus Christ. Let's look at Ephesians 4, verse 11 through 16, or thereabouts. Ephesians 4, verse 11. Why? Well, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry. That means of serving, of service. And for the edifying, the building up of the body of Christ. Till, or so that we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. To a perfect man. To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we'd become more like Christ. And that we should no longer be what? Children, but children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, corrupt men, and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. But speaking the truth and love may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, for whom the whole body, again referring to the church, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share. Yes, you and I have a part in sharing God's love and in carrying and nurturing and teaching one another. It causes the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love, in agape, not this human love. Now at the same time, as Christ works with us through his word, God's word and spirit, he works in the body of Christ to provide what every member needs, of course. And as it mentions here, yet every member has his or her part also in supporting the training and edifying of one another. In God's church, parents are still responsible for teaching their children. That's never stopped. What we read earlier in Deuteronomy 6, verses 4 through 7, that whole section, and it instructs us, we have to keep it up. It's still scripture. It's still inspired of word. It still holds. God holds us accountable as parents. And any influence we might have on young people, we have our chance to teach and help. We should see if we can help do our part. But the church also is there to help parents. It's part of the nurturing and training aspect of the church. For example, the United Church of God is not the responsibility of the United Church of God to train the children of parents, but it is our responsibility to supplement, to support, to help those parents. And we all need help, don't we? And so we, as the United Church of God, we do offer camps, for example. One of the things we talked about Monday morning in a seminar was an expansion of the camp program. We have pre-teen camp. We have teen camp. What happens after you turn 18? It's kind of like, okay, you're on your own, but not anymore. The church is instituted in another program. It's called United Young Adult for young people 18 to 32. 18 to 32. And it's meant to be a program where young adults take more charge working in hand with those of us who are older, maybe more experienced in some ways. But it's meant to be a program where we continue to support what our parents have done, continuing to support our young people so the world doesn't creep in.

It steals them away.

And so the church helps parents to train their children in what way? In the way that they should go. And of course, every one of us, as I said before, each one of us has a responsibility, our part in helping one another, to understand God's Word. And not just understand it and know it and talk about it. We've got to be doing the works, the works of love, which are all a part of what we're to be doing. And so through God's Word and the help of His Holy Spirit, all those in the body of Christ, all those in the church can learn God's way. We can find the strength and encouragement through Christ Jesus to be faithful and to practice His love towards others, and especially, yes, a brethren in the church. And with the same help from God, parents have the means now to teach their children about God and to train them up so that they might never depart from His way. But God is not going to force anyone to His way. God gives us that choice. We are all children of God. 1 John 3, verse 1. 1 John 3, verse 1.

Though we must wait until Christ's return to be born into God's kingdom as His children, we have been begotten by God's Holy Spirit now. 1 John 3, 1.

John writes, Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God.

Now therefore the world does not know us because it did not know Him.

And then to make his point clear, John states it again, verse 2. Be loved.

Now, this present time in our lives, we are children of God, and it has not been revealed what we shall be. Right now we are in that begettle stage of the Spirit.

But we know that when He is revealed, Christ is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself just as He is pure. We must keep putting off sin and partaking of that bread of life. Verse 10. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.

Whose children are we? It's the children of God. We may have once been the children of the devil.

We, I, we do not want to go that way. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is He who does not love His brother. We are no longer to be children of the devil, but children of God. And so, brethren, we must be engaged in heart and mind and body with the help of God's Word and the Holy Spirit to live God's way of love. We simply cannot allow Satan. We cannot allow His society around us. We cannot even allow our frail human flesh to demoralize us and to discourage us into being complacent about our obedience and submission to God. It's not easy at times to stay encouraged when our bodies ache or when we're worried about our paychecks or worried about our futures. But God's got this. God's got our backs.

He says He had Samuel's back. What our choice is is to keep living as children of God.

What does that mean? You want some action points? I want some action points. We want some action points. Turn to Ephesians 5, verse 1. Ephesians 5, verse 1. These scriptures are action points. These scriptures tell us what we need to be doing, brethren, what we all need to be doing. We are children of God. Ephesians 5, verse 1. Paul states, therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us.

He's the example. He's the head of the church. There is another scripture to put into action. Philippians 2, verse 14 through 16. Philippians 2, 14, 16. Philippians 2, 14, do all things without complaining and disputing. That's going to take some action. For me, my human nature, how about you?

Do all things without complaining and disputing. That, why? That you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, and among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life.

And finally, 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1, 13 through 16. 1 Peter 1, 13 through 16.

1 Peter 1, 13 through 16. Peter writes, therefore gird up the loins of your mind. I mean, get ready for action. Gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, the revealing of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lust, as in your ignorance, when we are stupid, but as he who called you as holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Why?

Because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. God is holy, and he must have, he wants, holy children.

And that's what his whole Bible, his whole scripture is about. And he's about. He helps us with this word and spirit so that we would be holy. We would be, and always be a member, a part of his family. So, brethren, we must hold true to the way God is training us. We must be holding true to the way of his love, of faithful obedience, devotion, so that we will never depart for it.

And as children of God, let's be mindful to love one another and to put into the action the instruction God gives through his church, the mother of us all. And through all those other faithful people, those faithful people we've grown up with, those faithful motherly and fatherly people in this congregation and in many other congregations, let's help one another as God guides us and leads us to nurture one another and to train one another in the ways of God as we follow Jesus Christ and those offices he has established in the church.

And so finally, brethren, let's allow God to train us up in the way that we should go.

And may we never depart from it.