(January 19, 2003 Sermon Transcript)

I Samuel 3:1-10,19

        Immediately following today’s Old Testament reading we read these words from I Samuel. The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

        Dear friends in Christ, somewhere along the way, it seems, we’ve lost the significance, in some respect, of a man or a woman keeping his or her word. The Associated Press poll I read not too long ago indicated that it was found that about half of all people regularly call in sick when they are not. And what’s more, we find that about half of people lie regularly, both at work and at home. And that in American High Schools, the students will, on average, say sixty-five percent of the time that they would really cheat on an important test. One study indicated that we fib at least 50 times a day.

        That’s sobering. But this is not merely a lesson on whether or not we should speak the truth. Any ethical society could do that.

        But we are Christian people, and we have been blood-bought and purchased by the life-blood of Jesus Christ Himself. It is for us sinners like you and me that we have been redeemed from the pit, that we have been redeemed from our sins, that we have been redeemed from our falsehoods.

        And that, my friends, makes all the difference in the world. For as we serve God, we know it is not our word that stands. But rather, it is the Word of God in us that enable us to stand, and not permit our words to fall to the ground.

        There are two men that are mentioned in this Old Testament reading. One is Eli, the prophet and judge. A man who was godly in many respects, but who had one fatal flaw. And it was how he raised his sons, Phinehas and Hophni, and how he failed to accurately and adequately correct them when they did wrong.

        The other one is Samuel. We see him in this text as a very young boy. Having been given by his mother for service in the temple, and now called by God to serve Him also was a prophet, one greater than the one who preceded him, who was Eli.

        And so, we find two men whose words of integrity were quite different. For Eli’s seem to be lacking in integrity, while Samuel’s words did not fall to the ground, but were reliable and well-known as such.

        I just want you to remember this. This fatal flaw of Eli’s was one in which he failed his sons. And failed his God. He had two sons. By the way, if you are looking for names for your grandchildren, here’s a couple for you! Phinehas and Hophni! (I see a lot of head-shaking going on out there! I don’t think it’s going to be real good!)

        Remember this, Phinehas and Hophni were raised in the home of a prophet, a good and godly man. And they then later on assumed the duties of also working in the temple. They were the ones who received the offerings that had been brought to God.

         Let me tell you how this usually worked. When people brought their offerings to God, God always got the best cuts of meat. He got the fat cuts. So here you have it. Give your best to God. This is how one honors God. What happened when Phinehas and Hophni were greeting people who were bringing their offerings, they said, "No, we want the best cuts for ourselves and give the left-overs to God."

        According to the Scriptures, this was a grievous sin in the eyes of God. In 1 Samuel we read, This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD's sight, for they were treating the LORD's offering with contempt.

But that wasn’t their only problem. There were also women who worked at the temple gates, serving those who came. And as we read in the scriptures, some things went seriously wrong there between Phinehas and Hophni and those women who worked at the gate.

        And so, their life, and that of Eli, became a scandal.

        One thing I think we would all recognize as true, is this. Whenever any leader loses the respect of the people whom he leads, it’s time for him to go. And finally, that’s exactly what happened.

        Many of us are old enough to remember a date, August 9, 1974. On this date, Richard Millhouse Nixon became the first President, ever in the history of this country, to resign from office. He had to resign, because his Presidency had become a joke, and his leadership no longer effective. And so, because of his duplicity, he left office in disgrace.

        And likewise Eli’s service came to a similar, if not more tragic end. For finally came a straw which broke the camel’s back. Phinehas and Hophni conspired with others to take the Ark of the Covenant, that great and holy vessel holding the very tablets on which God had given Moses that ten commandments, and Moses’ staff, and took them out to battle against the armies of the mighty Philistines in the hopes of assuring their victory.

        They were treating the Lord’s Ark with contempt as well. They were treating it like a good luck charm, rather than the sacred object it had been. They were treating it as though God could not bring them the victory without this holy trinket, if you will, being included.

        And so the battle was engaged, and disaster struck. Thirty thousand Israelites fell in battle that day, including the sons of Eli, Phinehas and Hophni. And yet, even more tragically, the holy Ark of the Covenant fell into the hands of the Philistine army and was held by unbelievers.

        A messenger was sent from the battlefield to Shiloh, where Eli sat. And the announcement was made that thirty thousand soldiers had died, that Israel had been taken captive, and that indeed, so had the Ark of the Covenant. And Eli fell over backwards, broke his neck, and died.

        Well, Eli’s words fell to the ground. And great was the effect of their falling.

        Now hear, dear friends, of the Word that stands, and that will stand forever. It is said in our text that the words of Samuel did not fall to the ground. In other words, they were respected as always being right. That he was a man of integrity who said what he meant and meant what he said.

        But how do we do that? How is that even possible for any man? By sheer will of power, I would suggest, not at all. But rather by the grace of God, and by the power of God, working not only through Samuel’s life, but our own.

        First and foremost, remember this. It is the Word of God which is the Word that ever stands. In Isaiah 55, these are the words that are written. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

        When God speaks, whether He speaks through a prophet, or whether He speaks through just one of His followers who also speaks as a prophet, that is on behalf of God through His Word, things happen. God speaks. And He says, "Let there be light!" And there is light. When God speaks as He hangs on a wooden cross, suffering for the sins of us all, and He says, "It is finished", it is!

        And we know that those of us who are lacking in integrity, who are sinful people, who have failed God in every possible respect, have an advocate who intercedes for us.

        In the text I read you earlier, in I Samuel, Eli asks his sons a question. He asks, If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?"

        The implication there is that no one will, but that’s not so. We have someone who will intercede for us before God. For we are sinners just as Phinehas and Hophni were. Perhaps the effects of our sin are not so dramatic, but they still exist. Our sin always carries with it our earthly consequences.

        And so I would ask you, If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?"

        And I tell you, we have an intercessor, and His name is Christ Jesus, our Lord. And He stands before God in heaven, holding out the nailprints in His hands, and the spearprint in His side and showing Him the price paid for our sins. And there He intercedes for us, offering us forgiveness and grace and the gifts that He gives to His people, the ability to let our words stand and not fall to the ground. And to have the integrity that is the reflection of His own.

        God calls us. He calls us through the power of His Word. The power of that Word is made effective in us, in the grace of God through Christ Jesus, through all the merits He has earned for us on the cross, at the fount of Holy Baptism. And when that baptism is done, and someone dressed perhaps like me, a long time ago, said, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit", that Word was effective. That Word stands, and it does not fall to the ground. And we have been called the children of God.

        When women went to the tomb on Easter Sunday morning, and when they put their heads in the tomb and there were two men seated in the tomb, and one of them says, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen." He was. And God graciously gives us that victory over sin and death and even the awesomeness of the grave. And He calls us His own, now and forever.

        And here’s some good news for you as well. And that is, God still works in exactly the same way as He did with Samuel. Samuel would have never, under any circumstances, claim credit for his integrity. But in all things, he would have pointed to God and said, "To God alone the glory. And to God alone the credit." Because God alone is the source of any man’s integrity, and the source of any man’s faithfulness. And is the source of anyone’s words that still stand.

        I’m reminded that we should remember the blessings of our baptism. Listen to words of Luther’s Large Catechism as he writes these words.

        To be baptized in God's name is to be baptized not by human beings but by God Himself. Although it is performed by human hands, it is nevertheless truly God's own act. From this fact everyone can easily conclude that it is of much greater value than the work of any human being or saint. For what human work can possibly be greater than God's work?

        When we are baptized, we have received the integrity of Christ. When we have been baptized, our sins have been taken away. And we are given the righteousness of His Son. When we have been baptized, the blood that was shed on Calvary’s cross was accounted to our sin. And blots them out. And washes them away. So that there can be no doubt that in all things it is God alone who is glorified.

        Now, since we know the forgiveness of our sins. Since we know that our integrity does not lie within ourselves but is a gift of God. Since we know that, as we gather in a few moments at the altar of the table of the Lord, that Word will come to us so that we might touch it, and eat it, and consume it, through the bread and the wine, this very body and blood of the Savior, so His person fills us as well.

        Then we know that He dwells in us, and He lives in us, and He acts through us, broken vessels that we may be.

        So you see, finally, it is by God’s grace in Jesus Christ that we live, and move, and have our being. If anything is righteous in us, it is a gift of God. If anything speaks of integrity through us, it is God’s doing. If we have any hope, in the face of our scarlet sins in front of a holy and righteous God, it is His Son, and Him alone.

        If any word that we speak stands, it is because God stands behind it. And makes it so. Therefore, thanks be to God, for His life. For His sacrifice. For His suffering, for His death and resurrection. And yes, for His integrity and His grace. For it will stand forever. And it will stand in His people. In you. And in me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.