Act Like Men (Part 3): Dads Who Make a Difference - 1 Samuel 2:12-26

First Samuel 2 sets the dad who makes a difference in plain view. The dad who makes a difference is not the wealthiest, the funniest, the most athletic, or even always the biological father. The tree image presses the point, because the best time to plant a tree may have been ten years ago, but the second best time is today.

First Samuel gives four portraits of a man who makes a difference. The contrast between Samuel and the sons of Eli shows that spiritual leadership begins with knowing the Lord because the Lord first knew him. Hophni and Phinehas are pagan on the inside while looking religious on the outside, but Samuel grows in stature and in favor with the Lord and with man. Luke later uses that same language for Jesus, so Samuel becomes a faint sketch of the one true faithful Son. God is quietly at work raising up faithfulness in the middle of a dark, hostile, anti-God environment.

The linen ephod shows that purity is not a man trying to earn a robe. Hophni and Phinehas wear the ephod like a costume while disrobing it for immorality, but Samuel ministers before the Lord clothed in it. Isaiah’s language of the robe of righteousness points to the gospel, where Christ takes the robe of sin and gives his robe of righteousness. Purity, then, is not becoming clean in order to belong to Christ. Purity is living because, in Christ, a man already is clean.

The call of Samuel shows that hearing God is not mystical showmanship. God speaks, Samuel learns to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears,” and the difference between Samuel and Eli’s sons is not that only one heard words. The difference is that Samuel listened and obeyed. The greater Servant, Jesus, heard and obeyed all the way to Gethsemane, saying, “Not my will be done, but your will be done.” Because Christ heard and obeyed, Christian men can hear God’s voice in Scripture and obey.

The rare word of the Lord shows that silence is judgment, and hunger for Scripture is grace. Samuel lets none of the Lord’s words fall to the ground. Regret must not be allowed to slay Christian men by freezing them in place. Joel’s locust image says that God can restore what sin has devoured, and the foot of the cross has room, hope, forgiveness, restoration, and strength for humble men who bow before the Word.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God raises sons in dark places Samuel’s faithfulness did not grow in a clean and easy environment. God raised him in the middle of a corrupt tabernacle, beside men who used religion without knowing Yahweh. Spiritual darkness does not stop the Lord from forming a faithful life, because God is never waiting for perfect conditions to begin his work. [07:11]
• 2. Purity flows from a given robe The linen ephod pointed beyond outward appearance to righteousness and purity before God. Hophni and Phinehas turned holy clothing into a costume, but the gospel gives a better robe, the righteousness of Christ. A Christian man guards his eyes and heart not to become clean, but because Christ has already made him clean. [14:54]
• 3. Hearing God requires obedient attention Hophni and Phinehas heard religious words, but Samuel heard with the posture of a servant. The issue was not sound reaching the ear, but the Word ruling the life. Scripture calls a man away from noise, static, and religious performance into quiet obedience before the God who still speaks through his Word. [23:34]
• 4. Regret must not become lord Rebellion destroys, but regret can also keep a man locked in place. Godly sorrow may lead a man to apologize, seek restoration, and leave what he cannot control at the feet of Jesus. Regret becomes deadly when it speaks louder than grace and convinces a man that today’s obedience no longer matters. [35:03]
• 5. The cross has room for failures The foot of the cross is not reserved for impressive men, strong men, or men with perfect records. Christ receives humble and contrite men who bow before his Word. The grace of Jesus does not erase responsibility, but it gives strength, forgiveness, and a real place to begin again.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:22] - The Dad Who Makes a Difference
• [01:14] - Plant the Tree Today
• [02:09] - Ordinary Men as Heroes
• [04:09] - Samuel and Eli’s Worthless Sons
• [06:27] - Samuel as a Faint Sketch of Jesus
• [10:38] - Pursuing Purity in a Given Robe
• [18:29] - Samuel Hears the Lord’s Voice
• [21:15] - Hearing God Through Scripture
• [25:37] - Quietness and Loneliness in Leadership
• [28:04] - Tuning Out the Static
• [29:23] - Treasuring God’s Word
• [34:22] - Rebellion, Regret, and Restoration
• [37:11] - God Restores Locust-Eaten Years
• [38:05] - Room at the Foot of the Cross

Bible Reading

1. 1 Samuel 2:12-26

“Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, ‘Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.’ And if the man said to him, ‘Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,’ he would say, ‘No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.’ Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.” [04:09] [06:27]

1. 1 Samuel 3:1-10

“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. And the Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.”’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant hears.’” [18:29] [20:35]

1. Isaiah 61:10

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” [14:11]

1. Joel 2:25

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” [37:11]

Observation questions

1. In 1 Samuel 2, what specific sins show that Eli’s sons treated the Lord and his offerings with contempt, and how is Samuel described differently in the same section? [04:09]
2. In 1 Samuel 3:1-10, what repeated pattern happens before Samuel understands that the Lord is calling him, and what finally changes? [20:35]
3. What details in these passages show the contrast between outward religion and a heart that truly belongs to the Lord? [13:29]
4. According to 1 Samuel 3:19, what did Samuel do with the words God gave him, and what does that reveal about his posture toward God’s word? [29:45]

Interpretation questions

1. 1 Samuel says Eli’s sons “did not know the Lord,” even though they served in a religious setting. What does that suggest about the difference between being around holy things and actually knowing God? [04:32]
2. Samuel grows in favor with the Lord and with man, and that language later points forward to Jesus. How does Samuel function as a faint sketch of the true faithful Son? [06:48]
3. Isaiah 61:10 speaks of being clothed with salvation and a robe of righteousness. How does that shape the way a Christian should think about purity—not as earning acceptance, but living from acceptance already given in Christ? [14:44]
4. The word of the Lord was rare in Samuel’s day. What does that teach about spiritual dryness, and why can hunger for Scripture be seen as a sign of God’s grace rather than merely personal discipline? [31:52]

Application questions

1. Samuel was raised in a dark and compromised place, yet God still formed faithfulness in him. Where does it feel hardest right now to follow the Lord faithfully—in the home, at work, online, or somewhere else—and how does Samuel’s story give hope there? [07:11]
2. Purity flows from a given robe. What helps a person remember, in the middle of temptation, “I guard my eyes and heart not to become clean, but because in Christ I am clean”? Are there any practical steps that would help right now? [16:59]
3. “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears” is a posture of obedience, not just interest. What is one area where God’s Word has been clear, but obedience has been delayed? What would it look like to answer that clearly this week? [23:34]
4. Hearing God often requires quietness. What kinds of noise or static most often drown out Scripture in daily life, and what might need to be turned down so God’s Word can be heard with more attention? [28:04]
5. Treasuring God’s Word is more than owning a Bible or hearing a sermon once a week. What simple rhythm could help a person actually hold on to God’s Word during the week and echo it into the home? [33:19]
6. Regret can become its own kind of slavery. Is there a relationship where an apology, a hard conversation, or an honest attempt at restoration needs to happen? If that step has already been taken and the response was cold, what would it mean to leave the outcome at the feet of Jesus? [36:01]
7. The foot of the cross has room for men who have failed. For someone who feels disqualified by past sins, what would humble, contrite returning to Christ look like today—not in theory, but in concrete terms? [38:05]