Make a Vow - Keep a Vow - 1 Samuel 1-5

1 Samuel 1:9-11 (ESV)

After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

Hannah was barren and simply wanted to have a baby.  So, in the above verses, we read she made a vow to God and promised to give God the baby boy (assuming God would give her a boy).  We know now that God did and the boy was Samuel.   He would become one of the greatest men in Israel’s history.  This all came about because a woman who was barren made a vow.  She was picked on by her husband’s other wife:

1 Samuel 1:6 (ESV)

And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb.

Who was living with a narcissistic husband:

1 Samuel 1:8 (ESV)

And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

Who was accused by Eli, the prophet at the time, of being drunk while she was praying this very prayer:

1 Samuel 1:13-14 (ESV)

Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”

This woman could not catch a break.  But she did make the vow.  And she kept the vow.  God demands that if we make a vow we are to keep a vow.  Be careful what you vow, however.  This man vowed a vow and it cost him his daughter:

Judges 11:30-31 (ESV)

And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”

He vowed this and this happened:

Judges 11:34 (ESV)

Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

If you make a vow, keep a vow:

Numbers 30:2 (ESV)

If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Psalms 50:14 (ESV)

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and perform your vows to the Most High,

Psalms 56:12 (ESV)

I must perform my vows to you, O God;

I will render thank offerings to you.

Psalms 61:8 (ESV)

So will I ever sing praises to your name,

as I perform my vows day after day.

Psalms 65:1 (ESV)

O God of Our Salvation

TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID. A SONG.

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,

and to you shall vows be performed.

Psalms 116:14 (ESV)

I will pay my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people.

Psalms 116:18 (ESV)

I will pay my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people,

Proverbs 20:25 (ESV)

It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”

and to reflect only after making vows.

Ecclesiastes 5:4 (ESV)

When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.

Deuteronomy 23:21-22 (ESV)

“If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin.

For Such A Time Is This - Genesis 40-43

Genesis 41:9-13 (ESV)

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”

One of the most famous lines in the Bible comes from this verse in the book of Esther:

Esther 4:14 (ESV)

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

The words come for Esther’s uncle (playing the role of her father), Mordecai. He was trying to tell Esther that even though she went through some very bad times, she was put in place as the Queen to rescue her nation of Israel from certain tragedy.   This moment in history, Mordecai is saying, was why she was there.  It was a sovereign moment by God, orchestrated by God. This is what God does. He puts people in positions for certain moments to intact his plans.  Here is another example:

Acts 23:16 (ESV)

Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

When Paul was about to be ambushed, God put a young child in a place to hear the plot and then report it to Paul. A sovereign act of God’s for such a time is this.

The above story about Joesph being in prison is one of those moments. God had, two years earlier, orchestrated that Pharaoh would become angry with his baker and cupbearer. God orchestrated that they would be tossed into a prison where Joesph had been elevated to meet them. He orchestrated them to have dream.  He gave Joesph the meaning of the dream.  And then, after two long years, God put a dream in Pharaoh’s head that NO ONE could interpret.  Then, as an amazing act of God’s sovereign rule, he reminds the cupbearer of all this, so that he can tell Pharaoh.  

We should never stop realizing that God uses all things in our lives for His good:

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

From the time Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers (17 years old) to the time Pharaoh promotes him (30 years old), Joseph must have been wondering, “Why, Lord? Why?”  This passage gives us the why.  

Never doubt for a moment that God is using all the good and the bad in our lives for His glory and His purpose. Even when someone else forgets the good you did for them, when you want them to remember. Two full years later the cupbearer remembered. But he was not late, he was right on time. For such a time as this was he created. 

The Consumer Church - 1 Corinthians 3-4

1 Corinthians 3:8 (ESV)

He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

There is a lot of comparison on in the US church market.  We have been programmed to be consumers. That programming is not limited to cars, restaurants, and/or prime shopping. We carry that into our choice of churches and church leaders. It is very easy to fall into the trap of picking a church that will serve us well and meet our needs and is personality driven. It is hard to argue that should not be a concerned to some extent. After all, the Body is supposed to serve the others parts of the Body, correct?  

This is where we struggle. When we look for church in a consumer mindset we can grow cold to our responsibility to serve. We are to be part of a church body to serve that body. This is where the above verse gives us some clarity.  The Corinthian believers had developed a favorite mentality centered around the popularity of one servant of God over the other. There was a teaching pastor named Apollos who many people loved.  There was the apostle Paul that many people loved.  Some were loyal to one and some to another.  We get the impression from the text that this has caused quite a division in the church.  Paul is writing to them and wants them to understand that this is not right and this is not how God designed the church.  

The above verse, however, is as much for him and Apollos as it was for the church.  To understand the context here is what he just wrote to them:

1 Corinthians 3:5-7 (ESV)

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

We will probably always fight consumerism in church work. We will always have people show up becuase one church shines brighter than the other.  But let us not commit the sin of the Corinthians.  Each man must labor and God gives the reward. We are not serving mankind, we are serving Christ, the head of the church. This church forgot that.  

Colossians 1:18 (ESV)

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

God Already Knows - Matthew 26-28

Matthew 26:20-25 (ESV)

When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

Before we can fully understand the above we have to read what happened just before this moment:

Matthew 26:14-16 (ESV)

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Judas has already put in motion this entire betrayal. But it was not him who put it in motion since it was prophesied about centuries earlier:

Zechariah 11:13-14 (ESV)

Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter. Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

God knew before, Jesus knew before, yet Judas acted as though he was still in the dark.  He had already gone ahead with a plan. When Jesus told the disciples, Judas had already committed the action in his heart.  We could think that Judas came under conviction at Christ’s words about the betrayal.   That is a plausible way to interpret what he stated. Based upon what we know about his heart, however, we would be wiser to consider he was simply playing dumb for his audience.  He obviously didn’t think Jesus was the Son of God.  You can’t believe that AND agree to betray Him.   You can’t believe that AND not know you are the one Jesus is talking about. 

Jesus knows both our hearts and our actions.   Note:

Psalms 139:1-6 (ESV)

TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID.

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.

When we confess our sins to God it is not to reveal to Him something He doesn’t know.  Confession is our admittance it was sin and we are in agreement with God about it.  Judas had a moment to confess.  Jesus washed his feet just before this.  He could have confessed.  Jesus would give him a piece of bread.  He could have confessed. Jesus gave him a drink of wine. He could have confessed. Jesus plainly stated someone would betray Him. Judas could have confessed.   That was four opportunities to do so.  He did not.  Pride and sin are dangerous in our lives when we fail to believe Jesus is truly the Son of God. 

The Faces of Jesus - Isaiah 51-55

Isaiah 52:13 - 53:3 (ESV)

Behold, my servant shall act wisely;

he shall be high and lifted up,

and shall be exalted.

As many were astonished at you—

his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,

and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

so shall he sprinkle many nations.

Kings shall shut their mouths because of him,

for that which has not been told them they see,

and that which they have not heard they understand.

Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isaiah, in the above lines, is telling us about our Savior, Jesus, regarding His future crucifixion.   God is giving the prophet insight into what will happen.   When a savior comes you would think it would with royal robes and someone with a crown of gold, jeweler and an escort of mighty soldiers.  But Jesus is going to come and the above is what others will behold.   Note that is says: 

... his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,

... he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

This is the face of Jesus during the crucifixion.   It is a face described as beyond semblance and with no desire to see.  The face of Jesus would be so marred, others would look away.  Yet, this is the face of our Savior.    

The above describes Jesus’ suffering face.  But note some other faces of Jesus:

Shining Face - as seen by Peter, James, John

Matthew 17:1-2 (ESV)

(At The Transfiguration) 

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

Saddened Face - As seen by Peter

Luke 22:60-61 (ESV)

But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”

Sacrificial Face - As seen by the Soldiers 

Matthew 26:67-68 (ESV)

Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

Stern Face - As seen by the Church at Thyatira

Revelation 2:18 (ESV)

“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

Supremacy Face - As seen in the end times by the Devil and his leadership 

Revelation 19:11-12 (ESV)

The Rider on a White Horse

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.

Saving Face - As seen by all Believers 

Revelation 22:3-4 (ESV)

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

Yes, the suffering face may not be one others want to see, but because we know He took our pain and paid for our sins, we can behold the face and see salvation.