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Be a Banana 1 samuel 1:1-18

• Outline of the book- Birth of Samuel, Becomes Gods number one, raised by Eli the Priest, Up to this point, Israel didn’t have a king. They want king so they can complain like the rest of the ruled, they want someone to rule them!
• Samuel sets out to find a King for Israel.
• Samuel is going to choose a guy named Saul, and he doesn’t make a great choice, Saul fights the philistines, but fails at uniting the tribes of Israel. God sends Samuel to find another King
• Saul settles on a young man named David the son of Jesse as the heir apparent. David eventually becomes Sauls amor bearer. Davids main job is to sing songs and play his lyre to soothe Sauls demons.

• The philistines continue to cause problems, there is this one main Philistine named goliath that goes toe to toe with Davide to decide the ultimate winner of their wars. David fights this Goliath and wins.
• David becomes popular, Saul gets jealous, attempts to kill him many times, David gets more powerful. Saul eventually dies and David readies to become King.
• That’s the snap shot. We’re going to be in here for a while
• Whats the whole point? Israel wants a King- They get a king- but they don’t like the King so they want a new king
• READ 1 Samuel 12:13-15 We wont be here for at least a year- but this shows you where we’re going

• Why does this book apply to us Today?
• Its no different today- People want to be ruled! People think that the US is Israel and the President is our King!
• I am tired of arguing about Presidential politics. Honestly I was tired of it during Obama, Bush, and Clinton. It’s a spiritual diversion. Its divisive.
• I don’t care who you voted for- at this point we’re just arguing who gets to be in charge of the POW camp. This office was never intended to save, secure or bless. My blessings are in the throne room of God- My hope is placed on Jesus Christ.
• The answer for Israel 3000 years ago is the same answer for the US today-
• Read 1 Sam 12:11-12 “when the Lord your God was your king.”
• The end result of Israel is the end result of us today- YHWH- the God of the universe is supposed to be our king- He is the one who is supposed to rule and reign over us- he is to be our leader-

• Revelation 19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
• Rules for this engagement-
• YOU need to be reading 1 Samuel repeatedly during the next season
• We cannot cover every theme of every passage. We’ll cover some stuff, we wont cover others
• We want to find Jesus in the OT. We want to see his kingship as it applies to us TODAY

• So lets get into this story today- “Be a Banana” why?  Because Hannah Banana
• Hopeless Hannah- her issue? She was barren- she couldn’t have any children wanted children
• Its still a big deal today- but it was bigger back then- no kids equals no future- no honor, no retirement, no status. No respct
• For whatever reason “the Lord had closed her womb” meaning- what she wanted, was out of her control- and she needed God to move to get it. Only God could make it happen
• Ever been in a situation like that? Only God can fix your relationship, get you that job, heal your body, fix your finances, ONLY God can do it- Its out of your control!

• So what happens?
• Her husband Elkanah tries as best as he can to satisfy her-
• “a double portion” was given to her- but it wasn’t enough- things of the material world weren’t enough to satisfy the longing of a heart
• He admonishes her with his words “ am I not worth more than 10 men”
• What Hannah wanted couldn’t be found in more “stuff”
• What Hannah needed couldn’t be found in a worldly relationship with her Husband
• She needed God to move! She needed him to do something!
• What a horrible time it must have been for Hannah- How hard it must have been- Longing, wanting, yearning-

• Even worse? She was getting ridiculed for it as well! V6 And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.
• All she did was weep and didn’t eat. So messed up that she was messed up
• Here’s the issue- What is Hannah Going to do? She’s barren. She’s waiting. She’s being attacked. She’s got people around her that are trying to satisfy her but its not enough? Where can she turn?

• What does it mean to you?
• We’ve all been there- Wanting, waiting, wondering, and nothing is happening
• When I look back on my life, I notice that its been in the periods of waiting that I’ve made some of my worst decisions when I didn’t wait on God.
• The Bible talks a lot about wanting and waiting, it actually has a lot to say about it
• Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
• Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,To the soul who seeks Him.
• Its not a bad thing to wait according to God- Sometimes you’re going to have to wait
• Me? I HATE waiting. I really do. Monte Christo at Cheddars. WAITING- So long- Came back 20 min later- ‘what did you order’? I wanted to go back into the kitchen myself!

• Its like that often when we’re waiting on God- filling up on the cheap bread before the meal comes (that’s how you know the food wont be good- lots of free bread to fill you up)
• Are we not like Hannah? Don’t we try to find our satisfaction in the things of this world?
• We think that a “double portion” will satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts
• Have you ever bought something and thought you’d feel different after and you didn’t?
• We live in the most marketed to civilization in the history of world. Everywhere all the time, everyone is trying to get you to buy- and what do they tell you? You’ll feel different and you’ll be different if you BUY what we’re selling
• Soda, clothes, jewelry, cars, vacations, houses, whatever- watch what the advertisements sell you- it’s a new YOU- Something to satisfy you
• I’m telling you right now- I bought a diet coke once- My life was exactly the same
• We think a worldly relationship will satisfy the inner longings of our hearts? But it DOESN’T
• a Man or a woman was never set up to be your God or your savior- Never.
• But you marry someone, then you find out that they are just as broken as you are.
• And if you don’t come to terms with it- you’re going to be upset your whole life or live in a cycle of relationships, waiting for someone to come along that is going to satisfy the longings of your empty heart

So what did Hannah do?

1. Took action– Got up So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh.

She was sad, she was wanting, but there was a point where she says, “you know what, this isn’t how I want to live. I gotta do something different.

• Something has to change. I’m doing something.
• So what did she do? She took action! Changed her perspective, her position
• What does it mean to you?
• Some of ya’ll are stuck in the duldrums and nonsense of life because you refuse to take any sort of action!
• James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
• What good is it if we have Faith, but we don’t do anything with it?
• Yes, there are times when we must wait on God, but there’s always a point where you and God are going to work in concert and you’re going to have to DO something
• READ James 1:23-25. Not DOING the word gives it no power- You got to MOVE

1. She Went the priest and Tabernacle “Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord”

• See- even during Hannah’s time, the meeting place of God was a place of power. God is there in her midst. God’s people are there. She got up and went to church. The gathering place.
• Its so funny to me- many modern day Christians need tons of scripture to convince them to do anything- Bible people saw basic principles and responded- I need God- lets go to where his people are
• What does it mean to you?
• When you change your position- go to a place where God is-
• Go to godly people. Go to church. Go to the word. Go to godly influences.
• Many people get stuck and the first thing they do is distance themselves from the things of God- this is a path of destruction. This is the wrong direction. Hannah saw power in the things of God- so she went towards them, not away from them.
• Psalm 84:10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

1. Put her faith in God– “O Lordof hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant,

• She believed that God cared about the less thans of this world. She put her faith in the God who was the only one who could change her situation
• She didn’t put her faith in man or mans plan. She turned away from worldly lusts and relationships and said, God, you’re the only one who can do this!
• What does it mean to you?
• Where are you putting your faith? In a process or in God?
• Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
• Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

1. Prayed earnestly ¹³ Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.

• Now it doesn’t say it, and I studied extensively, but I think Hannah was praying in the spirit.
• The HS was present at Creation and has been all throughout the Bible- the promise of the NT is pouring out the spirit on ALL flesh- but some may have had it before
• Eli thought she was drunk- he thought there was something wrong with her- but there wasn’t she was just praying to God EARNESTLY. With VIGOR.
• AND Promised that the outcome of her blessing would be given to GOD (nazarite vow)
• What does it mean to you?
• Has anyone ever looked at your spiritual life and thought you were a little off?
• Acts 2:15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
• I’m convinced many of my family and friends think that I’ve lost it. And the truth is that I HAVE. I’m out of my mind and into the mind of Christ!
• Are you praying earnestly about what you are seeking from God or are you just tossing a layup? How earnestly are you praying? How deep are you going?
• And whats the outcome of your prayer? More for YOU? Or more for GOD? (consecrate)

1. Heres the best part- NOTHING has happened- NOTHING changed-

• Hannah Changed- her situation didn’t change!
• ¹⁸ And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer
• The turning point of this story for Hannah wasn’t that she received a child. It wasn’t that the outcome happened.
• SHE changed before her situation changed!
• “her face was no longer sad’ she hadn’t even received what she wanted- she had just been with GOD
• What does it mean to you?
• The change in your life isn’t going to come when you get what you think you deserve, or what you want. It will be when you fully put your faith in God and trust him
• Your situation may not change. You may not get what you have been praying for, but YOU will be different. YOU will be changed. YOU will have peace because you’ve put ALL your faith in God and not yourself