Last October, our family took our first trip to Cape Breton.  What an amazing time to be on the Island with the vast array of fall colours and the breathtaking scenery of the coastal drive.  Many a friend prepped us with long lists of things to do, see, and eat.  And one of those was a visit to Inverness beach.

Our family loves to scour the beaches for fun finds…including sea glass.  Much to our surprise, Inverness Beach is famous for the amount of sea glass that washes ashore every single day (it’s also famous for its sheer beauty – wow…the sunset left us speechless).  Up and down the beach we went, filling handfuls and then pocketfuls of sea glass.

Eventually we could hold no more.  There was just too much to be had.  As we began a new series in the book of 1 Samuel, I am reminded of how the Old Testament – and Old Testament narrative in particular – can be a lot like the beach at Inverness.  It is a treasure trove of truths, applications, lessons, and nuggets of wisdom.

In the first chapter alone there are a host of side applications and amazing revelations of God’s goodness, character, mercy and providence.  I realised quickly in preparing the first sermon of the series that we would not be able to begin to mine the depths (or collect all the sea glass if you will) of what God has to offer in the richness of His Word.

One such application that stood out in opening lines of 1 Samuel was the persistent provoking of Penninah – the rival of Hannah.  In verses 3-7 we read:

Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.  So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.

I was struck by how powerful and piercing Peninnah’s words were in the mind and heart of Hannah.  It was a clear reminder of what Solomon warns us against in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Our words can either breathe life or they can breathe death into the people that God has placed around us.  How I speak to my children can either encourage or discourage.  The tone that I use with my wife can either lift up or tear down.  The words I choose when correcting a co-worker can either help or hurt.  

Do we stop and consider on a day to day basis the power we yield with the words (and by extension our tone) of our mouth?  If you were to go around and take an inventory of the people in your life – would what you say and how you say it be giving life to their soul or slowly and steadily tearing it apart?

This is just one small application and point of consideration among many in the opening chapter of 1 Samuel.  My hope is that as you read and study alongside of our sermon series that you will do so with three things “in hand”:

1. Use your sermon guide.

   It’s a joy for us to put these resources together for you but we do so in order that you will use them.  As you read and listen to the sermons each week, journal - write out what God is teaching you and note the observations you’re making in the text.

2. Slow down your speed. 

   We won’t finish this series until the beginning of June (I know we all long for June right now in the middle of all this snow).  Part of the pace in this series is so that we can get our money's worth out of the fullness of this text.  So as you read…do so slowly and repeatedly.  The reading plan at the back of your sermon guide is meant to help give you a schedule to read this book multiple times in the course of our series.

3. Ask a lot of questions.

   As you read through the text, bring your questions to the table.  Remember the two big key questions: (1) what is God showing me about himself in these verses? (2) what is God revealing about me and the nature of humanity in these verses?  But don’t stop there: is there a wisdom principle worth noting?  Is there a warning I need to be aware of?  Is there an application I need to put into practice? 

God’s Word is both living AND active – sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).  It will open us up and do its work in our life.  As we continue moving through this incredible book of the Bible let’s pray and ask God that he would do just that – change our hearts and transform our minds.

Pastor Jeremy