When the ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines, it was understood that God’s glory had departed from Israel.

And so this passage unfolds in three parts: First, we read the devastating news (vv. 12-17), then we read of Eli’s tragic death (vv. 18), and how all of those things pointed to the departure of God’s glory (vv. 19-22).

Which is what we just read in this passage: the Israelites have a superstitious faith in the ark of the covenant rather than God. The ark of the covenant was the Israelites holy lance. If they just carry this thing into battle, they would be guaranteed victory.

When superstition replaces our faith a few things happen: First, our trust is misplaced (vv. 1-3), second God simply becomes a means to an end (vv. 4-10), because lastly, we then deny God’s sovereignty (v. 11).

So the leadership goes, so the church goes.

Our passage this morning highlights the corruption, evil, and utter disregard for the Lord that was taking place in Israel.

And of course, this passage highlights the leadership vacuum in Israel, and how corruption, immorality, and a disregard for the Lord flourished.

We see several things from this passage: First we see corrupted worship (vv. 11-21), second we see God’s anger kindled (vv. 22-25), and yet, even in the midst of corruption and evil you and I can rest that God is still at work (vv. 26-36).

Hannah simply prays to express her thankfulness to God. Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving is a poetic summary of chapter 1 and as she looks back on her life, she sees God’s goodness, faithfulness and blessings.

Her prayer of thankfulness breaks down into three parts: First, Hannah expresses praise to God simply for who He is (vv. 1-2), second, she thanks God for what he has done (vv. 3-8), and lastly, she looks forward with hopeful anticipation to what God will do (vv. 9-10).

Not only does Hannah make a heavy vow to dedicate her son to God, she actually follows through with it. And the passage that we’re looking at this morning breaks down simply into two parts: Hannah’s faithfulness to God (vv. 24-26) and God’s faithfulness to Hannah (vv. 27-28).

Prayer is not a useless spiritual exercise. It’s not a pointless ritual that God commands - no there is real power in it, which is why we should do it.

And that’s precisely what we see in this passage.

God completely breaks Hannah down to the point where the Lord was all she had. 1 Samuel 1:1-8 describes how the Lord was stripping everything away from Hannah.

There’s three aspects to the Lord’s work in Hannah’s life: first, we’ll look at her dysfunctional family (vv. 1-3), second, we’ll look at her provocation and pain (vv. 4-6), and lastly, we’ll look at her husband’s ineffective comfort (vv. 7-8).

This is the end of Paul's letter to Timothy, and he's highlighting a few key points that he's already addressed, he’s reiterating a few key points before he signs off. He’s charging him to apply what he’s already told him: to pursue righteousness, don’t become lured by the love of money, and flee from false teaching.

Paul addresses contentment in position, contentment in the church, and contentment with status in these 10 verses.

This past Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. Doug Hart preach from Psalm 111.

This past Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. Doug Hart preach from Psalm 110.

In verses 17-25, Paul outlines for Timothy what the church’s relationship is supposed to look like towards the godly elders who lead them. And so, Paul’s instructions break down into three parts: first, Paul says good elders should be honored (vv. 17-18), but secondly, that doesn’t mean elders are above church discipline (vv. 19-21), which lastly, reiterates a point he made earlier - that choosing elders is a serious task (vv. 22-25).

This past Sunday, we had the privilege of having Rev. Taylor King preach from 1 John 2:28-3:3.

In 1 Timothy 5:1-16, Paul is giving Timothy advice on how to pastorally handle the various relationships and circumstances within the family of God. Particularly how to say hard things to the various demographics within the church, and to care for the growing ministry towards widows within the Ephesian church.

In 1 Timothy 4:6-16, Paul gives a lot of personal instruction to his young protege Timothy. As a young pastor and minister, Timothy needed some advice on how to remain faithful in the face of challenges.

In verses 6-16, we see that in order to be a faithful servant of Christ, you must be nourished on sound doctrine (vv. 6-8), reject false teaching (vv. 7-10), and embrace God’s Word as the foundation for all true doctrine (vv. 11-16).

Paul told Timothy in chapter 1 to, “charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine…”

And so after laying out the qualifications for elders and deacons, and sharing the mystery of godliness, he’s now returning to the subject of false teaching.

In this passage Paul both warns against false teaching and then gives its remedy.

Your family’s greatest need is your unwavering commitment to God’s Word and your own personal holiness. Our church’s greatest need is your personal holiness.

And Jesus Christ is the well that you and I must return to over and over and over again. The same message that saves us is the very basis for our godliness.

We’re all called to serve and love one another, but those who are called to the office of deacon have a unique opportunity to beautifully reflect the love of their Savior.

Service is how Christ demonstrated his love for the church and service to the church is how deacons demonstrate their love for Christ.

The church desperately needs good godly men to lead Christ’s church. Selecting men to step into these roles isn’t a flippant task; the very livelihood of our church depends on it.

We need men who will faithfully shepherd, care for, and tend our flock.

Because in order for Providence to reach its full potential for Christ’s kingdom we need godly men to lead us. It’s what our church needs, but it’s what every church needs, isn’t it?