Sole Survivor - Pastor Stacey Shiflett
- Pastor Shiflett
- Feb 8
- 6 min read
Sole Survivor
1 Samuel 2
· 34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
· 35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
1 Samuel 3:19 “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.”
Intro: It occurred to me that Samuel was the only one in this family that turned out for God.
He was the only one in this house of full-time church ministers that turned out right.
You would think if anybody had an excuse, Samuel did.
Bad leadership. Bad examples. Bad environment.
But excuses don’t determine your outcome; desire does.
So many people today are using every excuse in the book for why they cannot survive spiritually.
But Samuel did. And you can too.
If you want to turn out for God, there’s not one thing that can stop you.
If you want to break the cycle, you can break it.
Samuel didn’t just survive—he became the sole survivor who set the standard for a nation.
Notice all that Samuel survived in 1 Samuel:
1. Raised in a foster home.
· 1 Samuel 1:25 “And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.”
· 1 Samuel 2:11 “And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.”
Samuel is handed over as a child and raised in someone else’s house.
He was raised by a man that wasn’t his daddy; in a house full of boys that weren’t his brothers.
He had no biological parents guiding him day-to-day.
I imagine he could have gotten bitter of his parents leaving him at church – forever!
He could have gotten bitter at the God that let her do it.
He could have gotten bitter at the priest that took him away from his parents.
But he didn’t.
You can turn out for God – regardless of your home life and family dynamic!
2. Not one godly, spiritual person in the house he was raised in.
· 1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.”
There was no spiritual influences in that home.
There is no mention of Eli’s wife.
He had a godly mother, but she was not there.
He had a faithful dad, but he was not there.
They left him in a house full of wicked, ungodly people that did not know God!
He didn’t let that turn him astray.
He didn’t let that sour his heart and attitude toward God.
3. Everybody in ministry was corrupt and in it for filthy lucre.
1 Samuel 2:12–17
· “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.”
· “And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
· And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
· Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
· And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
· Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.”
Everybody in the ministry was greedy, abusive, and flesh-driven.He’s surrounded by religious people who don’t know God.
Title without testimony. Position without purity. Religion without relationship.
But Samuel learned that God is not defined by His representatives.
He just kept on ministering before the Lord. – vs. 18
4. He went to church where immorality and sin was rampant.
· 1 Samuel 2:22 “Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”
There is no telling how many women in the church was involved in adultery and fornication with the sons of Eli.
It was so bad, the whole nation knew about it. – 2:23
They were involved in evil dealings. – 2:14
They caused people to sin.
They made the Lord’s people to transgress. – 2:25
Open sin. No discipline. No shame.
Yet Samuel kept serving while others were scandalizing.
5. He was raised by a man that wouldn’t listen to the man of God
· 1 Samuel 2:27 “And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?”
Even though he was a priest, God sent him a man of God to warn him about his family.
The message was a divine message. It was a direct message. It was a
Eli hears truth—but won’t act on it.
6. He was stuck in a place where the Word of God was very rare.
· 1 Samuel 3:1 “And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.”
No preaching. No clarity. No direction.
Yet God found one heart He could speak to.
7. He had a pastor with no vision and no discernment.
· 1 Samuel 3:2 “And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;”
Physical blindness matched spiritual blindness.
But God bypassed Eli and called Samuel.
8. He was in a ministry where important things were let go.
· 1 Samuel 3:3 “And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;”
The lamp was almost out; contrary to the direct command of God.
The ark was ignored.
It was just a silent reminder of what God had done for them in the past.
9. He watched God completely give up on the leadership.
· 1 Samuel 3:11–12 “And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
· In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.”
Judgment was coming.
God’s patience had run out.
Leadership was finished.
There was no hope; no second chances; no pathway for restoration or repentance.
God washed his hands of Eli and his entire household.
Technically, Samuel was part of the household of Eli.
But he survived the judgement and wrath of God.
But God had already raised up the next generation.
10. He was the only one in the place that knew what God was saying or doing.
· 1 Samuel 3:16–18 “Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.
· And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
· And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.”
One young man. One tender heart. One obedient spirit.
Instead of the man of God trembling to deliver the message to the people; the people were trembling to deliver the message to the man of God.
Yet—Samuel did not just survive, he thrived
Notice what the Bible says about him:
A. His Character – 2:35
B. His Company - “The LORD was with him”
C. His Credibility - “And did let none of his words fall to the ground”
D. His Confirmation1 Samuel 3
· 20 “And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.”
· 21 “And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.”
