And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10 NLT
Read 1 Samuel 3.
The setting is clear. Verse one tells us that messages from the Lord were rare in those days, and visions had become uncommon. Israel had grown indifferent again toward God, as was the typical cycle. It seems the only time they recognized or called upon the name of the Lord was when they were under siege from their enemies. Consequently, the enemy was sent to punish Israel because of their rebellion and idol worship. Each time, they would call upon God to save them, but whenever He did, they invariably returned to their wicked ways, only to repeat the cycle yet again.
Add the corruption in the temple to this fickle bunch, and we have a recipe for disaster! It seems quite bleak to me. Had God forgotten about Israel? Had He withdrawn His presence? It is no wonder they were not hearing from the Lord any longer since they had ceased to listen.
Yet, all hope is not lost! The future of Israel is in the hands of a young boy who served in the temple. Will he listen to the voice of the Lord? Will he grow up with a heart that honors and obeys God so that God can use him to turn this nation around? The first test begins one evening after everyone had gone to bed. Young Samuel would get his first chance to listen to the voice of the Lord.
“Samuel!”
Samuel shot up in bed and ran to the side of Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
This repeated three times before Eli realized it was the Lord Himself calling to Samuel. He instructed the boy to go back to bed, and if the voice called him name again, say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)
God speaks to His children in various ways. Often, God sends a simple “knowing” to our hearts. We feel a drawing in a certain area, or we sense a message coming to our minds that is confirmed by Scripture. A good friend of mine says it this way, “The Holy Spirit warmed my heart.” That is a great explanation to what it is like to hear the voice of the Lord at times. It is His still small voice.
But, that is not all, folks! I believe God still speaks through dreams, visions, impressions, prophesy, and most importantly, through His Word. He can cause a portion of Scripture to stand out to you, and He will reveal to you how to apply it to your situation or your life. That is exciting to me to know that God cares enough to speak to us! But, we need to learn how to listen and receive from Him.
Unfortunately, Samuel’s first message from the Lord was not a happy message. It was full of horror and gloom. God told him that He is about to carry out all the threats He had made against Eli and his sons. They were blasphemous, and Eli had failed to discipline them. This would be a shocking time for the nation of Israel as well.
Can you imagine receiving such a dreadful message from the Lord as a young boy who was hearing from Him for the first time? God sure didn’t ease him into this gift of prophecy!
What’s worse is having to share the frightful news to Eli, the man who raised Samuel. Notice, however, that Eli accepted the news. He knew it was time to pay the piper!
In time, Samuel grew up and became accustomed to hearing from the Lord. He shared God’s Word throughout Israel, and every word proved to be true. He became recognized as an authentic prophet of God.
Soon, the prophesy against Eli and his sons would be fulfilled, and it will begin a dark season for Israel. Join me tomorrow as the story begins to build in intensity, and God’s Word unfolds rapidly and with resolve. As they say here in the South, it’s “fixin’” to get exciting around here!
