YOUR SERVANT IS LISTENING

READING - 1 Samuel 3:1-21. NIV
        1-2. The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.
        3-5. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
        6-7. Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
        8-9. The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if He calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
        10-11. The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.
        12-14. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family--from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'"
        15-16. Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son." Samuel answered, "Here I am."
        17-18. "What was it He said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He told you." So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let Him do what is good in His eyes."
        19-21. The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of His words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there He revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word.

INTRODUCTION

        The boy Samuel, the outcome of Hannah's earnest prayer with tears and then the object of her glorious praise and exaltation of her God, had been dedicated to the Lord and was now living with Eli, the high priest, in a building called the temple in Shiloh. The call of Samuel is a well known story but there must be something of significance in this call that will refresh our minds or teach us something fresh about our God and His ways. Something noteworthy about Samuel himself may have escaped our notice previously. Let us consider this interesting scene once again.

CONSIDERATIONS FROM TODAY'S READING
1. CONSIDER SAMUEL'S YOUTHFUL DISPOSITION
        We are not told how old Samuel was at the beginning of chapter 3. We can assume that some years had now gone by for him to be able to do what he was doing. He was obviously serving in the daily routine of duties in the temple, assisting Eli who was almost blind. We read in verse 7 that Samuel as yet did not know the Lord. This simply means that he had not yet received a vision or heard a spoken word that came from the Lord. It was a period of time in Israel's history when there were very few visions and any word from the Lord was very rare and considered highly valued. ("precious" in the A.V.) This was probably because of the low spiritual state of the Nation, as we have described at the end of Judges. Also the wicked behaviour of Eli's two sons, as we discussed in our previous study. In the House of the Lord, the Temple, there were many things to take care of which the old high priest, with very weak eye sight, would need the assistance of the youthful Samuel. Opening and closing the doors, lighting the seven-branched candlestick in the late afternoon and keeping it supplied with pure olive oil until morning and many more duties would have been assigned to him. Showing himself faithful in little things was getting him ready for a much wider sphere of service. I believe we can all learn an important lesson on faithfulness in little duties before the larger and more pre-dominant responsibilities are given to us.

2. SAMUEL'S WILLING OBEDIENCE
        In the early hours of the morning, just before the lamp of God went out, without any hesitation, Samuel jumped out of bed to answer what he thought was a call from Eli, his master. Three times in all, he did this as he heard his name called. What would do? I think that I would pull the blankets over my head and go back to sleep. Just think about these calls and Samuel's re-action to them for there is something very precious, which shines through like a bright torch on a dark night, as we consider the implications of what is happening. Samuel's self-discipline, his willingness and obedience to immediately answer his master's call, as well as his attention to his temple duties and service, qualified him to directly receive the Word of the Lord from God Himself, and be trusted to carry out whatever was involved. What a testimony for one so young to have at this stage in his life! Is anyone of us able to claim a testimony such as young Samuel's or even come close to possessing these qualifications?

3. SPEAK FOR YOUR SERVANT IS LISTENING
        Eli was very wise when he realized what was going on. He might have exercised jealously and suspicion or he might have stood on the dignity and pride of his own office. But instead of any of these and apparently without the slightest trace of hurt or pride, he told the boy to go back to the Divine Presence and request that the Lord would speak. He knew in his heart that the seals of the sacred office had been taken away from him and were in the process of being laid on this faithful boy. If Eli was a high priest just because he had inherited this office, he would have demanded that he alone stand between God and Samuel and listen to what He had to say. But instead of this, his love and respect for his young assistant in the temple worship of God, allowed him to kindly say, "Go and lie down, and if He calls you say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."

4. THE SPOKEN WORD OF GOD TO A FAITHFUL BOY
        This was not a message from a distance. We read in verse 10, "The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!'" From that moment on, this young servant of the Lord would know the abiding Presence of the Lord, his God, who would never leave him or forsake him. But the message he heard that morning would further test his strength of character. It was a message of judgment from a God of justice who must always be faithful to His Word. It was also a further test of character for the youthful Samuel as to whether he could handle faithfully the three-fold job of judge, prophet and priest. Occasions would arise in his life when he would be required to pronounce God's judgment on disobedience, e.g. King Saul. Samuel has to learn, right from the beginning, that a prophetic calling is not always easy. But the Lord was with him and he, like Enoch, now had a walking, talking relationship with Almighty God. What is your relationship with Almighty God?

5. WHAT THE LORD DOES IS GOOD
        Why? Knowing what young Samuel had been told, how can we make such a statement? Because He is the Lord. We know that goodness and kindness are part of His character and His judgments are based on righteousness. Samuel stayed in bed till morning and would have been stunned by what he had heard. How could he go to Eli and tell him what he had heard? But he was not given a choice. Eli demanded to know so he told him the truth. Eli had failed as a father and as a high priest. But let's leave his punishment to the justice of God. Eli was willing to submit to God's justice so let us do the same for we are not called upon to be his judge. Remember Eli's answer, "He is the LORD; let Him do what is good in His eyes."

CONCLUSION

         Samuel will grow up to be one of the greatest leaders in Israel's history. Yet his greatness will be seen most of all in appointing others, Saul and David, as kings of the nation. Thus he pointed, not to himself, but to the Lord's anointed. Are we able today to learn from Samuel? Greatness in the Kingdom of God is achieved by pointing others to God's anointed King. The word "Christ" means anointed and He wants you to receive Him as the King and Lord of your life. Please say today, "Speak Lord, Your servant is listening?"

?1996 Kevin Turnbull
If this study has been of any help or interest to the reader, the author would appreciate a note by email. If you have a comment or a question that you would like to ask, feel free to do so without hesitation. Email address is kevint@iniaccess.net.au