THE LORD CALLS SAMUEL
1 Samuel 2:12-4:1a
Key Verse: 3:10
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
How many of you want to hear God’s voice? It’s not likely to be as clear as it was to Samuel. Since it seems harder to hear God’s voice, what are you doing to make yourself ready to hear him? In today’s loud and noisy culture there are so many “voices” talking to us. According to research, we are an increasingly distracted society. The average person gets distracted 6 to 10 times every minute. Technology has only increased those distractions over the years. Cellphone, laptop, wireless internet, twitter, and of course the ipod. Multitasking has become an essential part of our everyday life, even in our spiritual life. But if we’re juggling all these things at once, how can we make out God’s voice from all the others? I hope for at least the next 30 minutes God would speak to you through today’s passage. Turn off your cellphones, and may God’s word convict our hearts.
I. Eli’s wicked sons (2:12-36)
Read verse 12. Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD. Eli’s sons were named Hophni and Phinehas. These guys were bad. Really bad. If you’ve got difficult kids, just remember Hophni and Phinehas and your kid won’t look so bad. Take a look at how bad they were. Wicked; wicked deeds (v. 12, 23) No regard for the Lord (v.12) Very great sin (v.17) Slept with random women (v.22) God’s judgment: died on same day (v.34) Contemptible (3:13) What made it even worse was these guys were the priests! As priests they were chosen by God to serve in God’s house and offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. They were supposed to be what we think of as leaders, to set an example for the nation. Instead they were running a temple gang.
Verse 16 tells us that they threatened the people and took portions of the sacrifice by force. Even before God had received his portion of the sacrifice, they took theirs. This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD's sight, for they were treating the LORD's offering with contempt. They treated the Lord’s offering with contempt by actually stealing from God. To put it in today’s terms imagine when the offering plate is passed around someone decides to take a handful of the money for themselves.
What would make someone do such a thing? Even non-believers who walked into a church for the first time would know better than to steal from the offering plate. To actually steal from God like Hophni and Phinehas a person would truly have to have no regard for the Lord. What does it mean that they had no regard for the Lord? The Hebrew word for regard is “to know.” This knowing is a personal knowledge of God. Hophni and Phinehas were priests. Their father Eli was a priest. They probably studied the law, knew how to recite prayers, and offered sacrifices. They knew a lot about God, and if you asked them probably would even acknowledge that God exists. But there is a difference between knowing about God and personally knowing God.
Knowing about God or believing that God exists has little effect on your actions. As it says in James 2:19, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” Even the demons know about God. But they still do evil all the time. In America, we live in a country that was founded on Godly principles. We acknowledge him on our money, in our pledge of allegiance, and in our national anthem. Presidents often end their speeches with “God bless America.” Some studies suggest that the percentage of Americans who are atheist may be as low as 3%. That means as much as 97% of America’s population acknowledges the existence of God in some way or another. Yet what percentage actually live in obedience to God’s word? What percentage take sin seriously and thus take God seriously?
God is not like George Washington, or Fredrick Douglass, or John F. Kennedy. These men we know a lot about, but none of us ever knew them personally. God is not confined to a history book. But rather he is a deeply personal God. He is a God who loves us. Today is Valentine’s Day. The day to celebrate love. If you go to the card aisle at CVS or Safeway, you’ll find that most of the cards on Valentine’s Day are some variation of “I’m so fortunate to have someone like you to share my life and my heart with forever. Happy Valentine’s Day!” Love is about sharing our heart with someone else. When put in those terms, we can see that God loves us because he wants to share his heart with us.
Read verse 35. “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always.” God wants to share his heart and mind with us, so that we may know him and live for him. Samuel would be much different than Hophni and Phinehas because his relationship with God would be much different. Hophni and Phinehas did what pleased them. Samuel would do what pleased God. Samuel’s relationship with God wouldn’t just be about studying the law, or reciting prayers, or offering sacrifices. Samuel would really know God and what’s in God’s heart. He would see how sin grieves God. He would see how God wants to show mercy to repentant sinners. By knowing God, Samuel could live for God.
I can honestly say that I know a lot about God. I can quote verses and passages. I read the Chronicles of Narnia, and Pilgrim’s Progress. I have a basic grasp of theology. But that’s not enough. They are not a replacement for having a personal relationship with God. This passage really challenged me to ask myself, “Do I really KNOW God? Do I really understand God’s heart?” The answer is probably yes and no. Yes, I have faith and God has really revealed himself to me at different points in my life. But I still don’t pray enough or spend enough time with his word. I still have to struggle everyday against my sinful nature which is selfish, and lazy, and uncaring. I have to be careful never to take God’s grace for granted, like Hophni and Phinehas. They are a sober reminder of what can happen when we neglect our relationship with God. I am confident that we all know God in some way. Let us pray each day to truly know God, to know him more, to know him better. By doing so, we can really live effectively for God.
II. God’s calling (3:1-4:1a)
Read verses 1-3. 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. 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.
From the time of the Judges when everyone did “as he saw fit” until now, the word of the Lord was rare. It was an indication of the spiritual condition of Israel. People did whatever they wanted. They took on the practices of the nations around them. As we’ve already learned even their priests were corrupt and unfaithful. It was a pretty hopeless time with very little direct revelation from God. But look at verse 3a again. The lamp of God had not yet gone out. This lamp refers to an actual lamp which burned until morning in the Holy Place. But it has a deeper meaning in signaling the anointing of Samuel to lead God’s people out of darkness and back to God.
Samuel at this time was probably young, about 12 years old. He was not a priest by birthright. He wasn’t from the right family line or tribe. He still wore linen robes that his mother made for him each year. Outwardly he couldn’t even be considered a lamp. More like a flickering candle in an unrepentant nation. But God was about to take that which looked weak and make it strong. He was going to fan this small little flame Samuel into a fire that would spread throughout all of Israel.
We should be encouraged to know that God would choose someone like Samuel and call him to be his servant. And by calling him, he was going to use him to influence many people. If God can call and use someone like Samuel, he surely can call and use any of us. How did God call Samuel and how did he respond?
First, he called him by name. Samuel! Samuel! Look at verse 10a. The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” God knew Samuel and called him as if he knew him. God called Samuel as if the message God was about to give was prepared especially for him.
Did you know God calls us personally as well? Uh, are you saying that God is going to show up in my bedroom and whisper my name tonight? My daughter Samantha does that. She wakes up in the morning and walks into our room. While we’re still sleeping will say, “Mommy! Mommy!” Chances are God will not be calling you this way.
Instead of his audible voice there are many different ways God might speak to us. He might speak to us through the wise counsel of a Bible teacher, or through a life changing event, or even a thought that pops into our head. But the primary way God speaks to his people is through his Word, the Bible. Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” Charles Spurgeon said, “He [speaks to us] in the inspired volume of his sacred Word. Every line in this priceless volume was dictated by the Spirit, and is a message from God to men. This book is to be read as the record of Jehovah's voice. It is the phonograph of our Father's speech in days gone by. What he has spoken aforetime by his voice, he continues to speak to us by his written Word.” The Bible is the most reliable and trustworthy means of hearing God’s voice because the Holy Spirit will never lead us in a direction that is contrary to the teachings of God’s word.
But didn’t you say that God speaks to us personally? If the Bible is the primary means by which we listen to God, how is it personal since everybody can read the same thing? Good question. It’s true that the Bible speaks to us generally. It tells us that we are all sinners, and by putting our faith in Jesus we will be saved. But the Word of God also speaks specifically to each person.
My key verse this year is Romans 12:11. Anyone else have that same key verse? We likely have over 50 different key verses for this year in this room. Why? Because God’s Word through the Holy Spirit speaks to each person in different ways. Isn’t in interesting that in a passage a certain verse will jump out and convict you while a completely different verse will convict the person next to you? And the next time you read that passage a different verse might jump out at you. The Bible truly is living and active. It penetrates to the heart of each person in different ways. My struggles and your struggles are probably different. Thus, the word of God is going to speak to us differently. I find it so comforting to know that God’s word speaks to me as if it was prepared just for me.
Second, Samuel says, “Speak.” Remember at the very beginning of this message I asked, “How many of you want to hear God’s voice?” All of you raised your hand. Let me ask again, “Do you really want to hear God’s voice? Really?” You know that God’s word is life-changing, and that while a great blessing probably carries with it great responsibility. Samuel probably knew in his heart that God speaking to him was something very special, and he probably knew that his life would never be the same afterward. But instead of being afraid, he said, “Speak.” He had a sincere desire to hear what God had to say.
As I said before Samuel was probably about 12 years old. Do you know how many times you have to call the average 12 year old before he/she will respond? I’m guessing it’s in at least two, but probably more. For those who have pre-teen or teenagers, how many times has your son or daughter responded by saying, “Speak?” Probably never. Why is that? Most of the time it’s because they know you’re going to ask them to do something that they don’t want to do. Heck, I’m over 30 and I sometimes do the same with my wife. Samuel’s response may seem like a small thing but it’s not. I have heard many times people rejecting invitations to Bible study, or refusing to even acknowledge God because they know that they will be convicted to turn from their sin and turn to God. So rather than feeling guilty they just block God’s voice out, or ignore it. If you really want to hear God’s voice, ask God to speak to you and be ready for God’s word to move you and change your life.
Third, for your servant is listening. Listening is an essential component of a healthy relationship. Imagine is your spouse or friend or roommate only talked about me all the time, and never let you say anything. That relationship would not last very long. And even if it did it wouldn’t be a healthy or fulfilling relationship.
Sadly, our prayers often are totally about me, and very rarely make room for God to speak to us. As I mentioned earlier, God really wants to share his heart and mind with us.
But what percentage of our prayer time is spent listening to God? It’s probably hard to do so with all the distractions I mentioned earlier. And studies show that listening does not come naturally to most people. Especially when our relationship is with a God we cannot see or touch.
George Muller became famous in the 1800s as one of the greatest men of prayer in history. When he was moved to build Christian orphanages for children, he took the 50 cents he had in his pocket and prayed to God. He didn’t hold a fundraiser or telethon. He just prayed. And by the time of his death $7 million had been sent to him for the building and maintaining of 5 orphanages that could accommodate 2,000 orphans. George Muller was a man who spent lots of time not just bringing his requests to God, but also listening to God. About listening, he said, “When you come to your time for devotion, if you cannot pray, do not try. If you cannot speak with God, do not try. Let God speak with you. Open your Bible and read a passage.”
If we aren’t hearing God, maybe we aren’t really listening. There are three modes of listening: competitive, passive, and active. These modes can apply to our spiritual listening too. The competitive listening mode we’re not really listening. We’re just looking for opportunities to speak. Or worse we only hear what we want to hear and make it fit our point of view. In passive listening mode we listen but then we don’t act on it. In active listening mode we listen and we act upon it to confirm our understanding.
Samuel was an active listener. Notice verse 15 doesn’t say Samuel went to sleep, but seems to imply he lay in his bed and thought about what God had told him. He meditated on God’s word, and then when the time came he spoke God’s word to Eli, and later to all Israel. He took the time to digest what God had told him and then confirmed the truth of God’s word by speaking it to the people. Verse 19 says, “The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.”
The title of today’s message is the Lord calls Samuel. But it could easily be the Lord calls [fill in your name]. God is looking to raise modern day Samuels who will be light to our generation. To do so, we have to be ready and willing to hear his voice, and to respond to his leading. May the Holy Spirit speak to us personally through his word. Let’s read the key verse.