1 Samuel 3:1-21 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 3:1-21. As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
1 Samuel 3:1 (NIV)
1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
On verse 1: Why was God so rarely heard (or seen) during this time? Is it because God was not speaking or because the people were not listening? I believe it was the latter. This was a time when hardly anyone truly feared God. As Judges 21:25 tells us, instead of listening to God, “everyone did as he saw fit.” Moreover, the first chapters of 1 Samuel show us that the spiritual leaders of the nation were so set in their ways and so engrossed in their sinful practices that they did not hear God’s voice or have any perspective or insight into what God wanted to do. There was no room for God in them. But God was still speaking and waiting for someone to tune in. The question is not so much: “Is God speaking?” The question is “Are we listening?”
Think of it this way: Today radio waves penetrate nearly every place we go. Though we can’t see them; they are there. You can be in church, on the road, in your office, at school, or on your bed, and as long as you are tuned in, you can hear someone on the radio. In the same way, God is always speaking. The question is: are we tuned in?
1 Samuel 3:2-3 (NIV)
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.
3 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.
On verses 2-3: When verse 2 says that Eli’s eyes were becoming so weak that we could barely see, I believe it’s talking as much about Eli’s spiritual condition as his physical condition. It had been so long since Eli had seen a vision from God or heard from God. But just as “the lamp of God had not yet gone out” (v3), there was still hope: Samuel, like a light in the darkness, was lying down in the temple where the ark of God was, and he was about to hear God speak for the first time in a powerful way.
No matter how dark the situation, when someone is willing to hear from God and answer His call, there is hope.
1 Samuel 3:4-6 (NIV)
4 Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel
5 And 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 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.”
On verses 4-6: Notice Samuel’s readiness to serve and submit to his leader Eli. Every time he thought Eli called, Samuel would be right there, ready to respond. I learn two lessons from this. First, I believe God is pleased when we are responsive and ready to serve.
Second, at this young age, Samuel still could not distinguish Eli’s voice from God’s voice. Growing up, we tend to project our image of the father figure in our lives onto God and assume the two are the same. In other words, if the father figure in our lives was absent, we assume God is that way too. If the father figure in our lives was mean, we assume God is that way too. Part of growing up is learning to distinguish God from that father figure in our lives, knowing that the two are not necessarily the same. Know that in all the ways that the father figure in your life was deficient, God is not that way, for God has no deficiencies. And in all the ways the father figure in your life was good, God your heavenly Father is that much better.
1 Samuel 3:7 (NIV)
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
On verse 7: Samuel had never heard God’s voice before, but he was in the right place: in the temple, in God’s presence. Likewise maybe you have never heard God’s voice. The best thing you can do is spend time in God’s presence. Be in church with God’s people, listening to His Word being spoken. Have your own GAME time with God where you can read His Word yourself and pray. It’s in God’s presence that you can experience hearing God speak to you for the first time.
1 Samuel 3:8-9 (NIV)
8 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.
9 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.
On verses 8-9: As blind as Eli was, Eli still eventually clued in that God may be speaking to young Samuel. So here’s a word for pastors, parents and other leaders: one of the best things you can do is to help a younger person identify when God is speaking to them and encourage them to listen.
1 Samuel 3:10 (NIV)
10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
On verse 10: I’m so thankful that God is so patient with me. How many times have I missed His calls. Yet He still keeps calling. He never gives up on you or me.
Also, notice that God didn’t tell Samuel everything at once. God started with calling Samuel’s name, and waited to see how Samuel would respond. Likewise, if you want God to speak more to you, ask yourself: what have you done with what He has already spoken to you? Have you responded with a humble, obedient heart, hungry to hear Him more? If you come to God with a hungry, humble heart, you will hear more from Him in no time.
1 Samuel 3:11-14 (NIV)
11 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 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family–from beginning to end.
13 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.
14 Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'”
On verses 12-14: Notice that the message God spoke to Samuel was the same message God spoke to the unnamed man of God earlier in 1 Samuel 2:27-36. Both of them were messages of rebuke and warning to Eli and his family. Both touched on how Eli’s sons had sinned and how Eli had failed to be a good parent and restrain them (v13). God was using different people and different ways to speak to Eli’s heart. What can we learn from this? When God is speaking to you, He will often confirm His Word in different ways through different circumstances and people.
1 Samuel 3:15-18 (NIV)
15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
17 “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.”
18 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.”
On verses 15-18: Notice Samuel’s humility; he hesitated to tell Eli the difficult message God had spoken to Samuel about Eli until Eli asked him to. What’s the lesson here? When you have a difficult message to bring to someone, do so humbly and with gentleness, giving considering to your relationship with that person.
Another lesson we can learn is this: like Eli, be open to the feedback of other people, including those younger than you, even when their message is not easy to hear.
1 Samuel 3:19-20 (NIV)
19 The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD.
On verses 19-20: Samuel didn’t become a famous prophet and an able leader overnight. Rather, it was a journey consisting of thousands and thousands of babysteps. Before a nation recognized the gifting and calling on Samuel’s life, it began with one man, Eli, who encouraged Samuel and spoke into his life. Don’t underestimate the impact that your words can have on a young person to launch them toward their God-given destiny. May you be a launchpad for the Samuels in your life.
1 Samuel 3:21 (NIV)
21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
On verse 21: Notice that God revealed Himself to Samuel not so much through circumstances, feelings or big events, but “through His word”. If you will humble yourself and dedicate time to draw close to God and listen to His Word consistently, He will continue to appear to you, just as “He continued to appear to Samuel at Shiloh”. And like Samuel, you will grow into your God-given calling.
Father, I pray that everyone reading this message would be increasingly tuned into You. May we have hearts to submit to You and ears to hear You, and as You moved powerfully in Samuel’s life, bringing breakthroughs, come and do the same with our church family as well. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
