1st Samuel 3. GOD CALLS THE YOUNG
Listening and responding are vital in forming and retaining a meaningful relationship with God. In the days of the judges the voice of the Lord had been rarely heard for those three hundred years. There were very few prophets speaking to God's people because they had let too many things come in the way. Before long we Christians can become used to the way things are and think everything going on around us is not all that bad. Some people are waiting for God to speak to them not willing to accept the fact that He already has spoken to us in His word. When people refuse to accept as truth that which God has already said in words that we can understand, then any "vision" would have no meaning. To many today the "word of the Lord is precious (rare)" because they would rather read the books people write about the Bible than the Bible itself. God speaks to us clearly through the written word and we must learn to act upon that word and what it tells us.
There are a number of things we can learn from this boy, Samuel, that we can apply to ourselves - old or young. Samuel was serving in the tabernacle, the house of God. There is service we can do for the Lord where He has placed us. That is where we begin with God. Then Samuel was clothed with priestly garments. There is a difference even in the outward appearance that reveals the attitude of heart of those who want to please and serve God. It is not a small thing to be engaged in priestly service no matter how insignificant it may seem. Also, when one is serving in a respectable and dignified way, there is evidence of spiritual growth. Both people and the Lord see evidence of growth when one is in the right place, doing the right things in spite of all that goes on around them. More than that, and perhaps because of that, Samuel pleased God and found favor with men. It is no accident that those that honor God He honors. There are good reasons for this. In contrast to the evil of Eli's sons and Eli's lethargic approach to the work of the Lord to which he had been called, there was the brightness of Samuel's testimony as a young boy growing in the Lord at the same time Eli was declining in eyesight.
God speaks to those He knows will listen and do what He says. Eli's experience as a priest, his age and his position did not make him a man of faith and obedience. He had spent his whole life in the service of God by serving God's people but he had overlooked his responsibility to his family. Our desire to do the work of the Lord can cause us to neglect our own family who may suffer the effects of that neglect. If our own sense of personal importance overrides our family responsibility, we have sinned. Eli was "laid down in his place," which must have been in or very near the holy place and within earshot of the Holiest of all. He had become so used to the way things were that the lamp of God which was supposed to burn perpetually went out shortly after he was used to going to sleep. Samuel would not have known the difference so it was normal for him to go to sleep nearby. It is incumbent on us to not forget the necessity of keeping into the word of God for our guidance. In that way we are ready to act when directed by the Lord and to do so within the boundary of God's revealed will in the scripture. When God speaks, we must be ready with “here am I” to act on this call.
"In those days" God was silent to the nation, the priest was failing and the light was going out in the house of the Lord. There was a spiritual famine in the land of Israel because there was "no open vision and to hear from God was not common. Moral darkness had settled down upon the nation; the priest had laid down on the job; and the lamp of God was burning down. Such a condition would make us so discouraged and pessimistic that we would figure we had passed the place of recovery. But God’s chain of command is based on faith, not age or position. We need to be prepared for God to work at any place, at any time, and through anyone He chooses. Eli’s service for God apparently caused him to neglect his family. Service can degenerate into a quest for personal importance. The sin of Eli’s sons could not be covered by sacrifice.
In that setting, that to mans' perspective was hopeless, there was a small boy serving the Lord in a simple way and with the devoted service peculiar to those who have no personal agenda to which they are committed. God can, and will use, who He chooses to do what needs to be done, even when more qualified people are there. Like Samuel, it is when we are ready and willing to obey Him, we hear the call of the Lord and we learn to recognize His voice. When we read the word, He reveals His plans and will to us. Then the messenger of the Lord by which He communicates His mind comes to us and then the presence of the Lord by which blessing is given to us and our ministry, is effective.
Samuel was resting near where God rests, "where the ark of God was." That is a good place to be because one is able to hear the voice of God when they are close to Him. A child can hear the word of God. He can hear about God. Samuel was where he could hear God. Four times he heard God speak before he was guided by Eli to understand the voice was from God. Waiting upon God is never wasted time. Often is time is needed so we do not make a mistake. We need to listen to God more than listen to those who talk about God. "The words of wise men are heard in quiet," s when we hear the voice of God we should speak in a ready and willing way. Don't keep God waiting when He speaks to us. Receiving a message comes to those who hear Him and serve Him. Samuel received a message very similar to the message of the prophet to Eli.
Now Samuel knew what Eli knew. Disaster was coming on Eli's home was the message to both of them. Receiving a message from God comes to those who hear Him and truly want to serve Him. Judgment is necessary when sin is committed, but mercy is offered when repentance is real.
When "judgment begins at the house of God," all the people of God are affected. Counterfeit Christianity is going to be judged as counterfeit Judaism was judged. Samuel probably lay awake until morning thinking about what was coming. After he opened the doors of the house of the Lord in the morning, he knew he would have to tell Eli what God told him. "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." Even though he was a child Samuel was old enough to understand the message from the Lord and was able to recount it to Eli. People need to hear the bad as well as the good when God speaks to us through His word and His servants. Anything left out that should be heard is really dishonest. When Samuel heard the voice of God and the message He gave, he also received a revelation of what "Lord" means. There is authority to which we all must bow when God speaks.
The word of the Lord broke the silence of God and Samuel, the last of the judges, became the beginning of the line of prophets. His first prophetic word was to unveil sin and its consequences to the people of God. However, his ministry would reveal God's love for His people and His plans to bring a day of glory that will be seen. The old priest had been by-passed and a new generation was to speak for God. God is raising up people of a new generation in our day to preach the Gospel and teach His people. They deserve our support and we need to listen to their message from the position of the new generation, and help them to see and understand the value of the things we have learned. It is up to us who are older to assist them in moving forward to take responsibility for the people of God.
Samuel told it all to Eli who knew he had been set aside and a young person had been taken up to lead in service for God. Eli bowed in submission and resignation rather than in repentance and faith. Samuel is raised up as "the man of God" with the presence of the Lord real to him and the power of the Lord giving impact to his words at the place where the Lord again appears - Shiloh. Samuel heard the Lord speak to him at other times and the messages he received came to pass. Early conversions followed by the life of a young person lived for God, help a young person get through the pressures of youth and teenage years and get established in maturity with their faith on the solid rock of the word of God. Young people need the help of those who are spiritually mature as soon as they are saved. From then throughout the rest of his life, Samuel was recognized by the children of Israel as a prophet of God.
In the privacy of life when a person is young, they are able to hear the voice of the Lord in simple understandable terms. They are able to minister to the Lord in simple and practical ways when no one else is looking and do what they do as "unto the Lord," not trying impress anyone. In that time of our Christian life, our attitude toward God, His word and His people are formed. Our actions are not complicated and not a whole lot is expected of us but that which we do attempt for the Lord is very special to us as well as others. It is during those early years of our Christian life that the habits are formed which stay with us and will bless others and honor the Lord throughout our lifetime.