Title: God's Spokesperson / 1 Samuel 3:1-14
Content 1, Samuel's calling (3:1-10)
The poet John Milton said, "Childhood is a man's father." Parents can see that their children retain the traits they had as children into adulthood. And no matter how big of a change a child may have undergone in childhood, a child's personality often remains as an adult. The same is true in our case. If we look at the photos of our childhood, we can find the attitudes and traces of our present as middle-aged people in the sparkling eyes and tight mouths. Although we have come a long way, we are still who we are. Childhood is, in effect, the father of our present adulthood.
God has revealed Himself as the God who deals with us in the everlasting covenant in Christ. God always shows love to those He is going to save. And even when we forget his loving purpose and providential care, he continues to carry out his plan for our lives. The center of this truth is that "Christ died for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8).
The very hand of God can be clearly felt in the growth of young Samuel.
We have already looked at the events surrounding his birth and consecration (1:1-28).
Since Hannah's song gives us a faint glimpse of a prophecy concerning the kingdom of God's anointed, we can predict that Samuel will play a decisive role in the birth of this kingdom (2:1-10). Then comes the contrasting picture of the godly descendants Samuel and the fallen sons of Eli, Hubni and Phinehas, and it is stated that God had condemned them and the entire house of Eli to ruin (2:11-36).
Chapter 3 unfolds the next stage of Samuel's development, as the years passed, and Hannah had other sons besides Samuel. Now Samuel was about twelve years old. Hunni and Binihas have dishonored the temple of God and angered God. So God destroyed them in due time (4:12-22). And at this time, that is, before God punished Israel and the house of Eli, God appointed Samuel to be the true prophet of Jehovah. So Samuel became a spokesperson for God.
1, the situation in which Samuel was called
This article is straightforward. Samuel and Eli served daily at the tabernacle. They also slept in a cubicle by the wall there (3:1-3).
Ellie gradually became incapacitated.
He was “because his eyes were getting dark and he couldn’t see well.” Moreover, there is more than a hint of his decline as a man of God. Because “the word of the Lord was rare, and visions were not often seen.”
It was late at night. A large candlestick with seven branches, that is, a menorah that is lit in the evening and is lit until morning (Exodus 27:21) Outside the veil in front of the Ark of the Testimony, where Aaron and his sons had their tent of meeting, from evening to morning, they kept their lamp always before the Lord. This is an everlasting ordinance for the generations of the children of Israel (Leviticus 24:3).” was still burning in the sanctuary. A voice came out from the darkness. The sound seemed to come from the side of the Most Holy and the Ark of the Covenant. Because it was there that God's presence was manifested (3:4). Samuel thought it was Eli who had called him, so he went to the old priest. But he did not call Samuel, so he told him to go and sleep. Then this happened two more times (three in total) until Eli finally realized that it was God who was calling Samuel. So Eli said, "Go and lie down, and when he calls you, say to thee, Speak, O LORD, and your servant will hear" (3:9). At this time Samuel was ready to hear the voice of God.
1) The word of the Lord was rare.
1 Samuel 3:1 When the child Samuel served the LORD before Eli, the word of the LORD was rare, and visions were not seen often.
Amos 8:11 Behold, the days are coming, saith the Sovereign LORD, that I will send a famine upon the land, not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. staggering from north to east, running to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, but they cannot find it.
Therefore, when the word of God cannot be heard well in our hearts today, we must think that we are in a spiritual crisis and seriously find the cause and try to solve the problem.
2) Abnormalities were not often seen.
① It means that God's revelation was not given to the people of Israel.
② It means that the people of Israel were extremely indifferent to God's revelation.
◎ This negative aspect was rather sufficient as a reason for God to use a new spiritual leader Samuel. We should not be discouraged or discouraged by looking at the various negative phenomena that appear before us, but we should know that God, who gives us hope, is with us in these negative situations.
2, the word of God
1 Samuel 3:3 The lamp of God had not yet been put out, and Samuel was lying in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 The Lord called Samuel, and he answered, Here I am
1) Who listens to the Word of God?
① The way God works is different from ours in many ways. In such a spiritually dark and dark age, the word of God did not appear to the priests or to those who were recognized by men, but to the child Samuel, which was totally unexpected in the mind of man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
② God chooses the weak to shame the strong.
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
③ We must cast away any human preconceived notions when it comes to receiving God's grace. On the contrary, we need to know that He is the One who takes care of the weak and childlike innocence.
2) How will you listen to God's Word?
① We must examine the Word of God objectively.
Even today, is it possible for God's Word to have the same authority as the Bible? Although God's Word can exist as many individuals and subjectively as possible, it is impossible today for it to be recognized as an objective Word that can be used by everyone. The revelation of God, the word of God necessary for all people, was completed in the book of Revelation, so there is no need for another revelation.
Therefore, if we personally, personally, heard the word of God through a dream or some kind of vision, we should examine it in the light of the objective word of God to see if there is any deviation, and even if there is no deviation from God's word, we must subjectively admit it. It is not the right thing to pass it on.
② When we hear the word of God, we need answers.
1 Samuel 3:10) And the Lord came and stood and called as before, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said, Speak, and thy servant heareth.
When we hear the word of God, either through the Bible or through meditating on the word of God, we must listen to it and respond to it. God called Samuel three times and waited for an answer.” Speak, and your servant will hear." When they answered, God gave a sure word.
③ There are people who hear the word of God and there are people who do not.
The Word of God is given to those who are spiritually awake. Just as two bells of the same frequency ring even when one bell is struck, we must tune our spiritual ears to the frequency of God. In other words, those who are always awake spiritually can hear the Word of God speaking through various channels.
3, God's call
God's call is one-sided.
When God calls Saul to be Paul, when he calls Peter, a fisherman, to become a fisher of men, when God calls us to be servants, just as he did when he called us today and entrusted us with God’s precious ministry, when God calls us to be servants, it depends on our subjective circumstances. It is not a calling, but a calling entirely by the will of God's grace. Therefore, we should not be proud or disappointed in the calling, but simply be grateful.
2, the Word of God/
Judgment warning against Eli's house (3:11-14)
1, Contents of Judgment / Fall of the Eli family (1 Samuel 2:27-36)
1 Samuel 3:11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, and the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
This warning will happen as a deafeningly shocking event, which is actually
① Eli’s two sons died on the same day in battle (4:11,17)
②When Eli heard the news, he fell off his chair and broke his neck and died (4:18).
③It is realized that Eli's daughter-in-law died in childbirth (4:19-22)
2, Reason for Judgment
1 Samuel 3:13 It was because of the iniquity he knew that I told him that I would judge that house forever; for he did not forbid his sons, when they asked for a curse.
because of the iniquity he knew. That is, his sons self-cursed, but did not forbid it. Eli was not ignorant of sin. Nor was he ignorant of the actions of his sons. Why didn't he solve his known sin?
1) His heart, which is the basis of his actions, is, "Why do you tread on my sacrifices and offerings that I have commanded in my dwelling place, and consider your sons more important than me, so that you may feed yourselves with the best offerings of my people Israel?" As 1 Samuel 2:29) said, it was because of their heart to regard the Son as more precious than God. If there is something more precious than God, it cannot solve the sin.
2) Another problem was that even though he was well aware of such a sin, he lacked the determination to forbid it. Repentance is “returning to God by grieving over sins and turning around.” However, although he grieved for the sin, he lacked the determination to resolve the sin. Sometimes we are unavoidably aware that we are sinners, but sometimes we overlook or commit sins again. It has a heart of regret and mourning, but it often lacks the determination to make a bold decision and turn away. For this reason, the Bible requires the following determination in order to atone for sins.
(Mark 9:43) If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter eternal life crippled than with two hands into hell and into the unquenchable fires. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off, lame into eternal life. Better to go in than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.