1 Samuel 3:1 – 14 “And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare and visions were scarce. And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room.
Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located. Then the LORD called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.”
He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”
“I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”
So, he went and lay down.
Once again, the LORD called, “Samuel!” So, Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, because the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. Once again, for the third time, the LORD called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”
Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy. “Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So, Samuel went and lay down in his place.
Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of all who hear it will tingle. On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his family, from beginning to end. I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them. Therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
SO YOU WANT TO BE A PROPHET???? Today there are many self – styled prophets throughout the world. These men and women love to stand before large crowds in big auditoriums with music playing in the background while they pronounce loudly, “Thus says the Lord….” But has the Lord really spoken, or have these people been listening to a different voice? Look at Samuel’s experience. Samuel was only a young boy when God trusted him with the first of many prophecies he was to deliver. Samuel was sound asleep when God began calling him in the night.
- “Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located.” Samuel was actually sleeping in the temple, close to the Holy of Holies. Samuel had grown up in the temple and wanted to be as near to God as possible. But why should the lamp of God go out? That lamp was supposed to burn continually. This would suggest that for some reason, there wasn’t enough high – quality olive oil or that Eli, Phineas, and Hophni were failing in their duties as priests.
- “Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy. “Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” Eli knew enough about God to realize that it was God who was calling Samuel; yet, Eli failed to repent and attempt to restrain his sons. GOD WAS SPEAKING TO SAMUEL, BUT ELI DIDN’T CARE ENOUGH TO GO TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES TO INQUIRE FROM THE LORD! At that point, had Eli repented and had he recruited help from local elders and other Levites, he might have at least saved himself. Had Eli repented, God would have pardoned him, even if his sons had persisted in their evil ways. But Eli advised Samuel and went right back to sleep.
- “Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” For the first time in Samuel’s life, he was meeting with the Lord. But children have special emotional sensitivity that sometimes gets lost as they grow to adulthood. Jesus advised his disciples that they needed to have the same faith that children would have in a loving Father. Samuel exhibited that sensitivity and that faith. Eli did not hear the Lord calling Samuel; only Samuel heard that Voice.
- “Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of all who hear it will tingle. On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his family, from beginning to end. I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them. Therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” WOW! What a message! At this point, Samuel might have been horrified. Although Elkanah probably visited Samuel during the annual feasts, Eli was probably the closest thing to a father figure in Samuel’s short life. Now Samuel had to tell this old man who had been quite kind to him that God was about to destroy his house forever. What a message for a child to have to give an elder! No, Samuel was learning that a prophet’s life was not an easy one.
APPLICATION: Someone has said that prophecy is given to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. Certainly, this first prophecy Samuel received was anything but comforting. Why did God give this prophecy to Samuel? God had already warned Eli that he and his sons were on a certain path to destruction. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” What might have happened had Eli repented in tears and trembling? Later on, when King Manasseh, who was one of the most evil kings in Judah, repented, God spared him. God was giving Eli one last warning; only God knows what might have happened had Eli turned at that point and whole – heartedly repented.
2 Chronicles 33:9 – 13 “But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites. The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.”
The story of Eli and his sons is a tragic one. Even in Eli’s old age, he could have opposed the evil his sons were doing and exerted his authority to banish them from the temple. Perhaps such a confrontation might have shaken Phineas and Hophni out of their malignant practices. But Eli was blind and becoming more feeble and had already resigned himself to a horrible fate. Eli should serve as a reminder to all of us that aging does not give us a moral free pass. We must continue to serve God and pursue righteousness as long as we live.
Contrast Samuel with Eli. Samuel asked the Lord to speak so that he could obey. Eli knew that God was speaking but refused to even listen. How Eli’s complacency with a horrible fate must have grieved the Lord! As all of us age, let us resolve to copy Samuel’s example and not Eli’s!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, there may be someone reading these words who feels that they have committed an unpardonable sin, one that will irrevocably doom them to hell. Lord, open the eyes of that person’s heart to see Your great mercy and grace! Help them to realize that You are simply waiting for them to turn to You, the ultimate loving Father. Help all of us to pursue You ever harder as we age. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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