1 Samuel 3:1-10
Heeding God’s Call
1 Samuel opens not in the halls of
power, but in the house of a man remembered only here. Elkanah is married to
two women. Hannah, his favorite, is barren.
Hannah begs the LORD for a child. And
during her prayer, she encounters the priest Eli. Eli tells Hannah that her
prayer will be answered. Hannah has her long awaited child and does as she
promised. She gives the child to the LORD. The boy, Samuel, remains with Eli at
the holy place in Shiloh.
We affirm, just as Hannah does, that our
children do not belong to us, but are given to us by God; and it is our
responsibility to nurture that relationship, that connection so that it grows
as the child does.
In the temple at Shiloh, the boy Samuel
is serving the priest Eli. He sleeps near the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of
the LORD’s presence. One night Samuel is called. Twice he mistakes the voice of God for Eli’s.
Finally Eli instructs the lad to say “Speak
Lord, for your servant hears.” Samuel
obeys and God speaks to him of future happenings in Israel.
Do we have ears to hear today? Are we
capable of heeding God’s call? Let’s ask ourselves a few questions…
Is the LORD’s clear voice rare these
days? Vs. 1 In those days the word of the
LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
In the days of Eli and his sons, priests
of the day, it was rare when the Word of God was heard. Why the silence? Was
the LORD absent from His people? Maybe dead?
The reason for the rarity of the Word is not due to God but man’s
condition. The sons of Eli were grossly corrupt.
The LORD cannot draw near to rebellious
people. Only the pure in heart see God. To hear God’s Word persons must prepare
themselves with repentance and faith. Today many experience the absence of God
because they are a part of a secular society which ignores the reality of God
in human affairs.
Do we have a sense of God’s presence?
Vs. 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.
Like the altar in church, the ark was
the symbol of the LORD’s presence in the temple. Samuel did not sleep only in
church but in the sanctuary where the altar was. He slept close to God. If we
want to experience God and hear His Word, we must put ourselves in the right
place. The best place to hear God’s Word is where He is to be found.
Do we listen when God speaks? Vs.10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at
the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant
is listening.”
Because Jesus, our substitute, never
practiced selective listening, he never ignored his Father’s will or decided
that he knew better. Jesus not only made hearing his Father’s Word his highest
priority (Luke 2:41-52), he obeyed every word, perfectly.
When His Father decided that the only
way to save the human race was for the Son of God to become man, Jesus left his
throne in heaven and took the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:7). When
His Father told him the salvation of sinners is only possible if he assumed the
guilt of the sins of the world, Jesus sweated blood, Jesus begged for his
Father to find another way, but he listened and obeyed (Luke 22:39-46).
When the LORD’s plan meant an illegal
trial, mockery, and torture, Jesus endured it all in silence (Mark 14:61). And,
when the Father’s wrath over our sin demanded that Jesus be nailed to a tree,
suffer and give up his life, Jesus went, without complaint, like a lamb to the
slaughter (Isaiah 53:7).
And, in his grace, the LORD credits Jesus’
perfect listening skills and obedience to our account. He forgives our deafness
and remembers our disobedience no more – all because Jesus endured the cold
shoulder of the LORD in our place (Matthew 27:46).
For Jesus’ sake, the Father still speaks
to us. He speaks to us day after day, year after year, so that even stubborn,
selective listeners like us get the message. And when he speaks, he gets
results.
Worship is a vital exercise of our
faith; but it is not primarily about an emotional experience-it's about Christ
coming to us in our sinfulness. Our response is simply to receive forgiveness
and be free!
If you've ever felt that you're never
good enough, well... you're right. Only Christ is "good enough," and
every service at our church is a chance to receive Christ's forgiveness. If
you've been waiting to come to church until you're good enough, please stop
thinking that way! That's like saying you'll go to the doctor for your sickness
after you've cured yourself!
We're all sinners who need forgiveness
and restoration. Forgiveness is why Jesus came to earth, and it's the focal
point of worship.
You will not leave a service at our
church determined to "do more and try harder;" our hope is that you
will, instead, be refreshed and renewed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And it
is this gospel which the LORD speaks into your ears, which penetrates your
heart granting you peace with God and reconciliation toward your neighbor.
We see that in the case of Samuel. The
fourth time the LORD called to him, he finally listened. And he kept listening
even though the message God had for him was unpleasant and even though what God
was calling him to do wasn’t easy.
The Lord was calling Samuel to announce
his judgment and punishment on his mentor and friend, Eli, and his sons for
their deafness and disobedience (1 Samuel 3:11-18). Without question, it would
have been easier for Samuel to just roll over and stay in bed. Humanly
speaking, it might have seemed prudent for Samuel to change or modify the LORD’s
message to avoid offending and angering Eli. But through his Word the LORD gave
Samuel faith to not only listen but to boldly obey.
The LORD in this case, reveals Himself
to Samuel through speech. Where does the LORD God choose to reveal Himself
today? In visions? In dreams? He still chooses to make Himself known in His Word,
the sacred Scriptures. He speaks today in the reading and hearing of the Word.
It’s one thing for the LORD to speak. Do
we hear and listen? To communicate God’s Word we also need to listen.
Speak Lord, your servant listens!
Passive Sentences – 8%
Readability – 76.4%
Reading Level –5.8
https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/second-sunday-after-epiphany-2/commentary-on-1-samuel-31-10-11-20-2
http://www.risensaviorlutheran.org/sermon-blog/2019/8/12/1-samuel-31-10-the-lord-is-speaking-are-we-listening-august-11-2019
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