1 Samuel 3 - What Are You Looking At?

Don't be led by what you see... be led by what God's Word says.

Faithlife.com

SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... The book of Judges ends on an ominous note: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

As the story turns to 1 Samuel, the spiritual darkness remains: the priesthood is corrupt, and the people are adrift. A little boy named Samuel has been dedicated by his loving mother to serve the LORD under the high priest Eli, whose own sons were wicked.

1 Samuel 3 (NIV)

3 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.

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 house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the LORD called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 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.”

⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸ A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” 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.

¹⁰ The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

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 about 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 blasphemed God, 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.’ ”

Heidelberg Catechism

Q&A 84

Q. How does preaching the gospel open and close the kingdom of heaven?

A. According to the command of Christ:

The kingdom of heaven is opened

by proclaiming and publicly declaring

to all believers, each and every one, that,

as often as they accept the gospel promise in true faith,

God, because of what Christ has done,

truly forgives all their sins.

The kingdom of heaven is closed, however,

by proclaiming and publicly declaring

to unbelievers and hypocrites that,

as long as they do not repent,

the anger of God and eternal condemnation

rest on them.

God’s judgment, both in this life and in the life to come,

is based on this gospel testimony.

Summary

The final words of the book of Judges and the opening words of today's passage make for quite a combination.

With no visible king, Israel had replaced the LORD as their God with their own definitions of whatever was right in their own eyes. So we read that by the time young Samuel had been dedicated to the LORD's service, the word of the LORD had become quite rare. Israel had been sucked into a vicious cycle: the more they depended upon their eyes to determine right from wrong, the rarer the word of the LORD became, pulling them farther and farther from the truth, until even what was clearly wrong had become quite right in their own eyes.

But the text says that God's word had become rare, not altogether absent. The house of the LORD was still very much open and operating, even if much of its operation came from the hands of a young boy because the young men who should have been running it were wicked and corrupt.

Besides, God's word is ever present everywhere. Psalm 19 reminds that even the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of His hands. God's existence and rule are evident to all people. But when people become so distracted by what they've set their eyes upon, their ears become deaf to God's Word. The fact that the LORD needed to call out to Samuel three times before capturing his attention is more than a cute anecdote - it's a diagnosis of His people's primary problem. They weren't listening.

  Dig Deeper  

It's interesting to read that although Samuel literally grew up in the 'church,' he did not yet know the LORD. Just surrounding yourself with religion - VBS, Sunday School, GEMS & Cadets, Christian Schools, etc. - is not what makes you a Christian. The word of the LORD must be revealed to you by the Spirit, as it was to young Samuel. It must not just be seen and heard, but listened to and acted upon.

And young Samuel learns quickly that the LORD's word isn't always pleasant. Ultimately, God's calling Samuel was just another step forward in His bringing salvation to His covenant people, but this good news begins with bad news: the LORD would judge Eli's family forever because of the sin Eli knew about. His sons blasphemed God and he failed to restrain them.

What a tragedy! Eli himself is a godly man, but for too long he'd turned a blind eye to his own wicked sons. When our passage reports that his eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, it was referring to more than just his physical vision. Ironically, as the people were doing what was right in their own eyes, Eli's eyes were weak.

So on one hand, this cute story of a little boy being called by God is actually quite dark and depressing. But that's why we're reading it in context! In isolation, God's plan often seems disjointed and unfair, but if you're a Christian, then the Word of the LORD has been revealed to you; you know that although Samuel's calling will be difficult, he'll go on to anoint God's king over Israel - one who's greater Son will bring salvation to all who hear His voice.

AAA Prayer (About)

• ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who speaks His Word to those who listen to His voice;

• ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you, like Samuel, will listen to the Word of the LORD;

• ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

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