Musings in Samuel (5)

Now Samuel did not yet know Yahweh, nor had the word of Yahweh yet been revealed to him. So Yahweh called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that Yahweh was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Yahweh, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Then Yahweh came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”  (1 Samuel 3:7 – 10).

Even though Samuel had been dedicated to Yahweh, even though he was living with the priests and living at the Tabernacle, he did not yet know Yahweh, nor had the word of Yahweh been revealed to him. Proximity to a person does not always equate to knowledge and understanding of that person. Proximity to the things of God does not equate to knowledge of God and relationship with God. Going to church does not make a person a Christian, nor does graduating from seminary make a person a Christian or a Biblical pastor or priest. Being ordained as an elder, or into another Biblical office, does not mean that the one ordained knows the True and Living God.

In 1 Samuel 3:1 we see that “…the word of Yahweh was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.” God’s Word is alive and vibrant (1 Peter 1:22 – 25; Hebrews 4:12); when His Word is living in the hearts of His people they “see” His Word with the eyes of their hearts (Ephesians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 3:12 – 18) and they are transformed into that Word in Jesus Christ.

I think that our collective eyesight has been blinded by compromise with the world; by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15 – 17). Our desire for “relevancy” and acceptance has superseded our fidelity to the Word of Christ and the Christ of the Word. The visions that we promulgate are often focused on the perpetuation of our own agendas.

Is the Word of the Lord a rare thing with us and our churches? Do we teach with God’s authority, as the oracles of God – or as modern-day scribes and Pharisees? (Matthew 7:28 – 29; 1 Peter 4:10 – 11).

When God speaks to us, do we hear His voice? When we hear His voice, do we recognize it as the Voice of God? (John Chapter 10; Acts 9:5).

For all of Eli’s faults and sins, Eli guided Samuel into hearing the Word of Yahweh. Furthermore, for all of Eli’s faults and sins, when Samuel told him the Word that God had spoken, a word of judgment on Eli’s family; rather than attack Samuel, rather than reject the Word that Samuel brought him, Eli accepted God’s message through Samuel, “It is Yahweh, let Him do what seems good to Him.”

There must have been a Divine spark of ministry yet in Eli when Samuel came to him that night. Perhaps there was even a sense of joy when he realized that God was speaking to Samuel. Perhaps Eli thought, “I have lost my sons to sin and debauchery, let me yet help young Samuel in the Way of the Lord. Let me yet do one good thing before God’s judgment falls on my family.”

There is an irony in that Eli judged Hannah as drunk when he first saw her (1 Samuel 1:14), while it were his sons who were drunk and shameless in their “ministry” at the Tabernacle. While his sons were rejecting the Word of Yahweh, Hannah’s promised son, Samuel, was learning to hear and respond to that very Word. With Hannah Eli acknowledged his error in judgment and encouraged her; with Samuel Eli guided the young boy (or man) into the Word of God.

As bad as things were with Eli, there remained a vestige of calling, a spark of Divine service – and what he could not give to his sons, he would give to Samuel.

Eli could have told Samuel that Samuel had misunderstood God. Eli could have attempted to form Samuel into Eli’s image of what Samuel should be. Eli could have tried to manipulate Samuel. Eli could have resented Samuel and considered him an upstart.

How often do leaders and institutions quash the Word of Christ in younger people? How often do we refuse to listen to others who come from different perspectives? How often are we territorial with authority, influence, teaching, initiative?

Are we guiding others into what it means to hear and obey the Word of God? Are we teaching others to see Christ in the Scriptures? In all of life? Are we teaching others to hear Christ, to sense Christ, to speak Christ?

Eli has much to teach us by both good and bad examples. I imagine that can be said of most of us. Let us flee his bad examples and take them as severe warnings. Let us also not fail to learn from his good example – are we teaching others to hear the Word of God and obey it? Are we inviting others to speak the Word of God to us?