Setting the stage: Two characters - Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. v1a Samuel is a boy who is frequently said to be ministering to God he is the longed for son of the barren woman Hannah, dedicated to the service of God, and under the tutelage of Eli. He lives with him and his family in Shiloh, serving at the tabernacle. Eli - the high priest of Israel at the time. He was born into privilege and we see him as a man who has failed in his responsibilities, both as a father to his two sons Hophni and Phinehas, and ultimately to the people of Israel. They are in a time of great spiritual decline and he is captain of the sinking ship. Verse two tells us that his eyes had begun to grow dim, now this is speaking about the physical health of his eyes. Heʼs probably developing cataracts in his old age, but I canʼt help but wonder if the author includes this fact here to draw a parallel between his lack of eyesight and his lack of spiritual insight. In chapter one he saw Hannah pouring her heart out before God in prayer and assumed that she was just some random drunken sinner. In chapter two we know that he sees and hears of the sinfulness of his two sons but lets them get off with a proverbial slap on the wrist. Obviously he didnʼt see it as that important. Timing / Date: The word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. -v1b As was just said - the people of Israel are in a time of great spiritual decline, corporately their relationship with God was degenerating. And maybe youʼve been in a relationship that has deteriorated; (parent/child, husband/wife, dating relationship) thatʼs gone from good to bad then from bad to worse. As things deteriorate it may come to the point when you are no longer on speaking terms if it gets to that point, and stays at that point for a sustained time then there is very little hope for the health of the relationship. At least until one of you makes a move towards change. Well, The word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. The time is about 1050 B.C. And God had decided that He was going to make a move for the good of the nation of Israel, and the good of all
nations. This chapter records His initiating and beginning a work of restoration of a broken relationship. A more specific time is given: V2-3 at that time Eli was lying down in his own place...the lamp of God had not yet gone out Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. So we see it is 1050 B.C. A time of spiritual decline... But more specifically this verse tells us what time it is: itʼs bedtime! Eli is laying down in his bed, Samuel is laying down in his bed, and we read that the lamp of God was still burning. In the tabernacle there is a lot of specific God ordained furniture. There is a lamp that is described in detail in Exodus 25, that lamp was to be placed in a certain location within the tabernacle. It is also to be lit at specific times, Exodus 27 gives the details of those times [slide] and the priests were to make sure that it stays lit from evening to morning so it is a divine night light and we assume that it was extinguished when the light from the morning sun begins to shine. So picture the scene - itʼs dark, itʼs quiet, Samuel and Eli are both asleep in two separate rooms. V4-5 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, here I am! and ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. But he said, I did not call, my son, lie down again. So he went and lay down. God is doing something unusual, and extraordinary. He calls to Samuel by name and wakes him up. Samuel responds by saying here I am! Then gets out of bed and runs into Eliʼs bedroom and says Here I am, for you called me you can imagine Eli, woken up in the middle of the night, rolling over and telling him to go away. He goes away, and then it happens again.
V6 And the LORD called again, Samuel! and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said Here I am, for you called me. But he said, I did not call, my son, lie down again. Very little variation between the first and second time. God calls, Samuel answers Eli, thinking that he is the originator of the voice, Eli tells him to go back to bed, so he does. Same thing over and over. We see Him as kind and gentle. He is in no hurry, he leaves time for Samuel to catch on. God is not heaving an exasperated sigh; heʼs not about to berate Samuel for being so dense; he doesnʼt tirade about how Samuel never gets anything right. He invests time and patience into him. V7 gives a little explanatory note that Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. Here is Samuel, a godly, obedient boy, serving God wonderfully. Yet, he has not yet given his heart to the LORD. Even children raised in the most godly home must be converted by the Spirit of God, and Samuel now is hearing God speak to his heart. V8-9 and the LORD called Samuel again a third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, Here I am for you called me. Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the young man. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down, and if He calls you, you shall say, ʻSpeak LORD, for your servant hears. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Samuel replies with the words Here I am once again. What a servant hearted young man -. Samuel is in pretty impressive company with this response to God. Here are some others who said, Here I am when the LORD spoke to them: Abraham (Genesis 22:1), Jacob (Genesis 46:2), Moses (Exodus 3:4), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8), and Ananias (Acts 9:10). Samuel is commended for his response, and Eli ought to be commended for his perception here. Perhaps he recalled a time when he too heard the Lordʼs voice, or perhaps he had a moment of discernment. He gives some good instruction to Samuel. And I believe that this is also good instruction for us as well. Speak LORD for your servant hears - our time with God ought to include times of listening.
Weʼve seen a lot about prayer so far in this book, weʼve seen Hannah silently pray to God out of her frustration no doubt through clenched eyes and clenched teeth pouring out her soul before God. Weʼve also seen her prayer in chapter 2 where she speaks out loud wonderful truths about God and gives Him thanks for what He has done in the past and what she knows He will do in the future. So our prayers can be silently speaking to God about our inward turmoil, loudly praising God through liturgy or singing - but from this chapter we can see that part of our prayer time should include times of listening. God is there anything Youʼd like to say to me? Any correction I need to hear? Anything I am doing that I should stop, anything I stopped doing that I should start? Speak Lord, for your servant is listening is a far better thing to say to God than Listen Lord, for Your servant is speaking. So thatʼs what he did. V10 And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! and Samuel said, Speak, for Your servant hears. V11-14 Then the LORD said to Samuel, Behold I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eliʼs house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever. This story is rather famous, many people from church backgrounds or not would probably be familiar with some of the details. Itʼs a very human interaction, an amusing instance of mistaken identity but when we get to the real heart of the story, Godʼs message to Samuel itʼs not very light-hearted. # (I told this story to Eoin last night and he cracked up - he loves stories with repetition and variation - he laughed and laughed and I was enjoying telling him the story, until I got to the message that Samuel transmitted to Eli and what did God say? - You didnʼt do a good job being a daddy raising your sons and leading the people to know God, so
now you are in big trouble..and they all lived happily ever after the end good night! ) Tingling ears speaks of news of approaching judgment / punishment (Behold I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judea such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. - 2 Kings 21:12, cf Jer 19:3) Because of Eliʼs failure to restrain his sons he will be judged. As a father he had that responsibility, but as the high priest of Israel he had double responsibility because their sins were keeping people from worshiping and knowing God. They were a giant false advertisement about the character of God to the people of Israel. This is a repetition of what was said in ch2. That message was from a stranger, this message was from a boy that he knew well. 1.The doom of the house of Eli is sealed by an awful oath. a.hannahʼs vows and fulfilled promises take prominence in the first two chapters of the book. She follows through on her word. God swears to do something and He surely will keep His promises. V14 their sins cannot be atoned for - their low view of the sacrifices / offering that were offered in the tabernacle show that they will not atone for their sins. Terrible news. For us today can you imagine the dreadful news of hearing that your sins will not be forgiven. This is the sobering truth about many in our city and in our world. If the sacrifice for sin is not esteemed, then the effects of that sacrifice for sin is not applied 8 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, Vengeance is mine; I will repay. And again, The Lord will judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 1 As Christians we are those who want to value and to treasure the sacrifice. We esteem it, we love it, we thank God for it! 15-21 1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Heb 10:28 31). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Heʼs heard the message now he needs to communicate it. Hearing is one thing, speaking completes the prophetic responsibility. V15 The doors, cf ch 2 17 Eli charged Samuel to tell him the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and then he was resigned to accept it. Imagine the emotions, both of Eli and the boy. Prophets (and preachers) need to pass on everything that theyʼve been given to say, whether it is comforting or chastising. 20 The northernmost and southernmost limits of Israel. from Derry to the Lee 21 The inclusio ends. God is a God who is interested in communicating. He speaks to Samuel and in doing so, He is so patient. He draws him into relationship with Him. Heʼs in the midst of a religious system that doesnʼt know God, so He shows up and calls Samuel to Himself. He has done that to so many of us. Iʼm reminded of what Jesus did at a religious festival in Jerusalem years later - he stands up and says if anyone thirst let him come unto Me!