Speak, for Your Servant Hears

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. I Samuel 3:1

“The ‘word of the Lord’ is often a technical term referring to an oracular message. Inquiring of the oracle would have been a priestly function, and so there is an intimation here of some sort of breakdown in the professional performance of the house of Eli… the whole episode concerns the transition from priestly to prophetic authority.” (Robert Alter, The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel, pg. 16)

The Hebrew word used here is “hazon”, which means vision. And we know this is one of the ways that God spoke to his prophets. Yet, during this time there was not a frequent word or vision from God. Why? Well, I think it is fairly clear from the last chapter that the unfaithfulness of the priests have cause this. Either way, I want to point out that if the word or vision from God is rare, he will eventually change that. We are about to see a major change in leadership. Samuel is on the rise, while the house of Eli will be removed.

And what about today? Is the word from God rare? Let me put it another way, is the true and pure word from God rare? Well, we would say by default no because there are so many people talking. Yet, the question is do we have the word from Yahweh or people? I am going to step out on a limb and say, I believe the true and pure word from God is unbelievable rare. A true word from Yahweh is rare in our times. Yet, at the right time, God will change that. He will establish new leadership and again reveal himself. And let me add that sending people to Seminary or Bible College does not mean, I repeat, does not mean those individuals will speak for God. We hope so, but based on the Biblical record and Christian history, we know this is not always the case. When God decides to reveal himself, his true word, and raise up new leadership, he will do so on his terms and in his righteous way. 

While the text of this chapter does not specifically say so, we can surmise that the word from God being rare is actually a judgment because of the corrupt priesthood. In Amos chapter 8 when the prophet proclaimed judgment on Israel, he states:

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land—

not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,

but of hearing the words of the Lord.

They shall wander from sea to sea,

and from north to east;

they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,

but they shall not find it. Amos 8:11-12

So, what is the good news? Well, God is about to break his silence. He is going to speak through Samuel.

² At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see,     was lying down in his own place. 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. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” ⁵ and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ 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.”   ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸ And the Lord called Samuel again the 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 boy. ⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say,   ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” I Samuel 3:2-10

So here we have the call of Samuel, in fact, the Hebrew word for call, “qara”, occurs 11 times in verses 4-10. But before we delve into the call of Samuel, I want to mention some things about verses 2-3. First of all, Eli is now blind or close to it, and probably needed Samuel to stay close to him for assistance. But does this text only mean physical blindness. Likely not, it probably alludes to Eli’s lack of spiritual discernment and poor judgment. Either way, we know the call of God is coming to Samuel, not Eli. And where is Samel? The text tell us, he is in the temple where the ark of God was.

Now, when we look at the call of Samuel, there are several important points to note. First, God calls him 4 times! Look at the text. Verse 4 is the first time. Then the Lord calls again in verse 6. Then a third time in verse 8. In verse 10, the Lord calls a fourth time! Why does God call so many times? Well, I think it is because of the significance of the call. There is no doubt God is calling Samuel to be his prophet! I believe the repeated calls indicate the sureness of God’s call. There does seem to be a progression in the strength of the calls as well. When we get to the fourth call it is quite different. The text tells us that the Lord came and stood, and he says Samuel’s name twice. Yahweh is making a clear call to Samuel. It is a pivotal moment in Samuel life, a defining moment when we must answer the call of God.

It is worth noting that there are several instances in the Bible when God calls the name of a person twice. For example, in Genesis 22, the angel of the Lord called Abraham’s name twice when he was about to sacrifice Isaac. In Genesis 46 God calls Jacob’s name twice when he was about to go to Egypt. And when God called to Moses from the burning bush, he says his name twice. Obviously the most similar case with Samuel is the call of Moses.

What we have here in I Samuel is a continually calling that intensifies each time, and we understand it is not just God’s voice. This was also a vision. And we should remember this is the first time God is speaking to Samuel. God’s call is often not fluffy and full of rainbows. In addition, I want to point out the Lord came and stood. Now, I am not going to say every time God stands it means judgment, but it certainly is significant. In Numbers 22:22, the text states:

But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. 

And in Amos 9:1 it says:

 
I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said:

“Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake,

and shatter them on the heads of all the people;

and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword;

not one of them shall flee away;

not one of them shall escape.

In Acts 7 Stephen sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God. God standing certainly indicates he is about to do something very significant. So let us not take this transition with Samuel and his call to be God’s prophet lightly – it is very significant!  

Now, I have already mentioned this, but before we read the next section, I want to point it out again. This is the first time God is speaking to Samuel. If we were in his position we would want God to say everything is going to be awesome! But… God did not say that. And this really is the test of the prophet. Are we going to say what God told us to say or not. He alone knows what is best and what is needed. Let’s consider Ezekiel 2 for a moment.

And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”  And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.  And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.  The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”  And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe. Ezekiel 2:1-10

That was Ezekiel’s call. Now let’s see what Yahweh says to Samuel.

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 Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” I Samuel 3:11-14

You may remember that in chapter 2 a prophet came and told Eli what was coming because of the sin of his sons and because Eli chose to honor his sons over God. Now, God is revealing this to Samuel, and it is the first thing he says to him. I believe there is no doubt this is significant because Samuel is going to prophesy the overthrow of the priestly authority of Eli’s house, and Samuel, at least for a while, will replace Eli and sons as the leader of the nation. The text contains a very unusual phrase, “the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.” This phrase is also used in Jeremiah 19:3, which is when Jeremiah prophecies disaster upon Judah and breaks the potter’s flask. So, the tone of the words in Samuel are very severe. It is a severe word that includes punishment just like that of Jeremiah. And I would further point out based on the text, this judgment is not only severe, it is final and irreversible. How would you like that responsibility? But that is just it, if we speak for God, he will at times give us such beautiful, kind and encouraging words. But at other times it will be quite the opposite. But Jehovah is the same God. As God’s prophet, we must deliver both messages as the Holy Spirit directs. Why? Because God commands and demands it. We have no business speaking for God if we will not say what he says. The Bible warns of both priests and prophets not telling the people to repent, when that is exactly what God’s message was. There is no authority greater than God, but we do get to choose if we will honor men or God. It is difficult to speak a hard word because of our human compassion, but truth must prevail. God always knows what is best.

Now, as we proceed to the end of the chapter, we find that Samuel is faithful to the word and vision that Yahweh gave him. But Eli certainly gives him some incentive.

Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”

 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. I Samuel 3:15-4:1a

The amazing thing about this section is that Eli accepted this harsh word. He recognized that God was speaking to Samuel, and so he accepted the prophecy. This also demonstrates the heavy responsibility of being called to the prophetic office. But I am wondering if Samuel prophesied today, would priests listen, would we listen? Put another way, when God speaks do we listen to him? Eli recognized the word was from God. Do we recognize when a true word is given? Do we listen to God’s words?

Several years ago there was a series of commercials about a financial firm, E. F. Hutton. You probably remember the ads. The punch line was always when E. F. Hutton speaks, people listen. In fact, in the ads when someone was going to say what E. F. Hutton said, everything stopped. Everything became silent as people strained to hear the words. So, here is my question, are we willing to listen to financial advice, but not God? Does God even receive the same respect as E. F. Hutton. Do people stop and listen to God’s true words. I would submit to you that very often God is speaking, but we are not listening. There should be a deep reverence for God’s words. When God speaks, people should listen. Are you listening to God today, and if so, what is he saying? Do we only listen if God showers us with kind and encouraging words? What happens when he proclaims rebellion and repentance? Are we listening then? Both are going to come at the right time, and both are essential to a faithful walk with God. In fact, true repentance will usher in a tremendous move of God faster than anything. Both individually and corporately.

When we come to verses 19-20, the text tells us that God has established Samuel as a prophet. He was going to be the leader in the next phase of Israel’s history. His words were from God and they would go out to all of the nation.   

If we think back over the first two chapters of Samuel, we realize the prophet is coming into the office that has been prepared for him since his birth. His mother dedicated him to the Lord and now God has established him as his prophet. And now, I would like to ask, what can we learn from this passage? What is it about the call of Samuel that we can identify with and apply? The call of God is very strong. When he calls you, you know it. God makes sure his word goes to the right people to deliver it corporately. God’s call can also bring devastation. Let me explain. The kingdom of God brings devastation to the wicked. When the righteous reign, the wicked are brought to account and punished. So, we have to be prepared for that. When Jesus died and rose again, he became king and ruler of the universe. His rule brings devastation to evil-doers. He is both Savior and Judge. The New Testament message brings life, but it also brings judgment to those that reject Christ. With God, you have to give it all, and that is going to include hard things, difficult theology, and possibly devastation. The call of Samuel is a transition from priestly authority to prophetic authority. But it is also a sign that the nation is sick and God was about to make big changes to restore his worship.

One final point I would make is, “Don’t mess with God!” He rules the universe. He is sovereign. Honor him, worship him in purity, give him his due, which is everything. Listen to him, and if he calls you, speak his truth! He will raise you up at the right time. Our response to God should always be like Samuel’s, “Speak, for your servant hears.”