City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. ² And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, ³ and before the lamp of God went out in the ^[a]tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, ⁴ that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” ⁵ So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”

And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.

⁶ Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!”

So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” ⁷ (Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.)

⁸ And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.”

Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. ⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

1 Samuel 3:1-9 (NJKV)

Interpretation

This is the last of my 3 part devotionals for the Origin series before we pick up again with regular devotionals next week.

Samuel was dedicated to God by his parents as an infant, shortly after he was weaned. Samuel was an answer to a prayer from his mother who was barren up until Samuel was born. Samuel was raised in the temple with Eli and was ministering to him. Later in verse 7, we read that Samuel did not know the Lord as the Word of God had not been revealed to him. How can Samuel not know the Lord if he was ministering to Eli in the temple of God? I think we can make the deduction that to know God is different than knowing of God. Samuel did not yet know what it meant to live in the presence of God and to truly know Him. God’s word being revealed to us is just as important to today through the Holy Spirit as it was in the time of Samuel (see John 16:13).

Verse 1 tells us that this was a time when people did not hear from God in visions and prophecies as before. We could deduce that this may have been because Eli’s sons were rejected by God and that the people were once again walking astray from God’s commandments. Or it may be simply that God was waiting to move through Samuel. It is a reminder that God may be quiet in our time, but He hears us and speaks to us when the time is right. Samuel did not know that God spoke as He did because it was not common on those days that God did it. But Eli knew that this must be God and told Samuel what to do. We need to be taught how to listen to God so that we know when He is speaking to us through the Holy Spirit. God may be quiet until the right time, but when He speaks, we have to be ready to listen.

Application

We may think that God is quiet in today’s society, but I can tell you for sure that this is far from the truth. I’ve experienced visions and Spirit led conversations that has come from God. Others in our church can say the same thing. We are all called to serve and to follow God, no matter if we hear from Him or not. We are only required to trust, obey, and follow. God will direct you and use you. Samuel’s origin story teaches us that we need to be ready and listen to God and say, “Here I am, for You called me.”

When God called me to work in a ministry with youth for two years after college, I saw the need to serve others, especially as a man. In our residential complex for teenagers, there were four of us guys for around 30 some teenage guys while for the women there were 12 big sisters for around 15 girls. The ratio for guys was very difficult for us to help minister to so many of the boys. There were too few men to lead and serve.

After my first year i happened upon a Christian friend i knew who just graduated the year after me. He was looking for something to do for the next year and God told me to tell him about this ministry opportunity. He turned it down because it wouldn’t be something he could make money doing. The sad part of the story, was that a couple weeks after our conversation, the ministry organization began to give a stipend for any new big brothers or sisters who signed up. It was a missed opportunity to serve and obey God.

Don’t let that be you. Be willing to tell God, “Here I am, You called me.”

Prayer

Father, help me to hear Your voice. I want my heart to be open and willing to serve You and go where You want me to go. Please me your Spirit lead me in the path You have set for me. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.