Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 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. Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! 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; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up 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.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” ’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. On that day I will fulfil against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to punish his house for ever, 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 expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever.’ Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’ He said, ‘Here I am.’ 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. Then he said, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.’ As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. (1 Samuel 3:1-20)
The biblical texts for this week have been about God's call and the response those calls have received. On Monday we read about Philip and Nathanael. Yesterday it was about righteous living among the called, and today is the famous story of the call of the boy Samuel to be God's prophet. Samuel's story is an interesting one. His mother was believed barren yet she never stopped praying that God provide her with a child; in fact, Hannah said if God gave her a son, she would return him to God so that the boy could serve Him. God gave her a son, and Hannah keep her promise and we find the boy ministering to the prophet Eli. God had not spoken in some time and the prophet Eli had not been a good father or good prophet. It may have been the behavior of his sons that kept him from spending time with God as he should. I should say at this point, those who are called should make time often to pray and to listen to God. Those whose children are in ministry should be in constant prayer and have the same selfless love and support of Hannah towards their children.
It was bedtime and little Samuel was in his bed in the temple. God comes and says, "Samuel! Samuel!" The boy immediately says, "Here I am!" and ran to see the prophet, for he thought it was Eli who called him. The old man said that he did not call him and for him to go back and lay down. A second time, God calls and again the boy runs to Eli, and again the prophet tells him to lay down. Interesting to note that the Bible says that during this time of call, Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord been revealed to him. A third time that night God calls and again the boy runs to the prophet. Now the prophet gets it and tells Samuel to go and lie down and to say to the Lord, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." And that's what happened. And the word that came to the boy was not an easy one for him to share with Eli. God basically said that Eli's days as a prophet were over, and that he, Samuel, would become the new prophet. With a message like that the boy could not sleep the rest of the night, and in the morning shared everything with Eli. The old man's response, "It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him."
We don't know what happened to Eli from this reading, but the passage ends with "As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel..knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord."
Our call from God depends on our willingness and faithfulness to answer in the affirmative our desire to serve Him. It requires our willingness to become, if we're not yet one, a person of much prayer. And it requires our obedience to sharing God's word in an honest and bold way. Those called are called not to please people and to preach popular messages, but messages that need to be heard. Our prayer should be that whatever ministry we find ourselves should be one in which God's word through us "fall to the ground." We are called ever to march forward and upward.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for my call into service. Remind me again and again what it is that best will serve You. Grant me wisdom. Grant me courage. Help me to speak on Your behalf, not mine, that which brings honor and glory to You. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Speak a word on God's behalf today!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Requests and Updates: Dear friend, again my thanks for being one willing to pray for others. Rev. Mike Dobbs after having his bladder removed was discovered to have a large mass that had been undetected on his thigh muscles, which through three surgeons was removed. We pray for a good report that this mass not be cancerous. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for Pal Lester, for his surgery went well and the tumor removed from his spine is benign. Glory to God! Prayers for Johanna Green who is in the Gonzales Hospital with a suspected blood clot. Pray that the doctors find where it is and quickly remove it. Prayers for the continued recovery of knee replacement surgery on Martha Jo Whitt.
