The Word of God
1 Samuel 3 The Word of God
Introduction
If you could describe our world today in one sentence, what would you say?
Some of us may be very happy with our personal circumstances and respond quite positively. Others will answer with a great concern for what’s happening in our nation and our world. We may even use words like ‘crisis’ or ‘mess’. And we may express a desire for God to do something to make things better.
Remember from last time how the high priest, Eli, was allowing his sons to steal both from the people and God by keeping the best parts of the sacrifice for themselves. Israel was a nation in spiritual crisis from top to bottom- everyone was doing whatever they wanted. How would God respond?
In 1 Samuel 3, we see how God responded to this time of spiritual crisis by speaking to Samuel and giving him a word of judgement to declare. When there is a crisis God sends His Word.
So, in our passage we see…
The Word of God was Rare
The Word of God was Heard
The Word of God to be Spoken
The Word of God Experienced
When there is a crisis, God sends His Word. Today we are called to consider how when we face difficulties, either in our personal lives or more widely in society, what we most need is to listen to and pass on His Word.
Let us ponder these truths as we turn to 1 Samuel 3 and consider, firstly, how…
The Word of God was Rare
We have seen in the last few weeks that Israel is in a deep spiritual crisis. But we would be wrong to think that this dark period was lacking any sort of religion. In fact, there was great deal of religious activity in Israel. Priests were active. Rituals were observed. Sacrifices were made. But all this religion went on side by side the widespread idolatry and national depravity.
When we realise this, it will make us wonder: How can a nation appear so religious and yet be morally and ethically bankrupt? Well, the answer is given in verse 1 of our passage:
In those days the word of the Lord was rare…
For all the religious activity there was no revelation from God. And without God’s Word there can never be true spiritual life.
Later in our passage God will remedy His People’s spiritual crisis by calling Samuel to be His prophet who would speak His Word. The imagery of this chapter tells its story; notice how verses 2 and 3 help us anticipate what will happen next:
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was
In verse 1 we are told that God’s Word was rare. Then immediately we are told Eli cannot see physically. But he cannot see spiritually either. Then we hear about how the ‘lamp of God’ had not yet gone out. This is intended to be symbolic. Eli’s eyes are literally ‘dim’. Now we have an image of a lamp almost going out. The light it casts is dim. But it is not yet extinguished. There is still hope.
God’s Word is rare and the light it brings is fading. Perhaps that is how we feel about our society or even the Church today. 1 Samuel 3 tells us that we can have confidence in God’s Word. God will not leave Himself silent.
Chapter 3 tells a wonderful, grace-filled story. At a time when Israel’s light was burning dimly, God called a young man whose heart was close to Him to restore God’s Word. In this way Samuel was used to bring God’s power and presence to bear on his world.
And so, let us continue in this story as we see…
The Word of God was Heard
Things were about to change. At a time of spiritual crisis God was on the move. Again we see the story told with powerful imagery and symbolism.
While Eli is lying down in his own place, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, the place where he ministers before the LORD and where God is present. The narrator also reminds us that this is the location of the Ark of the Covenant- a symbol of God’s presence and a reminder to God and to the People of the covenant promises that bound them together.
The scene is set. Samuel is in God’s presence with a reminder of God’s promise.
In verse 4 we hear God speak:
4 Then the Lord called Samuel.
What grace there are in these words! At a time when God’s Word had been violated, by even the high priest’s sons, when the disregard for God’s Law deserved divine judgement, God spoke and called to a child of His covenant.
Samuel hears a presumably audible voice calling him. ‘Here I am’ he responds. He assumes it is Eli calling him, so he runs to Eli. Eli explains that it wasn’t him who called Samuel and tells him to go back to bed. The same thing happens a second time.
Those of us who heard this story from our Sunday School days remember how strange, even comical, this whole episode is as we witness the back and forth. But there is also a sadness in all of this- even the most devoted and worthy of God’s servants did not know His voice!
But when it happens a third time, Eli realises something significant is happening; in verses 8 and 9 we read:
8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
Samuel then encounters God for a fourth time. But this time it seems to be more than a voice; in verse 10 we read:
10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
This is God’s call to Samuel to be His prophet. As a result, Samuel begins his ministry of bringing God’s Word to God’s People.
The calling of Samuel speaks of God’s amazing grace. How gracious our God is that He would return to Israel with His Word after they had walked away from His Way. And how gracious God is with Samuel and Eli as He patiently bears with their lack of understanding.
The calling of Samuel also teaches us about the nature of God’s Word and how God reveals Himself. The way the Word of the Lord comes to Samuel sets a precedent for God’s revelation through the prophets.
The apostle Peter explained the way of divine inspiration in 2 Peter 1 verse 21:
No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
In other words, prophecy and inspiration do not begin with the thoughts of the human author but by the hearing of God’s Word. The men who wrote the Bible ‘…spoke from God…’; that is, they delivered to us the message that God gave to them. Also, the entire process was supervised ‘…by the Holy Spirit…’.
Another classic definition of inspiration is given in 2 Timothy 3:
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So, when we read the Bible, we read God’s Word to man. The Bible is God’s Word given to God’s People to be heard and obeyed for our good and His glory.
The Bible is God’s Word for us today. It is God addressing us and calling us to know Him in the most profound way. So, we must receive all that the Bible teaches as God’s own Word. We must trust what it says entirely. We must obey what it says completely. God’s Word must have the final say in all we say and think and do.
We must take God’s Word seriously and we must treat it carefully. We see this when we turn to…
The Word of God to be Spoken
God’s People must hear God’s Word. But God’s People must also speak God’s Word. This was the case for Samuel, having received a message from God for Eli.
Receiving God’s Word created a problem for Samuel because of the content of the message- a confirmation of the judgement Eli had earlier received. In verses 11 to 14 we read that God was about to do something that would strike fear into the hearts of the People. He will bring down the house of Eli, just as He warned through the ‘man of God’ in Chapter 2.
No wonder Samuel was reluctant to pass on the message- a message of judgement by a holy God. But pass it on he must. The Word of God had been spoken to Samuel and he must make it known.
Like Samuel, we have been given a message from God that is difficult both to speak and to hear. The Gospel confronts us with the reality of our sin and the punishment of hell for all who will not repent. And the Gospel also declares God’s mercy and the free offer of forgiveness through His Son. Jesus died to save us from our sin. To be a Believer is to confess our utter need of Jesus and to rest completely in His finished work on the Cross.
Often we may be tempted to downplay the Gospel’s hard truths to make it easier for people to come to Christ. But to remove these truths would be to corrupt the message God has entrusted to us, and heartlessly withhold from sinners the truth they must embrace to be saved. Withholding the truth of God’s judgement robs the Cross of its full meaning and the Gospel its profound beauty.
So we must speak the truth as it is given to us. But we must speak it with humility and love. In verses 15 to 18 we see Samuel, with tender heart, bring the message to Eli- he told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Each one of us must do the same.
We must hear the Word of God. We must know the Word of God. We must share the Word of God. And we must experience the Word of God…
The Word of God Experienced
When God’s Word is heard and spoken it brings life and growth and a godly witness. This was the case for Samuel. A new day had begun in his life and ministry as he began hearing and speaking God’s Word. In verse 19 we see that the result was that Samuel grew and the Lord was with Him.
As well as spiritual growth, Samuel found that God blessed his work for the Lord. In verses 19 and 20 we see that God blessed Samuel’s ministry. And then, as the Chapter concludes, we see Samuel discover what great things God could do through him:
“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”
Through Samuel, God’s Word was restored to the whole nation.
The reality is that every Believer who is devoted to knowing and speaking God’s Word will experience God at work through him or her in remarkable and far-reaching ways. Few of us will be granted so far-reaching a ministry as Samuel, but if we will bring God’s Word into whatever sphere He has placed us, we will be astonished at the transforming results.
Conclusion: The Word of God for Today
As we finish today let me encourage you to ponder the key truth of this passage of God’s Word: when His People were in crisis, God sent His Word. When there was no rule, and the house of God was horribly compromised, God raised up a prophet to speak truth with tenderness
This is always how God acts to bring change. He sends His Word. Throughout the Bible we see how God created life through His Word and ruled His People through His Word. And He still brings life through His Word. And He still rules His People through His Word.
So, as God’s People, we need to have confidence in God’s Word.
When we face crises, we need God’s Word. We need to be reading the Bible, engaging with the preaching of our Church, speaking the Word to one another and reminding our own hearts of God’s Word. We need to remember God has given us His Word to enjoy life and flourish as we follow His Way.
And in the crisis of our culture, we need God’s Word. We must have confidence in God’s Word. We must listen to God speak and we must speak God’s Word- truthfully and tenderly. In a crisis, God speaks. In a crisis, we must listen, and pass on what He says.
Our hope is in the power of God’s Word. Today, there is no Samuel. We have a greater word-bringer. Jesus is the One who has come to reveal God. Jesus is the Word of God.
God has spoken to us in His Son and through His Word. He has spoken and we should listen. He has spoken and we should pass on that Word. So we look to Jesus in God’s Word and we live for Him as we follow His Way. In this way we bring life and light into the darkness of our world and experience the fullness of life found in Him.