“Samuel! Samuel!”

Meditation on 1 Samuel 3

Sept. 7, 2014

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         The boy Samuel was serving God under Eli the priest’s direction. This was at a time when the revelation of God was rarely heard or seen. One night Eli was sound asleep (his eyesight was very bad - he could hardly see). It was well before dawn; the sanctuary lamp was still burning. Samuel was still in bed in the Temple of God, where the Chest of God rested. Then God called out, "Samuel, Samuel!" Then he ran to Eli saying, " Here I am. I heard you call." Eli answered, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed." And so he did. God called again, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel got up and went to Eli, " Here I am. I heard you call. " (This all happened before Samuel knew God for himself. It was before the revelation of God had been given to him personally.) God called again, "Samuel!" - the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, "Yes? Here I am. I heard you call." So Eli directed Samuel, "Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, 'Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.'" Samuel returned to his bed.  Then God came and stood before him exactly as before, calling out, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." God said to Samuel, "Listen carefully. I'm getting ready to do something in Israel that is going to shake everyone up and get their attention. And God revealed to Samuel his plans for Israel. Eli’s sons were desecrating God's name and God's house, and Eli had done nothing to stop them. So Eli’s sons would be punished. They would not serve in the house of the Lord. They would die young and another prophet would be raised up. Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then rose early and went about his duties, opening the doors of the sanctuary. He dreaded having to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli summoned Samuel: "Samuel, my son!" Samuel came running: "Yes? What can I do for you?" "What did the Lord say? Tell it to me, all of it. Don't suppress or soften one word, as God is your judge! I want it all, word for word as he said it to you." So Samuel told him, word for word. He held nothing back. Eli said, "He is God. Let him do what he thinks is best."  And Samuel grew up. God was with him, and Samuel's prophetic record was flawless. Everyone in Israel recognized that Samuel was the real thing - a true prophet of God. 

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     We don’t often hear the stories of prophets when they were children! Last week, we listened to the story of Moses, who was a senior citizen when he saw the burning bush and heard God’s voice for the first time—calling him to lead Israel out of captivity in Egypt.

     But Rally Day, the first day of our Sunday school year, is the perfect time to share the story of young Samuel.

      Samuel was just a little boy when his prophetic gifts became evident. He was raised in a supportive environment for the development of his spiritual gifts. He would eventually grow up to become a priest and judge over Israel; he would be led to anoint Israel’s first and second kings.

      Samuel came from humble beginnings. His father, Elkanah of the hills of Ephraim, had two wives: Peninnah had children; but Hannah had none. Every year, Elkanah went to offer a sacrifice to the Lord at Shiloh, where Eli and his two sons were priests. And though Elkanah gave a larger offering for Hannah because he loved her, Hannah was still not able to get pregnant. Peninnah was mean to Hannah, provoking her, for the Lord “had closed her womb.” Hannah would cry and refuse to eat. And Elkanah would get upset, and say, “Hannah, why do you cry? Why don’t you eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than 10 sons?”

     Then one day, when they are at the temple at Shiloh, Hannah prays for a son. She promises the Lord that if He gives her a child, she would raise him to be a holy man of God. The Lord hears Hannah’s prayer. Samuel is born. After he is weaned, Hannah brings the small child back to Shiloh for the old priest, Eli, to raise in the house of the Lord. She tells Eli, “This is the child I prayed for! The Lord has granted my request! Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.”

      After Hannah brings Samuel to live in God’s house, she is blessed with three more sons and two daughters. But each year, she makes Samuel a new linen ephod, a child-size priestly robe. She takes it to him when she and her husband return to Shiloh to make their annual sacrifice.

      What’s important to know is that during this time, priests are sons of priests. The position is passed down from generation to generation in the same family. The priesthood isn’t open to people outside the priestly family line. But God has plans to use Samuel, this child of a simple, pious couple who are not in the priestly family line. This is another example of God choosing an unlikely candidate to call His people back to him.

      What’s more, Eli’s sons, who are in the priestly family line, are not acceptable to the Lord. They are “scoundrels,” as we learn in I Samuel 2:12. They have no regard for the Lord or the duties of the priests to the people. Eli’s sons threaten people who bring in the meat for their sacrifices, sometimes taking the meat from them by force and eating it themselves. 1 Sam. 2:17 says,  “Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord; for they treated the offerings of the Lord with contempt.”

    Samuel’s excellent character is in sharp contrast to Eli’s sons’. Listen to what sounds like a description of Jesus as a youth in 1 Samuel 26, “Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.”

     In today’s reading, young Samuel hears the voice of God for the first time—and he doesn’t know that it is the Lord! God calls to him three times before Eli figures out that Samuel is hearing from God. Samuel obeys Eli and answers the voice, “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.” The next morning, Samuel tells Eli what he has heard and doesn’t wish to reveal—that the Lord will punish Eli and his household for the sins of his sons.  

     Amazingly, Eli accepts God’s word to him spoken through a child.

    “He is the Lord,” Eli says. “Let him do what he thinks is best.”

      Samuel grows up to be known by all Israel as a trustworthy prophet. After he serves as Israel’s priest and judge, he will be the one to anoint Saul, the first king Israel ever had. And when God later rejects Saul, Samuel anoints the most famous king of Israel—David, the shepherd boy who brought down the giant Goliath with a slingshot and a small stone.

      One other interesting thing about Samuel is that he is traditionally considered the author of the book of Ruth, the story of David’s great grandmother, a Moabite woman—another unlikely candidate whom God chooses for His purposes. Ruth married into an Israelite family and accepted the descendants of Abraham as her people—and their God as her God.

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     What can we learn from Samuel’s story?

     First, that God blesses the faithful and those persistent in prayer, with no regard to wealth, status, tradition or family name. Hannah continues to seek the Lord in prayer, though her heart is breaking and others try to discourage her that God has “closed her womb.”

     Let us be persistent in prayer for the children of our faith community, asking the Lord to reveal their gifts and His will so that we may help them learn to use their gifts for Him.

     Second, God often uses unlikely candidates to lead his people. So we can expect the unexpected. If you are thinking no way can God use you to accomplish something wonderful for Him—think again!

      Third, the righteous response to answered prayer is gratitude and a lifelong commitment to God’s service. Gratitude isn’t just saying thank you to God before meals; gratitude is a way of life. It reflects the peace of Christ within us and our belief in God’s goodness and everlasting faithfulness to us.

     And finally, we can learn from Samuel’s spiritual gifts being nurtured at home and in their house of worship. Both the family and faith community raised Samuel in the Lord. His parents continued to encourage him in his calling, visiting him when they came to the temple to make their offering, bringing their son a new priestly linen robe each year that Hannah sewed for him to wear.

     Friends, by sharing your faith and praying and reading the Bible with your children at home, you are honoring the promise you made at your children’s baptism to nurture them in the Lord. You are also honoring your promise by bringing them to Sunday school and worship each week. Finally, when you participate in church activities and encourage your children’s participation, you are allowing your brothers and sisters in Christ the opportunity to honor their promise to help you raise your children in the faith.

     Remember, there are blessings for those who keep their promises to God! Hannah kept her promise—and the Lord gave five more children to a woman who was previously barren.

      Let us be grateful for God’s many blessings to us—and His continual faithfulness to our church. Year after year, for more than a century, the Lord has entrusted this congregation with children and families to nurture in His Word and His ways. Whether we have 5 children in Sunday school or 25, we take our responsibility seriously. Each one has gifts and talents yet to be revealed—waiting to be developed for Him.

    May we all be faithful to God’s call.

    Among our 5 or 25 children, there may be a future prophet like young Samuel, who heard God’s voice when he was just a little boy, but didn’t know who it was. Not until a grown up told him so. And taught him to respond, “Speak, Lord. For your servant is listening.”

Let us pray.

Holy One, we lift up our voices in thanks and praise—for all the saints who have gone before us, for Samuel and Hannah and all the examples of those who have been faithful to serve you throughout their lives. Thank you for giving up your Son for our sake, when we couldn’t find our way back to you and were lost in sin and darkness, much like Eli’s sons. Thank you for your Spirit that cleanses us from all unrighteousness when we confess our sins with truly repentant hearts. We ask, Lord, that you speak to us and that we would be able to hear your voice and respond in obedience. Guide and equip us to be good teachers and models of the faith for all of the young people in our church and community. Give us the enthusiasm, joy and compassion needed to disciple children and families in your ways. Help us to live a lifestyle of gratitude, reflecting our belief in your goodness and everlasting faithfulness to us—from generation to generation. In Christ we pray. Amen.