“And the Lord came, and stood,
and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel.
Then Samuel answered,
Speak; for thy servant heareth.”
I Samuel 3:10, KJV
I Samuel 3:1-10 is a familiar story about the time Samuel was being called by the Lord. At first Samuel didn’t realize it was the Lord calling him. He thought it was Eli so he went to see what he wanted, but Eli said he didn’t call him. This happened three times. Finally Eli realized the Lord must have been calling Samuel and told him to answer Speak, for thy servant heareth”.
Surroundings. Take a look at the entire chapter of I Samuel 3. What were the surroundings like for Samuel when he heard the voice? Our surroundings have bearing (and influence) on what we are hearing.
- Temple. Verse 3 tells us that Samuel was living and serving in the temple. The temple (or church) is a good place where God is likely to speak to someone.
- Lamp. Verse 3 also tells us that the Lamp of God lit the temple. Jesus is the Light of the World so a lamp could be symbolic of God speaking to us, but be careful because Satan can make any light look like the Light to trick us.
- Bed. Again in verse 3, we also learn that Samuel had laid down to sleep. So there must have been a bed or a mat for him to sleep on. God sometimes speaks through dreams while we’re sleeping or in stillness while we are lying down resting.
- Distance. In verse 5 we see that Samuel ran to Eli, so there must have been a significant distance between the places they each slept. Samuel thought he heard Eli calling to him and since Eli was very old and Samuel was there to serve, he ran to Eli to see what he needed.
Action. The verse says the Lord came and stood. Remember we talked about how standing precedes action and prepares us to be on the move. The Lord was standing because He had an important message for Samuel and ultimately for Eli and his sons, and He wanted to make sure it was heard and carried out. The Lord spoke to Samuel which is also action.
Sometimes siblings like to play tricks on each other and say mom (or dad) is calling you so they go find the parent and knew they’d been tricked when the parent said they didn’t call for them. This was no trick for Samuel. The Lord was really calling Samuel.
Repetition. You know what they say about remembering a new name, right? Repeating the name a couple of times will help you remember it. The first time Samuel heard the voice, he thought it was Eli, so he went to him, but Eli told him he didn’t call him. The second time Samuel heard the voice, he again thought it was Eli, but it wasn’t. The third time Eli caught on that it was the Lord calling Samuel and told him to say Speak; for thy servant heareth. Sometimes we don’t recognize God’s voice the first time or think it’s Him but we’re not sure. So God is gracious and repeats Himself until we hear Him.
Acknowledge. Once you hear God’s voice, you must decide if you’re going to acknowledge it. Have you ever had this conversation? The trash needs to go out. A period of time goes by so you repeat it, The trash needs to go out. Still no response. So you say, Did you hear what I said? The trash needs to go out. The person you were talking to did not acknowledge what you said to them. No doubt they heard you but didn’t chose to acknowledge it, listen to the statement, nor respond with the appropriate action.
When Samuel heard the voice, he responded immediately and went to Eli the three times, and then responded to the Lord. When you hear God’s voice telling you to do something, will you acknowledge it and take appropriate action? If you keep hearing the same voice telling you the same thing over and over, it’s likely God is trying to get your attention. If you also hear it from other people and places, it could be a confirmation that the Lord is speaking to you. Listen closely, confirm it against God’s Word, pray about it, and pay attention for further instructions.
Obedience. The timing of obedience is different for different situations. There are times when the act of obedience doesn’t have a specific time as long as it’s completed such as visiting a shut-in. Other times it is time sensitive or even an urgent matter perhaps akin to a sickness or emergency situation. Obedience could even include planning and preparation such as prior to going on a missions trip or changing jobs or moving. So obedience may look a little different in each of those situations, but obedience is required nonetheless.
In the next post we’ll learn about Isaiah’s response to God.
PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, please give me a discerning ear to know for sure that it is You speaking to me so that I may respond to what I hear.
- Week 1 – temptation
- Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
- Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
- Week 4 – God’s love for us
- Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
- Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
- Easter – resurrection and salvation