Previously in 1 Samuel, we saw the corruption of the priesthood. Rather than being servants to the people as a man of God is supposed to be, Eli’s sons were serving themselves by taking from the people’s sacrifices which God had not prescribed for them to do. If anyone protested, they would threaten them with violence. They were also having sex with women that came to the tabernacle, incorporating the Canaanite idolatrous practices into the worship of the Lord. As we saw, the Lord sent a prophet to pronounce judgment on Eli and his sons, and as a sign those things would be fulfilled, his sons, Hophni, and Phinehas, would both die in the same day. In this chapter we will see how the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel personally.
We are told again that Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. The fact the Holy Spirit points this out to us three times means that Samuel was faithful in his duties. We see quite often in the Scriptures that God calls a man when he is already busy doing something. He is not sitting around lazily waiting for something to happen. David was taking care of his father’s sheep, Peter was a fisherman, Paul was a tent maker by trade, etc. The Lord wants to see that we are making the best out of the gifts and resources He has already given us.
We are also told that the word of the Lord was precious in those days, for there was no open vision. I believe the reason for this was clear: the Lord was not speaking because nobody wanted to listen. Everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes, so they did not have an appetite for the word of God. This is another striking resemblance of today. People want to do what is right in their own eyes, so they do not have an appetite for sound biblical teaching. They then look for Churches and pastors that tell them what they want to hear and make them feel good about themselves, rather than teach and equip them for the work of the ministry. Sadly, this only perpetuates the downward spiral of a society unless the Lord sovereignly intervenes, and the Lord was about to do just that.
It was at this time that one night Eli was going to sleep. He was an old man (probably around 98 years old), and his eyesight was poor due to his age. The priests were commanded to keep the lamp of God burning always, but Eli would let it burn out overnight. The lamp, a symbol of our devotion and witness for the Lord, is to never go out. This, no doubt, was indicative of Eli’s spiritual state as well. Especially today, it is ever more important to be filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit and trimmed by the word of God and His discipline.
Well, Samuel had also lay down for the night when the Lord called out to him. We don’t know how old Samuel was at this point, but Josephus states he was 12. As one commentator points out, the Lord spoke to him so tenderly that he thought it was Eli, and called out, “here I am.” The Lord is slow to anger and gentle (see Exodus 34:6-7 and Psalm 18:35). The Lord would have a heavy message of judgment for Eli and his house, but it was warranted and had been a long time in coming. Samuel then ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Eli responded that he had not called him, and told him to go lie down again. After Samuel had laid down, the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again, thinking it was Eli, Samuel ran to Eli to see what he wanted, and Eli told him he had not called him and to go lie down. At this point, Samuel did not know the Lord personally, nor had God spoken to him before. The Lord called Samuel a third time, and Samuel ran to Eli as before. This time, However, Eli perceived that it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel. Eli told him to go lie down, and if the Lord calls him again, to say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.” After Samuel lay down, the Lord came and stood by him and called out as He had before, “Samuel! Samuel!” Interesting, for the Lord actually came and stood by him. This was probably an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ (a Christophany). Samuel responded as Eli had instructed him, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” This should be our prayer to the Lord as well, to simply listen to what He has to say with a humble heart and the intention of obeying what He says.
The Lord told Samuel that He would do something in Israel that would make both the ears of all who heard it to tingle. In other words, whenever people hear of it, they will be amazed and astonished. In that day He will perform all that He has spoken against Eli’s house, from beginning to end. He said that He had previously told Eli that He would judge his house forever for the iniquity of his two sons that he knew of but did not restrain them. Eli was not being punished because his sons were wicked, but that he had the authority as the high priest to restrain them and did not. Our kids have sin natures just like we do, and they will make mistakes, even big ones at times. The question is how will we parent those mistakes? Solomon wrote, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6) The Lord has mercy on us because He remembers that we are dust, but He is also truthful with us because He is truth. We then should deal with our children in the same way. We can show them mercy because we love them and they make many of the same mistakes we did as kids, but the truth (and the love) side of things demands that we cannot let their sin go unchecked. Because Eli had neglected restraining his two sons, the Lord swore that the iniquity of his house would not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever. Wow! This was the second time the Lord had pronounced judgment on the house of Eli: the first time He had sent a man, but this time he sent a boy. Perhaps this was the Lord’s last-ditch effort to get through to Eli, but sadly, it would not produce genuine repentance.
It states that Samuel lay down until morning, and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli urged him, stating that God include him in the same or worse judgment if Samuel would not tell him everything. So, Samuel told him everything the Lord had said; he did not hide anything. Eli responded that it was the Lord, and to let Him do what seems good. Outwardly this sounds like a humble response, but unfortunately this is where it stopped.
Herein we see the faithfulness of God to reveal Himself to Samuel and confirm His word to Eli, and we see the faithfulness of Samuel to respond to the Lord and speak His words. Samuel could have hidden this from Eli or chosen to soften the message, but he had enough fear of God not to do so. It really comes down to who we fear the most. We may fear losing a relationship with a friend or family member that is near and dear to our hearts, but if we are unwilling to speak the truth, we are really looking out for our own self-interests rather than the good of the other person. Consider the following Scriptures: “A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.” (Pro 26:28) “Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Pro 27:5-6) Lastly, “He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.” (Pro 28:23) As we can see, even remaining silent can be deceptive, because it allows that individual to come to the mistaken conclusion that we don’t disagree with what they are doing. In contrast, if we fear God, we will love our neighbor enough to tell them the truth, for it is the truth that sets them free. It is also clear however, that Sameul did this with a right heart, and this is evidenced by the fact that he did not enjoy giving such a message of pending judgment to Eli. God’s wrath is clearly coming on the nonbeliever, but we should be careful not to take on a self-righteous attitude, for we were once in their shoes. Our motivation should be, out of love and gratitude for what the Lord has done for us, to give them the bad news in order to convince them they are in need of the good news, that is salvation through Jesus Christ.
I am convinced this is what made Samuel’s ministry so successful; he spoke the entire word of the Lord regardless of the outcome. It goes on to tell us that Samuel grew, the Lord was with him, and He let none of his words fall to the ground. In other words, whenever he spoke on the Lord’s behalf, he was correct and accurate. This would be a stark contrast to the many false prophets that would follow in their nation’s history. Not only this, as we will see later, Samuel genuinely cared for the people, which also was a stark contrast to Eli and his sons. Even as a young man, it became apparent to the whole nation that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. Having none of your words fall to the ground is an amazing testimony, but we have even a “more sure” word of prophecy today, that is the Testimony of Jesus Christ, the spirit of prophecy. The totality of the Scriptures have as their main function to point mankind to Jesus Christ. Spurgeon stated, “The page of inspiration is fragrant with the name of Jesus. He is the top line of the entire volume, and in the Greek word I see a half allusion to this. He is the head-line of contents to every chapter of Scripture. He is of all Scripture the sum. ‘In the beginning was the word.’ Everything speaks of him. The Pentateuch, and the books of the prophets, and the Psalms, and the gospels, and the epistles all speak of him. ‘In the volume of the book it is written of me.’” We cannot go wrong if we stick to preaching Jesus Christ (the Word of God) and the plain teaching of the Scriptures. We’ll never have perfect understanding or interpretation this side of eternity, but the Lord and His word remain constant and true. It goes on to say that the Lord appeared again to Samuel in Shiloh, and revealed Himself by the word of the Lord. The primary way God reveals Himself to us is through the word of God. He is the God of the word, and if we seek Him He will make Himself known to us through it.
Up until this point, Samuel did not know the Lord personally, but the Lord had revealed Himself to him in a very unique and special way. He gained a personal relationship and a calling for ministry at the same time. Maybe you are reading this post, and the Spirit of God is speaking to your heart, calling your name. Faithfully serving is not enough, neither is obeying religious rituals, even if they are found in the Scriptures. He wants you to have a personal relationship with Him, and the way to do this is by trusting in His Son Jesus Christ for salvation. Maybe you are saved, and the Lord is calling you to some sort of ministry. If He is, you will know, for He will make it clear to you. Then, it is as simple as what Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. Purpose in your heart to faithfully do all that He tells you to, and speak the whole counsel of God’s word, holding back nothing. We can never go wrong in obeying the Lord and speaking His words. In the next chapter we will see the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy against Eli’s house, starting with him and his two sons.
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