As we saw in the previous post, God speaks directly to Samuel. But why? God does not speak directly to the priests Hophni or Phineas. God does not speak to their father, the priest Eli. In today’s post, we learn how Samuel put himself in a position to hear directly from God.
But first, we need to hear what God says to Samuel. In the previous post, God simply called out to Samuel. Samuel misunderstood, thinking it was Eli calling him, as it was the middle of the night. Eventually Eli realizes that God must be speaking to Samuel, so Eli tells Samuel that it is God. Read what God says to Samuel, in 1 Samuel chapter 3, verse 11 through chapter 4, verse 1. Then come back to this post.
Can you imagine being Samuel having tell his boss and mentor, Eli, that God just told him that God is about to judge Eli and Eli’s family? I wonder if Samuel couldn’t sleep after that. But the next morning Eli requires Samuel to tell him what God said, the good, the bad, the ugly. It is so difficult when we have to be the bearer of bad news, isn’t it?
But Samuel is steadfast. Not only does he tell Eli the bad news from God, Samuel also continues to faithfully serve the Lord. As the years go by, Samuel becomes a great prophet in all the land. Why? Because he placed himself in a position to hear from God, by serving God.
That is the first foundational step to hearing from God. We place ourselves in a position to hear from God when our hearts are teachable, humble, and we are striving to serve to him. Humility doesn’t mean we need to be perfect. Perfection is impossible. God doesn’t expect perfection from us. Sometimes God chooses to speak clearly to people who are opposed to him.
In our story, that’s what God is doing with Hophni and Phineas. God is speaking to them through the words of the unnamed prophet, whose message then is conveyed to them through their father. But because their hearts are not humble, not teachable, they don’t care to hear from God. Though they are religious leaders, Hophni and Phineas are not seeking God inwardly or outwardly. They are self-deceived, addicted to gaining wealth and pleasure, not interested in the heart of God.
Samuel, however, has both a humble, teachable heart, and he is actively listening. When God calls, Samuel is ready.
This story is a wonderful reminder to us to be nurturing humble, teachable hearts, eager to hear from God, and then actively listening.
But how do we listen? We’ll talk about that in the next post.
Photo by Markus Bräuer on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 