"Samuel’s Calling” – 1 Samuel 3:1-21

Samuel’s Calling and the Rarity of Revelation in Israel

We're, once again, in the book of 1 Samuel, and we are in chapter three. I'm not sure if I'll have the time to go through the entire chapter, but that's, we'll get started with it and see how far we get.

This is quite a informative chapter of not only what God was doing sovereignly, but also as to how he worked sovereignly to set things up for the future kings. So before we start, let's just open in prayer.

Heavenly Father, we just thank you this morning for the privilege of being able to gather together to collectively worship you and to praise you. We thank you, Father, for your word. We thank you for your Holy Spirit that gives us illumination.

And I pray, as we study this text from 1 Samuel, that you would illuminate our hearts and understanding, and that you would grant us the ability to appropriate and apply the truths from this text. We just give you thanks now and ask that you would be glorified as we study and examine your word.

We ask this in Jesus' precious name, amen. Well, I'm gonna read the first seven verses or so, and then we'll continue from there. Chapter three of 1 Samuel, verse one. Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli.

And word from the Lord was rare in those days. Visions were infrequent. It happened at the time as Eli was lying down in his place. Now his eyesight had begun to grow dim, and he could not see well. And the lamp of God had not yet gone out.

And Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. That the Lord called Samuel, and he said, here I am. Then he ran to Eli and said, here I am, for you called me. But he said, I did not call.

Lie down again. He went and lay down again. The Lord called yet again Samuel. So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, here I am, you called me. But he answered, I did not call, my son. Lie down again.

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord been revealed to him. We'll stop there. As we begin to look at this, we can see how God calls Samuel to be his faithful prophet. And he was a young man, and he was ministering for the Lord under the tutelage and teaching of Eli, the high priest.

Revelation was rare in those days of the judges. But we see in this chapter, God calls Samuel to speak to Eli. God was going to establish Samuel as his faithful servant. He establishes Samuel as a prophet and a judge during a period of time when Israel truly needed to hear the word of God.

The child Hannah in Elkanah was dedicated to be a servant of the Lord. Now he was growing in stature as well as favor, both with man and with God. Though Samuel would hear from God, when God speaks to Samuel, he thinks it's Eli summoning him.

Many of the great figures in the Bible, as they had their lives of service, began with a dramatic call from God, including Abraham, Moses, now Samuel, and also the prophet Isaiah, as well as the apostle Paul in the New Testament in Acts chapter nine.

So in verse one, it says, "'Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord "'before Eli, and word from the Lord "'was rare in those days. "'Visions were infrequent. "'From Joshua to Samuel, which was the period of judges, "'there were only two other prophets which appeared.

"'Deborah was a prophetess.'". In Judges 4 .4, it says this. "'Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, "'was judging Israel at that time "'in an unnamed prophet in the book of Judges, "'chapter six, verses seven and eight.

"'Now it came about when the sons of Israel "'cried to the Lord on account of Midian, "'that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, "'and he said to them, "'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "'It was I who brought you up from Egypt "'and brought you out from the house of slavery.'".

So most biblical scholars considered that Samuel was about somewhere around 12 years old during this portion of chapter three, verses four through 14. In chapter three, verse two, we read, "'It happened at that time Eli was laying down in his place.

"'Now his eyesight had begun to grow dim, "'so he could not see well. "'While Eli was going blind, "'Samuel received a vision from the Lord. "'While Eli was lying down in his place.'". This suggested a room or chamber off the tabernacle.

Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the Ark of God was. The word temple refers to the translation of the original Hebrew word tabernacle. There was a place in which there were chambers provided for the high priest as well as those who attended him.

So they had rooms in this tabernacle. The lamp, having not yet gone out, shows that this account took place during the latter part of the night in which both Eli and Samuel were soundly sleeping. The candle, Abram, was to burn continually.

These were the instructions given by Moses from the Lord. In Exodus 27, 20, it says this. "'You shall charge the sons of Israel "'that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives "'for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.'".

Aaron was also commanded in Exodus 30, verses seven and eight. "'Aaron shall burn lamps, fragrant incense on it. "'He shall burn every morning when he trims the lamps. "'When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, "'he shall burn incense.

"'There shall be a perpetual incense before the Lord "'throughout your generations.'". So those were the clear directives from Moses as God gave them. As Aaron was commanded to burn this lamp and light it every morning and evening, he was also to supply it with oil so it would continue to burn.

The night would be far advanced and the morning near before it went out. And that was the job of Samuel to fuel the lamp and continue to keep it burning. Now in verse four, that the Lord calls Samuel and he said, "'Here I am.'".

Well, as Samuel was asleep, he hears the voice calling him. It awakens him. Naturally, he hurries and goes to Eli's room. He thought it was Eli that was speaking to him. So they must have had separate rooms within the temple area.

Eli had not yet heard the voice and concluding that it was a mistake, he instructed Samuel to go back to bed. Then in verse five, he says this. Then he ran to Eli and said, "'Here I am, for you called me.'.

But he said, "'I did not call you. "'Lie down again.'. So he went and lay down.". This indicates that Samuel was a faithful servant. He thought he heard Eli again. So he jumped up, ran into Eli's room and asked him what he needed.

Samuel's response was swift and yet not knowing that it was the Lord himself calling at this point. In verses six and seven, the Lord called yet again Samuel. So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "'Here I am, you called me.'.

But he answered, "'I did not call my son. "'Lie down again.'". Now Samuel did not know the Lord nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed. Here again, we see the swift response of Samuel. He presumed that the high priest had called him several times and yet he didn't know that this was the Lord calling Samuel.

This gives us the reason why Samuel had made the mistake. He lived in the adjacent room or he slept in the adjacent room. The voice apparently sounded similar to Eli and he was in a deep sleep, heard the voice, responded and went to Eli.

Well, it says that Samuel did not yet know the Lord. This is verse seven. Nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. Well, this is a troublesome verse in many ways. Here's Samuel, he was 12 years old and it said, he did not yet know the Lord.

Now, back in chapter two, in verse 12, says this, now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. The same phrase, they did not know the Lord. However, if any of you have the King James Version, it reads differently.

It says, they did not know the Lord. The sons of Eli were sons of Belial. They knew not the Lord. So they were, the word Belial was a word that meant worthless, no good. It doesn't have the same meaning in the chapter we're currently reading in verse seven of chapter three.

This is a bit difficult in the translation of this. Samuel had knowledge of God. He also had knowledge of the Pentateuch. And also, what had been taught to him by Hannah as she visited the tabernacle every year.

So he was being taught as well as Eli, the high priest, was also teaching Samuel. So he had assisted the high priest. He had witnessed the sacrifices and offerings at the tabernacle in Shiloh. But now, we see the calling of Samuel by God.

This calling was not only reveals God's grace, both in returning to Israel with the word, but also with his patience with Samuel. Samuel lacked understanding, but this also provides a remarkable instance of a prophetic inspiration.

For here, we not only see the calling of a prophet, but we also have the first in a long line of prophets who will serve under Israel's kings. Samuel had been ignorant of the voice of the Lord. By that, he did not ever hear the Lord speak.

He was familiar with the Lord from the scriptures, from the Pentateuch. So we know that he had knowledge of God, and yet, as we look at this text, I went to Matthew Henry, one of the theologians that had a commentary on this, and Matthew Henry says this regarding verse seven.

Before Samuel knew the Lord, and before the word of the Lord was revealed to him, he blundered one time after another, but afterwards, he understood his duty better. The witness of the Spirit in the hearts of the faithful is often mistaken.

Samuel went to Eli the second and third time, the voice perhaps resembling Eli's, and the child being very near to him tells Eli with great assurance, "'Here I am, for you called me.'". So we may not fully understand the exact spiritual state prior to God revealing himself to Samuel.

We know that God had sovereignly chosen Samuel as his servant. He would be a prophet as well as a judge over Israel. When God called his prophets and servant, he did so by direct revelation. So as he called the prophets, he spoke to them directly.

Same thing happened in Damascus, on the road to Damascus with Paul. God speaks to his people today, how? Through his word, not a still, quiet voice, but through the inspired word of God. So he gives us his very word.

Divine Inspiration and God’s Direct Revelation to the Prophets

The apostle Peter gave us the understanding of divine inspiration in 2 Peter 1, verse 21, this familiar passage. For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

The men who wrote the Bible spoke from God. That is, they delivered us the message that God gave them. The entire process of the scriptures were supervised and carried along by the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul gives us another definition of this inspiration in chapter two of Timothy, another familiar verse, 316.

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. All scripture is God-breathed.

So when we say the Bible's inspired by God, we can also say that God's revelation was breathed out from God. So just as God spoke to Samuel as to provide his word to Eli and later reveal his word to all Israel, so also God spoke to the prophets and the apostles in order that his revealed word might be provided to us through the Bible.

Here in the beginning of the prophetic era, the calling of Samuel was the most basic form of divine revelation, God speaking directly to Samuel. By God giving direct revelation to the child Samuel, it was even a deeper rebuke for Eli.

For now, he would hear from Samuel the message of God. Think of it, here's the high priest. He had been a servant of God for many years. At this point, he's an older man. And what he had done is found out that his sons were committing atrocious, vile acts at the tabernacle in Shiloh.

What did he do? He just rebuked them mildly. What should he have done? He knew the Levitical law. He could probably quote it in the Levitical law in chapter 22 says that anyone who blasphemes the Lord should be stoned to death.

So his sons, for their penalty, for the disgraceful acts that they had committed at the tabernacle was punishable by death. Yet that's not what Eli did. Whether he was soft at this time or just fearful of carrying out this judgment upon his own sons, it may have been both.

God’s Judgment on Eli’s House and the Need for Real Repentance

In verses eight and nine, so the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, here I am, for you called me. Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy.

And Eli said to Samuel, go lie down. And if it shall be, if he calls you, that you shall speak, say this, speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. So Samuel went and laid down in his place. We can understand how this 12-year-old boy was mistaking God's calling and thinking it was Eli, the high priest.

It probably happened numerous times in his caretaking at the tabernacle. But this time, it was the Lord God, Jehovah, speaking to him. We might be able to see from this text that Eli had not yet discerned that it was indeed the Lord himself speaking these three times prior.

And this would also reflect the spiritual condition of Eli himself, the lack of sensitivity of not understanding that this may be the Lord speaking to Samuel. Finally figured out that it was the Lord.

And he instructed him in that way. At this point, Eli instructs Samuel as how to respond. He told Samuel to respond in this way. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. However, in verse 10, then the Lord came and stood and called as at the other times.

Samuel, Samuel, and Samuel said, speak, for your servant is listening. Notice what he left out. When Samuel had laid down again, the Lord came and stood and called as other times. Samuel, Samuel. He repeated Samuel's name twice.

These words show that the revelation to Samuel was objectively real. This was not a dream or a vision. God himself in person speaking directly to Samuel. The Lord actually came and stood by in Samuel's presence.

It's understandable that Samuel didn't respond to the Lord the way he had been instructed by Eli because now the Lord God himself was speaking to him. Instead of saying, speak, Lord, for your servant is listening, he said, speak, for your servant is listening.

He omitted the word Lord.

Why?

It could have been many reasons. Scripture doesn't tell us. Could have been that he was in such a state of awe seeing the Lord God himself that he forgot exactly what he was supposed to respond with. God's message.

In verse 11, the Lord said to Samuel, behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel in which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. That's a strange way to say something, it appears. But yet it was also repeated in several other places.

It was used in 2 Kings 21, 12, and also in Jeremiah 19, three. The same exact terms. It will make their ears tingle. When God was going to bring some dramatic event, it would cause all of Israel to be alerted.

They would all know and they would hear as the word spread what God was doing. The same thing was going to happen here. God's message to Samuel was brief and to the point. The Lord basically reveals in a brief form the same message that he gave directly to Eli in chapter two in verses 27 through 34 regarding the judgment that he would bring upon Eli's sons as well as Eli's household.

There would never, ever be another servant of God out of the line of Eli. This judgment was a result of the wicked Samuel's boys, his sons, they were men. They're atrocious and vile acts, but also the fact that he did not carry out what the Levitical law required for such a sin as this.

So this judgment was stern. The judgment which is about to be carried out, which will happen in chapter four in verses 10 through 18, is from God, which he prophesied to Eli. The message which God conveyed to Eli was much lengthier.

This is an abbreviated message. He conveyed it to Samuel. However, the message was a sad message of wrath to reiterate the former message that he had been given in chapter two. The brief message given to Samuel concerned both the sin and the punishment of Eli's sons as well as Eli.

The mild reproof was simply a verbal rebuke. It was unsatisfactory. It was wicked because Eli did not follow the Levitical law. By the way, that's in Leviticus 24, verses 15 and 16, calling for the stoning of anyone who blasphemes the Lord God.

The statement of judgment makes some important points. The first is that God judges sin with severity that it deserves. The sins of Eli's sons were a gross offense to the Lord and his justice demanded a reckoning.

God had pronounced his judgment upon them and chapter two, the sins of Eli would surely be brought to death. Eli would suffer also the judgment upon his household. In verse 14, therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice and offerings.

His justice demanded a reckoning. There'd be no sacrifice, no offerings that Eli or anyone could make on behalf of his sons for their wicked sins. Hophni and Phinehas were doomed. God had called out their judgment.

There was nothing that would change. Though God's judgment and his punishment would be carried out in the future, we have to recognize a lot of times God will allow men or women time to repent. They're reproved and they're corrected and if they don't change their ways, God will carry out his needful chastisement.

Some Christians, by downplaying the Bible's denunciation of sin, think that they are somehow being kind and making it easier for people to respond to the gospel. To remove or minimize the impact of sin makes not just a watered down gospel, it makes it no gospel at all.

The whole essence of the gospel is based on sin and God's sacrificial death to pay the penalty for sin for all those who turn to him in repentance and faith. In verse 15, Samuel laid down until morning.

Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but Samuel was afraid to tell Eli. Samuel slept till morning, then he awoke. He opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid. He did not want to tell Samuel.

Or you could imagine, here's this 12 year old lad who is serving the high priest at the tabernacle and now he's been given the same message that Eli had, only in an abbreviated version. He was fearful to do so.

Originally, when the tabernacle was simply a tent, they would pick up and move the tents and it just had a tent flap to enter the holy place and the court. But when Israel conquered the land of Canaan, they built houses and they also built the temples and tabernacles.

All the tabernacles had doors, they had chambers for those to sleep at night and God had honored Samuel above all children and now he was proud and carried out his duties with humble submission. Samuel knowing that this message was from God, it wasn't to him personally.

God gives messages to prophets so that prophets can instruct the people. This message from God was for Eli. Samuel slept till morning. In verse 15, Samuel laid down until morning, then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but Samuel was afraid to tell Eli.

Samuel's fear of telling Eli the vision or the message from God is understandable. He served Eli, he understood the responsibilities that Eli had and he knew in his frailty by telling them this message, this severe message of God's judgment that it might cause even more affliction for Eli.

Eli’s Humble Submission and Samuel’s Established Ministry

Verses 16 and 17. Then Eli called Samuel and said, Samuel, my son, and he said, here I am. What is the word that he spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do to you and more so if you hide anything from me of all the words that he's spoken to you.

Though Samuel was timid, his duty was to tell Eli this. Even though he knew that either Eli or sons would be restored by any sacrificial offerings, he also knew the prophecy was given to him. So you can imagine the state that Eli was in.

He recognized that he had sinned grievously before the Lord as the high priest and yet he was getting this sentence brought to him by a 12-year-old boy. That's dramatic for Eli. So he wanted to hear every word.

Not only did he want to hear it, but he even said so with a threat. If he didn't tell him every word that God had spoken to Samuel, he was gonna call upon God to do everything to him in greater portion than he did, that he was gonna carry out upon Eli.

In verse 18, so Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, it is the Lord. Let him do what seems to him, good to him. Think about, this is Eli's response to this prophecy. And he said, it is the Lord.

Let him do what seems good to him. Notice the great change in Eli's attitude instantly when Samuel told him of this prophecy. He was humble, he was respectful, and he received it humbly. It would appear at this point that Eli bowed in submission to God's righteous judgment upon him as well as upon his household.

As God's people, we should always willfully submit to God's correction, his chastisement as a loving God to a son. Says this in the book of Hebrews chapter 12, verse six. For those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines and he scourges every son whom he receives.

It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom the father does not discipline? But if you're without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

So in other words, when God disciplines, it's for our good. If we're not disciplined, if we think that we're Christians and we're not disciplined when we sin, then we better examine ourselves because he says they're illegitimate children and not sons.

The Lord has ceased to speak by Eli, but when the old priest perceived that the Lord had spoken to the child Samuel, he showed no personal or official jealousy. On the contrary, he kindly encouraged Samuel and directed him how to receive the heavenly message.

He did not attempt to defend himself or scoff at God. He knew that it was a just punishment and he received it from this young prophet. This does show that Eli had failed as a high priest over Israel, that yet he was still a teachable man.

He received this direction from God with humility. Verse 19, thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and he let none of his words fail. What does that mean? God did honor Samuel and whenever Samuel said something as a prophet, it proved to be true and was accomplished in its season.

Jehovah was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. In other words, no prophecy from God would go unfulfilled. God not only chose Samuel, he also spoke through Samuel. The power of God's call upon Samuel's life is shown in the faithfulness of God's presence with his ministry.

Verse 19 shows also the power of God on Samuel's life and his presence with Samuel's ministry. Any ability that we as Christians might have in order to minister or carry out God's desire is all a result of God's sovereign grace.

It is him who works in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Verse 20, all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as the prophet of the Lord. All the people honored Samuel because they knew he had been established as their prophet and judge over Israel.

And they also knew that he was appointed by God and was God's servant to carry out God's plan for Israel. The people knew that, they welcomed it, and they loved Samuel. Verse 21, and the Lord appeared again at Shiloh because the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

Samuel was established by the Lord and the people who came to Shiloh to worship and offer sacrifices all knew that this young servant that God had appointed, even at this young age, was to be respected.

And they did so. And word spread throughout Israel. God was honoring his servant as his servant honored God. These three verses really form the transition from the call of Samuel to the following account of his prophetic labors in Israel.

Samuel had become a very useful servant in the hands of God. We can really learn from this text. The great importance of honoring God in all that we do, not just when we're at a worship service, not just when we're working, but throughout our lives and our thoughts and our behavior.

We want to honor God. He has his word for us, which is his perfect will. And there's no other place to be than in the center of God's will. I wanna close with these two passages from Psalms. Psalms. In Psalm 19, verses seven through nine, the psalmist says this.

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether. And then in Psalm 119, verses 33 through 35, the psalmist says this. Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I shall observe it to the end.

Give me understanding that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart. Make me walk in the path of your commandments. These emphasis on focusing on obedience to God is what God's called us to.

I hope that this text really gives us a vision of who God is and his greatness and how he is glorified when one honors him and he also carries out his righteous judgment upon all those who don't turn to him.

So let's close in prayer. And before we go, I just wanna remind you once again, the youth is continuing their class until 10 .30. So if you do gather to visit our fellowship, please give room to that area so it doesn't disrupt their class.

Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you, Lord, that you have granted us your grace unto salvation and you have given us your word to not only know you and obey you, but also that transforms our lives as we, by your grace, obey your word.

We just ask this morning that you would be glorified as we worship you, as your word is proclaimed and the message, and as we sing songs and praise to you, Lord, may all we do bring glory to your holy name.

We pray this in Jesus' precious name, amen.