1Samuel 3:1-10
He Heard God
If you are a church adult who attended church very much as a child,
you are probably familiar with our text. The reason why is because it
is the story of God calling a child into His service. The child’s
name is Samuel, and his calling gives a powerful example of how God
can use anyone, young or old. This morning, I want to look at the
account a little bit differently. I want us to also notice how God
can use His people even in the bad days.
Notice several thoughts, please.
I. There are those days.
A. What days? Some sad days. Some bad days. Some needful days.
1. The days that Samuel was born into are not that different
from the days we live.
2. We live in some sad days, some bad days, some needful days
as well.
3. How can we tell?
a. We can tell what kind of days we live in by just
looking around.
b. We can tell what kind of days Samuel lived in by
looking at the Bible verses.
B. Notice that the Bible indicates some problems with leadership
in Samuel’s days.
1. Eli was a good man and a godly leader over Israel, but the
Bible gives us two indications that he had drifted away
from the Lord.
a. Eli failed God in the way he reared his children.
1Sam 3:13 For I have told him that I will judge
his house for ever for the iniquity which he
knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile,
and he restrained them not.
(1) Eli was one of those men who lived for the Lord
at church but not at home.
(2) That is sad, bad, and serious.
b. But Eli’s eyes were also dimming.
1Sam 3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when
Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes
began to wax dim, that he could not see;
(1) It is dangerous to read too much into a verse
like this, but I can’t help but to wonder if
this maybe more than just an account of Eli’s
physical sight, maybe it is a reference
concerning his spiritual sight as well.
(a) Physically, time had been Eli’s enemy. It
had robbed him of his sight.
(b) Sadly, it seems that time was Eli’s
spiritual enemy as well.
(c) He HAD served God faithfully, but we know he
deliberately disobeyed God concerning his
children and rebellion does not limit
itself to just one area of life.
(d) Rebellion’s very nature causes it to spread.
(2) Time does not have to be your spiritual enemy.
(a) You can love God and serve Him just as
faithfully after 20 years as you did after
being saved for 20 minutes.
(b) Things will not go well when the spiritual
leaders lose their spiritual sight.
2. At least one of Eli’s sons was supposed to take Eli’s
place as the high priest of Shiloh, but they were both
very wicked.
1Sa 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of
Belial; they knew not the LORD.
a. Is it surprising? If you raise your children wrong,
should you really expect them to grow up to live
right?
b. That was another mark of a bad day, a needful day.
3. While the Bible does not say that the people of Israel in
that day were evil, it does indicate they were weak in
the Lord.
a. Sadly, most people are.
b. Most people will follow the crowd. That is tolerable
if the crowd is going the right direction, but when
the leaders appointed by God fail, they fall.
4. And at that time, even the best hope for Israel, Samuel,
was asleep and did not know God.
1Sam 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD,
neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed
unto him.
a. Again, it is dangerous to read too much into that
phrase because it demonstrates the condition of all
people.
b. We are all born lost and asleep to our spiritual
condition.
c. Somebody has to wake us up!
d. But Samuel was in danger of sleeping right into hell!
C. But the Bible also hints at the need of those days in other
ways.
1. \\#1\\ The word from God was very precious because there
were no "open visions."
a. That means there was no new word from God, no
spiritual refreshing. God had quit talking, at least
to the whole nation.
b. That is not surprising. Eli, the spiritual leader of
the nation was AWOL.
c. What happens when God quits talking to a people?
(1) The wicked get more ungodly.
(2) The godly get hungry and start looking for new
ways to hear from God.
(3) In our country, God’s people are very hungry for
God.
(4) I think one of the reasons churches are turning
to so many fads is because they want a fresh
moving of God.
(5) But fads do not work.
(6) What will?
(a) Prayer and fasting
(b) Repentance over any and all sin.
(c) Obedience to Scriptures
2. \\#3\\ The lamp of God was about to go out.
1Sam 3:3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the
temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was….
a. That verse is saying that the Eli had laid down to
sleep just before the lamp was to out.
b. The problem is that lamp was NEVER supposed to go out.
Exodus 27:20 And thou shalt command the children
of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive
beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn
always.
c. This was neglect, but not just building maintenance
neglect.
d. That lamp represented the ever-seeing presence of God
in Israel.
e. Letting it go out is like saying, "God is no longer
present in Israel!"
II. Ours is that God.
A. That is the God that continues to reach out to mankind.
1. Times were as bad then as they are today, but that did not
stop God from calling men or from reaching out to
mankind.
a. Eli had failed on God.
b. Eli’s sons and failed and quit on God.
c. Israel was weak.
d. But God was still calling to Samuel and still reaching
out to Israel at that time.
2. I am not sure that God ever quits calling, at least not
before He sends judgment.
a. I know sometimes it seems like God is not doing
anything.
b. To be honest, it has often seemed that way to me in
Green Pond.
(1) I cannot speak for the rest of the world, but we
do not see God save and change many.
(2) Some might say that God has given up on mankind.
(3) Some would say it is God’s predetermined plan.
(4) I’m thinking it’s less God’s predestination and
more man’s pre-disposition that keeps God from
working right now.
c. One thing is for certain. God kept calling right
up to the end in times past.
(1) Remember Cain and Abel? Can rose up and slew his
brother, but in the first directly before that
account, God told Cain:
Ge 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be
accepted?….
(a) Do you know that was?
(b) That was God calling to Cain, giving him yet
another opportunity to respond to Him.
(2) Remember Noah and the flood? When God called
Noah to build the Ark, the Scripture records:
Ge 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not
always strive with man, for that he also is
flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and
twenty years.
(a) Most of the time when we read that, we think
with prejudice against God, "He was
going to cut off their grace!"
(b) But the fact that He was going to quit
striving with mankind AFTER 120 years,
means that God strove with mankind for 120
years.
(c) Indeed, God strove with mankind all the way
to when the flood began!
(3) In our text, there is a statement that indicates
that God is always present, calling to mankind,
but they cannot see Him.
(a) The Lord willing, I will show you that
statement at the end of the message.
(b) But right now, give me the benefit of the
doubt and believe me when I say God
continues to reach out to mankind all the
way until His judgment begins.
B. That is the God that continues to reach out to mankind.
III. We are that child.
A. In our text, God is calling a person to serve Him.
1. That person is Samuel.
2. The Bible calls Samuel a child in \\#1Sam 3:1, 8\\.
3. We don’t know how old he was at that time, but probably
between 4, maybe 5 and 13.
4. Some think God cannot call children, but He can.
a. God can call them to salvation.
b. God can even call them to service.
c. God called the child Samuel to both at the same time.
5. God was calling Samuel to make His voice heard throughout
Israel.
a. Eli had lost his spiritual sight and was no longer
revealing God’s word to Israel.
b. Samuel was being called to take Eli’s place.
c. God wasn’t finished calling to Israel yet because He
wasn’t ready to judge Israel yet.
6. Because Samuel did not know God, even when he heard God’s
voice, he was not sure who was calling him, so he ran to
Eli several times.
a. It took Eli a few minutes to realize what was going
on, but eventually he figured out what God was doing.
b. Once he did, he helped Samuel to hear the voice of
God.
B. Believe it or not, you and I are the today’s Samuels.
1. We are the ones God is calling to tell His word to these
needful and bad days.
a. I know what some are thinking, "I am no Samuel."
b. That is okay.
(1) Samuel was no Samuel at that time.
(2) He did not know God.
(3) He had never heard God before.
(4) Samuel was so green, he did not even image it was
God speaking to him.
c. Surely you are not saying you—a saved, at least
somewhat educated and mature 21st century Christian—
are in worse shape than this child!
2. We sometimes forget is not who we are that God is calling.
It is who God wants to make us that God is calling.
3. Like Samuel, we sometimes don’t know God is calling us,
but He is; and like Samuel, we need someone to give us
some pointers on how to hear God.
4. I think Eli’s counsel was pretty God and recommend that
we do that.
C. What did Eli tell Samuel to do?
1. Go back and listen for Him.
2. When you hear God, respond to Him.
3. I would add to that, do what He says.
IV. This is where He stood.
A. Once Samuel listened, responded and heard the voice of God,
the Bible says:
1Sam 3:10 And the LORD came, and stood, and
called as at other times….
1. God CAME, STOOD, and CALLED as He had done the other
times.
2. God did not speak from heaven. He came and stood by
Samuel’s bed.
3. But God did not do that just the last time He called. God
had been coming to stand by Samuel’s bed all four times!
B. Why couldn’t Samuel see God the first three times?
1. God appears to manifest Himself first through our
spiritual hearing not our spiritual seeing.
a. Why?
b. Because "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the
Word of God."
2. It may be that the reason we cannot see God in our lives,
in our circumstances, and in our problems is because we
are not listening for Him.
a. After Samuel listened and responded to God, he could
see God in his life.
b. Today, the God you need to see is calling you.
c. Shouldn’t you be listening?
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