A Great Cloud of Witnesses: Samuel

We are continuing our series, “A Great Cloud of Witnesses”. Hebrews 11 has 17 individuals, mentioned by name, that serve as witnesses or testimonies of faith. Several more are referred to by the things they experienced or endured, because of their faith. The great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11 testify about the power, love and faithfulness of God.

Picking up where we left off...

Hebrews 11:32–34 (NASB)

32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Some Samuel details...

Prayed for by his mother Hannah before she ever conceived.

Dedicated to service of the Lord as a little boy.

Judge and prophet in Israel.

Appointed and anointed Saul as King of Israel.

Called thunder and rain down from heaven.

Seized Agag, King of Amalek and chopped him to pieces

Anointed David as king to replace Saul.

Faithfully served the Lord all the days of his life.

The Holy Spirit inspired Samuel to write two complete books of the Bible, the books of Judges and Ruth and He also wrote the first 1/2 of 1 & 2 Samuel, Nathan finished them after he died.

We zooming in on 1 Samuel 3 and God’s call to Samuel and Samuel’s response to that call when he was just a boy. In our text we will clearly see his faith in the Lord and discover ways God wants to work in us and through us on the basis of faith. We just need to have faith like a child, just like the boy Samuel did.

1 Samuel 3:1–21 (NASB)

1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. 2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), 3 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, 4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. 8 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. 9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 “In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 “For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. 14 “Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.” 19 Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail. 20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

Be available.

(v. 1-9) 1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. 2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), 3 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, 4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. 8 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.

1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.

The Hebrew for infrequent really means, “not breaking through”. In other words, it was more like the visions of God were not being recieved not that God wasn’t sending them. Rarely did the people have a word from God because they were distracted.

We are very distracted today. We are preoccupied with what we want and with our agenda and instead of life being about God and what He would have for us to do, we try to fit God in to our lives rather that give ourselves over fully to Him.

(v. 1) 1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord

(v. 4-5) 4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

(v. 6) 6 The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.”

(v. 8) 8 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.

Isaiah 6:8 (NASB)

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Acts 2:42–43 (NASB)

42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

Acts 2:46–47 (NASB)

46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Be attentive.

9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.

The Hebrew for infrequent really means, “not breaking through”. In other words, it was more like the visions of God were not being recieved not that God wasn’t sending them. Rarely did the people have a word from God because they were not paying attention. They were not attentive.

Most Americans not only own a bible, they own multiple Bibles. Most hotels have Bibles in every room that have been place there by the Gideons. We have access to it on the computer and our phones. We have to word of God all over the place (except in the schools and the courthouse, they took it out of there). All this to say, It isn’t that God isn’t speaking today, it is that we aren’t attentive to His words.

Proverbs 2:2 (NASB)

2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;

Matthew 11:15 (NASB)

15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Psalm 1:1–2 (NASB)

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! [Avoid all the distractions] 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. [Be attentive to the word of the Lord]

Acts 2:42 (NASB)

42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching...

Be assured.

11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 “In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 “For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. 14 “Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.” 19 Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail.

Hebrews 11:1 (NASB)

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Isaiah 46:8–9 (NASB)

8 “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you sinners. 9 ...For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me...

Romans 4:21 (NASB)

21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

The importance of standing firm on the word of God. (also the necessity of gold parenting and biblical discipline (church too).

1 Samuel 2:22–25 (NASB)

22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 23 He said to them, “Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people? 24 “No, my sons; for the report is not good which I hear the Lord’s people circulating. 25 “If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the Lord desired to put them to death.

1 Samuel 3:12-14 (NASB)

12 “In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 “For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. 14 “Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

(v. 15) ...Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

(v. 18) ...Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him.

2 Timothy 4:2 (NASB)

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

2 Corinthians 3:4–5 (NASB)

4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God...

Be amazed.

19 Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail. 20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

Hebrews 11:33–34 (NASB)

33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

These things are amazing!

Matthew 9:33 (NASB) [Jesus delivered a demon possessed man]

33 After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

Mark 2:12 (ESV) [Jesus healed the paralytic]

12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Acts 4:13 (NASB) [Preaching w/ Spirit filled boldness]

13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

Matthew 7:28 (NASB)

28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching;

John 6:68–69 (NASB)

68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

Are you available to God?

Are you attentive to His word?

Are you living in the assurance of the truth of God’s word?

If you make yourself available and surrender to Him, by faith, and if you will be attentive the the word of the Lord and put it into practice, be assured, you will be amazed and what God will do in you and through you.

Memory Verse of the Week:

2 Timothy 4:2 (NASB)

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

Bible Study Questions:

What does this Scripture teach us about God?

What does this Scripture teach us about man?

What does this Scripture teach us about the Lord?

Do you see any commands to obey or principles to apply?

Do you see any promises to claim or blessings to enjoy?

Do you see any truths to meditate on or Gospel messages to share?

Did anything else in the passage stick out to you?