A Call To Listen

1 Samuel 3:1–10 ESV

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 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. Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” and 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. And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Introduction

This week we start our Foundations Series.

Over the next five weeks we are going to be looking at foundational and transformational ways we can move forward in faith.

This week we look at the role of the Bible.

Next week we look at the roles of baptism and the Lord’s Supper

On January 21 we look at what it means to be a people who receive grace and give grace.

On February 4 we look at living holy and God pleasing lives.

On February 11 we will consider what it means to live is missional witnesses in the world.

It is my belief that when we put all of those things together, both personally and as a congregation, we have the power to change our little pocket of the world.

Today we begin with a look at the role of the Bible.

We began with a passage that, on the surface may not seem to have much to do with the Bible in 1 Sam 3:1-10.

I think we will find though, that this passage speaks to the power of God’s Holy Word in our lives.

The Bible: Our Guiding Text

We read…

1 Samuel 3:1–4 ESV

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 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. Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”

In this brief passage we note a few important facts.

Samuel was, in a sense, an apprentice to Eli.

We read that the word of the Lord was rare in those days.

Keep in mind they didn’t have Bibles.

They had revelations and they had oral tradition.

The rarity of these resources led to all kinds of moral and ethical issues, which you can read about more in 1 Samuel.

Finally, we read that Samuel is about to go to sleep and the Lord calls out to him.

The Bible as we have received it today is very simply this.

IT’s God calling out to us and, with it, the word of the LORD is abundant, not rare.

As such, I want to pull back a bit and explain what the Bible is.

What Is The Bible?

The Bible, comprising the Old and New Testaments, is not just historical text; it's the unfolding narrative of God's plan.

The Old Testament prepares us for the Messiah.

It doesn’t take long to note when reading the Old Testament that there are a lot of cultural, worship, and daily living laws that we do not follow as Gentiles.

Those particular laws were designed to carve out a specific identity for the Jewish people, in preparation for the Messiah who would come.

That Messiah was Jesus.

The New Testament points to the Messiah, Jesus.

The long awaited deliverer that we just celebrated for Christmas.

The gospels describe Jesus life and ministry to us.

The rest of the New Testament describes what this means to us.

What we note is that because Jesus fulfilled everything the Old Testament pointed to, not everything in the Old testament is now required.

For example, the dietary restrictions that the Jews were required to follow were changed once the Messiah arrived.

We read in Acts 10:13-15

Acts 10:9–15 ESV

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

Do you see what happens here?

The animals were never really unclean to eat in and of themselves.

They were unclean for the Jewish people because God was setting them apart from the world.

Once the Messiah came, however, that need was fulfilled and no longer required.

Matthew 5:17 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

New Testament: Higher and Better Way

So when something changes in the New Testament it’s not simply getting rid of the Old Testament.

It’s because the new covenant creates a higher and even better way.

Indeed, what we do not see is God lowering His standards.

In several places, Jesus raises the standard for living, particularly in the Book of Matthew.

If you read the rest of Matthew 5 after verse 17, you’ll be floored by how much Jesus raises the moral and ethical standards for his followers.

We also consistently see the rest of the New Testament raise the bar of ethical and moral living rather than lowering it.

Examples are Galatians 5:14, Hebrews 8:6-13, James 2:8-12, 1 Peter 1:14-16, and 1 John 3:23-24.

This is why we always have to reject calls to lower Biblical standards on both sin and holiness.

Certain Old Testament laws no longer apply because they are fulfilled in Jesus.

On the moral and ethical laws that are required for Christian living, however, the bar is raised in the New Testament. not lowered.

Recognizing the Voice of God

So, what does this mean for us?

I love Samuel’s response once he is told by Eli to go back and listen to God’s voice.

1 Samuel 3:10 ESV

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Speak, for your servant hears.

The beautiful thing about the Bible is that it is the voice of God in our lives.

We need only respond, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

I want you to note the spiritual posture.

Samuel is a servant to the Word of the Lord.

Christians, at their best, are servants when God speaks.

We do not sit over God’s Word.

We sit under God’s word.

We do not question His wisdom.

We sit under His wisdom.

The Power To Transform

When we sit in that posture, it has the power to transform our lives.

Our church was named after Romans 12:2, for this very reason.

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The only renewal that comes is when we take a Samuel posture under the authority of the Word of God and we say, with conviction, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

The Risks of Ignoring Scripture

The consequences of ignoring God’s Word are starkly illustrated in the Old Testament.

In the Book of Judges, Israel repeatedly turns away from the word of God, leading to suffering and oppression before they turned back to God for deliverance.

King Solomon turns to idolatry in his later years (1 Kings 11).

Despite his wisdom, Solomon's disobedience led to God’s decision to divide the kingdom after his reign.

These examples remind us today of the dangers of neglecting God's Word and the importance of remaining faithful to it, despite societal pressures.

Do we not see the consequences of turning from God’s Word today?

We can see all around us the confusion that exists.

Everyone doing right in their own eyes.

Do we not see once glorious houses of worship collapsing because they have turned away from the voice of the Lord?

There’s really only one solution.

Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.

Your servant.

Applying The Word of God

Some of you might be thinking that sounds great, but where do I start?

My strong recommendation, is to start with a Bible reading plan.

The Bible app has tons of free one year, two year, and three year plans.

If you’re looking for guidance you can always come to me and I’ll do what I can to help.

In fact, it may not be a bad idea for me to do a teaching series on the Bible.

Matt, remind me on that. :)

Most of all though, friends, it’s not the amount you know, it’s what you do with what you know.

You can know everything about the Bible, backward and forward, and implement none of it.

If you’re going to read the Bible for ALL it’s worth.

Be a Samuel.

Speak, for your servant is listening.

Amen

Prayer

Hymn of Reflection, Wonderful Word of Life