Speak now!

First Encounters

1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary iv. The Lord Calls Samuel (3:1–4:1a)

1. Samuel was still the young apprentice, learning from Eli and subject to him. Nothing indicated that the Lord was about to inaugurate a new era; indeed the word of the Lord was rare (Heb. yāqār, ‘highly valued’); times of greater blessing had evidently been known, when people had more readily received guidance from the Lord. As it was, Samuel had not had opportunity to experience the receiving either of an oracle or of a vision.

Why was it important to know that Eli was weak, but the Lamp of God had not gone out?

God is with him, and not done with him yet.

Some of you here are blessed to be teachers, pastor, apostles. In order to be a vessel of God, you must be attentive to His word, even if God has not spoken for a long time. Patience, endurance, commitment.

God is speaking to you!

When we hear something and we do not understand what it is we will tend to revert to what we do know; what makes the most sense. This is a process of elimination. Samuel goes back to what he understands and Eli wrestles with God as well.

I want you to know that some of you here are Eli; and some are Samuel. Now you can say, I want to be Samuel because he is called by God; an prophet. I want to tell you that God knows what He needs from you. In this story Samuel is a young boy; a boy learning from Eli. So, who is most important?

When you go back into the population here remember that if you are an Eli your job or gift may not be to prophecy or to preach but to help people hear from God. How pastor do we do this? You must pay attention. Your job begins with meditation; turning off the noise so you can hear from God.

Helping others is dependent upon what you hear. If you are an Eli you are letting them know that God is seeking you and how to answer. If you are a Samuel, continue to seek until your Eli awakes from his sleep.

The Lexham English Bible Chapter 3

11 So Yahweh said to Samuel, “Look, I am doing something in Israel ⌊which will cause⌋ the two ears of everyone who hears it to tingle.

What is a needed for revival?

What is true revival?