Proper 4

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-20

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ ”

15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”

19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 1 Sa 3:1–20.

Sermon

This morning, I want to ask you a simple question, “Are you listening?” I know. It sounds like a strange question. I mean I’m talking. You are looking at me. It would appear you are listening. But that’s not really what I’m asking today. This passage of scripture gives us some signs of warning we need to be aware of in our own lives as a demonstration of whether or not we are listening to God.

Now, verse 1 says, “in those days the word of the Lord was rare.” This does not refer to the Bible. It wasn’t because Gutenberg hadn’t developed the printing press. It was because God, who spoke directly to His people, especially His prophets was being quiet. And the most likely reason for God’s silence is that not too many were listening.

Warning sign #1 is going lengthy periods of time without hearing anything from God.

Think about it. How often do you enjoy talking to someone who you know isn’t listening? I know there are those who enjoy talking and who might talk to the wall but most of the time, we want to know someone is hearing us, someone is listening to us, someone is asking our opinion and genuinely interested in what we think.

So the absence of God talking may be more a reflection of people not listening than it was of God refusing to speak. Even Eli and his sons who were to serve as God’s priests weren’t doing a good job of listening.

As demonstrated in the next section of scripture. Night has fallen. It would be relatively quiet. Eli is in his usual place, Samuel in his, when Samuel hears someone call for him. Three times Samuel gets up and runs to Eli to ask what he needs, and each time Eli only tells him, I didn’t call for you. Go back to bed. Now I don’t want to be too harsh but does it strike anyone else as strange that a priest doesn’t realize God is calling to Samuel before the third time he comes and asks him what he needs?

Warning sign #2 is failure to hear God even when He is trying to speak to you.

But when Samuel goes back and responds to God’s call, he hears a message from God. But the message isn’t a good one. God tells Samuel he is going to destroy Eli’s house. Eli’s sons had blasphemed God and Eli knowingly let them get away with it. So God says, “‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ ”

The only positive part of this whole event is that when Eli asks Samuel what God had told him, although fearful to do so, Samuel shares with Eli the words God spoke and Eli accepts this message as coming from God.

Warning sign #3 is to ignore the message God has for you when it isn’t the kind of message you want to hear.