Hearing God's Voice

Introduction – Ever been running on empty?

Good morning everyone. Great to be back with you today. Now to begin, I’d like to know by a show of hands, who among us has ever run their car completely out of fuel?

For whatever reason, you’ve gone way past the point of being empty. All of a sudden, the car coughs and splutters and grinds to a halt, and you’re left on the side of the road like a damsel in distress in need of rescue. There’s no judgment or shame if that’s happened to you… Let me tell you about the time it almost, almost, happened to me.

I grew up in Canberra and my family still lives there. From time to time over the years that I’ve been living in Adelaide, I’ve driven over to see them. One time, I was heading back west and I stopped overnight in Hay in the middle of the New South Wales plains. It was already dark when I arrived and after a long day of driving, I decided to settle in for the night. Filling up the car could wait until the morning.

Well, morning came and thinking I had about a quarter of a tank left to make it the 100kms to the next town, I set off on my journey. But I had made two errors of judgment. Rather than a quarter of a tank, it was actually only half of that. And the next town was 130kms away, not 100 as I had thought. By the time I realised this, the closest petrol stations were well and truly long in my rear-view mirror.

Nervously, I decided to continue moving forward, intensely watching my fuel needle. I tried every trick I could to drive the car as economically as possible. I admonished myself for foolishly getting myself into this situation. I celebrated every road sign indicating my salvation was drawing closer and closer.

After one of the longest hours of my life, I finally saw the sight I was desperate for – a petrol station! I pulled in and put 52 litres into my car’s 50-litre tank, thanked God and vowed that I had learned an important lesson that day.

Now we all know that petrol is what takes a car from being empty to being full. But what is it that takes the people of God from being empty to being full? What fills up and fuels the people of God? (p) As we’ll see today in 1 Samuel chapter 3, it’s the word of God.

SLIDE 2 – Big Idea

Here’s today’s big idea. Hearing and speaking the word of God fills up and fuels God’s people. Hearing and speaking the word of God fills up and fuels God’s people. That’s the big idea of 1 Samuel chapter 3.

Context

But before diving further into chapter 3, let me quickly set up the background context. We began our 1 Samuel series last week, and we were introduced to heartbroken Hannah and her passionate prayers for a child. God graciously answers her prayers, blessing her with a son, Samuel.

In response, Hannah's prayers are transformed from anguish to joy as she praises the God who reverses fortunes; he elevates the humble and he brings low the proud. Hannah’s prayer and the themes it introduces become programmatic for what follows in the rest of the book.

For immediately following Hannah’s prayer, we see God’s judgment on the priestly house of Eli. God announces that he will bring low Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s good-for-nothing sons, who have treated God’s sacrifice and God’s dwelling place shamefully and who have been too proud to heed the correction of their father.

And yet, parallel to this announcement of judgment on Eli and his family, God makes a promise to raise up for himself a faithful priest, one who will do all that is in his heart and mind. And it doesn’t take a great detective to figure out who this faithful priest will be.

SLIDE 3 – Samuel ministering verses

In chapter 2 verses 11, 18, 21, 26 and then again in chapter 3 verse 1, our attention is drawn away from the proud and unfaithful house of Eli to the humble and faithful boy Samuel, growing both in his stature and his service before the LORD.

SLIDE 4 – Outline

And so with this background in mind, let’s turn our attention to 1 Samuel chapter 3, which I’ve broken down into these five sections. Verses 1 to 3 describe an emptiness of God’s word in the land. God then calls his prophet in verses 4 to 10. Having called his prophet, God then speaks to his prophet in verses 11 to 14. God’s prophet then speaks God’s words in verses 15 to 18. And lastly, the chapter concludes with a fullness of God’s word in the land.

First up then, verses 1 to 3, ‘an emptiness of God’s word in the land’.

Teaching Point 1 – An Emptiness of God’s word in the land (3:1-3)

SLIDE 5 - Emptiness

There is an emptiness of God’s word in the land because in those days, the word of the LORD was rare. Now given the previous chapter, we can infer that the word of the LORD was rare in those days because of a failure on the listening end rather than the speaking end. The priests in the land do not know the LORD. They’ve put their fingers in their ears and disregarded his instruction to chase after their self-indulgent passions.

And so like a frustrated teacher who has stepped aside and gone silent, waiting until their rowdy class is ready to settle down and finally listen, so too God has gone silent. The word of the LORD has become rare.

And this scarcity, this emptiness of the word of the LORD in the land, is expressed by both a lack of sight and a lack of insight. Notice all the words that circle the concepts of sight, light, and insight in these opening verses:

There were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see,was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out…

God’s word enlightens. And so while it is rare in the land at this time, God’s people are living in darkness. Yet even still, there is a glimmer of light. There is a glimmer of hope. For the lamp of God had not yet gone out.

Now this lamp burned throughout the night and so on one level, we are simply being told that it was nighttime. But given all the other references to visions, eyes and sight, perhaps the lamp not being out communicates that God is still present among his people.

The ark of God, mentioned for the first time here before it plays a major role in the following chapters, further calls to mind God’s covenant commitment to his people. So while there is an emptiness of God’s word in the land, God is still present and ready to illuminate the darkness. God is ready to speak, and so in verses 4 to 10, God calls his prophet.

Teaching Point 2 – God Calls His Prophet (3:4-10)

SLIDE 6 – God Calls

For the first time, the LORD calls to Samuel. With youthful enthusiasm, the boy Samuel gets up out of bed and runs to the side of his master Eli. “Here I am; you called me,” he says.

Elderly Eli, who must have been frustrated to have needlessly been woken from his slumber, replies, “I did not call you; go back to sleep.” Somewhat confused but nonetheless obedient, Samuel returns to his bed.

This all happens a second time. Samuel… Here I am, you called me… I did not call, go back to bed.

Then in verse 7, we’re given an explanation for why Samuel is missing the cue. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD. The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

The way this verse is phrased is almost identical to chapter 2 verse 12. There, the scoundrel sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, are judged as worthless because they do not know the LORD. But notice the difference with Samuel. Whereas Eli’s sons do not know the LORDbecause they have rejected him, Samuel does not yet know the LORDbecause of his youth; the word of the LORD has yet to be revealed to him. But that’s about to change.

For the third time, the LORD calls out to Samuel. And so once again, Samuel readily gets up out of bed to answer the call. Once again, he goes to Eli and says “Here I am; you called me.”

Whilst he may be old and almost blind, the priestly service of Eli is not completely finished yet. He’s sure that he’s not calling Samuel, and so he finally realises what is going on. Again, he instructs Samuel to return to his bed. But this time he adds, “if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”

And so with what must have been a healthy dose of nervous anticipation, the young boy returns to his place. Now for a fourth time, the LORD calls to him, “Samuel, Samuel!”

This time Samuel responds almost exactly as Eli instructed him to. Whilst the young prophet doesn’t yet know the LORD with the familiarity and confidence to use his name, he is ready and listening to hear God speak to him.

But to take a step back for a second, this whole sequence of events is somewhat unusual. Why does it take four calls before Samuel can hear God speak to him? Is God testing Samuel’s hearing? Is God testing his reaction time?

My interpretation is that this entire cycle of God calling, Samuel going to Eli, and Eli sending Samuel back to bed is actually for Eli’s benefit. I think that it’s important that Eli knows that God is speaking to Samuel. It’s important that Eli knows that God is speaking to Samuel. Put a pin in that thought, because we’ll come back to it later. For now, let’s continue and hear God speak to his prophet.

Teaching Point 3 – God Speaks to His Prophet (3:11-14)

SLIDE 7 – God Speaks

God speaks to Samuel and his message would have sent shivers down the young prophet’s spine, just as the rest of Israel would soon have tingling ears at what God was about to do.

God tells Samuel that judgment is coming upon his master Eli and his family. For the repeated and unrestrained sin of treating the sacrificial offerings reserved for God with contempt, God declares that neither sacrifice nor offering will ever atone for the guilt of Eli’s house.

And so from the very first time Samuel hears the word of God, he is introduced to the tension of prophetic ministry.

At Bible College, when I was learning about preaching, I recall my lecturer saying that the job of a preacher of God’s word is two-fold. The preacher must both comfort the disturbed… and disturb the comfortable. Both comfort the disturbed… and disturb the comfortable.

For as we’ve already seen in this 1 Samuel series with Hannah, the word of God can bring great comfort and joy to the disturbed, the heartbroken, those who prayerfully humble themselves before the LORD. And yet at the same time, for those who are too proud and comfortable to heed a call to repent, like Eli’s sons, the word of God can be very, very, disturbing.

And so the task of the preacher of God’s word is to hold both truths in proper tension. To understand the right time for a hard word, and the right time for a gentle word, and to do both faithfully. This is the task that Samuel has now been called to. God has spoken his word to his prophet. Now God’s prophet must speak God’s word.

Teaching Point 4 – God’s Prophet Speaks God’s Words (3:15-18)

SLIDE 8 – God’s Prophet Speaks

(p) Having received the message from God, Samuel once again lies down. Given the events of the night and the content of the message from God, I think it’s fairly safe to assume that Samuel would have been lying down with eyes wide open. The light of morning finally comes, and Samuel opens the doors of the house of the LORD, as must have been his custom.

And then sometimes the Bible really helps us by stating the obvious… Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. For anyone here who’s ever had the displeasure of being the bearer of bad news, I’m sure you can empathise.

But Samuel’s got no chance at avoiding the old man. Remember that pinned thought from earlier? I said it was important that Eli knew that God was speaking to Samuel. We see why it was important right here.

Rather than Samuel having to nervously approach his mentor, Eli actively seeks him out. His words are both kind, addressing him as ‘my son’, as well as firm. In the strongest possible terms, he insists that Samuel fully disclose to him everything that the LORD had said.

And so in the end, because Eli knows that God has spoken to Samuel and implores him to pass the message on, the young prophet’s difficult task is made slightly easier. He speaks the word of God in full without hesitation. And because Eli knows this is a message from the LORD, he receives it without question or argument, for there is nothing here that he does not already know.

And as the chapter draws to a close, the final 3 verses paint a vastly different picture than the opening 3 verses. Whereas before there was an emptiness of God’s word in the land, now there is a fullness.

Teaching Point 5 – A Fullness of God’s Word in the Land (3:19-21)

SLIDE 9 – Fullness

Verse 19, The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. For Samuel, hearing God’s voice for the first time proved to be a turning point. From this time on, his relationship with God was close and constant. And now he’s no longer a boy; he’s grown up and is a fully-fledged prophet of the LORD.

And so no longer is there an emptiness of God’s word in the land of Israel. Rather, from Dan as the furthest point in the north right down to Beersheba as the furthest point in the south, there is a fullness of God’s word in the land of Israel as the whole country receives the word of God through Samuel.

From scarcity to abundance. From emptiness to fullness. From a lack of sight and insight to the knowledge of God through his word.

SLIDE 10 – Big Idea

And so to repeat the big idea of 1 Samuel chapter 3, it is that God’s people are filled up and fuelled by hearing and speaking God’s word.

1 Samuel chapter 3 also marks a transition point from the time of the judges, when everyone did what was right in their own eyes, to the time of the prophets. From Samuel as the first, then to Elijah and Elisha, and to Isaiah and many more, God spoke to his people for centuries through his prophets.

SLIDE 11 – The Word of God

Yet God was not done revealing himself to his people. As the writer to the Hebrews says:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.[1]

Not only has God spoken to us by Son, but in John’s Gospel, the Son is described as the very word of God. The Son is the full revelation of God to humanity and the one whose words bring eternal life.

And so for us today, we are exceedingly fortunate in that we do not live in a time or a place where the word of the LORD is rare. Rather, God has fully revealed himself through Jesus, the Son of God, the Word of God. And his words give eternal life to all who will hear and respond to his call of ‘Come and follow me.’

Application

SLIDE 12 – 2025 Focus

Hearing and responding to God’s word fills up, it fuels, it gives life. It’s for this reason that this year we’ve had a focus as a church community of “Going deep into gospel maturity, to drive mission – all for the glory of God.” Going deep into gospel maturity, being filled up and fuelled by God’s word, so that we might do the good works of service he has given us to do – all for his glory.

SLIDE 13 – Take Home

And so let me ask you, how full is your tank? Are you being filled up and fuelled by hearing God’s word? Are you going deep into gospel maturity?

(p) There are many ways we can fill up our tanks with God’s word. Reading the Bible as a daily habit on your own or reading the Bible one-to-one with a friend or mentor are great ways to get that daily nourishment, that daily top-up.

Regularly spending time in community with God’s people, either midweek or on a Sunday, to hear from God’s word and have it explained also puts more fuel in our tanks.

Tapping into the many different resources that are available these days, from books to podcasts to videos, is another great way to get spiritual nourishment from reading and hearing God’s word.

Luke and I have also been discussing what exciting new opportunities the Hill might afford us as a church community to grow in our gospel maturity. Things like special interest lectures or short courses. If you’ve got other good ideas for how we can use the Hill to keep going deeper into God’s word, we’d love to hear them.

But if at this point you’re feeling a bit guilty or overwhelmed, let me just say I get it. It’s not my intention to overwhelm or burden you with guilt. I understand that life can be crazy sometimes. Work can be demanding. The kids can be at you all day. You can’t seem to escape a cycle of sickness circulating the household.

If that’s you, I understand how you feel. Some days, the best I can do is to listen to an audio Bible because I know I don’t have the mental energy for my eyes to read the words on the page.

But God’s word fills up and fuels God’s people; we do not live on bread alone. And so can I encourage you as you head out this week, do not run on empty. Be filled up by the word of God. Let’s be a people who are fuelled by the word of God so that we might do the good works of service he has given us to do – all for his glory. Let me pray and ask God to help us do just that.