Unmuted

What do Moses, King Saul, Samual and you all have in common?

Exodus 20:18–19 NASB95

18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.”

This is the temptation of all humanity.

We want something or someone else to tell us what to do.

We want a tree of right and wrong or the law or the bible or a president to tell us what to do.

God gave us His son and then His Spirit so God can talk with us directly.

He wants a relationship with us and has aways wanted that since the garden.

1 Samuel 3:1–19 NASB95

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.

In the presence of the ark is in the presence of God.

Here I am is a great response to God talked to you.

Its often that when learning to hear God’s voice we do not know it is Him talking.

We think it is just a thought that came to me.

It is just me or the pizza I ate last night.

That is Just a quincadence. Just a dream. Just a number I see often. Just a sign I see often.

Go lay down, Be still and wait on the voice of God again.

By the third time he heard God and knew what to do because of another guiding him.

Two things here, God will keep trying, and we need to help others know the Father’s voice.

Samuel lay down until morning, he waited to share what he heard and was afraid to share it with Eli.

Then the hardest thing about hearing God’s voice is the obedience part. Samuel had to tell his mentor the truth about what God siad he was going to do.

1 Samuel 8:6–7 NASB95

6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

God tells them through Samuel what will happen if they get a king like the others around them have. (1 Sam 8:10-22)

They still wanted a king anyways.

They got what they wanted and ended up selling their future for avoiding hearing from God through prophets and judges.

Before we judge others we must know it is in all of us to want to avoid the wrestle of hearing God and following through with what He says.

Closing:

What do Moses, King Saul, Samual and You all have in common?

God wants to talk with you personally.

Activation

Take a moment today to hear from God.

Follow through on what He tells you.

Ask Holy Spirit to highlight someone who need encouragement to hear God.

Other Resources

1 Samuel 8:10–22 NASB95

10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king. 11 He said, “This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. 12 “He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 “He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 “He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. 15 “He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. 16 “He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. 17 “He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. 18 “Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. 22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”