When the Call Comes…

Intro: My Roommate Sean/Baseball

Consider Jonah and his call- he ran

Consider Jesus and his mission- he was faithful

Proposition:

The Lord Continually Delivers a Divine Call Upon Specific Persons to Fulfill His Redemptive Purposes.

I. The Calling of the Lord (1-14)

1 Samuel 3:1–14

A. A Distinct Call

This is a special moment in the history of this world that the Lord is doing with Samuel. Consider this moment with Samuel on this day like the moment with Moses when he saw a burning bush on fire and yet not consumed. Consider this moment like Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in his temple. Samuel is not being called to start a homeless ministry in the streets of his hometown. He is not being called to lead a bible study of men in his worship gathering. Samuel is being called to the chiefest of responsibilities ever given in the history of this world. Samuel is being called to be a prophet and the prophet was the mouthpiece of the Lord.

Samuel’s call to the prophetic office is unique from all the other prophets who were called before him and yet the role was the same. Notice with me Exodus chapter 3:

Exodus 3:4 “4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.””

The same response can be seen with young Samuel as the Lord calls upon him. Samuel, confused at the time in thinking that it was Eli calling his name. This confusion is explained in v 7 “for Samuel did not know the Lord and the word of the Lord had not been revealed to him.”

As I had previously stated, Eli was already in the lineage of the priesthood and he had begun ministering in the santuary at Shiloh in priestly ways. But now there was a new role being thrust before him that only few people in the history of the world have received, to tell all the words of the Lord to the people. This is the role of the Prophet. The prophet was commanded to say what the Lord said and ONLY what the Lord said.

JI Packer writes that prophets were….

Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs Prophets: God Sent Messengers to Declare His Will

were called by God to be organs and channels of revelation. They were men of God who stood in his council (

With this call on Samuel life, we must distinguish this call from the call of Eli as simply a priest. Priests and Prophets of the Bible served different roles and functions. In the same way, prophets, priests and preachers serve as different roles. Preaching is not prophetic ministry.

Preachers are telling you what the Lord has already said but the Lord is NOT speaking to preachers verbally. His revelation to His people is full and complete and therefore prophets like the dinosaurs are an extinct group. Instead, preachers serve similar functions as prophets in that they preach the message the Lord has given, declaring the the accountability to the word of the Lord and repentance to a gathering of people who need repentance and faith in the Lord alone.

B. A Discerned Call

Notice with me that Samuels experience shows us how God uses the discernment of others to help in such a call. Eli is described as hard of seeing. which most likely has to do with Eli’s age. But his eyesight is directly linked to the phrase “and the lamp of God had not yet gone out.” The lamp that is mentioned is the lampstand that was there in the temple. You may know the most common version of the lamstand as the7 tiered Menorah which had a candle at each of the 7 holders. In earlier periods of history, these were oil lamps to reflect the branches of a tree and it was always to stay lit in the temple, signifying that the presence and glory of God was present among the people.

For the lamp to almost be out means that Israel was in a dark place, where God’s glory had almost vacated dwelling with his people because of their rebellious ways.

But God was at work and he used sinful Eli to serve in raising Samuel up in this moment. Even in his failures, Eli shows that He is still some use to the Lord. Three calls come to Samuel from the Lord and Samuel runs to Eli thinking the priest was calling on Samuel. It was the third time that Eli finally realizes that something supernatural is occuring. The Lord is calling Samuel.

1 Samuel 3:8–9 “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.”

The third call to Samuel helped Eli realize the special moment that was occuring for the boy and Eli instructed Samuel for this fourth and final call to give special attention to the Lord calling him. Eli even instructs Samuel in how he might show reverence and obedience in responding to the Lord.

C. A Divine Call

What happens next in v 10 is fascinating as the Bible says that the Lord does not just speak to Samuel. The Lord “came and stood and called.” Samuel is visited by the Lord in this special divine visitation. This visit is again unique to the prophetic office in unique ways. Moses saw a burning bush, Isaiah a vision of heaven, Jeremiah a word from the Lord and the Lord touching his mouth, and John a vision of heaven and culmination of the Kingdom of God into eternity. All of this is a special reminder of how intentional and precious it is that the Lord would come and visit men to carry out his purposes.

As the Lord stood and declared his words to Samuel who was then tasked with taking that message to God’s people, let us consider Jesus. Jesus came into this world as the divine word of God. He is God and when he spoke, he did not speak through a prophet because his ministry served as both divine declaration and divine message to the world. Jesus declared that hope and salvation are found in him and that judgment would fall upon all who did not believe in Him. This is distinct from every prophet that ever lived for they were just men forthtelling and foretelling the words of God. Let us praise the Lord for coming into the world as the very living word of God to proclaim truth so that men could be set free from sin and death.

Secondly, it is important also to see that Samuel’s divine calling is unique in that God visited him and called him to be a prophet. The office of prophet is fulfilled in Jesus but God still calls his people to serve Him in leadership of his church. While there is no longer prophets, the church continually needs male leadership to lead it and that is calling that he still gives to specific godly men in his church.

I would ask that you would pray with the elders that God would raise up such men here at RCC. When he calls a man to proclaim the revelation of God, to shepherd the people of God, it does not come by divine visitation. You will not have an angel visit your room, nor the Lord give you a vision of his throne. You will be given something unique and from the Lord.

You will be given a desire….

1 Timothy 3:1 “1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”

It starts with desire to help people understand the truth of God. You will and should have in you a hunger for the word of God AND to make the Bible clear for people so that they will love it as you love it. Does not the Lord turns and fashion our hearts as He wills?

Now desire is not the only requirement. In 1 Timothy and Titus, Paul states a list of character traits that should already be present in a man’s spiritual and family life. But Paul gives the church this list as an evauative tool because the process of raising up elders in the church can only continue if the church affirms the gifting of such a man. Just as Eli helped Samuel discern the call of the Lord, we must understand that the church plays a huge role in affirming God’s special calling on a man’s life to preach and lead God’s people.

I pray often that the Lord would do that among our people at RCC. As he did with me, he injects within a man this hunger for God’s people to hear and learn the word of God. To understand its details, to work hard to figure out its meaning, and to deliver that truth to a people who are hungry to learn.

If the Lord is doing that in your life now, please do not resist. I recently heard HB Charles give his testimony that he had that hunger early in his life, as a teenager. The Lord does as he wishes.

II. The Message from the Lord (11-14)

1 Samuel 3:11–15 “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.”

A. An Undeniable Event

It should not be hard for us see in Scripture that when the word of the Lord comes to us, people are changed. Bound up in this event with Samuel is the transformation of Samuel by faith in the Lord in conjunction with his call as prophet.

Remember how Eli’s sons were described in 2:12

1 Samuel 2:12 “12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord”

Here in v 7 Samuel is described in similar terms. He was serving the Lord in the sanctuary at Shiloh but he too had not yet encountered the Lord in a personal way. Remember that the Lord had already elected Samuel to salvation and service to His kingdom as priest and prophet . Now it comes to fruition.

The difference in the wording between these two is that Samuel HAD NOT YET known the Lord. This is about to change with the word of the Lord comes to Samuel. The Lord stands before Samuel, declares his word to Him and Samuel is changed. The OT does not give great detail about a person’s faith and conversion. It simply shows us their encounter with the Lord and their immediate faith. We know that the heart was changed because the person was changed.

Gen 12:1 tells us the Lord speaks to Abram and promises Him wonderous things and v 4 says “and Abram went forth as the Lord has spoken to him.”

We see a similar state for Samuel. Samuel had an encounter with the Lord and he was changed. We see his unfamiliarity with the voice of God and then, with the help of Eli, Samuel believed. What was his confession of faith?

“Speak for your servant is listening” Church, I pray that is our confession of faith as well. We long to hear the word of God so that we can hear the Lord speak to every detail of our lives and circumstances. May our response be as Samuels declaring that we are his servants and are submitted to whatever the Lord says. -May this be our prayer as the word of God is preached each week. -May this be our prayer as we open our Bible each day…speak for your servant is listening.

You cannot faithfully declare the word of God to others if you have not be radically changed by it. It will appear gray and boring to others to hear you speak of something you do not believe. But when it has changed you, it is like a explosion of color when people hear the word of God coming from a person who truly believes and has been changed by such things.

B. An Unforgivable Event

Now consider the message Samuel was given. It was a hard truth to for him to hear and a hard truth for him to declare.

In v 11-15, the Lord declares to Samuel the judgment on Eli’s house. We will not revisit those judgments again but consider what this means for Samuel. Eli has become like a father to Samuel as he served in his priestly duties. Samuel has replaced Hopni and Phineas as the faithful son.

Now the Lord is telling Samuel that your loved one is going to die by the judgment of the Lord. It is tragic enough to hear these words from the Lord.

Notice the greatest tragedy in v 11

1 Samuel 3:11 “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.”

The Lord uses this ear tingling language in other passages such as 2 Kings 21 and Jeremiah 19 about the unrelenting judgment of God on his people. Its a emphatic phrase to draw our attention to the severity of the judgment.

Verse 14 hits the hardest.

1 Samuel 3:14 “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.””

In other words, it is too late for Eli and his sons to experience any pardon. The Lord has determined that only his wrath and judgment will be received because of such a great offense. As hard as these words are to hear, we know as the church that the unforgivable sin is our unbelief. Eli’s sons did not know the Lord and their path has been determined by the Lord. Did they have many chances to love the Lord, fear his name, honor his sacrifices? Yes but they reached a point where the forgiveness of the Lord became unavailable to them.

Paul says the same of those described in Romans 1:28–31

“28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;”

There comes a time when God’s retribution and judgment will come upon the wicked in this life. Their unbelief and rebellion against God leads them to receive His retribution on this earth before they enter into eternal damnation. This was the case of Eli’s house and this shows the reason that God’s wrath and his holiness is to be feared and revered.

III. The Fear of the Lord (15-18)

1 Samuel 3:15–18 “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.””

Consider now the third truth the “fear of the Lord.” Samuel has received this horrible truth of Eli’s judgment and he knows that his purpose is to share it. But Samuel faces what all of us face when we are confronted with a hard and necessary truth from God’s word that we must share——he was afraid. Consider two things here….

A. Fear of man Restricts Us

What was the basis of Eli’s fear…his relationship with Eli. He was afraid to tell Eli this news about his future. He was like a doctor looking at the xray of the cancerous invasion of a person’s body. He was like a manager looking at budget reports of the loss of revenue that was going to force layoffs of the most expendable employee. It is a gut-wrenching moment that no one ever wants to face.

The main motivation of our fear in these cases is fear of man. What will they say and think about me? In both of my illustrations, neither boss nor doctor has any responsibility with causing the issues at hand. Both are simply messengers of the reality of the moment and yet there is great fear.

Fear of man restricts us and cripples us from what God has caused us to do. When we share the gospel, we are entering into a moment that is so very uncomfortable and yet necessary. We can contemplate in our minds the many ways that a situation can go and allow our fantasies to dictate our responses. All of these imaginations are fear of man.

We do not know what the Lord will do and how he will use us. It could result in rejection. It could result in salvation who knows. We must trust the Lord to deliver the hard truth, knowing He brings about the results.

B. Fear of God Fuels us to Faithfulness

Notice with me the wisdom of Eli here…

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.””

Eli is two for two in this situation. He has helped Samuel discern the call of the Lord and now he has given Samuel invaluable truth. His message to Samuel is to fear the Lord’s authority over fearing man. Our fear of the Lord leads to our faithfulness. Eli states that if Samuel doesn’t fulfill his duties as prophet, he will be just as disobedient as Eli and will also face the wrath of God. Why should two parties face judgment? Eli exhorts Samuel to turn from fear of man to faithfulness to the Lord.

Friends, I know we all have people in our lives that our flashing into our minds right now. We need to tell teh gospel to them and call them to repentance. We need to expose the secret sin in their lives. Be faithful to that conviction from the Lord and do not fear man but fear the holiness and authority of our sovereign God who has called you to accomplish his will on earth. Samuel told Eli everything and hid nothing from him. He was faithful. May we be the same!

IV. The Blessing of the Lord (19-4:1a)

1 Samuel 3:19–4:1 “19 Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail. 20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. 1 Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

There are 3 blessings briefly to see in response to Samuel’s faithfulness.

A. Personal Growth

Samuel grew and the Lord was with him …

Obedience is the vehicle by which we grow in the Lord. In remodeling, there is a process to completion. Each step of the process leads to the next step. You cannot go from demolished kitchen to a featured kitchen in Better Homes and Gardens by skipping to the end. If you want to see spiritual growth, be obedient to where you are in your walk with the Lord and His Spirit will bring spiritual progress throughout your life.

B. Kingdom Success

And (the Lord) let none of his words fail….

His prophetic ministry flourished because the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail. Samuel continued to listen to the Lord and obey his word and he was a faithful and true prophet of God.

God worked in and through his ministry in such a way that it states “all Israel knew Samuel was a prophet of the Lord” and “the Lord appeared again to Shiloh.” Compare that verse to v 1 where the word of the Lord was rare and visions infrequent. Things have changed…at least for Samuel ministry even though dark days are ahead for Israel. Now a prophet is established again in Israel by the work of the Lord to call his man to such an important task. In all that we read about Samuel, the Lord was responsible to call the prophet to salvation, to his mission and to deliver the message. The role of the prophet was to be faithful.

Whatever the Lord calls us to in our spiritual journeys, he demands our obedience. We must cast aside fear and rest in His purposes to use us for his glory. For Abraham was called to a strange journey or land that he had never been. Moses was afraid to speak because he was slow of tongue and eloquence. Jeremiah was afraid because he was a young man. Timothy seemed to face that fear as well.

But God affirmed in them that where they are weak, he is strong. If we are faithful to the Lord’s call, there is nothing He cannot do through us.