The Lord's Call

 Dad gave up trying to get his teen daughter Lila to stop talking so long on the phone. He gave that up long ago. But when Lila had the house phone tied up, no other calls got in or out. So, Dad got Lila her own phone. The day it was installed, relief! The house phone was free! Till Dad got home the next day. Lila was chatting away on the house phone, lying on the floor, feet on the couch,. Dad was mad. "Why aren't you using your phone???" Lila promptly answered, "I can't. I'm expecting an important call." Wouldn't we like a "hot-line" to God? A phone God uses to call us? A phone that makes His voice clear so when we're talking to God it doesn't feel like we do all the talking? Ancient Israel needed a hotline. Few heard God. Not often. And not clearly. For 400 years of judges, it's been that way. In 1 Sam 3:1-10, God will start speaking again. About 12 years earlier, in 1 Sam 1:11 a barren Hannah begged God. "If you give me a son, I'll give Him to the Lord for all His days." God gave her Samuel. At about 4yo, then took him to the temple & gave him to God. There, 1aboy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. Training for service as a Levite. God has bigger plans. 1bIn those days the word of the Lord was rare. Being rare, each was treasured. 1cThere weren't many visions. Or prophets. Unable to hear the Lord, people went to priests for God's guidance. Eli is high priest, & a good one. But he's old. His successors? His corrupt sons. Eli speaks to them. But they ignore him. How bad are they? The Lord noticed. You'd think God would've sent Eli a vision. Not so. Spiritually, he's almost blind. So, in 1 Sam 2:27a, 33, God sent a prophet 27ato Eli. "This is what the Lord says. 33"Every one of your family that I don't cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears & grieve your heart. All your descendants will die in the prime of life." Now 2aEli's eyes were becoming so weak he could barely see. Eyesight as weak as his spiritual vision. 2bOne night, Eli was lying down in his usual place. Near the tabernacle. 3aThe lamp of God, the lampstand in the sanctuary's holy place, hadn't yet gone out. (Each night Samuel filled it with oil. In the morning, the lamp went out when its oil ran out.) 3bSamuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord. Near the holy of holies in the sanctuary. Near 3cwhere the ark of God was. The ark with God's mercy seat under the angels' wings. The place where God spoke to Moses. 4That night the Lord called Samuel. Our 1st lesson? Want to hear the Lord? Put yourself in the place where He speaks. Where is it? Worship? Sunday School? Bible study? Reading or studying His Word? Prayer? Wherever it is, if we want to hear Him, let's put ourselves where He speaks. Keep on putting ourselves there till we hear Him. The Lord spoke-He called, "Samuel! Samuel!" Thinking the voice was Eli, Samuel answered, "Here I am." He didn't yet know who he was talking to. Even so, Samuel's response is our next lesson. What's response do we make when we're where the Lord speaks? Whether or not we recognize His voice, we should answer as a disciple: "Here I am." That's the response of readiness for service. 5Samuel ran to Eli. "Here I am. you called me." Eli doesn't get it, yet. So Eli said, "I didn't call. Go back & lie down." So, he went & lay down. That brings us our next lesson. Just because we don't recognize the Lord's voice doesn't mean He isn't speaking! If we're in the place He speaks, He is speaking to us! What can we do? Keep putting ourselves in the place where God speaks. And get godly counsel to help us understand what we do hear. 6aAgain the Lord called, "Samuel!" Again, he thinks it's Eli. 6bSamuel got up & went to Eli. "Here I am. You called me." God is patient! His call to us is never one & done. God keeps calling. Even if we don't recognize His voice. "My son," Eli said, "I didn't call. Go back & lie down." Why can't Samuel recognize God's voice? 7aHe didn't yet know the Lord. He believes. But 7bthe Lord's word hadn't yet been revealed to him. Up to now, the Lord hasn't given Him a vision or a word. Only God can reveal Himself. What Samuel keeps doing is a lesson. When we hear or feel an urging or a nudge, find someone we trust to give us godly counsel. Someone to help us understand what's going on. Keep going, even if they don't get it at 1st, either. 8aThe Lord called Samuel a 3rd time. Would we be so patient? God has a plan for us. He'll keep calling till we hear. 8bSamuel got up & went to Eli & said, "Here I am. You called me." Here we go again! 8cThen... finally, Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. Not calling him, the high priest. Calling boy Samuel! God has plans for his future prophet. Is Eli jealous? If he weren't good at heart, he'd have been tempted. But he's good. Eli is content to serve the Lord even as a mentor to boy Samuel. 9aSo Eli told Samuel, "Go & lie down. 9bIf he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.' Eli's spiritual vision is as dim as his eyesight. But he remembers how to answer when the Lord calls. He coaches Samuel to give the response of a disciple. "Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening." Here I am. Ready to serve. 9cSamuel went & lay down in his place. Again, he's in the place God's speaks. 10aThe Lord came. This time, it isn't just a voice. This time, the Lord 10bstood there. It's a vision! The Lord 10ccalled as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" God calls him by name. Twice! (What does it mean when God calls our name twice? Think Moses-sized visions!) The lesson? God is personal. He's calling us by name, too. 10dSamuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." Eli told him to say, "Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening." Samuel just says, "Speak..." Was he excited & forgot? Afraid? Too reverent to speak the Name above all names? Whatever the reason, Samuel remembers the important part. "Your servant is listening." He assumes the position of the Lord's man. He's ready to obey & serve. That's our last lesson. When we hear the lord, obey! Immediately! By listening, Samuel heard God say what he'd told the prophet he sent Eli. God planned to remove Eli & his family from service. Samuel's training in obedience began immediately when Eli asked what he'd heard. Think Samuel wanted to tell the high priest bad news? No! He was afraid, but he did it. God's obedience training continued throughout his ministry. Whatever God told Samuel to say, he said. No matter how hard. Samuel obeyed, immediately. Young boys don't get "immediately." Their rooms are often a mess. (Mine often was.) Parents ask them to clean it up, "Now!" Boys will agree & may actually clean it. More often, they'll forget. But let a boy join the Marines. Let him go through basic training. And then let his father ask what he's learned. I bet that young man will answer, "Dad, I know what 'now' means." Samuel understood what now means. To God, obedience means now. By his response to God's call, Samuel became known as a trustworthy prophet. His Moses-sized assignment? He became the last Israelite judge. He anointed Saul, Israel's 1st king, & David, their 2nd king, Why did God trust him with so big an assignment? Boy Samuel put himself in the place to hear God's call. He sought godly counsel from a mentor to help him understand & interpret what he heard. Once he heard & understood, Samuel obeyed now. Because he did, he served a pivotal role in Israel's story. To hear God's call, we need to be attentive. Put ourselves in the place He speaks. For the sake of His call, we need to obey. Now. We don't know where or how God's call might lead us. We don't know who His call may impact-us? those around us? Those we serve? It could be any or all of us. Let's begin this new year by putting ourselves in the place God speaks. Jesus says He's standing at the door of our hearts & knocking. He's already calling us. Let's listen this morning. Just one thing: remember that whatever we hear, whatever He says, God expects us to obey. Now. Let's bow our heads. The Lord's Call - 1 Samuel 3:1-10 Page 1 of 1