1st Samuel 3:7-10 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. Therefore, Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he calls thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
One of the scariest moment as a wee lad growing up in the church was when the preacher prefaced its message with, "God spoke to me", Visions of a longhaired, bearded, red-lipped, frowning old man partially hidden by clouds filled our tender and childish minds with fear. The intent of the proclamation was to validate and ensure attention to the message. This was a part of an indoctrination process. Our earlier indoctrination taught us that no God-fearing person would dare take the name of God in vain. God, himself declared in Deuteronomy 5:11, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain". Therefore, when a supposedly God-fearing person said, "God spoke to me", we could be reasonably sure that God was speaking. When God speaks, everybody was supposed to listen.
As we grew older and became more knowledgeable of God, our greatest achievement in our religious walk was to hear the voice of God. Hearing the voice of God became a means of validating our spirituality. The preacher, the choir director, and even the bench member learned to boost their status by uttering the words, "God spoke to me". The voice of God described as being loud and clear by many, and many describe the event similar to conducting a conversation with someone in another room. Yet, a strange truth began to emerge, many who were struggling to be sincere in their Christian walk found themselves on the outside wondering why God did not speak to them. But, that was the 'elephant in the room' that we don't talk about. One songwriter tried to bridge the gulf by stating, "when I am on the mountain top God speaks to me, but when I am in the valley, God is silent."
It was not long before many realized that conflicting messages were emulating from the household of faith and they were carrying the seal of a message from God. God often speaks during the offering collection, he is constantly telling the parishioners to give more money. Hearing God speak became a moneymaking and status improvement proposition. There are numerous books are written on the subject and seminars are conducted on "How to hear God speak". Beautifully crafted sermons are delivered on, "Hearing the voice of God". Somehow, we have constructed a belief that rather than studying God's word it is necessary for God to speak daily words of motivation into our life. The gullibility of Christianity comes into full play, who dare say, brother or sister, you need to check your message source.
The silence of God, as well as the fear of God, does not set well in our modern and pessimistic society. As Aaron did at the base of the Holy mountain, we have created a God in our own image and we have endowed him with all of the attributes that are pleasing to us. God is a God of love, we can find scriptures to justify that. Yet the visual image that we have created of our God is one of an impotent deity. One messenger of God proclaimed that if you are praying about it God is working on it. Through all of the work our God is said to be doing and all of the favors we ask of him, the world situation is continuing to deteriorate. The voids created are filled irrelevant platitudes that are only good for emotional and motivational responses, leaving the spirituality of humanity to suffer. "He might come when we want him to come but he is always on time", have left many standing on the banks of the 'river' filled with doubt and confusion.
A message or a song that cries out to God to speak is a powerful inducement to an emotional encounter with God. Even a prayer that entreats God to help us along our way seems to open the door to a greater spiritual encounter. At this point, in my mind, the word 'content' seems to come into focus. Paul addressed the issue as such, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (Philippians 4:11). He seems to infer that our prayer sessions should not be guided by our wants. Can you imagine your child coming to you on a daily base with a list of wants?
In Paul's address to the Hebrew Jews, Paul explained it as such; "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). This is one of those scriptures that have been twisted, misinterpreted, and used to create false Gospels. The first part of the verse implies conditions and if those conditions were met God would not forsake his chosen people, but the rest of the story can be found in 2 Chronicles 15:2, "... but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you".
That old Satan is engaged in a battle to make the name of God of none effect. How can this be when the name of God is invoked in more and more encounters? The internet and the social media has become a religious billboard, and God is speaking and doing things for his people. Yet Heaven is becoming less appealing and Hell is less horrific. For many the Gospel has become liken unto a fairy tale and it meaning is based upon who is telling the story and what is the desired outcome. Church attendance has become equivalent to a rock concert of a football game. Star power is what draws the people in and star power in the church is achieved by hearing the voice of God.
There are several key factors in 1st Samuel 3:7-10 that we will look closely at, but before we proceed we must establish certain facts. The establishment of these facts is necessary to rightly divide the word of truth. The dispensation is that of the Law, the book is of deeds of the Children of Israel, therefore it is a Book of God's interaction with his chosen people, it is not written to the church. The perspective and the context must be maintained. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. This is an interesting assessment of a person who did not know God but was about to be called by God. Both Moses and Paul and there are others also who would be classic examples of men being called into God's service whose belief and faith was weak or non-existence. There is no record of these men begging God to speak to them. In the Old Testament, the evolving message of God was given through conversations with God or his Angels. In the New Testament, under the dispensation of Grace, men operated under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
"And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me". This was a form of validating the call of God. It is well within the power of God to make himself known to Samuel without going through these seemly unnecessary steps. Consider this; there was a relationship between Eli, the priest and Samuel. Eli validated the calling by instructing Samuel on how to proceed. Imagine the misunderstanding, the animosity that would have existed in the relation if Samuel had come to Eli the Priest and said: "God spoke to me." It is the Devil, not God who is the author of confusion.
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