Sermon Tone Analysis

The Voice of God Calls - 1 Samuel 3:1-4:1a

Intro: How many of you had the privilege of thinking deeply about God this morning already in Sunday school?

More specifically: how and why God has revealed himself, and about some of his attributes.

- Let’s begin worship together this morning with a Psalm that reminds us of how God has revealed himself through both general and special revelation:

[Scripture Reading = Psalm 19:1-3, 7-11, 14]

There is so much application in our text today that I am super excited to teach this and can’t wait to get started, so let’s PRAY and get right to it!

PRAY

In transitioning to our text for today, I’ll remind you that although the prophecy to Eli wasn’t completely fulfilled until Zadok replaced Abiathar in the days of Solomon (restoring the priestly line to Eleazar the oldest son of Aaron, instead of Ithamar), it is quite evident in the narrative here that Samuel becomes the foreshadowed fulfillment of this prophecy: 2:35a

As our narrative continues we observe how God reveals himself to a young man who does not yet know him in a personal way, but who responds to God’s self-revelation obediently.

God takes that submissive heart and turns Samuel into a powerful spokesman for Him.

When God’s voice calls, we do well to respond with a submissive heart that listens and obeys.

Our text begins this way:

Now Samuel may very well have been a youth at this time.

We know bc the Hebrew word na-ar means lad or adolescent as opposed to different terminology used for a very young child.

That makes sense in the chronology too as we’ve seen reference to Samuel growing physically, socially, and spiritually.

(2:26)

But primarily in this verse our emphasize should rightly be on the second half, v. 1b.

In context I believe the statement here is an indictment on the times: the period of the judges, Eli and his sons, and so on.

- So the word of the Lord was “rare” (scarce, precious) in those days… meaning very limited prophetic activity (during the period of the judges), and even what God did say was not widely known in Israel.

So too then visions (revelation from God mediated through audible or visible form) was not common, not frequent.

When God Seems Silent (v.

1b)

That may have made it feel to some like God was fairly silent.

- Often when we are hurting or struggling, God seems silent.... but He is not silent.

“God’s silence is how it feels, it’s not how it is.” - Jon Bloom at Desiring God

You are not alone.

God is with you (Psalm 23:4).

And he is speaking all the time in the priceless gift of his objective word so you don’t need to rely on the subjective impressions of your fluctuating emotions.

- Jon Bloom

Cling to God, knowing that he is with you through the wilderness you face.

So... as A. W. Tozer states in The Pursuit of God:

The facts are that God is not silent, has never been silent.

It is the nature of God to speak.

The second Person of the Holy Trinity is called the Word.

The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God’s continuous speech.

It is the infallible declaration of His mind for us put into our familiar human words…

If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you.

Do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience.

It is more than a thing, it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God.

God is speaking.

- When the God of the universe reveals himself to us, there is only one right response—to listen and obey.

Now continue reading with me, and let’s take note of the details we perceive about Eli and Samuel:

Eli: An old man with physically dim sight and spiritually dull hearing (vv.

2-10)

Samuel: A young man ready to serve (vv.

2-10)

Notice the magnificent crafting of the narrative here such that our attention is drawn to symbolic details in the background and setting.

Eli’s poor eyesight juxtaposed to there being infrequent vision evokes in us a connection of weak spiritual insight.

- A sign of the times:

Another example of symbolism in the setting: the lamp of God still burning on it’s golden lampstand in the Holy Place - That not only gives us a time of day (before dawn… enough oil to burn from evening until morning)... but also symbolizes young Samuel amidst a spiritually dark time in Israel.

- There is even mention of the ark of God in speaking of where Samuel rests, because the ark is representative of the presence of God with his people.

Samuel is, of all God’s people, closest to the presence of God.

And then when God calls Samuel:

Samuel immediately responds with “Here I am” and runs to be of service to Eli. - It is not likely a coincidence that the calling of Samuel gets a response that echoes the exact words of Abraham, Jacob, and Moses when God called.

Each responded with “Here I am.” - Notice too that Samuel obediently and promptly is ready to serve each time he is called.

Meanwhile, Eli’s spiritual senses are dulled and it is the 3rd time of Samuel coming to him before He realizes that God is speaking to the youth.

Samuel, by no fault of his own, does not know who is calling bc he does not yet know God in a personal way (v.

7) - bc he hasn’t had a personal encounter with God or received any direct revelation to this point.

Finally, to Eli’s credit, he serves as a helpful mentor to Samuel and instructs him how he to respond if the Lord should call again.

And God, being both sovereign and gracious to persist, calls again a fourth time.

- Two unique features of this time include reference to the Lord coming and “standing” (perhaps a reference to a theophany - physical representation of the Lord on earth)... and the emphatic call to Samuel this time by repeating his name twice, which had occured in the lives of the aforementioned heroes of the faith (Abe, Jake, Moses) at pivotal points in their lives.

Samuel gives a response that is both submissive to his mentor and pointedly appropriate to the context: “Speak, for your servant hears.”

To hear - listening with attentiveness (hearing with intent to obey)

If only we would all... and always… respond to the call of God on our lives with such humility and submission.

- What a way to approach God’s will revealed in his Word: Speak Lord, for your servant is listening attentively with intent to obey!

When God speaks, there is only one right response—to listen and obey.

In that same spirit, before we resume the narrative, here we are already swarmed with excellent practical application:

Spiritual dullness

Our part

God’s gracious persistence

Readiness - serving where we are with what we are given to do

How young is too young to trust God and serve him?

At what magic maturity level do we begin serving?

Turning points - critical moments in our lives

That also serves to lead us back into the storyline because although the assignment given is a difficult one, Samuel will respond obediently.

This becomes a critical turning point in his life:

Cursing God, of which his sons were guilty, was an offense worthy of death.

And Eli’s guilt lies in not restraining them, honoring them above God - 2:29.

So God’s just determination was that such presumptuous sin could not be atoned for by sacrifice and was punishable by death.

- Exactly what he intended to do.

Now you can imagine how being the recipient of such a message, his very first revelation from God, and the responsibility to deliver that message to Eli, would have been anything but easy for the young lad Samuel.

A difficult assignment (vv.

15-18a)

An obedient response (vv.

15-18a)

Poor kid.

I doubt he slept.

(insert wide-eyed emoji here :-)) - He knows for SURE Eli is gonna ask, and he’s afraid to tell Eli the vision.

BTW, notice that the fear is real, but it doesn’t stop his obedience.

- Courage isn’t the lack of fear.

Courage is to act in spite of fear, knowing that there is something greater at stake and at work. - That’s what it means to fear God above man.

When we know God for who he is we rightly fear Him.

But when we know God for who he is, we also trust him in his goodness... and our awe doesn’t stop there but also causes us to love him.

This is especially the case when by faith we are the recipients of his grace in Christ Jesus.

We love him bc he first loved us.

- And when we know God and fear him above man, confident that we can fully trust the God we love, then we also submissively obey him in spite of real earthly fears and obstacles.

- There is real gospel truth here in the obedience of this youth.

Eli is calling down God’s judgment on Samuel himself if he withholds anything, which Samuel does not do.

He tells him everything the Lord had said.

And so as we finish the text for today we see a waning priest who for too long had allowed spiritual dullness to take over, who is now resigned to God’s judgment.

By sharp contrast, Samuel is transformed from a young man whose heart is sensitive and submissive to God, to become a rising spokesman for God to his people.

Eli: a waning priest accepting God’s judgment (v.

18b)