JUST OPEN EARS
1 SAMUEL 3: 1-10
KEY VERSE: 1 SAMUEL 3: 10
FOCAL POINT: GOD SPEAKS TO OPEN EARS!
INTRODUCTION:
SAMUEL WAS THE SON OF ELKANAH AND HANNAH WHO WERE BARREN FOR YEARS. GOD TOUCHED HANNAH A SAMUEL WAS BORN. HANNAH DEDICATED HIM TO THE LORD AS A CHILD AND BROUGHT HIM TO ELI A TEMPLE PRIEST. THE CHILD HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD SPEAK TO HIM AT THE SHRINE IN SHILOH. AS AN ADULT, SAMUEL PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN UNITING THE TRIBES AGAINST THE GROWING THREAT OF THE PHILISTINES. SAMUEL ANOINTED SAUL AS KING OF ISRAEL AND LATER DAVID AS SAUL’S SUCCESSOR.
ELI (ASCENT) WAS THE HIGH PRIEST WHEN THE ARK OF THE COVENANT RESIDED AT SHILOH (1 SAMUEL 1:3) HE WAS FROM THE LINEAGE OF ITHAMAR, AARON’S FOURTH SON (1 CHRONICLES 24:3)
THIS TEACHING SPEAKS TO OPEN EARS HEARING THE WORD.
EXPOSITION ON 1 SAMUEL 3: 10
JEWISH HISTORIAN JOSEPHUS WROTE THAT SAMUEL WAS TWELVE YEARS OLD AT THIS TIME. SAMUEL WAS INTERNING UNDER ELI THE HIGH PRIEST. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THE LATER PART OF THE JUDGES PERIOD WHEN SPECIAL REVELATION FROM GOD WAS RARE. NORMALLY, REVELATIONS CAME TO THE PROPHETS IN DREAMS AND VISIONS (NUMBERS 12:6).
IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT THE LORD CALLED OUT SAMUEL’S NAME TWICE IN VERSE 1O, AS OPPOSED TO ONLY ONE TIME IN THE PRECEDING CALLS. THE TWOFOLD CALL OF “SAMUEL, SAMUEL” MAY HAVE INDICATED A SENSE OF URGENCY. THE LORD HAD SOMETHING OF URGENCY TO SHARE WITH THIS YOUNG MAN. IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT HE CALLED ABRAHAM’S NAME TWICE (GENESIS 22:11), MOSES’ NAME TWICE (EXODUS 3:4) AND SAUL’S NAME TWICE IN ACTS 9:4. JOHN 10:3 “TO HIM THE DOORKEEPER OPENS, AND THE SHEEP HEAR HIS VOICE; AND HE CALLS HIS OWN SHEEP BY NAME AND LEADS THE OUT.” (NKJV) AS A BELIEVER, GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOUR NAME!
THE LORD STOOD BY SAMUEL AS HE CALLED TO HIM. THIS PHENOMENON, CALLED A “THEOPHANY” OCCURRED WITH ADAM, ABRAHAM, JACOB, MOSES, JOSHUA AND DANIEL. THE REALITY OF GOD CALLING OUT SAMUEL BY NAME IS SIGNIFICANT.
THE WORD “HEARS” (KJV) CONVEYS THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS, “TO HEAR WITH INTEREST, “TO HEAR SO AS TO OBEY”. (GESENIUS’ LEXICON)
WHEN YOU ANALYZE THE PHRASE “THY SERVANT HEARS” YOU KNOW THE ONE SPEAKING IS TRULY HEARING FROM THE LORD. THIS YOUNG BOY WAS NOT JUST GOING THROUGH MOTION BUT ACTUALLY HEARING GOD AND WILLING TO OBEY HIM.
APPLICATION: GOD WILL SPEAK TO OPEN EARS. PSALMS 40:6 “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU DID NOT DESIRE; MY EARS YOU HAVE OPENED. BURNT OFFERING AND SIN OFFERING YOU DID NOT REQUIRE.”
REF: EXCERPTS FROM HEARING GOD’S VOICE BY HENRY AND RICHARD BLACKABY, HCS STUDY BIBLE, , DR. CONSTABLE’S NOTES ON 1 SAMUEL, NKJV STUDY BIBLE BY RADMACHER, ALLEN & HOUSE, MACARTHUR STUDY BIBLE, TSB BY WARREN WIERSBE, LIFE APPLICATIONS BY G .CAMPBELL MORGAN, BLUELETTERBIBLE.ORG.
