Revelation of God
“And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh; for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 3:21)
IT is a premium blessing for man to have God reveal Himself to them. Our verse tells of God revealing Himself in Shiloh to Israel. It tells of the grace in the revelation, the man for the revelation, and the word in the revelation.
Grace in the revelation. “The Lord appeared again in Shiloh.” The word “again” emphasizes grace. Shiloh was where the Tabernacle had been since the Israelites had moved into Canaan under Joshua’s leadership. But Shiloh had become a place a wickedness because of the evil of Eli’s sons. Eli was the head priest and his sons were also priests. But they were very corrupt men and so much so that the people “abhorred the offering of the LORD” (1 Samuel 2:17). Furthermore, Eli’s sons made “the LORD’S people to transgress” (1 Samuel 2:24). Yet in spite of all the corruption that went at Shiloh, the grace of God prevailed and God revealed Himself there again. Truly it could be said of Shiloh, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). We owe so much to the grace of God. Every blessing from salvation to our everyday blessings are all a result of God’s grace.
Man for the revelation. “The LORD revealed himself to Samuel.” Though grace abounded in this revelation, yet judgment is seen, too; for it was not Eli but Samuel to whom God revealed Himself. Eli, though the head priest, had forfeited his spiritual privilege through disobedience. Samuel on the other hand had been submissive to God, served God, and was steadfast to God. Do not abuse your spiritual privileges.
Word in the revelation. “By the word of the LORD.” God reveals Himself through His Word. If you want to know about God, get into the Word of God and you will learn about God. Ignorance of God abounds today. The reason for this ignorance is the failure of people to get into the Scriptures. Our churches need to get back to emphasizing the Word in their services if they are going to help people know God. We cannot worship well at church if we do not know God well.
