Quiet Games
Pt. 1 - The Silent Treatment
I. Introduction
It is a scam. A ploy. I am convinced it is nothing more than a well disguised trick to get a momentary respite and break from the barrage of sound that emanates from a classroom full of rowdy 2nd graders. I am talking about my least favorite kid's game. It can't hold a candle to to the beauty and intricacies of games like freeze tag, duck duck goose, or Simon Says. It is empty of the adrenaline rush of red rover, red rover or dodge ball. It is the quiet game. A contest to see who can go the longest without saying a word or making a sound. No action. No movement. I didn't like it then and lo and behold the disdain for the game has carried over into my adult life. My dislike of the silent treatment probably directly ties to my lack of appreciation for the quiet game.
Here is the problem . . . One of the facts of life as a believer is that there seem to be long seasons of silence when we deal with God. God seems to love the quiet game and seems to be the world's most skilled player. I much prefer the moments when I hear God clearly. I much prefer the seasons when at every turn God's voice is easily discernible and recognizable. The issue is that more times than not I find myself in Deuteronomy 5:22 - "He spoke in a tremendous voice from the fire and cloud and dark mist. And that was it. No more words."
Times when you hear Him, every service, every sermon, every moment in the altar is anticipated and exciting because it like you have a direct hotline to heaven and then NOTHING! You make no changes. You listen just as intently and silence suffocates. A ceiling of brass. Unreachable. Untouchable. Seasons of prolonged silence. Whether it is a 400 year silence like the Israelites experienced or a 4 month silence the truth is I hate it when it seems like God is playing the quiet game!
Over the course of the next few weeks I want to walk us through how to hear God! We know that hearing Him is essential for life because we have been told that we don't live on bread but on the Word of God. If it is His Word that sustains us, then it absolutely imperative that we learn how to hear.
II. Text
1 Samuel 3:1-10
The boy Samuel was serving God under Eli’s direction. This was at a time when the revelation of God was rarely heard or seen. (1 Samuel 3:1 - And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.) One night Eli was sound asleep his eyesight was very bad—he could hardly see. It was well before dawn; the sanctuary lamp was still burning. Samuel was still in bed in the Temple of God, where the Chest of God rested. Then God called out, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Yes? I’m here.” Then he ran to Eli saying, “I heard you call. Here I am.” Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” And so he did. God called again, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, “I heard you call. Here I am.” Again Eli said, “Son, I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” This all happened before Samuel knew God for himself. It was before the revelation of God had been given to him personally. God called again, “Samuel!”—the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, “Yes? I heard you call me. Here I am.” That’s when it dawned on Eli that God was calling the boy. So Eli directed Samuel, “Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, ‘Speak, God. I’m your servant, ready to listen.’” Samuel returned to his bed. Then God came and stood before him exactly as before, calling out, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak. I’m your servant, ready to listen.”
a. His voice must become precious again.
We focus on God speaking to Samuel and miss the context that surrounds what we are reading. What we are reading when God calls Samuel's name is the breaking of a long silence. Eli, the high priest, and his sinful sons had quieted God. This quiet game teaches us a powerful lesson . . . God grows quiet when we don't obey obvious Word. God grows quiet when His Word becomes ordinary. When we hear God's voice we must obey so that the channels of communication remain open! However, whether you hear daily or you are in a prolonged period of silence we must position ourselves in an attitude of honor and esteem towards His Word. Is His Word precious to you? Do you value His voice above other voices? I realize that in this passage the use of the word precious is another way to say scarce. However, if we would learn to treat His Word as if it is scarce, then we would learn to hear Him when He speaks softly. It is because we treat His Word as if it is common or normal that causes us to miss it.
B. We need sound advice.
For all of Eli's flaws and shortcomings he does give Samuel sound advice. Somehow, in spite of his own spiritual blindness and inability to hear God himself, he realizes that the voice Samuel is hearing is God and so he instructs Samuel to posture himself to hear.
God is speaking. In fact, we are told that God is consistently speaking. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus tells us, "Man shall live not by bread alone, but by every word coming out of the mouth of God." In the King James it says every word that proceedeth out. It carries the idea of a continued action. In other words, God has spoken, is speaking, and will continue to speak. So God is consistent in His speaking. Would to God that we were as consistent in our hearing.
He is also speaking persistently.
Whether it is the example of the prophets of old, the canopy of Scripture that we have at constant availability, or the deluge of preachers we have access to we can very easily conclude that God is persistent in speaking. Samuel experiences this. He misses God's voice not once, not twice, but three different times. He has strike 3 he should be out right? God can find someone else to talk to but once again, a fourth time, the persistent voice of God comes back and addresses Samuel again. How many times have you missed His voice? Your schedule, your pain, your distractedness, your hardheartedness, your stubbornness and opinions, the crescendo of other voices have caused you to miss His voice. The good news is that even though those things can cause us to experience a quiet season God will persistently speak.
So silence is a result not of God not speaking but our refusal or failure to correctly position ourselves to hear. We can rest in His consistency and persistence and reposition ourselves correctly and hear.
Elijah learned this lesson in the cave in 1 Kings 19. A fire passes by but no voice of God. A whirlwind but no voice. He soon discovers that there are seasons in your life when you have to slow down, lean in, focus, and you will hear the consistent and persistent still small voice of the Father. Let me give you some sound advice today. Listen again. Listen intently. Shut off all other noise. Don't make the mistake of equating not hearing to not speaking. He speaks we must learn to listen better!
C. God throws His voice.
We often think we are experiencing the silent treatment when the truth is God is simply throwing His voice.
Three times God calls Samuel and he is absolutely convinced that it is Eli calling his name. So he jumps up and interrupts Eli's sleep to report for duty only to discover that it wasn't Eli who called him. Samuel thought he heard Eli but was hearing God. My question is could that be because at times when he heard Eli he was in fact hearing God?
Samuel's experience teaches us that God is the world's most accomplished ventriloquist! He talks but His lips don't move. He talks and other people's lips are moving. Samuel shows us that God's voice often sounds familiar so if we aren't careful we miss it.
Here is a truth we need to learn God actually speaks through people who's voice we do recognize.
Too many of us miss God's voice because we refuse to hear it when it is disguised in someone else's voice. That is especially true if the voice He uses isn't one we prefer! That is especially true if the voice He uses isn't one we esteem!
Think about the situation Samuel is in. Eli isn't a righteous priest. He is a carnal, sinful, lazy, used up priest and yet Samuel mistakenly thinks God sounds a lot like Eli!
What does that mean? It means that when your wife is talking God may be throwing His voice and what you hear may sound like her but it is Him. That means when your parents . . . When your filthy mouthed, obnoxious boss, your annoying professor, your least favorite dorm mate or teammate, that preacher, that grandparent... God is speaking He just tends to throw His voice and we miss Him!
Whose voice is He using in your life? Some of us think we are ignoring mom and we are actually ignoring our Father. Some of us are turning a deaf ear to a recognizable voice and in the process we are silencing God.
Listen carefully. Learn to respond like Samuel . . . "Speak, God. I’m your servant, ready to listen." No qualifications like I will listen if you use my favorite preacher, my best friend, the one teacher I like. No simply speak and I am ready to listen. The tone of voice doesn't matter as much as the source of the voice!
So today I want us to practice what we are learning. Let's take some time and listen. Let's quiet down and say "Speak, God. I’m your servant, ready to listen." During this time you may need to ask a recognizable voice for forgiveness because you took their God words for granted.
