OVERCOME BY LISTENING TO GOD
1 Samuel 3:1-16
Introduction
There are so many different voices we listen to when we need help. There is that inner voice, the one we talk to when we are alone. There is the voice of friends - who may/ may not be Christians. There is the voice of experts - offering up wisdom … or not! There is the voice of experience - which we often ignore! There is the voice of the Enemy - who is never silent. There is the voice of God - the one we should listen to above all
1 John 5:4 “…For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”
In this series we have learned that We Overcome By ….
Trusting God in the chaos
Obeying God even when we do not understand
Turning to God for Redemption when we fail
Rejecting the inner reluctance to following His call
Trusting God to Provide when we see no answers.
(Each of those sermons is available to view on Forsythe Church of Christ YouTube Channel!)
In our text we will learn that we overcome by listening to God.
In 1 Samuel 3, we see a young man who both heard and listened. Samuel was a child of promise - His parents Elkanah and Hannah. You might remember that Hannah could not bear a child and prayed that if God would give her a child she would dedicate him to God. She brought him to Eli to raise. Eli might not have been the best choice - his sons were given to blasphemy and running wild, without correction from Eli. When Samuel hears the Word of the Lord, God’s word is troubling - but this becomes the kind of message that he becomes accustomed to bringing. Samuel becomes a major figure in the story of the Old Testament because he listens to God and he faithfully delivers the message. This text gives us three truths about listening to God in our lives.
1. When There Is No Message From the Lord, Chaos Reigns (1 Samuel 3:1-3)
What a disastrous time for Israel. (1 Samuel 3:1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.)
The time of the judges has mostly been a failure due to rebellion and wild, brutal living while ignoring God. Eli is a debilitated priest. (1 Samuel 3:2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.) Eli is nearly blind and is quite old - but that’s not all of his problems. His sons have blasphemed God by forcing themselves on women who come to the temple to worship and by eating sacrifices that didn’t belong to them. Eli speaks to them, but has no discipline.
Biggest problem: There has been no message from God. A few centuries later, the prophet Amos will warn of a famine not of bread or wine but of the hearing of the word of the Lord (Amos 8:11). Proverbs 29:19 NLT “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.”
There is a message of hope in this disaster, though (1 Samuel 3:3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.). Samuel is near the place representing the presence of God and the lamp has not yet gone out - it is in the early morning hours before daybreak. In this time of darkness, there is a glimmer of hope.
God always keeps the door open for repentance. No matter what you have done in your life, God has the light on for you … He wants you to come home. If sin has brought chaos into your life, it’s time to let the Word shed some light on your situation and be a lamp to your feet!
Isaiah 9:1 “…That time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. …There will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles ...will be filled with glory."
Never give up on God, He never gives up on us. There is always hope.
2. When God Calls, Are We Answering?
1 Samuel 3:4-10 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
Three times Samuel hears the Lord call out his name. He is young, and this is his first experience at hearing from the Lord (and far from his last). He assumes it is Eli. The old priest finally instructs him to stop saying “Here I am” and say “Speak, your servant is listening.”
How is God calling you today - and how are you answering?
Calling through the Gospel (2 Thess 2:14 ESV “To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”)
Calling through Others, through Experiences. Calling through the Word (Romans 10:17 ESV “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”)
Has your life been like Israel when there was no word from the Lord? Are you answering God’s call in your life? Before we can answer, we need to hear.
3. When God Speaks, We Need to Hear (1 Samuel 3:11-18)
There is a difference between hearing and listening! Hearing is a passive involuntary physiological act of hearing
sounds. Listening is a mental, active process that requires multiple senses. (Fuller). How much of what we hear is forgotten immediately? “Research …shows that within one hour, people will have forgotten an average of 50 percent of the information you presented. Within 24 hours, they have forgotten an average of 70 percent of new information, and within a week, forgetting claims an average of 90 percent of it.”(Davis)
Listening takes more effort - is harder work. How do I move from Listening to Hearing?
Pay attention to the One Voice that matters. Sometimes we listen to everyone else BEFORE turning to God’s Word!
Hear the true message, not just the one we want to hear. “Eli really wanted to hear God’s message, no matter how bad it was. How many people are there who really want to hear God’s disturbing news? I’m afraid most people don’t want to be challenged. They don’t want God to disturb their set ways of thinking.” (Anders)
Act upon what we hear - otherwise we’re just accumulating trivia.
Remain in the posture of hearing. God is not through with us yet!
Conclusion: When there’s no message from the Lord, Chaos Reigns; When God Calls, Are We Listening?; When God Speaks, We Need to Hear!
Samuel would have a lifetime of service to God because He listened to Him and shared God’s message with the people.
1 Samuel 3:19 ESV And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
From 1 Samuel 4:1 we do not hear from Samuel for 20 years. Long years of defeat for Israel. In chapter 7 a revival comes and victory returns to Israel. The stone Eben-ezer was raised (7:12). Following this triumph there were years of peace for Israel. Samuel would go on to warn the people that they shouldn’t desire a king like the nations around them, but the people did not listen. Samuel anointed both Saul and David as king. He did not live long enough to see David ascend to the throne. 1 Samuel 25 records the death of Samuel (although there is a book
2 Samuel, he does not appear in it.)
“This is not just a children’s story. It is a story for all of us who are most in danger of losing their capacity to hear and respond to the word of the Lord.” (Anders)
John 5:24-28 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. …28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
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Discussion Questions
1. Samuel is a significant Old Testament character. What do you recall about Samuel other than the story of his birth and early days in today’s text?
2. This is a great story of intergenerational cooperation and faithfulness - how are we modeling this in the church? How are we encouraging our older members to help our younger members hear where God is calling them?
3. Eli the priest is a sad figure. He is determined to listen to God and submit to His will, and insists that Samuel tell him whatever God had to say. When people read Scriptures that teach against things that they find in our own lives, what are some various ways people react? How should we react? Why is that difficult?
4. Mickey Anders writes: “This is not just a children’s story. It is a story for all of us who are most in danger of losing their capacity to hear and respond to the word of the Lord.” What can we do to be sure that we do not lose our capacity to hear and respond to the Lord?
5. How does God call us through the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14)? How does Romans 10:17 help us answer that question? What other methods can God use to call us unto Himself?
6. How can I know if I am just listening to God or if I am actually hearing Him?
7. We ended today’s lesson in John 5:24-29. It is important to hear Jesus in our own lives. How can we help others to hear Him?
8. Is there anything else in this lesson or text that you wanted to talk about?
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Video of this message can be viewed on the Forsythe Church of Christ YouTube Channel.
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Resources
Anders, Mickey. Sermon on Avoiding Absurd Living.
https://sermonwriter.com/sermons/1-samuel-31-20-avoiding-absurd-living-anders/
Davis, Ben. What Percentage of information do we retain through words?
https://www.mvorganizing.org/what-percentage-of-information-do-we-retain-through-words/
Fuller, Kristen. The Difference Between Hearing and Listening.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happiness-is-state-mind/202107/the-difference-between-hearing-and-listening
Wines, Alphonetta. commentary for Working Preacher.
https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/narrative-lectionary/god-calls-samuel/commentary-on-1-samuel-31-21-3
Kranz, Jeffrey. 12 Interesting Facts about the Prophet Samuel.
https://overviewbible.com/facts-prophet-samuel/
