“Speak, Lord, We are Listening”
1 Samuel 3:1-4a
The passage begins in darkness, not just the kind of darkness we experience at night, although it is nighttime.
We are told that “the lamp of God had not yet gone out.”
The lamp of God, according to Exodus 27, was supposed to burn from evening until morning, in the Holy Place, in the Temple, near the Ark of the Covenant.
So, it is dark because it is night, but it is also spiritually dark.
We are told in verse 1 of Chapter 3 that “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there weren’t many visions.”
Some scholars believe that this means that God wasn’t speaking much to the people back then.
But I don’t think that is the case.
I think God was speaking as God is always speaking.
The problem was that people weren’t listening.
This was the time of the Judges, and at the end of the Book of Judges we are told that “everyone did as they saw fit.”
They were without direction.
They were lost.
They were walking according to the flesh and human wisdom rather than the Spirit and knowledge of God.
It was a dark time in history.
Even the priesthood had become corrupt.
In Chapter 2 we are told that Eli’s sons “were scoundrels” and that “they had no regard for the Lord.”
They were stealing the meat that the Israelites were bringing to them as sacrifices for God.
They were also taking advantage of the women who were serving at the tent of the meeting.
They were sexually molesting them.
What a mess.
Having been led astray by the corruption of their spiritual leaders, people weren’t listening to the voice of God, and so, yes, the word of the Lord was rare and there weren’t many visions.
There is a lot to be said for the Church being the Church, and for Christians to live out their faith in Spirit, love, and Truth.
God often speaks through the words and actions of God’s people.
The day before I left for college the doorbell rang.
Standing on our front stoop was our pastor.
He had in his hands a brand new leather-bound pocket-sized Bible.
He handed it to me and said, “I hope you will read this.”
It turned out to be the first Bible that I ever really read.
I became so engrossed in that Bible that I could hardly put it down.
That, along with making new Christian friends changed my life forever.
God spoke to me through the Bible and through those who were already following Him.
I listened.
I couldn’t get enough.
I gave my life to Christ and I became a brand-new person.
I didn’t have that Bible for long.
I got to where I would carry it wherever I went.
One day, while waiting at a bus stop I got into a conversation about God with a homeless man, he was a Vietnam Veteran.
I gave the Bible to him because he didn’t have one.
When God calls us, He not only calls us to follow Him He also calls us to BE His Word to those whom we come in contact with.
St. Francis coined the saying, “We may be the only Bible some people ever read.”
That doesn’t mean we have to be perfect, nor does it mean that we should be phony.
What it does mean is that we must be in constant communication with God.
We must feed on the love He has for us…for that is the only way we can love ourselves, love Him, and love others.
The only way that can happen is if we are listening to what He says, to what He is calling us to do, to how He is calling us to spend our time, and everything else, and then do it—live into it.
It must be intentional.
I’m far from being perfect.
But, I’m a much better person, and much more at peace when I am listening to God and following His guidance rather than just doing things as I see fit.
We belong to the Holston Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and one of the priorities for Holston in 2024 is to participate in Holston’s Read Together Initiative.
Daily readings begin with Genesis 1 and finish with Revelation 22 on the last day of 2024.
It’s not too late to start.
If you want the list of readings for each day you can go to our Church Website at rbumc.org.
Click on “events” and you will find them in our latest newsletter.
I like what our Bishop Reverend Debra Wallace-Padgett has to say about participating in the initiative.
She writes: “For the past 20-plus years, I have participated in various read through the Bible programs that feature daily assigned readings.
My motivation is not out of obligation; although, reading Scripture is an appropriate response to God’s love and grace in my life.
It is not because of my profession; although, it is a great idea for clergy to study the Bible since it is foundational to our lives.
It is not even to learn more about Scripture; though, learning occurs each time I read through the Bible.
I read Scripture daily because the practice of doing so positions me to experience God regularly, and encountering God through Scripture is life-changing.
You might say, ‘Some days the readings do not seem to connect me with God.’ The same is true for me. The key word here is ‘seem.’
Because even on those occasions, simply settling into a chair with a mug of hot tea or bottle of water in hand for a few minutes of Bible reading brings us into God’s presence.
We may not feel anything – but that does not negate the reality that God is speaking into us through the words of Scripture.
God’s Word sometimes impacts the intellect, other times the affect, and frequently the spirit.
Then there are those times when what we read moves us.
Maybe we identify with one of the biblical characters or gain a new insight from a Scripture passage.
Perhaps our hearts are stirred, pricked, encouraged, or strengthened as we spend time in the pages of Scripture.
Occasionally, we may feel like God has spoken directly to us during our Bible reading time.
After all, Holy Scripture is both ancient and contemporary.
It is as relevant to us today as it was to the first reader. God speaks to us through Scripture!”
I find that when I am listening to God and engaged in His work of helping the poor, loving my neighbor, and sharing the Good News, transformation happens naturally.
I might think twice about eating in an overly expensive restaurant, not because I can’t afford it but because there are so many other things I can do with that money.
And it’s not a burden to feel this way.
It is freeing.
It is exciting.
It is life-giving.
There are so many people in need.
And God’s love compels us to help others, to share what we have with those who have less.
And that brings us happiness, because God has created us to help one another, to love one another.
It’s in our DNA.
And when we are not doing this, we are not truly happy.
We are not satisfied.
And God has created us to be in relationship with Him.
And when we are not living in a relationship with God, we are incomplete.
We are not at peace.
Interestingly, verse 7 of our Scripture passage for this morning tells us that “Samuel did not yet know the Lord…”
And so, God called him, but even though he lived in the Temple and slept right next to the Ark of the Covenant He didn’t recognize God’s voice.
But God continued to call him anyway.
And that is what God does in all of our lives.
God is calling everyone, all the time.
God is calling us through the miracle of life, through opportunities to help another person, and opportunities as simple as smiling at a passing stranger.
God is always calling us to Himself, to His love.
And when we listen and hear Him and act on what He says, it changes our lives.
God kept calling Samuel and it took some guidance from Eli before Samuel knew what was happening.
Eli gave Samuel some advice that is good advice for us as well.
“Go lie down,” Eli told the boy, “and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
Don’t get busy with something else.
Just lie there and speak to Him and then listen.
And sure enough, in His persistent grace, God called again.
Verse 10 says that “the Lord came and stood there.”
But Samuel didn’t see God.
He heard God.
He heard the will of the Lord, because this time he was listening.
What he heard wasn’t pleasant; it was a word of judgment against the house of Eli for the sins of his sons and for his own weakness as a father.
And Eli accepted that word from God.
Samuel continued to hear the Word of God and speak God’s Word.
And we are told in Chapter 4:1 that “Samuel’s word came to all Israel.”
(pause)
When we are reading narrative sections of Scripture that tell a story, that give an account of an event, one of the best ways to understand the emphasis of a particular passage is simply to look how it begins and how it ends.
What ‘movement’ is there in the passage?
What changes from start to finish?
Here in 1 Samuel 3 the movement is clear isn’t it?
We start in verse 1 with a statement that God’s Word to His people was quite rare, and we finish the passage in verses 19-4:1 with statements about how God’s Word is being proclaimed to all of Israel.
The Bible is clear about how desperately we need God’s Word, and how awful it is when God’s Word is rare.
The great hope that Samuel brought to God’s people was the great hope that God was again speaking to His people—not that He wasn’t always speaking, but the people weren’t able to listen because they didn’t know God, His Word hadn’t yet been revealed to them due to all the corruption of the leadership.
Is the Word of God rare today?
We might think, “Well, we have Bibles all over the place.”
But are we reading it?
Are the people in our community reading it?
If not, it may very well be rare in our lives and the lives of the people who live around us.
And it is so awful, things are so dark, and we become so lost and tripped up and hopeless when God’s Word is rare.
We are so prone to wander when God’s Word is rare.
We feel empty when God’s Word is rare.
Are you feeling like Israel this morning, Israel under the leadership of the corrupt priestly house of Eli?
Do you feel like your better days are behind you in terms of your relationship with God, or do you feel that you have never really had a personal relationship with God and that you don’t yet know the Lord?
It’s not the fact that we’ve got millions and millions of Bibles around us that counts, it’s the content that counts, it’s whether or not we are listening to God Who is always calling us that counts.
It’s whether or not we are engaged in His Word, and doing what He calls us to do which is above all to Love God and Love others in real and tangible ways—Being God’s Word to a lost and broken world.
So, every day, will we take time to read the Bible and listen to God and say: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”?
As we come to a place of temptation will we say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”?
When we get off course and begin to go our own way will we say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”?
And when He answers us, will we do what He says?
Will we live into being the people God is calling us to be?
May it be so.
Amen.
