"Speak Lord, For Thy Servant Heareth" Series

"SPEAK LORD, FOR THY SERVANT HEARETH"

I SAMUEL 3:1-9

A. SETTING OF OUR TEXT

1. It is a painful circumstance when God has to by-pass his minister, or prophet:

a. Eli had been informed of the misconduct of his sons, yet he was unable to put an end to it -

b. They were sinning against the Lord in a way which affected the office of their father

c. Visions and revelations ceased in Israel and God’s word was scarce –

2. God chose to use the son of Hannah to bring the message of God to Eli and his house:

3. While the house of Eli was closing their doors to God, He was opening another door in the person of the boy Samuel:

4. The Bible said that Eli was comfortable accommodated in his place without any need for a changed in his home – 1 Samuel 3:2

a. He loosed sight of what the Lord had in store for him –

b. When we get comfortable with the way of the world, and even our family show not difference between the right and wrong, we loosed sight of the reality of God –

c. For the Bible says that “his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well.” He got so used to the way of his children that he couldn’t differentiate between right and wrong –

d. But before the light of God is gone out of his temple, He is always ready to turn on a new one; Samuel was that new light which the Lord was already at work with –

e. But Samuel was grown up on prayers, even the result of his being was a prayer from his mother Anna –

f. NAS 1 Samuel 3:3 “and 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,”

5. The Lord got work to do; He works is with the sons of men, and He is always ready to work in the heart and mind of them that seek Him, as he did with

a consecrated young boy name Samuel:

6. KJV Isaiah 13:12 “I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.”

7. We also need to be lying down in the temple of the Lord if we ought to be that light that God will turn on:

a. We need to be in prayer on our knees meditating in the beauty of the Lord, worshiping His name for his mighty work upon the sons of men –Psalm 27:4

b. Let us go to the House of the Lord and bow down on reverence for His loving-kindness upon His children –Psalms 5:7

c. Let us say on our heart Lord let thy light always shines in our heart and in thy temple “here I am” sent me –

B. GOD IS CALLING THOSE WHO LIKE SAMUEL ARE ALWAYS READY TO SAY “HERE I AM”

1. He had an open ear for the call that has to do with the things above:

a. Let our young people take notice - "Hear am I" - I Sam. 3:4; "Here am I" - Verse 6; "Here am I; for thou didst call me" - verse 8

b. Never once did he become disobedient to what he believed to be his duty, night or day

2. He was ever ready to perform the duty given to him which at times was very difficult, as in the case of Eli and his family:

a. That is ever a mark of true piety - Gen. 18:17; 22:1-12; 26:5

b. Not to obey the voice of the Lord kept Moses and Aaron out of the promised land

c. This testimony of the piety of Samuel should challenge every one of our young people; "And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. . . And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord" - I Sam. 3:19-20 let this truth sink deeply into our hearts.

3. The word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those days; there was no open vision: - I Sam. 3:1

a. This shows that the sin of a member of the church affects the family and the church - Joshua 7:1-22

b. That when the ministers of God fail to perform their paternal duties in the home, it reflects upon the cause of God in general

c. It shows further that obedience to God’s law and revelation go hand in hand; that when we disobey the law of God, He will withhold His revelation