the Lord hears

Old Testament for June 2, 2024

Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”
[1 Samuel 3:10]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Samuel 3:1-10
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Like many great stories, this one begins, in media res, i.e., in the middle of things.

Who is this child? What is Eli’s priestly history? If we know the answers to these questions, we may begin to understand the impact that Samuel will have on Israel in the future.

Samuel is the son of Elkanah and Hannah, who were of the tribe of Ephraim in the central highlands of Israel.  Although Elkanah deeply loved his wife Hannah, she was grieved because she was unable to have children.  But she went annually with her husband to the shrine of the Lord in Shiloh. There the ark of the covenant was kept in the tent that had been made at Moses’ instruction some centuries earlier. There she prayed each year for a child.

It was at Shiloh that Hannah’s prayers were observed by the High Priest Eli.  When he saw her praying fervently, he thought she was drunk until she explained her desperate pleas for a child.  Eli prayed that she might have a child, and when she returned home with her husband Elkanah the prayer was answered — she conceived and bore a son, whom she named Samuel. Note that his name means God hears.

This is where the story becomes extremely fascinating. This woman, who has been childless for so long, does an amazing thing. After Samuel has been weaned — possibly sometime between ages three and four — Hannah took her child to Shiloh to dedicate him to the Lord!  This is not merely a ritual act of dedication. She actually leaves him with Eli to be completely dedicated full-time to the service of God!

So, Samuel seems to become a kind of acolyte, assisting the aging Eli in his functions in the tabernacle.  We know from the second chapter of Samuel that Eli’s sons Hophni and Phineas were profoundly corrupt and sexually immoral.  In fact, a man of God has come to Eli to warn him that because of their sins, the house of Eli would be removed from the priesthood and his sons would die on the same day.

It is in this context that the young Samuel hears the voice of the Lord one night as the lamp in the tabernacle is burning.  He has no idea what it means, so he goes three times to Eli, thinking his mentor is calling him.  But Eli still has enough spiritual sensitivity to realize that the Lord himself is speaking to Samuel.

Note the irony.  Samuel’s name means The Lord hears.  And now Eli instructs Samuel to return to his station and to say:

Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.

God has listened to the prayers of Hannah, and to Eli’s intercession on behalf of this woman; and now Samuel in turn is being trained to listen to God!

Thus begins a prophetic career that would carry Samuel into the pages of the two books that would bear his name — 1 & 2 Samuel. He would judge Israel, and would anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.  He had learned to listen, and to obey.

APPLY:  

It is my experience and opinion that we are always in the position of responding to God’s initiative.  We may think that we are seeking God, but in fact God is seeking us.  When we respond, usually we realize that he has been calling us for quite some time.

This is the case of Samuel, who is quite oblivious to the call of God.  He is simply doing the work required of him in the tabernacle, and sleeping on his appointed mat in the vicinity of the Ark of the Covenant.

In fact, his initial reaction to the call is to confuse God’s voice with the voice of the high priest Eli.  It is Eli who helps Samuel understand what’s happening in this encounter with God.

It is helpful to have a spiritual mentor who can interpret for us what God is doing in our lives, at least until we are able to discern the voice of God for ourselves.

One other thing. By placing himself in the tabernacle of the Lord, Samuel is at least available to hear God’s voice.  Contrast him to the sons of Eli, who are abusing their privilege as priests and using their position only to satisfy their own cravings.

Likewise, if we place ourselves in the presence of God through regular worship, prayer, Bible study, and fasting, we will find ourselves more likely to hear God’s voice than when we are merely serving ourselves and our own appetites.

RESPOND: 

While God’s voice doesn’t come to me audibly, I do believe that God speaks in spiritual whispers.  What is required is that I listen.  And I can listen more carefully when I am practicing the spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, fasting, and Bible study.

Lord, may I say with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”  And may I heed and obey what I hear.  Amen.  

 PHOTOS:
“listening” by Isbg Six is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for January 14, 2024

Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”
[1 Samuel 3:10]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Samuel 3:1-10
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Like many great stories, this one begins, in media res, i.e., in the middle of things.

Who is this child? What is Eli’s priestly history? If we know the answers to these questions, we may begin to understand the impact that Samuel will have on Israel in the future.

Samuel is the son of Elkanah and Hannah, who were of the tribe of Ephraim in the central highlands of Israel.  Although Elkanah deeply loved his wife Hannah, she was grieved because she was unable to have children.  But she went annually with her husband to the shrine of the Lord in Shiloh. There the ark of the covenant was kept in the tent that had been made at Moses’ instruction some centuries earlier. There she prayed each year for a child.

It was at Shiloh that Hannah’s prayers were observed by the High Priest Eli.  When he saw her praying fervently, he thought she was drunk until she explained her desperate pleas for a child.  Eli prayed that she might have a child, and when she returned home with her husband Elkanah the prayer was answered — she conceived and bore a son, whom she named Samuel. Note that his name means God hears.

This is where the story becomes extremely fascinating. This woman, who has been childless for so long, does an amazing thing. After Samuel has been weaned — possibly sometime between ages three and four — Hannah took her child to Shiloh to dedicate him to the Lord!  This is not merely a ritual act of dedication. She actually leaves him with Eli to be completely dedicated full-time to the service of God!

So, Samuel seems to become a kind of acolyte, assisting the aging Eli in his functions in the tabernacle.  We know from the second chapter of Samuel that Eli’s sons Hophni and Phineas were profoundly corrupt and sexually immoral.  In fact, a man of God has come to Eli to warn him that because of their sins, the house of Eli would be removed from the priesthood and his sons would die on the same day.

It is in this context that the young Samuel hears the voice of the Lord one night as the lamp in the tabernacle is burning.  He has no idea what it means, so he goes three times to Eli, thinking his mentor is calling him.  But Eli still has enough spiritual sensitivity to realize that the Lord himself is speaking to Samuel.

Note the irony.  Samuel’s name means The Lord hears.  And now Eli instructs Samuel to return to his station and to say:

Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.

God has listened to the prayers of Hannah, and to Eli’s intercession on behalf of this woman; and now Samuel in turn is being trained to listen to God!

Thus begins a prophetic career that would carry Samuel into the pages of the two books that would bear his name — 1 & 2 Samuel. He would judge Israel, and would anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.  He had learned to listen, and to obey.

APPLY:  

It is my experience and opinion that we are always in the position of responding to God’s initiative.  We may think that we are seeking God, but in fact God is seeking us.  When we respond, usually we realize that he has been calling us for quite some time.

This is the case of Samuel, who is quite oblivious to the call of God.  He is simply doing the work required of him in the tabernacle, and sleeping on his appointed mat in the vicinity of the Ark of the Covenant.

In fact, his initial reaction to the call is to confuse God’s voice with the voice of the high priest Eli.  It is Eli who helps Samuel understand what’s happening in this encounter with God.

It is helpful to have a spiritual mentor who can interpret for us what God is doing in our lives, at least until we are able to discern the voice of God for ourselves.

One other thing. By placing himself in the tabernacle of the Lord, Samuel is at least available to hear God’s voice.  Contrast him to the sons of Eli, who are abusing their privilege as priests and using their position only to satisfy their own cravings.

Likewise, if we place ourselves in the presence of God through regular worship, prayer, Bible study, and fasting, we will find ourselves more likely to hear God’s voice than when we are merely serving ourselves and our own appetites.

RESPOND: 

While God’s voice doesn’t come to me audibly, I do believe that God speaks in spiritual whispers.  What is required is that I listen.  And I can listen more carefully when I am practicing the spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, fasting, and Bible study.

Lord, may I say with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”  And may I heed and obey what I hear.  Amen.  

 PHOTOS:
“listening” by Isbg Six is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for January 17, 2021

Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”
[1 Samuel 3:10]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Samuel 3:1-10
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Like many great stories, this one begins, in media res, i.e., in the middle of things.

Who is this child? What is Eli’s priestly history? If we know the answers to these questions, we may begin to understand the impact that Samuel will have on Israel in the future.

Samuel is the son of Elkanah and Hannah, who were of the tribe of Ephraim in the central highlands of Israel.  Although Elkanah deeply loved his wife Hannah, she was grieved because she was unable to have children.  But she went annually with her husband to the shrine of the Lord in Shiloh. There the ark of the covenant was kept in the tent that had been made at Moses’ instruction some centuries earlier. There she prayed each year for a child.

It was at Shiloh that Hannah’s prayers were observed by the High Priest Eli.  When he saw her praying fervently, he thought she was drunk until she explained her desperate pleas for a child.  Eli prayed that she might have a child, and when she returned home with her husband Elkanah the prayer was answered — she conceived and bore a son, whom she named Samuel. Note that his name means God hears.

This is where the story becomes extremely fascinating. This woman, who has been childless for so long, does an amazing thing. After Samuel has been weaned — possibly sometime between ages three and four — Hannah took her child to Shiloh to dedicate him to the Lord!  This is not merely a ritual act of dedication. She actually leaves him with Eli to be completely dedicated full-time to the service of God!

So, Samuel seems to become a kind of acolyte, assisting the aging Eli in his functions in the tabernacle.  We know from the second chapter of Samuel that Eli’s sons Hophni and Phineas were profoundly corrupt and sexually immoral.  In fact, a man of God has come to Eli to warn him that because of their sins, the house of Eli would be removed from the priesthood and his sons would die on the same day.

It is in this context that the young Samuel hears the voice of the Lord one night as the lamp in the tabernacle is burning.  He has no idea what it means, so he goes three times to Eli, thinking his mentor is calling him.  But Eli still has enough spiritual sensitivity to realize that the Lord himself is speaking to Samuel.

Note the irony.  Samuel’s name means The Lord hears.  And now Eli instructs Samuel to return to his station and to say:

Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.

God has listened to the prayers of Hannah, and to Eli’s intercession on behalf of this woman; and now Samuel in turn is being trained to listen to God!

Thus begins a prophetic career that would carry Samuel into the pages of the two books that would bear his name — 1 & 2 Samuel. He would judge Israel, and would anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.  He had learned to listen, and to obey.

APPLY:  

It is my experience and opinion that we are always in the position of responding to God’s initiative.  We may think that we are seeking God, but in fact God is seeking us.  When we respond, usually we realize that he has been calling us for quite some time.

This is the case of Samuel, who is quite oblivious to the call of God.  He is simply doing the work required of him in the tabernacle, and sleeping on his appointed mat in the vicinity of the Ark of the Covenant.

In fact, his initial reaction to the call is to confuse God’s voice with the voice of the high priest Eli.  It is Eli who helps Samuel understand what’s happening in this encounter with God.

It is helpful to have a spiritual mentor who can interpret for us what God is doing in our lives, at least until we are able to discern the voice of God for ourselves.

One other thing. By placing himself in the tabernacle of the Lord, Samuel is at least available to hear God’s voice.  Contrast him to the sons of Eli, who are abusing their privilege as priests and using their position only to satisfy their own cravings.

Likewise, if we place ourselves in the presence of God through regular worship, prayer, Bible study, and fasting, we will find ourselves more likely to hear God’s voice than when we are merely serving ourselves and our own appetites.

RESPOND: 

While God’s voice doesn’t come to me audibly, I do believe that God speaks in spiritual whispers.  What is required is that I listen.  And I can listen more carefully when I am practicing the spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, fasting, and Bible study.

Lord, may I say with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”  And may I heed and obey what I hear.  Amen.  

 PHOTOS:
“listening” by Isbg Six is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for June 3, 2018

Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”
[1 Samuel 3:10]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Samuel 3:1-20
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Like many great stories, this one begins, in media res, i.e., in the middle of things.

Who is this child? What is Eli’s priestly history? If we know the answers to these questions, we may begin to understand the impact that Samuel will have on Israel in the future.

Samuel is the son of Elkanah and Hannah, who were of the tribe of Ephraim in the central highlands of Israel.  Although Elkanah deeply loved his wife Hannah, she was grieved because she was unable to have children.  But she went annually with her husband to the shrine of the Lord in Shiloh. There the ark of the covenant was kept in the tent that had been made at Moses’ instruction some centuries earlier. There she prayed each year for a child.

It was at Shiloh that Hannah’s prayers were observed by the High Priest Eli.  When he saw her praying fervently, he thought she was drunk until she explained her desperate pleas for a child.  Eli prayed that she might have a child, and when she returned home with her husband Elkanah the prayer was answered: she conceived and bore a son, whom she named Samuel. Note that his name means God hears.

This is where the story becomes extremely fascinating. This woman, who has been childless for so long, does an amazing thing. After Samuel has been weaned — possibly sometime between ages three and four — Hannah took her child to Shiloh to dedicate him to the Lord!  This is not merely a ritual act of dedication. She actually leaves him with Eli to be completely dedicated full-time to the service of God!

So, Samuel seems to become a kind of acolyte, assisting the aging Eli in his functions in the tabernacle.  We know from the second chapter of Samuel that Eli’s sons Hophni and Phineas were profoundly corrupt and sexually immoral.  In fact, a man of God has come to Eli to warn him that because of their sins, the house of Eli would be removed from the priesthood and his sons would die on the same day.

It is in this context that the young Samuel hears the voice of the Lord one night as the lamp in the tabernacle is burning.  He has no idea what it means, so he goes three times to Eli, thinking his mentor is calling him.  But Eli still has enough spiritual sensitivity to realize that the Lord himself is speaking to Samuel.

Note the irony.  Samuel’s name means The Lord hears.  And now Eli instructs Samuel to return to his station and to say:

Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.

God has listened to the prayers of Hannah, and to Eli’s intercession on behalf of this woman; and now Samuel in turn is being trained to listen to God!

The message that Samuel hears from Yahweh in the tabernacle may have been difficult for Samuel to relate to his mentor Eli.  It is a stern warning to Eli.  Because Eli has not disciplined his sons, the household of Eli will be judged. Yahweh tells young Samuel:

Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be removed with sacrifice or offering forever.

It is appropriate in this account about hearing and listening to the voice of Yahweh that Yahweh begins his message to Samuel by speaking of ears:

Yahweh said to Samuel, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.”

Samuel must wait until the next morning to relate the vision to Eli.  And Eli tells Samuel to hold nothing back, under penalty of curse.  Samuel relates everything he has seen and heard to Eli the priest.

Eli responds with resignation and acceptance:

He said, “It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.”

This passage concludes with a description of the future resume of Samuel:

Samuel grew, and Yahweh was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground.  All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Yahweh.

Thus begins a prophetic career that carries Samuel into the pages of the two books that bear his name — 1 & 2 Samuel. He would judge Israel, and would anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.  He had learned to listen, and to obey.

APPLY:  

It is my experience and opinion that we are always in the position of responding to God’s initiative.  We may think that we are seeking God, but in fact God is seeking us.  When we respond, usually we realize that he has been calling us for quite some time.

This is the case with Samuel, who is quite oblivious to the call of God.  He is simply doing the work required of him in the tabernacle, and sleeping on his appointed mat in the vicinity of the Ark of the Covenant.

In fact, his initial reaction to the call is to confuse God’s voice with the voice of the high priest Eli.  It is Eli who helps Samuel understand what’s happening in this encounter with God.

It is helpful to have a spiritual mentor who can interpret for us what God is doing in our lives, at least until we are able to discern the voice of God for ourselves.

One other thing: by placing himself in the tabernacle of the Lord, Samuel is at least available to hear God’s voice.  Contrast him to the sons of Eli, who are abusing their privilege as priests and using their position only to satisfy their own cravings.

Likewise, if we place ourselves in the presence of God through regular worship, prayer, Bible study, and fasting, we will find ourselves more likely to hear God’s voice than when we are merely serving ourselves and our own appetites.

RESPOND: 

While God’s voice doesn’t come to me audibly, I do believe that God speaks in spiritual whispers.  What is required is that I listen.  And I can listen more carefully when I am practicing the spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, fasting, and Bible study.

Lord, may I say with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”  And may I heed and obey what I hear.  Amen.  

 PHOTOS:
“listening” by Isbg Six is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for January 14, 2018

Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”
[1 Samuel 3:10]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Samuel 3:1-10
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Like many great stories, this one begins, in media res, i.e., in the middle of things.

Who is this child? What is Eli’s priestly history? If we know the answers to these questions, we may begin to understand the impact that Samuel will have on Israel in the future.

Samuel is the son of Elkanah and Hannah, who were of the tribe of Ephraim in the central highlands of Israel.  Although Elkanah deeply loved his wife Hannah, she was grieved because she was unable to have children.  But she went annually with her husband to the shrine of the Lord in Shiloh. There the ark of the covenant was kept in the tent that had been made at Moses’ instruction some centuries earlier. There she prayed each year for a child.

It was at Shiloh that Hannah’s prayers were observed by the High Priest Eli.  When he saw her praying fervently, he thought she was drunk until she explained her desperate pleas for a child.  Eli prayed that she might have a child, and when she returned home with her husband Elkanah the prayer was answered: she conceived and bore a son, whom she named Samuel. Note that his name means God hears.

This is where the story becomes extremely fascinating. This woman, who has been childless for so long, does an amazing thing. After Samuel has been weaned — possibly sometime between ages three and four — Hannah took her child to Shiloh to dedicate him to the Lord!  This is not merely a ritual act of dedication. She actually leaves him with Eli to be completely dedicated full-time to the service of God!

So, Samuel seems to become a kind of acolyte, assisting the aging Eli in his functions in the tabernacle.  We know from the second chapter of Samuel that Eli’s sons Hophni and Phineas were profoundly corrupt and sexually immoral.  In fact, a man of God has come to Eli to warn him that because of their sins, the house of Eli would be removed from the priesthood and his sons would die on the same day.

It is in this context that the young Samuel hears the voice of the Lord one night as the lamp in the tabernacle is burning.  He has no idea what it means, so he goes three times to Eli, thinking his mentor is calling him.  But Eli still has enough spiritual sensitivity to realize that the Lord himself is speaking to Samuel.

Note the irony.  Samuel’s name means The Lord hears.  And now Eli instructs Samuel to return to his station and to say

Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.

God has listened to the prayers of Hannah, and to Eli’s intercession on behalf of this woman; and now Samuel in turn is being trained to listen to God!

Thus begins a prophetic career that would carry Samuel into the pages of the two books that would bear his name: 1 & 2 Samuel. He would judge Israel, and would anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.  He had learned to listen, and to obey.

APPLY:  

It is my experience and opinion that we are always in the position of responding to God’s initiative.  We may think that we are seeking God, but in fact God is seeking us.  When we respond, usually we realize that he has been calling us for quite some time.

This is the case of Samuel, who is quite oblivious to the call of God.  He is simply doing the work required of him in the tabernacle, and sleeping on his appointed mat in the vicinity of the Ark of the Covenant.

In fact, his initial reaction to the call is to confuse God’s voice with the voice of the high priest Eli.  It is Eli who helps Samuel understand what’s happening in this encounter with God.

It is helpful to have a spiritual mentor who can interpret for us what God is doing in our lives, at least until we are able to discern the voice of God for ourselves.

One other thing: by placing himself in the tabernacle of the Lord, Samuel is at least available to hear God’s voice.  Contrast him to the sons of Eli, who are abusing their privilege as priests and using their position only to satisfy their own cravings.

Likewise, if we place ourselves in the presence of God through regular worship, prayer, Bible study, and fasting, we will find ourselves more likely to hear God’s voice than when we are merely serving ourselves and our own appetites.

RESPOND: 

While God’s voice doesn’t come to me audibly, I do believe that God speaks in spiritual whispers.  What is required is that I listen.  And I can listen more carefully when I am practicing the spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, fasting, and Bible study.

Lord, may I say with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”  And may I heed and obey what I hear.  Amen.  

 PHOTOS:
“listening” by Isbg Six is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.