1
Samuel 3:1-4:1a Rare to Regular
Memory
verse 1 Samuel 3:19(KJV)
“And
Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to
the ground”.
Yesterday, we saw the dangers and punishment for
disrespecting the Lord, those who do not fear the Lord should prepare to face
his wrath and judgement but when we honour the Lord, he will honour us and
cause us to find favour with him and with our fellow men.
From the first verse in today’s passage, it is
apparent that the priests have failed in their duties. The priests were
supposed to be in constant communication with God, taking the messages from God
to the people but that was not the case as we see in verse 1 that the word of
God was rare. They were experiencing a spiritual drought. What might have
caused this spiritual drought? The word of God was rare because of the sins of
Eli and his sons. Eli was no longer hearing from God, he turned a blind eye to
the evil deeds of his sons and his sons dishonoured God greatly. Note that when
we deliberately keep on sinning, we will no longer hear from God. God cannot
speak to us if you keep on living in sin.
From verse 7, we were told that Samuel had not yet
known the Lord, meaning God hasn’t spoken to him yet. Israel at that time was
facing spiritual drought due to the sins of the priests, this spiritual drought
could have affected Samuel as well. Some people like Samuel are yet to know and
recognise the voice of God. God can speak to anyone and in anyway. He doesn’t
have a particular way; it could be through visions, dreams, audible voice or
his still small voice. It is only when we become closer to God that we can
understand him and know when he speaks to us. Because of the relationship I
have with my parents, I can recognise their voice even without seeing their
faces that is how it is with God too. When we are in-tune with God, it becomes
easy to know when he is speaking to us.
Eli’s failure to recognise God’s voice initially
portrays the pathetic state of his spiritual life. I guess he hadn’t heard from
God in ages hence his failure to recognise that it was God calling Samuel at
first. Sin can make us draw away from God, the farther we draw away from God
the farther his voice becomes.
Samuel was an obedient child; he did exactly as he
was told. Laid down, waited patiently for the Lord to speak and he listened
carefully to what God had to say.
When God warns us about our sins, we should repent
immediately and desist from our evil deeds. Eli showed no remorse at all
instead he said “it is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good”. Maybe if
Eli had genuinely repented, the judgement of God wouldn’t have been so severe
but he chose to make light of the matter. We should never ignore the warnings
of God.
We see a dramatic change at the end of today’s
chapter. In the beginning the word of God was rare but at the end the word of
God became a regular occurrence due to God’s constant communication with Samuel
that even Israel came to acknowledged that God was with Samuel and recognised
him as a prophet. Samuel’s personal encounter with God made a huge difference
and caused the spiritual drought to cease.
Examine your life today. When was the last time God
spoke to you? If you are no longer
hearing from God like you used to, then you need to desist from whatever it is
that is serving as a hindrance in your fellowship with God and please do not
take God’s warnings lightly. Repent immediately of whatever it is he is warning
you about and renew your relationship with him. God bless you.
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