Scripture Daily

Context No. 1658 of 4322 · 1 Samuel

Context · Reflection

1 Samuel 3:1-5: in context

1The child Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. The LORD’s word was rare in those days. There were not many visions, then. 2At that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see), 3and God’s lamp hadn’t yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down in the LORD’s temple where God’s ark was, 4The LORD called Samuel. He said, “Here I am.” 5He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” He said, “I didn’t call. Lie down again.” He went and lay down.

The boy Samuel is ministering to the LORD under Eli, and the narrator notes the spiritual climate: the word of the LORD was rare in those days, and visions were not widespread. Eli's eyes have grown dim, and one night, as Samuel lies down in the temple where the ark is, the LORD calls him by name. Samuel, not yet knowing the voice, runs to Eli, saying, here I am, you called me. But Eli had not called; he sends the boy back to lie down.

Two things stand out. The first is that God speaks at all. These were barren days; the word of the LORD was rare, visions few, the light of God's presence burning low. And yet into that dryness God calls, by name, a boy in the night. God is not silent even in the dry seasons; when his word seems rare and heaven seems quiet, he is still speaking, still calling, still at work. If we are in such a season, where God feels distant and his word scarce, Samuel's night is a reminder that God has not stopped speaking. The second thing is that Samuel, though he heard the voice, did not at first recognize it as God's; he ran to Eli, assuming a human source. He had to learn to know the voice of God, to discern that the one calling him was the LORD. And this too is instructive. God may be speaking to us, and we may not recognize it, mistaking his call for something ordinary, running to the wrong source. Learning to know God's voice, to recognize when it is he who is calling, is something that comes with time and guidance; Samuel needed Eli's help to understand at last that it was the LORD. The passage invites us both to trust that God still speaks, even in dry days, and to learn to recognize his voice when he does, so that when he calls we know it is he, and can answer as Samuel finally would: speak, for your servant hears.

In the dry seasons when God's word seems rare, can I trust that he is still speaking, as he called Samuel in a barren time, and am I learning to recognize his voice when he calls, rather than mistaking it for something ordinary, so that I can answer, speak, for your servant hears?

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