1 Samuel 3:11-16: a reflection

11The LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even to the end. 13For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he didn’t restrain them. 14Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be removed with sacrifice or offering forever.” 15Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the LORD’s house. Samuel was afraid to show Eli the vision. 16Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He said, “Here I am.”

The young Samuel receives from God a hard and painful message: a word of judgment against Eli's household, the very man who had raised and mentored him. And Samuel's reaction is deeply human: he lay until morning, afraid to tell Eli the vision. It was a difficult, unwelcome truth to deliver, and to someone he respected and loved. Yet when Eli asks him what God had said, Samuel tells him everything, hiding nothing, delivering the hard word faithfully despite his fear.

Notice both Samuel's reluctance and his faithfulness. He was afraid, and understandably so; the message was grievous, and Eli was his elder and mentor. It would have been easier to soften it, to hide it, to say nothing. But when the moment came, Samuel spoke the truth faithfully, delivering the whole of the hard message despite the fear and the relationship at stake. He did not let fear, or affection, silence the truth God had given him.

That is a searching example. There are times when faithfulness requires us to speak a hard, unwelcome truth, to someone we respect, at the risk of the relationship or our own comfort. The temptation is to soften it, avoid it, or stay silent. Samuel, though afraid, spoke the truth. When you are called to deliver a difficult truth, in love and with care, do not let fear or the desire to be liked silence you. Speak it faithfully, as Samuel did, hiding nothing that ought to be said. Sometimes the most loving thing is the hard truth, faithfully and gently spoken, even when we would rather stay silent.

Lord, young Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the hard word you had given him, but when the moment came, he spoke it faithfully, hiding nothing, despite his fear and his love for Eli. Give me that courage. When faithfulness requires me to speak a difficult, unwelcome truth, to someone I respect, at the risk of the relationship or my own comfort, keep me from softening it, avoiding it, or staying silent. Help me speak the truth faithfully, in love and with care, as Samuel did. Do not let fear or the desire to be liked silence me when something must be said. Give me the courage to speak hard truths gently and faithfully, trusting you with how they are received.