1 Samuel 3-4, Romans 4
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. – 1 Samuel 3:7 ESV
Young Samuel had been dedicated to God by his mother. She had turned him over to Eli, the priest, and given him to the service of God. So Samuel found himself “ministering to the Lord under Eli” (1 Samuel 3:1 ESV). He even slept in the tent of meeting, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Because of his relationship with Eli and his close proximity to the Tabernacle and the sacrificial system, Samuel would have had plenty of exposure to the things of God. But the text tells us, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord” (1 Samuel 3:7 ESV). This does not mean that Samuel did not cognitively know about God. He would have had a strong mental awareness of God. The Hebrew word for “know” is yada and it can refer to “knowledge through personal experience.” The text goes on to say that “the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him” (1 Samuel 3:7 ESV). Samuel did not have an intimate and personal knowledge of God at that point of his life. In fact, “the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision” (1 Samuel 3:1 ESV). At this point in the history of Israel there were few who heard from the Lord directly, so their knowledge of Him was academic rather than personal. But all of that was about to change. This young man was going to have a personal encounter with God Himself. God audibly called Samuel on three separate occasions, but the young man mistakenly concluded that it was Eli's voice he was hearing. But the fourth time “the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel!, Samuel!’” (1 Samuel 3:10 ESV). God spoke to Samuel. He desired to have an intimate and personal conversation with him. Not only that, He revealed to Samuel His plans concerning Eli and his two wicked sons. “And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19 ESV).
What does this passage reveal about God?
In spite of all that God had done for the people of Israel, they seemed to have no knowledge of Him. Their relationship with Him had become little more than religion and ritual. They had His law, but rarely kept it. They knew His requirements regarding the sacrificial system, but followed it more out of fear than loving obedience. Their sinful behavior, chronicled in the book of Judges, had led to an ever-increasing silence on the part of God. He rarely spoke and seldom revealed Himself or His will through visions. As a result the people really didn't know God. He had become little more than a legend recounted in stories told by the old. But God was there. He was simply waiting for someone who would not only hear Him, but listen to Him when He spoke. He had been waiting for someone who would believe Him and, in faith, act on what He told them. In other words, God was looking for someone like Abraham. Paul tells us, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3 ESV). Abraham had also had a personal, intimate encounter with God. He had appeared to Abraham at the burning bush and spoken to him audibly. But not only did Abraham hear God, he listened to what He said and stepped out in faith, leaving his homeland and setting out to a foreign land, trusting in nothing more than the word of God. He believed God's promise “that he would be heir of the world” (Romans 4:13 ESV) and the “father of many nations” (Romans 4:17 ESV). Paul makes it clear that “in hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told” (Romans 4:18 ESV). He believed God. Why? Because he knew God. He had a personal relationship with God. And he believed God to be trustworthy and reliable. “He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:20 ESV).
What does this passage reveal about man?
It is interesting that Samuel is juxtaposed with the people of Israel. Here is this young man, who had a personal and powerful encounter with God, contrasted with the people of Israel who seem to have long ago forgotten who God was and all of which He was capable. When they lose a decisive battle with the Philistines, rather than turn to God in prayer, they send for the Ark of the Covenant. They assumed their defeat was God's doing, but they make no attempt to talk to Him about their situation or seek His will regarding what they should do. Instead, they bring the Ark of the Covenant into their camp, treating it like some kind of talisman or good luck charm. In essence, they turn the Ark into a representation of God, making it nothing more than a common idol. Because they didn't have a personal knowledge of God, they put their trust in an inanimate object that was never intended to be worshiped or used as a stand-in for God. They viewed the Ark the same way the Philistines did, seeing it as a symbol of their God. When the Philistines got word that the Ark had arrived in the Hebrew camp, they said, “A god has come into the camp. Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these might gods” (1 Samuel 3:7-8 ESV). Sadly, the Israelites seemed to have no better knowledge of God than the Philistines did. They didn't understand how God works. They didn't have a personal knowledge of His ways. And as a result, they not only lost the battle, they lost the Ark.
How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?
Abraham believed God. He trusted what God had to say. He placed his hope in the promises of God. He relied on the word of God. All because he had a personal knowledge of God. That is what I long for in my own life. He has revealed Himself to me through His Son, Jesus Christ. He has placed His Spirit within me. He has provided me with His written Word. I regularly hear from Him, but I must learn to listen, trust and obey. My knowledge of God must go beyond the academic and cerebral. It must become intimate and personal. “Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19 ESV). In other words, God did not allow any of the words He spoke to Samuel fall to the ground unfulfilled. He brought about all that He predicted. He fulfilled all that He promised. And Samuel grew to trust God more and more. As I hear God speak and watch Him work, I grow. As I see Him fulfill His will in my life, my faith grows, and I learn to listen more carefully and obey more quickly. I become increasingly more convinced that God is able to do what he has promised to do.
Father, You are reliable and trustworthy. You are powerful and personal. You speak, but too often I fail to hear. Or I hear and refuse to listen and obey. Help me to have the attitude of Samuel, so that I always respond, “Speak Lord, for your servant hears.” I want to hear You, trust You, and obey You. I want to believe, based on nothing more than what I know about Your unwavering character. May my personal knowledge of You grow greater and greater with each passing day. Amen