relationships (1 Samuel 3:1-14) Listen and Respond

(1 Samuel 3:1-14) Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days; visions were infrequent.

2 But it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to be poor and he could not see well), 3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, 4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 And the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son, go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. 8 So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 Then the Lord came and stood, and called as at the other times: “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am going to do a thing in Israel, and both ears of everyone who hears about it will ring. 12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything that I have spoken in regard to his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am going to judge his house forever for the wrongdoing that he knew, because his sons were bringing a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. 14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the wrongdoing of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Eli's sons did not seem good or nice, as they committed blatant, unrepentant sins, even after Eli feebly warned them.  So here the Lord told Eli that not even religious acts could save them.  The sacrificial system at that time provided only a temporary forgiveness.  It was more of a way for them to realize how sinful they were, and how much they needed the Lord.  So it doesn't matter how religious anyone is, just going through the motions will never save anyone.  

As for Samuel, up until this point he didn't even "know" the Lord yet, but he had been very good, responsible, and obedient, and was well-liked by the people.  Yet, still, it doesn't matter how good you are, this will never save anyone.  In order to become a child of God and get to heaven, one must be perfect.  And this is only possible by becoming a believer, which is to accept Jesus' free gift of righteousness and forgiveness for all our sins.  

The thing for everyone to realize is that we have to be listening for the Lord, who is calling us by name.  The question is, who is listening?  Who is the one who recognizes God's voice?  And who is the one deciding to follow after the Lord, and continue listening to His voice?  

Once a believer, even though God's grace guarantees that we cannot lose our salvation, are we striving to live obediently in His will?  If we are willfully sinning and behaving worse than the nice and good people of this unsaved world, we are bringing dishonor not only to ourselves, but to the Lord.  So as we strive in God's strength and guidance to be nice, and good, and responsible - there is fullness of peace and joy, with a higher purpose and calling.  

We are born again into God's family, and have a perfect heavenly Father to help us in all ways.  Then, as we ask and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts, He will change us from the inside out in order to reflect God's goodness.  Just like a legitimate child, we should desire to "take after" and resemble our heavenly Father.