When God Speaks - 1 Samuel 3
God speaks to us most often when we are doing what God has called us to do.
1 Samuel 3:1 “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of
the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.”
Samuel’s job was to serve the Lord, doing menial jobs like keeping the lamps lit, and probably
keeping the place clean. The key here is that Samuel ministered even when the spiritual
climate in Israel was fairly frigid. Likewise we must keep on serving even when we’re in a
“winter of the soul” stage.
We could say it this way, Try even if you’re dry. God’s Word was scarce and we know from
verse 7 that Samuel didn’t even know the Lord yet. He knew about God but didn’t know Him
personally…yet. But he did busy himself doing the things that he was called to do.
So, keep doing what you know you need to be doing even if God feels distant, when His Word
seems dry, and whether you feel down or not.1
Why was the word of the LORD rare in those days?
Probably, because of the hardness of heart among the people of Israel and the corruption
of the priesthood.
God will speak, and guide, when His people seek Him, and when His ministers seek to
serve Him diligently.2
There is a difference between ministering before the Lord vs. for the Lord
For the Lord = Service – activity
Before the Lord is worship – adoration – Exalting the Lord
God speaks to those who have first given themselves to ministering to Him
Why Mary was so tuned in? - She practiced to sit at His feet3
God speaks to us in the quite places.
Samuel was “…lying down in the temple of the Lord” 1 Samuel 3:3
Make sure that you are cultivating enough quiet in your life.
1
http://www.pontiacbible.org/index.php?/sermons/more/learning_to_listen_to_god/
http://www.studylight.org/com/guz/view.cgi?book=1sa&chapter=003
3
http://media.calvaryvista.com/salvato-rob/studies-books/09-1SA-2004/09-1SA-002-001.htm
2
Psalm 46:10 reminds us: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Charles Spurgeon refers to these times as “sacred sittings.”4
Samuel had to go back to his bed and “lie down”.
Psalm 62:1 NIV My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
Psalm 62:1 NAS My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.
rest / waits in silence - duwmiyah - silence, still, repose, still waiting
Elijah was running for his life, and hid out in a cave, he was trying desperately to get some
answers from God about his situation. (1Ki.19)
As he was in this cave, first he was met with a strong wind, then an earthquake, and then
a fire, but in all these things, God didn’t speak to him.
But then came a gentle blowing, or, as the King James puts it a “still small voice”
(1Ki.19:12).
It was with the still, small, voice, that God began to speak to him.5
God speaks to us when we are near Him.
1 Samuel 3:3 “…lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.”
He was adjacent to the ark of God. “If you’re gonna hear, you got to be near.”
James 4:8: “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”
Are you in the same room as God is? Are you sincerely trying to get as near to Him as you can
through regular worship, Bible study, and prayer? God communicates with those who are close
to Him; His revelation comes to those who are in relationship with Him.
You can’t put this into a fancy formula for its only out of a faith relationship that God speaks to
us. If you are distant from God, you will drift. If you unplug you will unravel. 6
God speaks to us through our friends and mentors
Samuel is given wise counsel by Eli. Eli tells Samuel
 to make himself available for God to speak (Go, lie down);
 he tells Samuel to not be presumptuous about God speaking (if He calls you);
 he tells Samuel to respond to the word of God (Speak, LORD);
4
http://www.pontiacbible.org/index.php?/sermons/more/learning_to_listen_to_god/
http://www.calvaryfullerton.org/Bstudy/09%201Sa/2002/091Sa03a.htm
6
http://www.pontiacbible.org/index.php?/sermons/more/learning_to_listen_to_god/
5

he tells Samuel to humble himself before God and His word (Your servant hears).7
God speaks to us when we are humbly listening.
He was a surrendered servant. 1 Samuel 3:10 Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is
listening."
First, don’t you love that God knows our name? His call to us is personal. And God loves it
when we say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
It’s very similar to what Isaiah said in Isaiah 6:8: “Here am I. Send me.”
When we invite the Lord to speak into our lives and we remind ourselves that we are His
servants, He is greatly pleased. 8
Samuel was so impressed by what he heard, he responded by saying, Here I am!
What a beautiful way to respond to God's Word! It isn't that God does not know where
we are before we tell Him, but it tells God and it reminds us we are simply before Him as
servants, asking what He wants us to do.
Samuel is in pretty impressive company with this response to God. Here are some others
who said, Here I am when the LORD spoke to them: Abraham (Genesis 22:1), Jacob
(Genesis 46:2), Moses (Exodus 3:4), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8), and Ananias (Acts 9:10).
God speaks most clearly to responsive hearts.
God speaks to all ages
1 Samuel 3:1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli.
boy – na‘ar – a boy, lad, servant, youth.
Jewish tradition has it that Samuel was 12 years old at this time. He has been living at the
Tabernacle in Shiloh with Eli since he was about three years old. He was a special child, an
answer to his mother’s prayer. He was dedicated to the Lord, a Nazirite. God is going to use a
child.9
Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “listen” is the word “obey.”
In 1 Samuel 3:10, Samuel says to God "Speak, for your servant is listening."
7
http://www.studylight.org/com/guz/view.cgi?book=1sa&chapter=003
http://www.pontiacbible.org/index.php?/sermons/more/learning_to_listen_to_god/
9
http://www.calvaryfullerton.org/Bstudy/09%201Sa/2002/091Sa03a.htm
8
Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “listen” (shama’) is the word “obey.” To say we will listen to
the Lord means that we will do what He says, no matter how difficult it is.
Even Webster's modern definition says that to really listen is to "hear something with thoughtful
attention"!
Shama' is one of the most frequent Hebrew verbs in the OT (over 1000 uses) and can mean
simply to hear or perceive a message.
In many contexts shama' conveys the sense of hearing with reverence, attention and/or
obedient assent (eg, shama' is translated "obeyed" in Ge 22:18, cp Dt 18:19, Jdg 2:20).
The idea is to give one's undivided attention as one listens. This is especially important
when the speaker is the living God!10
Samuel listened and obeyed.
1 Samuel 3:19: “The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words
fall to the ground.”
This was a metaphor that came from the idea of water being spilled on the ground. Don’t
let God’s Word carelessly cascade to the ground. When he prompts you to do something,
do it. Give, serve and go. Send a card, make a call or bake a casserole.
Perhaps He’s calling you into ministry or missions. Whatever it is, don’t disregard His
direction.
If God says it, that settles it. If you ever hear yourself say, “I know what the Bible says,
but…” you are in danger of letting His Word drop. God’s Word is wonderful; don’t waste
it.11
This is the first part of Samuel’s name, “hearing”. In a sense, Samuel’s name would be prophetic
because he, Samuel, would “hear” (shama) from God (el)12
On Kings and Kingdoms
Samuel as Prophet and Judge
1 Samuel 7.
There, Samuel calls the people to repentance from their worship of idols and leads them to a
military victory over the Philistines, the powerful enemies of Israel.
10
http://www.preceptaustin.org/isaiah_12-4_commentary.htm
http://www.pontiacbible.org/index.php?/sermons/more/learning_to_listen_to_god/
12
http://www.calvaryfullerton.org/Bstudy/09%201Sa/2002/091Sa03a.htm
11
This episode is important for two reasons:
First, it shows us again that Israel’s safety is secured by obedience.
Second, because it is Samuel who leads the nation to a military victory, this
passage shows us that Israel did not need an earthly king for self-defense.
The nation is to be defended by God.
Saul as King
Chapter 8 emphasizes Israel’s need to trust in God.
There, the people ask Samuel to give them a king, even after Samuel warns them that the
king they demand will enrich himself at their expense.
However, the people want a king for the wrong reasons; they want a king so that Israel
will be like the other nations (1 Sam. 8:19, 20: We want a king over us. Then we will be
like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our
battles).
Although the covenant of Sinai is designed to show that the people of God are
separate and different from others, the people want to be like all the other nations
.
God tells Samuel that this request amounts to a rejection of God as their king (1
Sam. 8:7), but then tells Samuel to give them a king (1 Sam. 8:22) anyway.
In Chapter 9, Samuel anoints Saul, Israel’s first king.
From Chapter 9 through Chapter 15, we see Saul’s reign prosper at first and then fail because of
disobedience.
The turning point is Chapter 15.
There, God, through Samuel, commands Saul to attack the Amalekites for their ancient
crimes against Israel. God tells Saul to show no mercy.
Saul disobeys. He attacks the Amalekites, but allows some to live, including Agag, the
Amalekite king.
We begin to see a contrast between an earthly kingdom and a heavenly kingdom
First, the earthly kingdom.
Samuel and Kings show us the earthly kingdom of Israel at the height of its power, when
it was the strongest and wealthiest nation of the Middle East.
It was an impressive kingdom with several visible manifestations.
1. An earthly king
2. The temple of Jerusalem
The temple was the center of Israel’s worship, with the Ark of the
Covenant, the sacrifices, and the priesthood.
3. Abundant prosperity and land.
However, although all of this is gained during this period, this is also the period
when God takes it all away.
In 587 B.C., when Judah is sent into exile in Babylon, all of the externals
of the kingdom – the temple, Davidic kingship, the ark, the temple, and
the land – are lost.
All of this happens because the earthly kings fail.
That forces us to ask a question: Why does God establish kings in Israel?
In other words, why does God establish an earthly kingdom that
will collapse?
We answer that question by looking at our second main lesson – the focus
on the heavenly kingdom.
The Kingdom of Heaven
Why does God establish kings in Israel?
He doesn’t do it because his plan has changed.
He doesn’t do it to make Israel like other nations that have kings.
He doesn’t do it because the nation needs a monarchy for self-defense.
God establishes a monarchy in Israel because it will create a paradox that points us to Jesus.
The paradox is this: The nation of Israel is ruled simultaneously by:
The kings;
And by God’s word, represented by the prophets and the Scriptures that already exist by
this time.
On the surface, the nation is governed by the kings – Saul, David, Solomon, and their successors.
But in the truest sense, the nation is governed and protected by the word of God.
Israel’s history shows that the kings are subject to the word of God.
The successes and failures of the kings always depend on their obedience to what God
says.
When the kings obey, they and the people they lead prosper and experience the
blessings of the covenant.
When the kings disobey, they and the people they lead suffer and experience the
curses of the covenant.