1 Samuel 3:4
…that the Lord called Samuel.
And he answered,
“Here I am!”
1 Samuel 3:4
…that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!”
Such a simple scripture yet a great example of obedience. What a beautiful response to God’s Word, “Here I Am!”
Samuel was a young man who served the Lord and helped assist Eli in serving the tabernacle, yet he had never received the word of the Lord. In other words, he had not heard the voice of God before this night. Three times the Lord called out to Samuel and because he was an obedient servant to Eli, he went quickly to see if Eli needed his assistance.
1 Samuel 3:8-9
8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
At this time Eli knew that God was speaking to Samuel and that he didn’t realize it was God’ voice he was hearing. Do you feel like sometimes you have heard the voice of God, but mistook it for someone else’s voice or direction?
It is said that Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child (ref 1 Samuel 2:18). Samuel believed in God and ministered His Word but had never received the word of the Lord by divine revelation.
1 Samuel 3:10
Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
Again, another great example of obedience. Samuel answered the Lord as Eli had instructed him to. Samuel’s response, Your servant hears, reminds us we are simply before Him as servants, asking what He wants us to do.
The scripture says the Lord stood which would indicate that the Lord was visible which would have been a rare appearance from the Lord. The indication that He stood and called to Samuel, would suggest that this was not a dream or an altered state of mind, but a divine revelation.
The Lord speaks to Samuel about the message from the anonymous “man of God” in 1 Samuel 2:27-36. The Lord told Samuel that He would perform against Eli all that He had spoken concerning his house. The Lord said I will judge his house for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile and he did not restrain them.
1 Samuel 3:17
And he said, “What is the word that the Lord spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.”
As morning approached Eli called out to Samuel and asked “What is the word that the Lord spoke to you?” And Samuel told him everything and Eli knew that God would stand by what He said and Eli submitted to God and accepted God’s judgement. Even with all his failures as a father, Eli remained faithful to God.
Can you imagine being Samuel and bringing this message of judgement to Eli? Not just anyone but a high priest, a man he had served under and respected. Yet it is always the responsibility of God’s messenger to bring everything God says, not just the “easy” words. I know as a child of God, that sometimes it is hard to bring His Word, especially to those that you love and respect. But we must all do as Samuel did and simply say, Here I Am! God reveals Himself by His Word when His people seek Him, and when His ministers seek to serve Him diligently.
1 Samuel 3:19-21
19 So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
Samuel was called at a time of extremely limited prophetic activity, mostly due to so few faithful Israelites who would listen. But the Lord was with him and this was the key to his success as a prophet. All of the prophecies God delivered through Samuel were fulfilled.
If we hear the voice of God and feel any calling upon us, we must submit ourselves to God and simply say, Here I Am! No matter when that calling comes upon us.
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