Last week, we visited the Hebrew people in the desert. They wandered there for 40 years until they were ready to enter the promised land.
This morning, we are entering the story 400 years, or so, later. The people of Israel entered their land and settled it. They were divided into regions based on the clan they were part of – Jacob had twelve sons, each son became the father of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The tribes governed themselves and judges were the arbitrators when people had disagreements and conflicts.
The neighboring countries were organized into Kingdoms. The people of Israel were vulnerable to being attacked and conquered by the armies of the kingdoms surrounding them. So, the people started to ask for stronger leadership. The religious authorities had been part of the governance and supported the judges who ruled the land – so the religious authorities turned to God to discern if they should listen to the people and create a kingdom.
We enter the story when Eli was one of the primary religious leaders. He was faithful to God. But, priesthood was a family-business, and Eli’s sons were decidedly corrupt. God wanted Eli to correct his sons, but he wasn’t able to get them to change their ways.
A little boy had been left in the care of Eli. The boy was Samuel. His mother promised God to give her son over to God’s service if God cured her infertility. So, when Samuel was weaned, Hannah, his mother, left him with the priest Eli.
Listen to the story as we enter it in 1st Samuel chapter 3….
Scripture 1 Samuel 3: 1-21
The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.
3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
4 Then the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.
9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.
12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end.
13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.
14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”
Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.”
18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”
19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.
21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
Message God Calls Samuel
This story shares the moment when God passed the baton from Eli to Samuel. God’s words to Samuel essentially said, “I am disappointed in Eli, now you, Samuel, will be my mouthpiece to the people of Israel.” Samuel lived a long life – he expressed God’s wishes for the people for many decades. Samuel anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel. When Saul’s mental illness became too much, Samuel anointed David to be the king. And, during both of the king’s reigns, Samuel helped the kings to become better rulers and corrected the kings when they failed.
In Ancient Israel, God anointed prophets and priests to serve God. God communicated directly to this select group of people. That group of people was then expected to tell the people what God said. The prophets often called the people to task – the people were often out of sync with God’s teachings and they needed to do better.
When Jesus came to earth, Jesus talked to everyone he met. He was the mouthpiece of God, he was the living God, here on earth. In Hebrews chapter 1, it says: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Everyone had access to Jesus…in a post-Jesus world, we all have access to God.
We don’t ask prophets or priests to talk to God on our behalf…instead, we now can talk directly to God. And, we believe God speaks directly to us as individuals – Jesus said: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
In the early 2000s, the United Church of Christ launched the “God is Still Speaking” Campaign. The tagline of the campaign was a reminder to us, UCC members, that our faith may be ancient but our God is still actively involved in the lives of believers. So, when we pray and confess and ask God help us change our lives, God speaks to us. We don’t need a minister or a priest or a prophet to intercede for us, we can talk to God and God speaks back to us. We may not have an encounter like Samuel, with God having a face-to-face conversation with us…but God sends us messages through the words of faithful Christians, in signs in the world, through dreams, through coincidences, and by sending us messages when we turn to the scripture.
We have a lot of things clamoring for our attention. Our phones….tvs….advertisements everywhere. We are busy with work and chores and running errands and attending our kids or grandkids or friends activities. Over the past week, when the PHilies were in the playoffs, it seemed like things were shut down so that people could watch the games. We are distracted and busy most of the time.
So, in the midst of our busy lives, we need to make an effort to pay attention to God. We need to make an effort to talk to God in prayer. We need to carve out time to mediate and read the Bible and pray. And, we need to look for the surprising ways God talks to us and answers our prayers.
Let’s pay attention, because we believe God is still speaking to us, still answering us, and cares about us.
Amen.
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