Episode 14- Hearing from the Lord

Today we are diving into part 2 of Samuel's story and reading about hearing from the Lord! Our main reading will be in 1 Samuel chapters 2 & 3. We will also be reading from Judges 21:25, James 4:8, Jeremiah 29:13, and Isiah 41:10 NIV. Thanks for listening! 

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to the Full Armor of God podcast. My name is Taylor. I'll be your host. Thank you so much for coming back for another week of the Lord's Wisdom. I am so excited to dive into Samuel's story, the second part of his story, because this is where Samuel is a young boy and he's growing up in the house of the Lord and he begins to step into the things that God is calling him to. So today we're mostly going to be reading from the book of 1 Samuel, again, chapters 2 and 3 today. And then our supplemental verses are going to come from Judges 21, verse 25, James chapter 4, verse 8, Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 13, and Isaiah chapter 41, verse 10. Our story picks up from chapter 1, we see the faithfulness of Samuel's mother, Hannah. In chapter 2, we start to see the unfaithfulness of Eli, the high priest at the time of Eli's sons. Their names are Hophni and Phineas, and we're not going to spend much time on them, but throughout chapter 2, we see them desecrating their holy roles and having no regard for the Lord. In chapter 2, verse 23, Eli hears about how his sons were sinning, and he says, Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons, the report I hear spreading among the Lord's people is not good. If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender. But if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him? His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the Lord's will to put them to death. And then we see a prophecy against the house of Eli, where God declares this family line will no longer serve in the house of the Lord. They're cut off from their priestly duties because they haven't been stewarding them well. There's two things here that I want to point out about this section of chapter two. The first thing is that Eli told his sons what they were doing was wicked, but he still left them in the roles that they had. He may have scolded them, but there was no punishment to follow. There was not true discipline. There was not true leadership. We see Eli telling his sons, this is not the right thing to do. You shouldn't be doing this. And then we still see God's judgment on the house of Eli saying, This is what's going to happen. You and your family are no longer going to be in this role because you've been desecrating my temple, because you have not been representing me well, because you have not been stewarding your duties, that I have entrusted to you this special, special role to lead my sheep, to shepherd my people. You have not been doing it well. I'm going to take it from you and give it to someone else. The reason we see that, despite Eli's rebuke, it says of his sons, is that Eli never really disciplined his sons. He just kind of told them what they were doing was wrong, but he never truly disciplines them. He never really takes anything away from them to show them you actually cannot do this, and I will not allow you to continue to do this. He just tells them what they're doing is wrong. And subsequently, they don't listen to what he says, anyways. They continue in what they were doing. The second thing is that God's mercy and judgment go hand in hand. The Lord's foreknowledge of something does not negate humanity's free will. The brothers had chances to change. They had time to change, they had warnings from their father to change, but we see that they didn't. And I want to point out that God's will does not necessarily equal his pleasure or his wanting them to die. At the last verse that we read, it said, For it was God's will for them to die. This does not equal it was God's want for them to die, or it was God's pleasure for them to die. It means it was his divine judgment on them. Keep in mind, this is a wholly set apart role that not many had the privilege to be in. In chapter 2, verse 17, it says the sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt. These brothers grew up in the house of the Lord, with the high priest Eli literally being their dad, showing them the way, and they weren't oblivious to their roles. They were not uninformed or unaware of the duty that they had in serving the Lord and honoring him in his house before his people. But they purposefully rebelled in the midst of knowing the truth, willfully desecrating God's holy presence, and this is not something God takes lightly. Remember that verse back from Mark chapter 9, verse 42, where it says, if anyone were to lead these little ones astray, it would be better for millstones to be hung around their neck and for them to go to the bottom of the sea. That is a very high standard for those who are ministering in the house of the Lord. So we see Eli's son's wickedness, and we see God declare that the house of Eli, his whole family line, will no longer be in this role. This is setting the stage for Samuel to be raised up as the next high priest. In chapter two, verse 35, God says, I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in my heart and mine. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. Our story continues in chapter three, verse one. It says, The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days, the word of the Lord was rare. There were not many visions. Before the book of 1 Samuel, we have the book of Judges. This is where the Israelites have entered into the promised land and they continually encounter these challenges that they're almost bringing upon themselves. The book of Judges is marked by this cycle of rebellion, repentance, and then restoration. Yes, Israel was beginning to inhabit the promised land, but they continually lost sight of the Lord. The last verse in the book of Judges, chapter 21, verse 25, sums up the whole book and all of the problems that lie within it. It says, In those days, Israel had no king. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Their king was supposed to be the Lord God. The 40 years in the desert were a training ground to step into the promised land and to learn how to rely on the Lord when they're there and how to stay true to their God when they're there, surrounded by other people who are not true to their God. But they continually lost sight of him. It says Israel had no king. That means they just lost sight of who the Lord was and where he was in their midst. And everyone did what was right in their own eyes. So prophecy was limited, visions were limited because we see that even the priesthood, as evidenced by Eli and his family here, they even fall into corruption. So the divine communication through priestly channels, if you will, was hindered. It was an era of spiritual drought, not because God wasn't moving or speaking, but because man's heart had become hardened and closed off to God. Okay, chapter three, verse two. It says, one night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 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. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, Here I am, and he ran to Eli and said, Here I am, you called me. But Eli said, I did not call, go back and lay down. So he went and lay down. 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. Verse 7, it says, Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 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. 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. The Lord came and stood there calling as the other times. Samuel, Samuel, then Samuel said, Speak, for your servant is listening. Then the Lord speaks to Samuel and explains everything that's about to unfold. He says, I'm going to follow through on my word. I told Eli exactly what was going to happen to his family. And now I'm telling you that the word of the Lord is true, and you are my witnesses. In verse 11, the Lord says, See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family from beginning to end. 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. The next morning Eli calls Samuel and said, What did God tell you? He was calling you all night. What did he say? In verse 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. And verse 19, it says, The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground. And all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. There's a couple things I want to highlight here before we dive into hearing God's voice, which is the bulk of our message today. But the first thing is that God calls Samuel three times, which is interesting for a few reasons. Three times in the Bible typically symbolizes it this emphasis, this divine certainty and completeness. If we think about it, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, that's a trinity of three. It's perfect, it's complete. There's Jonas, three days in the belly of the whale, and ultimately Christ's resurrection on the third day, just to name a few. God's calling on Samuel's life has emphasis, it has divine certainty, it has completeness. God is certain that Samuel is his next prophet. And I want to point out that God's voice is still not speaking to Samuel in a punitive, manipulative way. When we are listening for God's voice, it is never going to tell us this is your chance to step all over this person. This is your chance. Like they're out, you're in. This is your time to shine. It is all for God's glory. So yes, he's telling Samuel this is going to be the downfall of Eli and his house, but it's a very matter-of-fact way that he's telling him. It is not in a way that is demeaning towards Eli. It is not in a way that is spreading lies about Eli's family. It is not in a way that is putting Eli down at all. It's just saying, here's what's going to happen. And it aligns exactly with what happens in verses before when just the man of God, a man of God, comes to Eli. Not Samuel comes to Eli and says, This is what the Lord says is going to happen. And then the Lord reveals it to Samuel because Samuel is his next priest. It's his next like main prophet. And he is going to use Samuel and speak through Samuel. But I just want to point out that when God speaks, it is never in a way for us to get the glory and for us to be on top. It is in a very matter-of-fact way, it is in a loving way. It is in a patient voice that he speaks to us. And it is all for his glory. The next thing is that the Lord is also highlighting Eli's spiritual dullness. He should be the expert as this high priest. And although he eventually realizes, ah, it's God who's calling you, where he was once discerning, he's now slow. And again, it just opens the door and sets the stage for Samuel to step into this new role, this calling on his life. I love how chapter three, verse seven says, Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. Samuel was growing up and learning from Eli, his mentor, in the house of the Lord. But he did not yet know the Lord. He did not yet know the Lord personally. I think this is a great reminder for all of us that we can be in the house of the Lord. We can go to church on Sundays, we can go to small groups, we can have church friends, we can listen to Christian podcasts, which are all great things. But the things or the actions, the checklist, if you will, those don't bring us closer to the Lord. It's a personal relationship with him. And yes, I absolutely encourage going to church, getting in a small group, learning God's word and diving into it daily, as I'm sure Samuel was doing. But there's this central piece of the puzzle, and that is a personal relationship with God that comes from setting time apart to spend with him. And it doesn't take a special certification, it doesn't take a course. Samuel was the son of an extraordinary mom who trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly. Samuel was devoted to God from birth under the Nazarite vow, but he was not an old, wise, experienced spiritual leader. He was a young boy that had not yet known the Lord, yet God spoke to and through him. Hearing from God is not reserved for quote unquote the religious elite. It's a gift and an invitation available to everyone. The invitation is to step into that intimate, personal relationship with active communication because you are the only one of you that God made. James chapter 4, verse 8. It says, Come near to God and he will come near to you. Notice how God continues to display his persistent and patient grace in calling his children to listen, hear, and respond to him by this story in Samuel. It doesn't call him once and say, Ah, he couldn't listen. He continues to try. The Lord has put a calling on all of our lives, and he, like with Samuel, will continue to knock at the door, calling us back to him. In our story, what we just read, when it says the word and visions from the Lord were few, that wasn't a God problem. That was an us problem. It was a barrier that his people had put up to hearing his word, to being receptive to it. Today's world is filled with so much noise. Everything is constantly pulling at our attention. It is actually unnatural now to be still. The next time you go out to stand in line to wait for food, or even walking to your car in the parking garage. Look at how many people are on their phones or have headphones and listening to music. Like there's constantly noise pulling at our attention. And it is unnatural to not have something constantly filling our space. And the external distractions are not the only thing that can hinder us from hearing his voice. It can be walls that we've put up in our own hearts that are closing us off from hearing his voice. It can be our own fears, our own doubts and misconceptions about God's nature. These things can harden our hearts against real relationship, true intimacy with him. Hearing from God's voice takes practice, and discerning his voice from the noise can be daunting. I'm not saying to get rid of your phone or stop listening to music anymore, but we can definitely disconnect to truly settle our soul and sit with our creator. There's also this thought that, well, how am I going to hear his voice? How do I know it's his voice and not my own voice in my head speaking to me? His voice is always available. It is always loving. It is always calling us closer to him. And it aligns with his word. When we feel like we're hearing the voice of God and we're asking ourselves, is this just my own voice or is this the Lord's voice? Or is this the enemy trying to speak lies over me and trick me into thinking it's the Lord's voice? Bring it alongside God's word. That is truth, that is life, and his word, his spoken word to us is not going to contradict his written word in the Bible. God's voice is personal and it's transformative. He doesn't always communicate in the same way to every person. He knows your love language. He knows you. He wants to speak to you in ways through which your heart can experience his love and walk in his will and his ways. And when we feel like we can't hear from God or feel his presence, he is never far from us. It's us who stray from him. But the greatest news is that he is always there, ready to receive us with open arms. In Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 13, the Lord's words, he said, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you. Seeking him with our whole heart does not mean striving for his presence. Like he's just hiding around the corner saying, Come on, you almost found me, keep going. But that's not it. It means having an open, trusting, whole, soft heart that is ready and receptive to him, that is ready for him to step into and be Lord over our lives. In Isaiah chapter 41, verse 10. This was God's word to the Israelites when they were in exile. They were under captivity yet again. This happens many times throughout their history, but they were under captivity, probably feeling very far from God, definitely far from home, and their regular practices, their daily rituals, but they were feeling far from God. And his encouragement to them with a loving voice, they brought exile on themselves. They got to the place that they got by themselves. But in Isaiah chapter 41, verse 10, the Lord's words, he said, So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. There is nowhere we can go that is far enough from him to where he cannot reach us. There is no pit that we can get ourselves into that he cannot get us out of. The devil wants us to believe the lie that we have sinned too much, that we have gone too far, that God is angry with us and upset with us, and he doesn't want anything to do with us. That is so far from the truth. He made you. Every cell, every fiber, every tissue, every organ, every system. He beautifully, wonderfully crafted. Your personality, your quirks, what makes you click, your talents, all of these were thoughtfully, meticulously, amazingly knit together. It was not a random choice. You were not here by chance. God created you on a purpose. For a purpose, for this time. There's a reason Samuel was born at the time that he was, and there is a reason that you were born and placed on this earth at the time that you were. There is nowhere you can go that is too far from his presence. Friends, my prayer this week is that we would ask the Lord to show us those barriers, those walls in our hearts to hearing his voice and to help us to tune in to hear him speaking. And for those of us who might not feel like we have the time to spend with the Lord daily, to set aside for him, my prayer is that we would ask God to give us the desire to help us make the time for our relationship with the Lord. He just wants relationship with us, he desires a relationship with us so dearly. The Lord loves you, the Lord delights in you, and you are never too far for him to reach. That's all I got for us today. I hope you have a great rest of your week, and I look forward to seeing you next time. God bless.