God Can Use the Night for Preparation
1 Samuel 3:1-3
One of the most difficult things
we face as Christians is to admit mistakes, especially those that have negatively
impacted our families. It’s tough to say, "I’ve
failed!" All of us can identify with that struggle. But down deep, we
also know that honesty is the only way to handle our failures. Everyone admires
a person who faces reality. (Dr. G. Getz, Men of
Character: Samuel: A Lifetime Serving God)
Darkness and night in the Word of
God often denotes seasons of general ignorance about God and His Word (Matt. 4:16). Sometimes it refers to
episodes of judgment because of pervasive moral and spiritual decay in a
country or an individual’s experience (Hos. 4:1-8). These are precisely the conditions we find in this account in
the life of young Samuel. It is a season of darkness and night in the land. Yet,
this chapter reveals that God can still take initiatives of mercy and grace…even
in the night. While we must live with the consequences of our past actions, we
can respond correctly to the Lord because He remains our real hope during the
night.
Remember, an important part of responding
to God correctly involves recognizing that He can even use dark times and long
periods of night to prepare His people to embrace His Word, will, and call. Let’s
see what we can learn from this passage to help us respond appropriately to the
Word of God.
God Can Use the Night
as Preparation.1Samuel 3:1-3
God was not about to leave
himself without a witness and mouthpiece and He was preparing Samuel for future
service and ministry.
A. PREPARATION UNDER
PROTECTIVE CARE. 1 Samuel 2:11; 2:26; 3:1
While Eli's sons continued their
evil practices and descent into a mire of sin, “the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the
Lord, and also with men.” (1 Sam.
2:26). This is truly
amazing—and encouraging! We have a clue as to how this happened when we read
that “the child Samuel
ministered unto the Lord before Eli” (1
Sam. 3:1). (See also
2:11). (Dr. G. Getz, Men of Character: Samuel: A Lifetime Serving
God)
So, what were some developments
that facilitated Samuel’s positive development in less than favorable times?
Are we hopelessly victims of our environment with zero chance of rising above
the status quo? Will faith in Christ make a difference? Will biblical
instruction matter in the end? Does spiritual mentoring hold out any promise?
1. Eli Sought to Protect Samuel.
Though this young impressionable
lad rubbed shoulders with Eli's evil sons, Hophni and Phinehas, this old priest
must have “built a hedge” around
Samuel, becoming his protector. Eli knew all about his sons’ sinful behavior (3:23). This active and intentional role of mentoring,
protecting, guarding, and shaping Samuel’s perspectives was integral to his
preparation for God’s calling on his young life.
2. Eli Accepted His Failures.
Eli was a great man, but he
failed to correct his sons—“because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” But what made Eli an even
greater man is that he accepted full responsibility for his actions. We see no
excuses, no rationalizations, no sidestepping, and no placing the blame on
others. Though he “reaped what he had
sown,” he did not depart this life shaking his fist at God!
He also knew that he had not
dealt with this situation properly, even participating in their sin by eating “the chiefest of all
the offerings” or ‘the best and choice portions’ of the meat offered by the
children of Israel (2:29). Certainly, Eli knew he and his
sons would suffer the consequences of these failures and poor choices (1 Sam 2:27-36). He apparently sought to shield
Samuel from the same mistakes or complicity. This is why I believe he faced the
situation head-on, warning Samuel not
to be influenced by their sin. Eli perhaps shared his painful regrets quite
honestly with Samuel as warnings and admonitions to live righteously before
Jehovah.
3. Eli Nurtured Samuel Spiritually.
Though God is certainly able to
protect innocent children from bad adult influences. He normally uses people to
do it—particularly parents. God has also used many bus captains and bus
workers, Sunday school teachers, and youth workers to nurture and encourage
inner city children who had very little positive spiritual influence at home.
Consequently, Eli must have taken
Samuel under his “wing” and carefully nurtured him in the Word of God without
actually removing him from the evil environment in Shiloh. Samuel would have
been exposed to living lessons in discerning between evil and righteousness…making
judgments about right and wrong behavior and what God expected.
4. Samuel Listened to Eli.
What Eli had failed to do for his
own sons, he could now do for Samuel. Though Hophni and Phinehas would not
listen to his warnings (1 Sam. 2:25),
Samuel did. He opened his heart to his elderly friend and mentor and must have
determined not to follow in the footsteps of Eli’s wicked sons. Samuel’s
personal decisions are paramount! We are the sum total of our personal choices;
personal responsibility is a choice we all have and we live with the consequences
of those choices. Here Samuel rejected the rebellion of Hophni and Phinehas and
listened to the wise counsel of Eli, the high priest.
5. Eli Received a Second Chance.
A principle is in play here that
needs to be highlighted; God is gracious even though He is truly just and
righteous. Though we “reap what we sow,”
even in the midst of utter failure, God has unique ways to give us a second chance.
A. God Did this for Eli.
What Eli could not redo for his
sons, he was able to achieve in Samuel’s life. Though it must have been very
painful to use his own sons as negative examples, nevertheless, he must have
often warned Samuel to never follow in their footsteps.
And so it is in our lives today.
As parents, we may have failed our own children in some regard. The damage may even
seem irreparable. But we must never give up on our children, particularly in
terms of praying for them. Remember that "under
law" no divine and perfect mediator existed to intercede before the
Father. When earthly sacrifices and offerings were rejected by the Lord, even
the high priest in Israel could not intercede (2:25).
But "under grace," and in
light of the "new covenant,"
the great High Priest, Jesus Christ, is interceding for us moment by moment (Heb. 7:26; 8:1-2). He has provided a “new and living way” into the presence of God (Heb. 10:20). The only thing that ultimately
separates anyone from God is a hardened heart and final unbelief. There is
always hope while our children are on this side of eternity. (Dr. G. Getz, Men of Character: Samuel: A Lifetime Serving
God)
B. God Could Give Us Such a Chance; so, Look for
Your Opportunity.
What can we do
while we pray and wait? Here we can learn a great lesson from Eli. You, too, can find a “Samuel,” a “Timothy”—a young person who has no father who will respond to a
loving and sensitive father image. Our modern culture presents may
opportunities with thousands of single mothers struggling to raise families
alone. Because of the multitude of broken homes in our culture, and the many
deployed fathers of our community there are thousands of young people who each
need a mentor—someone who can demonstrate the realities of the Christian Faith
on a personal level.
God may be giving you an
opportunity to do with other boys and girls what you may have failed to do with
our own children. It’s a gift…a second chance; go ahead and seize the
opportunity for the glory of God. As I write these thoughts my mind cannot help
but think about my pastor and his very effective work with young men in need of
a positive Christ-centered influence in their lives. Though he has been an
effective parent with his wife to their own children, he has brought a number
of young men into his family to influence them for Christ sake. I have noted
this on a number of occasions and have praise God multiple times for how these
young men became pastors and Christian workers as a result of their time with
my pastor.
B. PREPARATION UNDER POOR CONDITIONS.
1 Samuel 3:1, And the child Samuel
ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in
those days; there was no open vision.
Perhaps we would appreciate the
preparation of Samuel for his calling as a prophet and ministry as a priest in
Israel more if we understood better how difficult this was. The conditions were
less than ideal and even mitigate against anything good coming out of these
spiritually dark circumstances. The odds of a positive climate and culture
changing return to God as a nation does not seem possible at this point in the
account. So, let’s look closely to recognize how dark this night truly was.
1. God Was Silent.
Truly all hope of truly positive
change and outcomes that are helpful live or die on where God is taking
initiative. However, for a period he
allows the darkness to multiply and persist. This was a time when God stopped speaking
to His people. No messages of guidance, hope, inspiration, assurance, support,
or rebuke…very little was communicated by the Lord outside of what was written
in the Law. We’re not told Samuel’s age on that awesome night when God spoke
directly to this young man.
However, several years must have
gone by after “a man
of God” pronounced
judgment on Eli's household (1Sam. 2:27).
In fact, after this revelation from heaven, God had stopped speaking directly
to His people on a regular basis. We read that in those days “the word of the Lord was precious
in those days; there was no open vision.” (1Sam.
3:lb). Because of
the darkness of the night and the general corruption of this time, it was a very
rear thing for the Lord to communicate with His people. God may withhold His
priceless and precious Word from people who demonstrate by their conduct they
would have nothing to do with it.
Sin will keep you from the Bible
or the Bible will keep you out of sin!
God was limited by the wicked wills of sinful man. The spiritual
unfitness of people and leaders in Eli's day to receive more and frequent “visions” was the direct development of
their own wicked wills. The calamity of being left without direction was the
result of their failures. Sin is a blinding power, and is also a creator of
great spiritual decline and increases the darkness of the night. The natural
results of moral decline is that it renders people more indifferent to the
value of God’s truth and its sanctifying influence!
— We can become incapable of appreciating
and discerning it in its purity;
— We can become more prone to wrongly
interpreting it when we are exposed to it; and
— We can become predisposed to denying its
divine origin. How is it that the unholy
person always welcome objections to Christianity and the Bible? It is ever
true, “sin lieth at the door.”
Proverbs 29:18, Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he
that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Hosea 4:6-7, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: Because
thou hast rejected knowledge, I will
also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will
also forget thy children.7 As they were increased, so they
sinned against me: Therefore will I
change their glory into shame.[1]
Though the prophet Hosea is
referring to a different time in the nation of Israel’s history, the conditions
and the consequences are similar. So this is worth noting to gain some
perspective relative to the seriousness of no communications from God. Now note
carefully what Dr. R. B. Chisholm, Jr. says in The Bible Knowledge Commentary about this Hosea chapter 4 passage,
The Lord held these leaders responsible for the people’s lack of knowledge (cf. v. 1). The priests in particular had ignored their duty to communicate the Law of … God to the nation (cf. Deut. 31:9–13; 33:8–10; Mal. 2:7). So they would be severely but justly punished. Because of their part in the people’s moral ruin mothers would be destroyed. This judgment, though unusual, appears elsewhere (cf. Jer. 22:26). In this way the source of the priestly line would be eliminated. As punishment for their rejection of knowledge, the priests themselves would be removed from their office by the Lord. Also because the priests ignored the Law, the Lord said He would ignore their children, apparently meaning they would not inherit their fathers’ office (cf. 1 Sam. 2:27–35). In this way the future of the priestly line would be cut off.[2]
Dr. McDonald agrees adding clarity
to the devastation of sin if left unchallenged during dark seasons in a nation adding,
God contends with Israel because of the people’s unfaithfulness, unkindness, irreligion, swearing, lying, killing, stealing, adultery, and murder. Five of the Ten Commandments are summarized in verse 2. Violations of these commands were the reasons for the condition of the land. Even the wildlife would waste away because of the coming judgment.
Both priest and prophet are blamed because of their willful lack of knowledge. God’s people were destroyed for lack of knowledge; they had forgotten the law of their God.[3]
Beloved, it is no small
inconsequential matter when God is silent in a nation, in a state, in a church,
in a family, or in a heart. Darkness breeds moral and spiritual devastation.
2. Samuel Was Growing (3:1).
This is a rather positive
development, but it also helps us recognize that several years have passed in
this same condition of darkness and night. Samuel is referred to by the term “child,”
but he was very likely in his early teenage years at this point in his life. The
Hebrew word for “child” was used to describe a person from infancy to
adolescence. J. MacArthur agrees adding, “Samuel was no longer a child [then] (2:21,
26)…he was probably a teenager at this time. The same Heb. term translated here
“boy” [child] was used of David when he slew Goliath (17:33).”[4] Perhaps
he was approximately the same age as Mary when the angel Gabriel announced that
she would become the mother of God’s special Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26-38).
The Bible Knowledge Commentary reminds us of the import of Solomon’s
familiar statement,
The command Remember your Creator means to revere God, to keep His laws faithfully, to serve Him responsibly, remembering that because He created people, everyone owes Him his life.[6]
Dr. W. W. Wiersbe says in his
Commentary, Be Satisfied,
How easy it is to neglect the Lord when you are caught up in the enjoyments and opportunities of youth. We know that dark days (11:8) and difficult [evil] days (12:1) are coming, so we had better lay a good spiritual foundation as early in life as possible. During our youthful years, the sky is bright (11:7); but the time will come when there will be darkness and one storm after another.[7]
Yes, God still uses young people
and He wants the entire lifespan of our young people. The time for each youth
to decide for Christ is now…in your youth acknowledging God, the Creator’s,
claim on each of our lives. While there are many potential distractions, decide
to live each day in a way that recognizes God’s ownership of it—we must steward
life as managers and not owners. Each life is far more valuable in the hands of
God; each contribution will be significantly more impactful in positive ways
when that life is used and empowered by the Lord. Consider the possibility of
ministry as your future…entertain the idea of serving God as a missionary. Why
not look at the needs in the world and ask God to use you to fill those needs
for His glory?
3. Eli Could Barely See.
1 Samuel 3:2, And it came to pass
at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
We are given another clue that a
substantial period of time had passed. Eli had aged. His eyesight had deteriorated
to the point he could barely see. There is a picture of Israel’s spiritual
condition that is very instructive.
– Night seemed to rule and reign
over the land,
– The light of God in the
Tabernacle had gone out,
– The High Priest had no vision
or could not clearly see, and
– Young Samuel was asleep.
Yes, asleep like so many today
who are not careful to remain in tune to the Lord and alert to hear from Him. God’s
light should be valuable to every believer, one of the worst things that could
ever happen is to be without divine guidance.
To be without spiritual light is to live in spiritual blindness and be
subject to all the dangers, evils, traps of Satan, and sin. It is a great calamity for anyone to be
without spiritual light!
Psalm 119:105, Thy word is a lamp
unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:130, The entrance of thy
words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
God has sent the Light in Jesus Christ and we
must faithfully share the light and carry the light to the darkest recesses of
this world. Matthew 4:16, The people
which sat in darkness saw great light;
and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say,
Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.[8]
2 Corinthians 4:4-7, But if our
gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the
god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the
Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ.[9]
4. God Wants to Speak.
Again there is an obvious principle
here looming for honest acknowledgement. God, wants to speak clearly and
regularly to all of us through the Holy Scriptures.
Though Samuel’s experience was
unique. God wants all of us to approach His Word by saying, “Speak, LORD; for thy servant
heareth” (1 Sam. 3:9).
Think for a moment what we know
about God’s will that Samuel never knew. Today we can even know more about
God's eternal plan for our lives than most of the apostles of Jesus Christ. The
reason is pure and simple. We have God’s final and complete revelation as it is
contained both in the Old and New Testaments. And every time we approach the
Word of God and read it or hear it taught, we should ask the Holy Spirit to
speak to us and to help us apply God's eternal truth to our lives. With the Psalmist
of old, we need to pray, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy
law.” (Ps. 119:18). When we do, God will speak
directly to our hearts. (Dr. G. Getz, Men
of Character: Samuel: A Lifetime Serving God)
Again an important part of responding to God correctly involves recognizing
that He can even use dark times and long periods of night to prepare His people
to embrace His Word, will, and call. What
can we learn from this dramatic account from Samuel’s life that will help us
face the night seasons as mature Christians?
If you feel that you have
failed God as a parent—or in some other role—are you looking for opportunities
to do for others what you may not have been able to do for your own children? At this point you may have guilt and a sense
of condemnation that God wants to remove from your heart. Remember the words of
John, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
Are you blaming others for your
own mistakes and sins? You
may need to think about this question carefully and prayerfully since it’s easy
for all of us to rationalize and deceive ourselves. As you reflect on this
question, read David’s prayer in Psalm 51.
Do you read the Word of God
regularly, asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the Scriptures? As you reflect on this question, meditate on
the following verse of Scripture: “For the word of God
is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb.4:12).
[1] The Holy Bible:
King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900
Authorized Version., Ho 4:6–7). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2]
Chisholm, R. B., Jr. (1985). Hosea. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.),
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An
Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1389). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3]
MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible
Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1099).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[4]
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study
Bible (electronic ed., p. 381). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
[5] The Holy Bible:
King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900
Authorized Version., Ec 12:1). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[6]
Glenn, D. R. (1985). Ecclesiastes. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck
(Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary:
An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1004). Wheaton, IL: Victor
Books.
[7]
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Satisfied
(p. 131). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] The Holy Bible:
King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900
Authorized Version., Mt 4:16–17). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[9] The Holy Bible:
King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900
Authorized Version., 2 Co 4:3–6). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
