The Lord Calls Samuel

27th June, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

1Samuel 3:1-21

Main Idea: God calls people to serve His purpose.

Objectives: a. To examine what is God’s calling. b. To challenge the congregation to respond to God’s calling to serve His purpose.

A. Introduction

- Have ever experienced God’s calling to do something? By this, I mean according to the teaching of the overall scripture, there is such a thing as you will have personal encounter with God and being sure of what he or she is told to do for God in life.

- It is so exciting, challenging, and so fill with joy when you get it.

- I am using this great passage of God’s calling of the boy, Samuel to illustrate to you what it means by God’s calling.

B. The Lord calls Samuel.

- In the first place, little baby Samuel came to this world as a result of her mother’s (Hannah) much prayer as she could not conceive a child. In chapter 1, we read that Hannah even prayed that if she was given a child by God, then, she would dedicate him to serve God throughout his life. Look at her vow to God, “…O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord of all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” In those days, Israelites could make vows to God with uncut long hair to symbolize the dedication of their life to God. Normally, it was for a period of time but in this case it was for the rest of Samuel’s life and it was done by a mother on behalf of a unborn child.

- Hannah conceived and Samuel was born. She kept her vow with God and sent him to the priest Eli, of the temple.

- Samuel served in the temple under the guidance of the priest, Eli, as a small boy. Chapter 3 says in the midst of rare visions in those days, the Lord called Samuel 3 times to serve His purpose. In this case, it was to prophesy to the Israelites what God would do to them and also, specifically, what he would do to the Eli’s family (verses 11-14).

- For the first 2 verbal calling, the boy Samuel had mistaken them for Eli’s calling because verse 7 says Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. It means Samuel had not experienced God directly.

- With the guidance and mentor of the priest, Eli, the boy Samuel, finally responded to God’s calling (verses 8b – 9). The boy acted according the guidance and responded to God, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” We need to do this to our young people also.

- The calling was affirmed by the recognition of Israelites. Not only God fulfilled everything that He wanted Samuel to prophesy but in verse 20 we are told that the whole of Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized as prophet. Verse 21 continues to say the Lord revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

- So, this is really a biblical example of God’s calling for person to serve His purpose.

C. Applications

- Let us learn the first point of God’s nature of calling. It is basically coming from God (not human desires) and in this case God spoke with a audible voice. It is very specifically for His purpose, like in this case for the purpose of God doing something for Israelites and how God wanted to discipline Eli’s family.

- Secondly, the passage today implies that God calls everyone at every moment to serve Him in his purpose. So, are you sensitive to His calling? Is your present position/ job God’s calling? If not, leave it and find one that God calls you. How do you know God calls you to serve Him at your present vocation?

- Thirdly, there is the implication of the passage that God can call any of you to be full time pastors and missionaries. Can our parents be like Hannah or the priest Eli, to guide our children to respond to God’s calling as pastors and missionaries if God calls them?

D. Conclusion.

- As God calls Samuel to serve Him as a prophet, so God calls you to serve in the area which is pleasing to Him.