Here I Am

Introduction

Knowing what is right and doing what is right is not the same thing. Knowing the difference between right and wrong and choosing to do the right thing is not always easy. If it were, then sin would be less of a problem. Most of us want to do God’s will. Most of us are interested in honoring God with our lives. But there are times when we hold back. We know what the right thing to do is, but we just don’t do it. We become selfish and turn inward. We want what we want and we are just not going to give up on getting our way. We become stubborn and inflexible. Such attitudes affect our walk with God.

This morning we are going to compare Samuel and Eli based on 1 Samuel 3. Samuel is just a boy. Eli is an old man. Samuel is just beginning to understand what it means to walk with God. Eli has had a lifetime to walk with God. Samuel and Eli help us to see two different attitudes. On the surface, Eli and Samuel both appear to love God, but as we shall see, only Samuel knows what is right and does it. Listen to this reading from the pen of James: “Anyone then who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” Knowing what is right and doing what is right is not the same thing.

Different Attitudes

The story in 1 Samuel 3 may be familiar. Eli has been God’s high priest for a number of years. He is a familiar sight at the tabernacle. Eli’s sons were wicked. They would use force to take the best meat from the animal that was to be sacrificed. They had sexual relations with women who were serving the Lord in various capacities in the tabernacle. Eli knew this about his sons. It grieved him, but he did nothing about it. In 2:22-25, he rebukes his boys and condemns their behavior, but he doesn’t keep them from serving as priests in the tabernacle. Eli knew what was right, but he didn’t do what was right.

Samuel on the other hand is a small boy. While we are not sure of his age in chapter three, we know that he is still a boy according to 1 Samuel 3:1. This word is used to describe a newborn (1 Samuel 4:21) or a forty year old man (2 Chronicles 13:7; 12:13). Most see Samuel as being anywhere from 12-15 years old. He is young and inexperienced. While having grown up in the tabernacle watching Eli and his sons work, he as yet did not know the ways of God (3:7).

One night Samuel and Eli have gone to bed. Samuel is in another part of the tabernacle area. He hears a voice call his name. Believing that Eli is in need of some assistance, he runs to Eli ready to help. Eli tells Samuel that he didn’t call him and to return to bed. Two more times Samuel hears a voice call his name. Two more times he goes to Eli’s side to assist him. Two more times he is told to go back to bed. But on the last trip, Eli understands that it is God who is calling Samuel. Eli tells Samuel next time he hears the voice to respond with words of willingness.

God calls to Samuel again and this time Samuel responds, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” And the Lord began to speak to Samuel. He told him that Eli’s tenure as high priest was coming to an end. Furthermore, because of Eli’s sons none of the family will take his place. God is going to make a new start. He is going to bring someone else to the forefront to lead his people spiritually. Samuel is going to be his prophet. The next morning Samuel tells Eli all that God spoke to him. In verse 19, God was with Samuel and whatever Samuel said came true.

Lessons

So what are we to learn from this text? We have two people connected to God. Eli is God’s representative on earth. But he is ineffective. He does not take his role seriously enough to confront evil. Samuel is a teenager. He, too, wants to honor God. But the difference is he is willing to speak God’s word even if it means discomfort for the recipient. Both were willing to listen but only Samuel was willing to act upon what he heard.

The first lesson is that a willingness to listen means nothing unless we are willing to change. Eli knew his boys were doing evil. He knew that his sons were a disgrace. He knew that God wanted him to correct them and to change his ways. He knew that they should not represent God in a priestly capacity until they changed their conduct. He chewed on them a little bit then let them go back to their priestly roles. Shameful. Whether it is being a parent or being a part of a congregation, if we see sin we need to confront it and expect change. Just as God was not pleased with Eli’s reluctance to discipline his sons neither is he pleased when we are unwilling to discipline those who are sinning. A willingness to listen means nothing unless we are willing to change.

The second lesson has to do with taking on an attitude of willingness to listen. Samuel heard the voice of the Lord. He was ready to respond. When Eli told him how to properly respond to the Lord, Samuel was ready to do whatever God asked him to do. The best way of appearing to be willing to listen to God is to listen. Eli claimed to listen to God. But his actions said something else. Samuel listened and responded. Without obedience we are just fooling ourselves. To claim to follow God and to act on our own impulses and desires is sinful. It is disobedience to claim to follow God and yet act on your own devices. Samuel demonstrates a willing spirit which should encourage us to be like him. “Speak for your servant is listening.” That kind of willing spirit needs to be a part of your life and mine. In the song “I’ll Be a Friend to Jesus” the words say “The world may turn against Him/I’ll love him to the end, And while on earth I’m living, My Lord shall have a friend.” Don’t you know that Samuel felt awkward telling Eli the truth the next morning? But in that awkwardness, Samuel obeyed God. That is the kind of willingness that we need.

Wasn’t that the kind of willingness Jesus had in the garden? Face down, his sweat mingling with the dirt, Jesus is wrestling with a decision. How obedient is he going to be? The plan for him to die had been put into place long ago. He knew what was expected and had known before time began. As the millennia passed, Jesus knew he would come to earth. But now in the garden just a few short hours before his death, he has to make a decision. In his spirit he wants to honor God, but everything around him cries out for him to run. How obedient will he be? Obedience will cost him his life. The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of Jesus’s extreme obedience. It is a reminder of not only what he did but an opportunity for us to pledge the same type of obedience. Let’s sing the first verse of 699 as we prepare to take the Supper together.

We have work to do. God has called each Christian to be his representative on this earth. Some hear but do not change. Others are willing to obey even at great cost. We cannot afford to be asleep at our post. Will you be an Eli or a Samuel? Will you be willing to listen? Are you willing to change whatever needs to be changed in order to honor God? Are you just playing a game with God or are you serious about your walk with Him?

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