Speak

Today’s Bible Reading: 1 SAMUEL 1:9-4:11

1 Samuel 3:10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Most of us want to hear from God. We want Him to speak to us directly. We want to have a divine dialogue with Him. There are some though who have no desire to hear from God. They have no interest in any communication from Him or with Him.

Our text presents this contrast in the stories of the sons of Eli and the child Samuel. The scriptures describe the sons of Eli as wicked (1 Sam 2:1). They were perverted priests set on pursuing their own pleasures. They despised God’s principles and deceived God’s people. They purposely lead the people to transgress (1 Sam 2:24). When God confronted them concerning their corrupt conduct through their father Eli, they responded by rejecting his reproof and continuing in their rebellion. They “did not heed the voice of their father.” (1 Sam 2:25). They basically told God, “Shut up, cause we don’t want to hear what you have to say”.

Contrast their conduct with that of Samuel. His heart was humbled before His heavenly Father. He faithfully ministered to the Lord. He delighted in God’s principles and directed God’s people. He was receptive and response to divine dialogue. He wanted to hear from God and was willing to heed God’s word. His reply to his Lord was, “Speak, for your servant hears”.

God routinely speaks to us. He speaks to us in many ways. He communicates through the world that He has made. The Psalmist says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.” (Ps 19:1-3). He also speaks through the words of others. Throughout scripture and in pulpits today we observe His prophets and preachers presenting His word. They pronounce His word like the man of God declared to Eli, “Thus says the Lord” (1 Sam 2:27). God also communicates by His Spirit. We at times sense of the moment of the Holy Spirit leading and directing us. It is the Spirit speaking His word to us. It is like Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (Matt 4:1), like the Spirit telling Phillip to share the gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:29) and like Paul being “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6). Finally, God speaks uniquely to some through visions and dreams, like to Joseph the dreamer (Gen 37:9) or to Joseph the father of Jesus (Matt 1:20). These are some of the ways in which God speaks.

But the primary way in which God speaks to us today is through His written Word, the Scriptures. He never speaks contrary to the truth found in the Bible (John 17:17). His Word always confirms any other form of His communication. His written words validate and verify any other word. The Bible gives clarity to His communication. If something is said to be “spoken” by or “from” the Lord in any form or fashion it must coincide with what He has revealed in scripture. It cannot contradict His written communication. If we want God to speak to us, we must look first and foremost to His Word. We get a word from God by looking at the Word of God.

A word from God was very rare in Samuel’s day (1 Sam 3:1), but not in our day. A word from Him is literally at our fingertips, we just “rarely” receive it. We all want to hear a word for the Lord, but in our busyness, we seldom take the time to listen. God has made His word accessible on multiple platforms through a myriad of ways to most people. It‘s there and available. We must decide if we will be like the sons of Eli who did not want to hear what God was saying or be like the young Samuel and say, “Speak, for your servant hears”. Perhaps we need to follow the challenge of Jesus, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt 11:15). We all have ears, so let’s be those who hear and heed what the Lord is saying. Let’s be the servant who hears.

Today rejoice that God desires to speak to you. Thank Him that His word brings counsel, comfort, challenge and correction to those who hear it. Ask the Lord to help you to be receptive to what He is saying. Thank Him that as He specifically spoke to Samuel’s situation, He can and will speak into your specific situation. Thank Him for the accessibility that you have to His spoken word. Ask Him to translate a Bible into everyone’s language so they all can hear and heed Him.