Obediently
Samuel accepted Eli’s word and went back and presumably laid down in “the
temple of the Lord where the ark of God was.” And as
Eli had suspected, the Lord called out to Samuel a fourth time. He then
responded saying “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” Whenever God
speaks, it would be foolish not to listen carefully. The condition of the
people and the priesthood made it necessary for God to reveal what He had to
say. What often necessitates God’s judgment is because He loves us far too much
to allow us to be destroyed by our careless living. If He doesn’t bring a swift
end to the influencing factors, we will continue to decline hopelessly
downhill. The message God had was not only for the family of Eli. Verse 11 made
it clear that it was for everyone in Israel. Therefore, He said,
“Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone
who hears it will tingle.”
Here
God affirmed what was already revealed to them in 1 Samuel 2:27-36 by the man
of God whom He had sent to them. By coming to Samuel God was simply saying
that He would do what He had said He would do. Do not trifle with God. He says
what He means and means what He says. God was about to take out the house of
Eli. What God would do to Eli and his family tells us that greater
responsibility calls for greater accountability. No one ever spurns the grace
of God and expects Him to condone their irresponsibility. What God wants to do
is hard to understand with the human mind. His judgment is usually drastic and
with great intensity. That’s only because He is a holy God and cannot stand the
slightest of sin. The response He needs from us is to be circumspect in life,
with humility accept God’s word and live them out truthfully.
Verse
13 is a serious warning for us parents. Eli knew about the contemptuous things
his sons did. It was reported to him, but he took disciplining his sons too
casually. Would they have changed if he had been tougher with them? Hophni and
Phinehas couldn’t care less about what Eli was telling them. They were way passed the point of no return. It is possible for us too to come to a point of
refusing to heed the voice of conscience. Is it not true that the first time we
realize our wrong, and our conscience alerts us, our sense of guilt is
stronger? But if we choose not to respond positively and correct it, we feel
less guilty the next time our conscience speaks. What’s terrifying is that we
may press pass the point of no return just like the sons of Eli. That’s why we
must keep short accounts with God. Samuel must have responded and laid all
night probably contemplating what had just been told to him. We guess he must
have found it hard to go back to sleep. He could also be wondering how to break
the news. When Eli summoned for him, the priest had to virtually coax it out of
him. He finally told him what the Lord had said and Eli submitted and resigned
himself to God.
The
point to take away is this: sin must be dealt with swiftly. If we persist in
it, there may come a time when it will be too late to change. We should not
spurn the grace of God. Every warning sign should be taken seriously before our
conscience becomes hardened and we find it hard to respond to God. Always
remain pliable and tender in the hand of God. Be sensitive to the still
small voice of the Holy Spirit!
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