Monday 2 December 2024
And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (v. 10b)
Background
This story, which is familiar to many Christians, is often referred to as 'the call of Samuel'. It has been used as a model for an account of a vocation to discipleship or to a particular form of ministry. It is, from that perspective, a powerful narrative.
Samuel was a young boy who was brought up at the shrine at Shiloh. Despite working with the rituals and paraphernalia of the cult, Samuel "did not yet know the Lord" (v. 7a). In that context, the boy has a sudden, dramatic and life-changing encounter with the divine word. It is out of this encounter that his lifelong ministry as a spokesperson for God develops.
However, this story is not just about Samuel. The broader context is important. Samuel is not alone in his lack of knowledge of God. "The word of the Lord was rare in those days" (v. 1b). The writer sets the scene for a new chapter in Israel’s history and the detail seems to have symbolic as well as literal meaning. For example, Eli’s eyesight was dim: is this an old man going blind or a prophet who no longer has any vision of God’s will that he can share with God’s people?
We read in verse 3 that the lamp of God had not gone out. Does this mean that it is not yet morning (as Exodus 27:21 commanded that a light be kept burning before the Ark from dusk to dawn) or that, despite all that has gone wrong (as detailed in last week’s readings), God has not abandoned God’s people?
Samuel is lying before the Ark. Is this a mundane detail about sleeping arrangements or an indication that Samuel is, in spite of all he does not yet know, in the right place to receive God’s word?
Samuel repeatedly mistakes the voice of God for that of Eli, the Temple priest (and Eli only realises this at the third time of asking). Is this a straightforward narrative of Samuel’s spiritual awakening or a sign of how moribund the Temple life had become?
In the morning, Samuel opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Is he simply going about his routine duties or are the doors being opened for God’s people to receive from God in a new way?
The word that Samuel hears is of judgment on Eli’s family and echoes the message of an unnamed prophet in the previous chapter (2:27-36). The judgment is harsh, but it is significant that it is Samuel who receives it. In spite of the coming catastrophe, something of Eli’s life and ministry is going to survive as it is he who has schooled Samuel. The moribund and corrupt cult at Shiloh is not entirely irredeemable.
To Ponder:
- Samuel is surprised that God speaks directly to him. Have you ever experienced God speaking to you in that sort of immediate way? What led you to believe it was God speaking?
- Are there aspects of your life in relation to God that seem to be dry or lifeless? How do you pray that God will cut through anything that hinders your hearing God’s word?
- It seems that Samuel is still quite young. Has God surprised you by speaking through younger rather than older people? How did you respond?
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler
Jonathan Hustler is a presbyter who currently serves as the Secretary of the Conference.