NL 406: God Calls Samuel

image: “Charleston: Big Gun Burger Shop & Bar - Pulp Fiction mural” by Wally Gobetz (Flickr)

October 17, 2021

1 Samuel 3:1-21

Initial Thoughts

  • “Here I am Lord” based on this text and Isaiah 6

  • Read it all!

    • This is about both the beginning and ending of a call

    • v.1-10 are about responding to being called

    • v.11-20 are about trusting in God

Bible Study

  • The Word of the Lord was rare and visions were not widespread...sound familiar

    • Eli’s sons were taking the best parts of the sacrificed meat without waiting for the fat to burn off. Oh and they were having sex with women who want to pray.

    • “The vision of the Lord was not spread about” - indication that Eli’s leadership was failing, his vision both physically and spiritually is failing

  • The lamp of God had not yet gone out (Alter, Hebrew Bible)

    • A lamp which would have been kept burning through the night (like the eternal flame in some churches), while this could indicate that it was almost dawn, it could also indicate that while God’s presence was hard to see, God was still at work in the Israelites and the world.

  • Call

    • Samuel hears the call but does not understand what it is or who it is from

    • Intergenerational- both Eli and Samuel are needed for God’s call to be heard and responded to. Samuel hears it, but Eli understands it

    • Eli’s eyesight might be failing, but his faithful is not - like many of our seniors who continue to live faithful lives

    • Eli calls Samuel my son - a sign of his inheritance of Eli’s minister (especially considering the failure of Eli’s own sons)

  • Response

    • You servant is listening the response to God’s call is not grand speeches or marches- it begins with listening

    • God is going to make “both ears...tingle” - what does this mean? Two Tingling Ears - Donna Schaper, Feasting on the Word: Year B, Vol. 1

      • Ear of Fear: Cancer, war, death, car accident, financial ruin

      • Ear of Hope: Children are safe, hungry are fed, earth is restored, loved ones are well

  • Justice - A word of fearful judgment or of forgiving reprieve?

    • Robert Alter, Hebrew Bible - God’s message to Samuel “not only indicates the overthrow of the priestly authority from the house of Eli and the  implicit move to a different sort of authority...but also [foretells] the rather dour and dire role Samuel will play as leader.”

    • Eli seems almost relieved to hear this message - perhaps the guilt and waiting for God’s judgement was gnawing at him. Also perhaps we was ready to be done (think Simeon from Luke 2) - perhaps he was ready to know that his priestly and prophetic work was being carried on by another

    • What is Eli’s sin? Being passive - not speaking out against his sons’ abuse of power

      • “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

    • Call is not all about privilege, but about being faithful: speaking truth to power

      • Samuel must first speak God’s justice against Eli, his mentor/father-figure

      • MLK Jr. speaking out against racism, but also against the Vietnam War

      • Bonhoeffer - hung  

      • Oscar Romero - shot while serving Communion

  • Ageism

    • There are several ageist traps in this passage

      • 1 - Eli is old and needs to get out of the way for Samuel

      • 2 - Samuel is too young to understand that God is talking to him

    • While there are elements of truth, it would not serve the pastor to propagate any sort of ageism - rather than dividing this story can instead be used as a intergenerational bridge - bringing together old and young, those with experience and those with vision, those who have learned from their mistakes and those who are doomed to repeat them 

Thoughts and Questions

  • This is a great story of intergenerational cooperation and faithfulness - how are we modeling this in the church? How are we encouraging our older members to help our younger members hear where God is calling them?

  • Listen- we need to teach ourselves and the church to listen to what God is saying to them. Spiritual direction is more about listening than responding.

    • How can we share the advice of Eli, “Speak for your servant is listening?”

    • What are we doing to encourage people to hear the call of God in their lives? Is the word and vision of God rare today as it was then? How can we re-train our ears and eyes to hear and see God?

  • Absolution is not simply a let bygones be bygones/forgive and forget ordeal. Eli receives absolution, but there are consequences to his actions and the actions of this sons.

Year 4Eric Fistler1 SamuelComment