Mike Mosby

1 Samuel 3: 1-10

3 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Reflection:

I have never really spent that much time looking at the beginning of this passage as I usually focus on the middle and the ending, because the story is great, and the ending is even better.  But the beginning of this passage is a great place to start when looking at this story through the lens of commitment.  

The story starts off gloomy and dark. If you look at it again, the passage starts out by letting us know that “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.” I can only imagine that living in a time when the word of the Lord is rare to hear would be bleak and sorrowful. This must have meant that even men like Eli rarely had visions of God. I look around at our world today, and it can seem gloomy and dark. It seems that many have lost their way, wandering far from God. But, depending on your commitment to hear it, hearing the word of the Lord is not rare.

Whether or not our times are as gloomy as those in the story, I think we can agree that it does set a gloomy tone—one where even the holiest of people could not or did not want to hear the word of the Lord and had trouble finding God. And yet, even in this gloomy, dark time, God did not abandon those that would listen. 

After setting this tone, this already inspirational story gets even better. In the face of such times, Samuel was not used to hearing God’s voice. Being a man of God, Eli was still a light for God and capable of showing others the way to God. Because of this, we see a chain reaction of extraordinary commitment. Samuel was committed to his mentor and knew that when he was called, he should go and see what he needed, no matter when the call came. Eli was committed to being a great mentor who could direct those to the light. As frustrating as being woken up three times by young Samuel, he did not chastise or punish him. Eli had patience and understanding for Samuel, which is probably one of the reasons Samuel was so committed to Eli. We love and trust those who love and trust us.   

In this chain of commitment, we see Samuel is committed to listening for his mentor, Eli is committed to Samuel, and to add another layer, Eli is still committed to God. Even though it takes three times, Eli finally realizes that God is calling Samuel and tells him what he needs to do. Samuel goes and does exactly as Eli instructs. And it is through the already-standing commitment that Samuel hears God’s voice.

So, what can we take from this today?  Today things can seem gloomy and dark, as in this passage.  Even though we can’t insulate ourselves from the darkness, we can surround ourselves with people that will help us stay committed to God.  That is well and good for us, but what about others?  We can also be committed to all those that we are around in our daily lives.  We, as people of God, are called to be a light for others and to help them find God when the time is right.  Even in dark times, we can remain committed to the people in our life, and be a light for them.  It is together that we will not lose hope that they might hear God calling them. 

Prayer
Dear God, 

Thank you for people who are committed to you and help keep us committed to you. Help us to stay committed to seeing those around us.  Help us to bring your light out into the world so that others may find you. Amen.