I have a soft spot for the opening of 1 Samuel. Hannah’s story is very meaningful to me, and her faithfulness is a great encouragement. After praying for years for a child, Hannah finally has a son and makes the decision to dedicate her first child to the Lord, having him live at the temple with Eli, the same priest who prayed with her to have a child.
But Eli is a man with his own problems and shortcomings. There’s a saying that if you don’t raise your children, you’ll end up raising your grandchildren. While Samuel is not Eli’s own son, there’s very much that element to their relationship and Eli’s family at the time.
Eli’s sons aren’t just disappointments; they’re full-blown dumpster fires bringing others down with them. The Bible describes them simply as “scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:12) Corrupt and conniving, these young men who were meant to be serving Israel were in fact robbing the people every chance they got, sometimes even threateningly and aggressively. They took what they wanted from the people they were meant to be serving and worse still, what they were stealing was intended for the Lord. On top of that, these scoundrels were seducing women who helped at the temple. These were bad men. Full stop.
And Eli let it happen. The Bible tells us he was aware what he was doing, reprimanding them even, but when they wouldn’t listen, he wouldn’t do anything more. The sin and corruption continued, and Eli knew of all of it.
1 Samuel tells us that in those days, visions and messages from the Lord were very rare. Eli was living far away from the judges who God had spoken to so clearly and completely. He had the authority and status of those men and women of old, but on him it was a relic, and his sons were making it a joke. Years and years of quiet, years and years of abuse of authority, and years and years of Eli being passive and letting it happen.
But then one day a man shows up with a message from God for Eli. And it’s not a fun one. This man confronts Eli with God’s words, telling him his sons’ wickedness will not go unpunished, and neither is Eli off the hook for his passiveness. The whole section is a reprimand and a warning, giving Eli a chance to change things and chastising him for his passivity. At one point the accusation couldn’t be more clear “Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me- for you have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel.” (1 Samuel 2:29). This is not a fun message.
But it is a message. And that is something that so quickly gets glossed over here. Think about it. After years of silence and only hints and whispers of God’s voice, a man of God is standing in front of Eli with a warning, a chance to change things and turn things back to God. What a gift! What a miracle! What an incredible opportunity!
And Eli doesn’t listen.
He still doesn’t do anything. He still doesn’t stop his sons. He listens to the man of God, but he doesn’t hear. He’s gifted the most incredible gift of hearing a message from God, and he does nothing with it.
Enter little Samuel.
Only a child at the time, it’s already clear that Samuel is deeply attentive to the Lord, and everyone can see it in him. So it’s little surprise when one night Samuel hears God calling him.
Not understanding where the voice is coming from, Samuel starts a game of bedtime whack-a-mole with Eli, running to him for orders and Eli putting him back to bed because he certainly didn’t call. Only on the third time does Eli put two and two together. Samuel, this small child, and not Eli, is hearing from the Lord.
“So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” (1 Samuel 3:9-14)
The next morning, Eli asks Samuel what the Lord had to say. What was that moment like for Samuel? When I was a kid, I always pictured this moment as it would have played out in my own childlike understanding. In my mind, Eli and Samuel were sitting down at the breakfast table when Eli casually asks what the Lord had to say. And Samuel almost chokes on his cereal as he panics and tries to think how to deliver his unfortunate news. It would almost be comical if it wasn’t so deeply tragic for Eli. But Eli doesn’t rant or rail against Samuel’s news. He simply says: “It is the Lord’s will. Let him do what he thinks best.” (Samuel 3:18)
This is when Eli finally understands how far things have gone, and the consequences it’s bringing. He and his sons are meant to be the voice to the people from God, and they’re the ones who are hearing him the least. Their blessing has left them and passed to a child who is so attentive he’s jumping out of bed at the slightest nudge. Eli finally recognizes that the problem he’s been ignoring is the problem God is dealing with, and it’s not going to be an enjoyable experience.
Eli’s story serves as a warning to us all for many reasons, but what stands out the most to me is the heartbreaking danger of ignoring God’s voice.
We have free will. That was a gift God gave us. Eli was not forced to listen to God or obey him. But long silence and passive accountability led to him ignoring God’s warnings until it was too late and the blessing passed to another.
What if Eli had leapt at the chance to hear God the first time? What if he took the warnings seriously and compelled his sons to change or remove them from power? He wasn’t committing the same sins as his sons by his actions, but he aided them by his passivity and deafness. We run the same risk in our own lives when we live by passivity, not faith.
God wants to speak to us. God wants us to listen to him. He is good, and gracious, and loving, and patient. He wants us to be part of his story and what he’s doing, but he will not alter his plan to accommodate us blatantly ignoring his voice. When God speaks, we have a responsibility to listen.
We must learn to listen to God’s warnings before we’re forced to live out our consequences. God gives us every opportunity to hear him, but we’re the ones who must have ears to listen.
May we be Samuels, so eager to hear God and obey him that we’re bouncing out of bed at the slightest hint of his call. May we listen when God speaks the first time and take his correction seriously. May we be Christians who understand that God’s will is going to be carried out whether or not we obey, and plant ourselves firmly in the safety of his voice.
Let’s find some joy,
A
Avalon Robinson Author 