To know the Lord
In 1 Samuel 3:7 it says, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him."
In 1 Samuel 3, we begin to read about Samuel's first encounters with the Lord. Samuel was a child who was dedicated since he was weaned by his mother to serve the Lord in the temple. She left him with a man named Eli, who was priest at that time. Samuel grew up as Eli's assistant in the temple, But, scripture tells us here in 1 Samuel 3:7, that he did not yet know the Lord. The word know is the Hebrew word yada', which means that he did not know the Lord by his own experience. He had not yet recognized who the Lord is in his own life. The Bible tells us this because in this story the Lord was trying to speak to Samuel and Samuel didn't recognize his voice.
One thing I noticed is that when Samuel runs to Eli, Eli tells Samuel that when the Lord speaks to you to say,"Speak, Lord, for Thy servant is listening." Yet, that is not what Samuel says. Samuel says, "Speak, for Thy servant is listening." You may think that I am splitting hairs here, but I noticed that Samuel did not yet call him "Lord". Maybe because he was just a small kid. Maybe because he didn't really know him as Lord.
I also think it is interesting that though he is a small child, the Lord entrusts him with a big and somewhat scary message. I wonder to myself what the rest of that night was like for Samuel. Samuel heard that Eli and his family were going to be judged. This is the man who had taken care of him since he was little. The story really doesn't tell us if Samuel worried about himself in this passage. I wonder if he did. It only tells us that he was scared to tell the message to Eli.
It reminds me of the vision that John had in Revelations 10:10. An angel gives John the taste of eating a book. The book has words on it on the inside and outside. John says about this, "And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey, and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter." I think it was made bitter because sometimes the Word of God is both sweet and also has a bitter, harder side to it. Sometimes we hear things we don't want to hear. Sometimes it isn't just a sweet and warm message that God gives us. That is something that Samuel found out from the very beginning. He also learned another important lesson: that the God he served is holy.
God also wants us to know Him as he wanted Samuel to know Him. He wanted us to know him and perceive him for ourselves. He still speaks to us today. Some of us may not recognize his voice at first. The joy of knowing God is a huge joy and honor, yet he doesn't water down his message for us. Paul said about knowing God, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ," (Phil 3:8). Paul was literally saying that he counted all things like human waste compared to the joy of knowing Christ. Do you know Him? He still wants to speak to you today?
In 1 Samuel 3, we begin to read about Samuel's first encounters with the Lord. Samuel was a child who was dedicated since he was weaned by his mother to serve the Lord in the temple. She left him with a man named Eli, who was priest at that time. Samuel grew up as Eli's assistant in the temple, But, scripture tells us here in 1 Samuel 3:7, that he did not yet know the Lord. The word know is the Hebrew word yada', which means that he did not know the Lord by his own experience. He had not yet recognized who the Lord is in his own life. The Bible tells us this because in this story the Lord was trying to speak to Samuel and Samuel didn't recognize his voice.
One thing I noticed is that when Samuel runs to Eli, Eli tells Samuel that when the Lord speaks to you to say,"Speak, Lord, for Thy servant is listening." Yet, that is not what Samuel says. Samuel says, "Speak, for Thy servant is listening." You may think that I am splitting hairs here, but I noticed that Samuel did not yet call him "Lord". Maybe because he was just a small kid. Maybe because he didn't really know him as Lord.
I also think it is interesting that though he is a small child, the Lord entrusts him with a big and somewhat scary message. I wonder to myself what the rest of that night was like for Samuel. Samuel heard that Eli and his family were going to be judged. This is the man who had taken care of him since he was little. The story really doesn't tell us if Samuel worried about himself in this passage. I wonder if he did. It only tells us that he was scared to tell the message to Eli.
It reminds me of the vision that John had in Revelations 10:10. An angel gives John the taste of eating a book. The book has words on it on the inside and outside. John says about this, "And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey, and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter." I think it was made bitter because sometimes the Word of God is both sweet and also has a bitter, harder side to it. Sometimes we hear things we don't want to hear. Sometimes it isn't just a sweet and warm message that God gives us. That is something that Samuel found out from the very beginning. He also learned another important lesson: that the God he served is holy.
God also wants us to know Him as he wanted Samuel to know Him. He wanted us to know him and perceive him for ourselves. He still speaks to us today. Some of us may not recognize his voice at first. The joy of knowing God is a huge joy and honor, yet he doesn't water down his message for us. Paul said about knowing God, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ," (Phil 3:8). Paul was literally saying that he counted all things like human waste compared to the joy of knowing Christ. Do you know Him? He still wants to speak to you today?
