Seek The Lord – The Story of Samuel & Eli
To seek the Lord, is vital for our spiritual health so Steph Nickel examines one aspect of the story of Samuel & Eli. She shares how important it is to ensure our children know who the Lord is.
Seek The Lord
First Samuel 3:1-10 says,
“The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 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. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.’ 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. 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.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 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. 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. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’”
I have read this passage of scripture many times and yet, as I was reading it this time, verse 7 stood out to me: “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.”
Let’s think about that for a moment or two. Here was young Samuel, living in the Temple and being raised by Eli the priest. And yet, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord.”
Assuming Children Are Christians
It’s easy to assume that our children are Christians, that they know God, because we, their parents, are believers. Our sons and daughters may say the right things. They may do the right things. We may not worry about their behaviour or what they are getting into. But that doesn’t mean they have a faith of their own, one that will guide them even after they’ve grown up and left home.
Each of us has to recognize the voice of the Lord. We have to respond to His call on our lives. No one else can do that for us. We have to respond to Him as individuals.
Sadly, even the priest Eli, Samuel’s mentor, didn’t clue in to what was going on at first. As it says in verse 1, “In those days the word of the Lord was rare.”
Access To The Bible
Thankfully, we live in a day and age when many of us not only have access to the Bible, the very Word of God, we have access to supplementary materials that help us understand what the Scriptures mean and how they apply to our lives. And in this, the cyber age, we can read and listen to God’s Word proclaimed via the Internet. It is truly an amazing time to be alive.
There is a flipside to the 21st century however. There are a lot of voices out there. Many of them sound appealing and may proclaim a kernel of truth. However, just because someone makes a good argument that sounds reasonable—even appealing—doesn’t mean it is true to God’s Word.
Knowing what the Scriptures say and going through the motions is not the same as truly “hearing His voice” and walking in obedience as His Spirit enables us. Only after we have confessed our sins and accepted Jesus as our personal Saviour and Lord, does His Holy Spirit come to dwell within us.
The Holy Spirit’s Guidance
The Holy Spirit will never instruct us to do anything that is contrary to God’s Word. We must prayerfully study the Scriptures in order to discern God’s voice. If you have ready access, I encourage you to make digging into the Word a regular part of your day-to-day life. If you don’t, I can’t urge you strongly enough to commit to memory the Bible verses you hear. Even the greatest Bible teachers may not always get it right; there is always so much more to learn. But we can trust God’s Word 100 percent.
The more we get to know God, the more we will recognize His voice. I believe strongly in what is known as inductive Bible study. First, you study what the Bible says. Then you ask what it would have meant to the people who first heard it. That means doing some research and understanding at least a little of their culture. But our study can’t stop there or it’s nothing more than academics. We must learn what a passage means to us personally, how it applies to our lives today, what God is saying to us.
Families Should Learn To Seek The Lord
While it is important to serve the Lord together as a family, we must teach our children how to seek the Lord for themselves. We can’t simply hold onto the hope that if they go through the motions, it means their spiritual well-being is a certainty. We can and must trust God with our children, but we must be sure to teach them that their faith has to be their own. We must encourage them to dig into His Word for themselves and follow His direction for their lives.
And long after they leave home, we must continue to pray for them and encourage them to do what Samuel did: quieten themselves before Him and listen for His instruction. And, of course, we must continue to do the same.
Are you seeking the Lord? Contact us if you are a truth seeker and need some answers.
Steph Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire. She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.
Steph is a freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.
You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.
Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.
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Images Courtesy of:
Passionate Prayer – Sarah Kobunski
Samuel & Eli – John Singleton Copley
Fog- wondermar
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