When The Lord Speaks More Than Once
1 Samuel 3:1
Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli.
And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no
widespread revelation.
In the days when there are very few godly visions and prophecies,
the Lord does not speak directly to people frequently. But when He
does speak, He may speak not only once. He will repeat the
same message if His people are not listening. He will send one
warning after another, giving a period of grace for the people to
repent and return to Him. When the Lord speaks more than once, we
must be attentive and listen to what He says!
In 1 Samuel chapters 1 to 4, we have the account of the birth,
childhood, adolescence and adulthood of Samuel.
Hannah was barren. She went to the House of the Lord or the
Tabernacle in Shiloh to pray for a child. While Hannah was praying,
Eli the priest observed the movements of her mouth. She was praying
in her heart. Her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So,
Eli thought she was drunk. He said to her, “Stop getting drunk!
Throw away your wine!”
Hannah answered, “No, I have not drunk any wine. I am a woman who
is deeply troubled. I was telling the Lord about all my problems.
Please don’t treat me as if I am an evil woman. I have been praying
because of the troubles and sorrows in my heart.”
Eli answered, “Go in peace. May the God of Israel give you what
you asked of Him.”
And her prayers were answered. She became pregnant, and in time,
she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel. She said, “His name
is Samuel because I asked the Lord for him.”
When Samuel was old enough to eat, Hannah took him to the House
of the Lord at Shiloh. She also took a three-year-old bull, one-half
bushel of flour and a leather bag filled with wine. They killed the
bull, and offered it to the Lord.
Then Hannah brought Samuel to Eli. She said to Eli, “As surely as
you live, I am the same woman who stood near you praying to the
Lord. I prayed for this child. The Lord answered my prayer and gave
him to me. Now I give him back to the Lord. He will belong to the
Lord all his life.”
So, Hannah left her son Samuel there at the Tabernacle for the
Lord to use. The boy continued to serve the Lord under Eli the
priest.
Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. They too were the priests
serving the Lord. They were servants or assistants to their father
who was the priest. But both of them were evil men. They did not care
about the Lord. They went against the rules and regulations of the House of
the Lord, and did what was right in their own eyes!
As regulated, every time someone brought a sacrifice to be
offered to the Lord, it would be burned. The burnt meat
would then be cooked in a pot. The priest’s servant or assistant would
come with a fork in his hand. The fork had three prongs. He
would plunge the fork into the pot or pan. Whatever the fork
brought out of the pot or pan belonged to the priest.
But the evil sons of Eli did otherwise. They were assistants to Eli
the priest. Even before the fat was offered or burnt, they would come to the
person offering sacrifices. They would say, “Give the priest some
meat to roast. The priest won’t accept boiled meat from you. He will
only accept raw meat.”
But the man who offered the sacrifice might say, “Let the fat be
burned up first as usual. Then you may take anything you want.”
But the sons of Eli would answer, “No, give the meat now. If
you don’t, it will be taken by force.”
The Lord saw that the sins of the priest's servants or assistants were
very great. They did not show proper respect for the offerings made to the
Lord.
But Samuel grew, and obeyed the Lord. He wore a linen holy vest.
Every year, Samuel’s mother would make a little coat for him. She
would take it to him when she went to Shiloh. She went there with
her husband Elkanah for the sacrifice.
Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. Eli would say, “May the
Lord repay you with children through Hannah. They will take the
place of the boy Hannah prayed for and gave back to the Lord.” Then
Elkanah and Hannah would go home. The Lord was kind to Hannah. She
became the mother of three sons and two daughters. But the boy
Samuel grew up serving the Lord.
Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were
doing to all the Israelites. He also heard about how his sons had
sexual relations with the women who served at the entrance to the
House of the Lord. The sins of these two sons were known to the
people and even their father.
Eli said to his sons, “The people here tell me about the evil
things you have done. Why do you do these evil things? No, my sons.
The Lord’s people are saying bad things about you. If someone sins
against another person, God can help him. But if he sins against the
Lord Himself, no one can help him!” But Eli’s sons would not listen
to him. This was because the Lord had decided to put them to death.
As plainly as it could be, the first warning was given from the
priest to his sons but was not effective resulting in changes of
their sinful behaviors, deeds and lifestyles!
The boy Samuel kept growing. And he pleased God and the people.
One day, a man of God came to Eli. He said, “This is what the
Lord says: ‘I clearly showed Myself to the family of your forefather Aaron.
This was when they were slaves to the king of Egypt. I chose them
from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests. I wanted them to go
up to My altar, to burn incense and to wear the holy vest. I also
let the family of Aaron your forefather have part of all the offerings
sacrificed by the Israelites. So why don’t you respect the
sacrifices and gifts? You honor your sons more than Me. You become
fat on the best parts of the meat the Israelites bring to Me.'"
The man of God continued to speak, “Here’s what the Lord, the God
of Israel, says: ‘I promised that your family and Aaron your
forefather's
families would serve Me forever.’ But now the Lord says this: ‘That
will never be! I will honor those who honor Me. But I will take
honor away from those who do not honor Me. The time is coming when I
will destroy your descendants. No man will grow old in your family.
You will see trouble in My House. Good things will be done to
Israel. But there will never be an old man in your family. I will
raise up one man to serve as priest at My altar. He will wear out
his eyes and use up his strength. The rest of your descendants will
die by the sword.'”
The man of God concluded by saying, “I will give you a sign. Both
your sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will die on the same day. I will
choose a loyal priest for Myself. He will listen to Me and do what I
want. I will make his family strong. He will always serve before My
appointed king. Then everyone left in your family will come and bow
down before him. They will beg for a little money or a little food.
They will say, “Please give me a job as priest so I can have food to
eat.””
This true prophetic message by the man of God to Eli the priest
was the second warning. But the message was not heeded, and was
gradually and conveniently disregarded and forgotten! No proper actions were taken and followed up!
The boy Samuel served the Lord under Eli. In those days, the Lord
did not speak directly to people very often. There were very few
visions.
Eli’s eyes were so weak that he was almost blind. One night, he
was lying in bed. Samuel was also in bed in the Lord’s Holy
Tabernacle. The Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy Tent. God’s lamp
was still burning.
Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “I am here!” He ran to
Eli and said, “I am here. You called me.”
But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” So, Samuel
went back to bed.
The Lord called again, “Samuel!”
Samuel again went to Eli, and said, “I am here. You called me.”
Eli again said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”
Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The Lord had not spoken
directly to him yet.
The Lord called Samuel for the third time. Samuel got up and went
to Eli. He said, “I am here. You called me.”
Then Eli realized the Lord was calling the boy. So, he told
Samuel, “Go to bed. If He calls you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord. I am
Your servant, and I am listening.’” So, Samuel went and lay down in
bed.
The Lord came and stood there. He called as He had before. He
said, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel said, “Speak, Lord. I am Your servant, and I am
listening.”
The Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am going to do something in
Israel. It will shock those who hear about it. At that time, I will
do to Eli and his family everything I promised. I will not stop
until I have finished. I told Eli I would punish his family forever.
I will do it because Eli knew his sons were evil. They spoke against
Me, but he did not control them. So here is what I promised Eli’s
family: ‘Your guilt will never be removed by sacrifice or
offering.’”
Samuel laid down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the
Tent of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. But
Eli said to him, “Samuel, my son!”
Samuel answered, “I am here.”
Eli asked, “What did the Lord say to you? Don’t hide it from me.
May God punish you terribly if you hide from me anything He said to
you.” Thus, Samuel told Eli everything. He did not hide anything
from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord. Let Him do what He thinks
is best.” This was the third warning issued directly from the Lord
to the priest, and through a young boy!
The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up. He did not let any of
Samuel’s messages fail to come true. Then all Israel, from Dan to
Beersheba, knew Samuel was a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord
continued to show Himself to Samuel at Shiloh. He also showed
Himself to Samuel through His word. And news about Samuel and what
he did began to spread throughout all of Israel.
At that time, the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines.
The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines camped at
Aphek.
The Philistines went to meet the Israelites in battle. And as the
battle continued, the Philistines defeated the Israelites. They
killed about 4,000 soldiers of the Israelite army. Then some
Israelite soldiers went back to their camp.
The elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord let the Philistines
defeat us? Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh. In this way,
God will go with us into battle. He will save us from our enemies.”
So, the people sent men to Shiloh. They brought the Ark of
the Covenant with them, and went back into battle against their enemies. Eli’s two sons, Hophni
and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the camp.
And all the Israelites gave a great shout of joy. It shook the earth.
The Philistines heard Israel’s shout. They asked, “What’s all this
shouting in the Hebrew camp?”
Then the Philistines found out that the Ark of the Covenant of
the Lord had come into the Hebrew camp. They were afraid and said,
“A god has come into the Hebrew camp! We’re in trouble! This has
never happened before! How terrible it will be for us! Who can save
us from these powerful gods? They are the ones who struck the
Egyptians with all kinds of disasters in the desert. Be brave,
Philistines! Fight like men! In the past, they were our slaves. So,
fight like men, or you will become their slaves.”
So, the Philistines fought hard and defeated the Israelites.
Every Israelite soldier ran away to his own home. It was a great
defeat for Israel, because 30,000 Israelite soldiers were killed.
The Ark of the Covenant of God was also taken by the Philistines. And
Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed on that same day!
That same day, a man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battle.
He tore his clothes and put dust on his head to show his great
sadness. When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was there by the side of the road.
Eli was sitting there in a chair, watching. He was worried about the
Ark of the Covenant of God.
When the Benjaminite entered Shiloh, he told the bad news. Then
all the people in town cried loudly. Eli heard the crying and asked,
“What’s all this noise?”
The Benjaminite ran to Eli and told him what had happened. Eli
was then 98 years old, and he was blind. The Benjaminite told him,
“I have come from the battle. I ran all the way here today.”
Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
The Benjaminite answered, “Israel ran away from the Philistines.
The Israelite army has lost many soldiers. Your two sons are both
dead. And the Philistines have taken the Ark of the Covenant of
God.”
When he mentioned the Ark of the Covenant of God, Eli fell
backward off his chair. He fell beside the gate and broke his neck,
because he was old and fat. And Eli died. He had led Israel for 40
years.
Even the Ark of the Covenant couldn’t save the two evil sons of
Eli!
They died in the battle. And their father Eli died on the same day!
And the story did not just end here.
Not coincidentally, Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas,
was pregnant. It was nearly time for her baby to be born when she
heard the news that the Ark of the Covenant of God had been taken.
She heard also that Eli, her father-in-law, and Phinehas, her
husband, were both dead. And she began to give birth to her child.
The child was born, but the mother had much trouble in giving
birth. As she was dying, the women who helped in her baby delivery said,
“Don’t worry! You’ve given birth to a son!” But she did not answer
or pay attention.
She named the baby Ichabod. She named him Ichabod and said,
“Israel’s glory is gone.” She said this because the Ark of the
Covenant of God had been taken. It was also because her
father-in-law and husband were dead. She said, “Israel’s glory is
gone, because the Ark of the Covenant of God has been taken away.”
Hebrews 3:14-15
14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning
of our confidence steadfast to the end,
15 while it is said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
When God speaks today, it is better for us not to harden our
hearts, thinking that we will repent later! It is not good to
procrastinate, thinking that His grace and mercy will continue as
usual. Even while ministering and serving in the House of the Lord,
the priests and their households can still sin against the Lord!
Even though they have the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Presence
of the Lord in their midst, they can still do their own things and
go astray! They may have rooms for holy ornamental items or even
different versions of the Holy Bible, and volumes of Christian and
sacred books, but still may not have room for the Lord
in their hearts!
2 Corinthians 2:17
For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God;
but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God
in Christ.
Today, like Eli the priest, some of the apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors and teachers have gotten more than their allocated portions.
They have continually taken the best meat. Like Eli, they too have
become fat and blind. Fattened by the riches of the world, luxurious
houses and cars, even private airplanes, loads of money and wealth,
which are accumulated by obtaining unregulated through the offerings of the
believers, and also the peddling of the Word of God for their own
profits and gains through the sales of their books and other
merchandise in the House of God. They have turned the House of
Prayer into a marketplace! And blinded by their lusts for prosperity, prestige and
power, they are never satisfied and contented!
1 Timothy 6:6-10
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can
carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a
snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown
men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,
for
which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Because of their love of money, they will preach and focus more
on prosperity and power instead of godliness and contentment. As a
result, it has caused all kinds of evil. Some of
them have left the true faith
because they are greedy and never have enough. They just want to get
more and more money for themselves. And they have caused themselves
much sorrow. Like the sons of Eli, the children of these ungodly men
and women are also doing and behaving the same.
And sadly but truly, judgment will begin with the House of God!
1 Peter 4:17
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of
God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end
of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
And the judgment of God will not come without any warnings! The
Lord will continue to send messages after messages, giving us time
to repent and return to Him.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His
promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering
toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance.
God is very patient with us. He does not want anyone to perish.
He desires everyone to change his heart and life. Therefore, He is
still speaking to us!
However, when His messages and warnings end, His judgment will
begin!
Written on 29 October 2022