“And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,[a] and he failed to restrain them.14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” 15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 1 Samuel 3.11-16
The thing that stood out to me in this passage wasn’t God’s call upon Samuel or the warning he must deliver to Eli; it was Samuel’s age. Can you imagine how a young boy would hear and process these words? After doing a little research, I discovered that, according to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, Samuel was twelve years old.
When I was twelve, I was at Ben Franklin Elementary School. My mind was on the cute girls in my class, playing soccer, hanging with friends, running a six-minute mile in boots and jeans, taking trips with my family to Red River, New Mexico, and attending youth group at First Methodist Church in Wichita Falls, where I was nominated Junior High president! My beginnings were certainly not on a life-changing, nation-altering trajectory like Samuel’s. At twelve, I faced the normal decisions a boy my age would face, and it was a wonderful time!
But Samuel had a burden placed upon him that must have been so heavy. Verse 15 tells us just how difficult this was for the boy. After God spoke to him, Samuel “lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision.” Heck! I would be afraid too! Would Eli kill him for being the messenger? Would he get kicked out of the house of the Lord? But when Eli called Samuel the next morning, he answered with courage, “Here I am.”
Samuel could have run away before answering. He could have ignored him and pretended to be deaf. But just as Samuel replied positively to God’s calling, he replied equally courageously when Eli called and wanted to know the Lord’s message.
This says a lot about God’s calling and our response. Very few of us hear directly from God and are charged with leading a nation back to repentance. But all of us are called to love God and love our neighbors. Sometimes this is a tough love when people don’t love us back. Other times we feel love in return. But regardless, we are all called to hear God’s voice and obey.
Some might ask, “But what if I don’t hear God’s voice?” He has already spoken to each of us through His Word. Open your Bibles, ask for His Spirit to speak to you, and remember your own calling — to be His child, to love His name, to serve other people.
“O Lord God, the call of this young boy Samuel and the receptivity of Your word into his heart is amazing. Thank you, Lord, for speaking to us, for calling us by name, for loving us without shame. Thank you, Lord, for your work among us. Even when it seems difficult, you are so good. Come now, Holy Spirit, call us forth to obedience and love. Bless us this day that we might shine a light in the darkness. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen