When I was a
little girl attending Sunday School, one of my favorite stories in the Bible
was the story of Samuel. I connected
with the story mainly because it was about a little boy who fell asleep in the
temple and heard God’s voice audibly speak to him.
In 1 Samuel Chapter 3, Samuel had been
assisting Eli, the priest in the temple for many years in worshipping the Lord. Scholars estimate that Samuel was around 12
years of age when the Lord called out to him.
Verse 7 says “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet
been revealed to him.” I found
this verse quite surprising.
Samuel,
day after day and for years was going through the motions; the act of
everything required to demonstrate worship to the Lord and yet he didn’t know
him. How many of us are doing the same
thing? Saying our meal time prayers, our
bedtime prayers, going to church on Sundays, doing all the “right” things,
living a “good” life, being a “good” person and even reading the Bible.
Checking off all the boxes and punching in the time card. Is that
what Christianity is all about? -No, it’s not really about any of those things. It’s about knowing the Lord
through relationship.
Samuel
didn’t recognize the voice of the Lord because he didn’t have a relationship
with him yet. He only knew God through the lens of rules and regulations. He only
knew to make sure to do the “right” things and check off all the boxes as he did
them.
When the
Lord called to Samuel, notice his posture; his position. Samuel positioned himself
in such a way most likely because he was keeping an eye on the lamp of God to
ensure it wouldn’t go out before it was supposed to. In verse 2 it says that the lamp of God had
not yet gone out. This is something key
to note because it was one of the laws to make sure it didn’t go out before
morning. (Exodus 27:20, 21) Also it’s key
to note because it shows us just where Samuel had positioned himself.
The Lamp or what we now call the Menorah,
represents fellowship with God. Directly
across from the Lamp stood the Bread of the Presence. The Bread of the Presence represented
fellowship and communion with man; speaking to him. Verse
3 says that Samuel was lying down where the ark of God was. The Ark of God represented the
power and the presence of God himself. All three of
these objects were surrounding Samuel.
Spiritually he positioned himself as close as anyone could possibly
get to God, directly placing himself in his presence so that he could be in relationship with him and hear
his voice. That posture and
position was where he needed to be to hear God, and he did.
Over time, Samuel
understood how to keep the relationship close.
He kept hearing the word of the Lord time and time again. I know I want that for my life. I don’t want to live focused on the rules and
regulations. Instead I want my focus to be on relationship; getting as close as
I possibly can to the heart of God. I
want to rest in his presence like Samuel.
If you want
to know the Lord and hear his voice leading you, then rest in his
presence. Get as close as you can.
How to get started: Slow down and read the Bible one
verse/story/chapter at a time if need be, rest on that thought and meditate on
it throughout your day.
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