Giving instructions is a foundational aspect of parenting. Parents begin giving instructions from the time their child is old enough to comprehend. It starts out with small instructions like throwing your trash in the trash can or picking up your toys. The instructions become more significant as the children grow, like holding your parent’s hand when you walk through the parking lot. Nonetheless, when we give instructions, we intend for them to be obeyed. Similarly, God has given us His instruction for a life of godliness. Like little children hearing our parents' instructions, we must respond appropriately and obediently. Knowing that God has spoken and instructed us on how to live, we must respond to God’s instructions. What will you do with God’s instruction?
The preceding chapter (1 Sam. 2:12-36) explains that the priest of Shiloh and his sons had no regard for God or His instructions. Instead, they had contempt for God and chose to live out their own desires and pleasures. Their lifestyle impacted the whole community at Shiloh and mocked God in the process. God proved that He would not allow sin to go unpunished as He spoke words of judgment on the house of Eli.
We have a responsibility to hear God's Word and respond in obedience. When we fail to live in obedience, Scripture illustrates that God will respond to our sins. In 1 Samuel, chapter three, we see four scenes of God’s response to the sin at Shiloh.
God’s Judgment by His Silence. (vv. 3:1)
The chapter begins by explaining that “the word was rare in those days, and there was no frequent vision.” That is to say, the communication from God to His people was rare in those days. This is no doubt because of the sins at Shiloh, where the priests demonstrated a lack of concern for God’s Word. From the beginning of Scripture, it is a blessing when God speaks. The first chapter of Genesis shows how God creates and blesses by His Word—“God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light” (Gen. 1:3). Later, God instructs by His Word as He calls Abram to leave the comfort of his family and go to a foreign land (Gen. 12:1-3). God continues to instruct His people by His Word as He gives the commandments that govern their lives (Ex. 20). He also leads His people by His Word (Ex. 14). The people of God have always relied on God's instruction. The last thing they want is for God to be silent towards them because God’s Word is the sustaining source of life that His people need. While God’s Word is the sustenance we need, God’s voice is not the only sound we hear. The culture speaks loudly and distracts from God’s Word. We must be determined to listen to God rather than the culture, no matter how loud the culture’s voice may be. Following the culture leads to participation in sin. The sin at Shiloh was a disregard for God and His instruction, but there is no escaping God's standard of righteousness. Sin is judged against the standard of God’s Word. The blasphemous sin at Shiloh and the disregard for the Word of God was met with God’s judgment—silence. However, this silence was temporary.
God’s Care by His Call. (vv. 3:2-15)
Out of the silence, God calls Samuel three times before he responds appropriately to God. The corrupt priest, Eli intuitively recognized that God was calling the boy. This must have been an eye-opening scene for Eli as he sees God speaking to the boy rather than to him. Eli instructs Samuel on how to respond when God calls. He said, say this: “Speak for your servant hears” (1 Sam. 3:9). The sin at Shiloh was obvious and public, but sin never has the last word. God is always working through His people. Eli knows the correct response to God, and he instructs Samuel how to respond to God; all the while, he does not practice what he preaches. The practical application is that you can be in the right place and say the right things while your heart is far from God. God demonstrates His care to others in Scripture as He calls them to His service. One servant who heard God’s call is Elijah. The prophet was used mightily by God, and in a moment of weakness, he cried out to the Lord, thinking that he was the last remaining servant of God until God comforted Him. Another example of God’s care by His call is Jeremiah. God told this young prophet that he would experience opposition from every direction as he served God as a prophet. Yet, God also revealed that He was with Jeremiah (Jer. 1:19). Though the culture will always be loud and distracting from God’s Word, and many may give an ear to the culture’s voice and teachings, God is always at work to fulfill His Word in and through His people. Sin does not nullify God’s Word, and sin does not nullify God’s Mission. The people of God can have courage for two reasons. The first reason is because God has spoken. God’s Word is the healing salve a broken world needs. The second reason we can be encouraged is because God still calls people to Himself. The apostle John shows how Jesus is the Good Shepherd who calls His sheep by name (John 10:3). The Good Shepherd who speaks and calls His sheep by name depicts the love and care of Christ for His people. Though God's silence is judgment, God's call is salvific.
God’s Revelation by His Word. (vv. 3:16-18)
After God spoke to Samuel, the following morning, Eli confronts the boy Samuel, saying, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you” (1 Sam. 3:17). Can you imagine the pressure that the young boy must have felt as he looked into the glaring eyes of the priest of Israel? Can you imagine how difficult it must have been to tell him that he and his family were doomed? Today, many so-called preachers articulate a version of the gospel driven by self-help, social reform, or prosperity but neglect to explain the severe consequences of failing to obey God’s Word. This is not to infer that we are saved as a result of our works, but rather that our good works (willful obedience to God over culture) reveal that we are saved (James 2:17). The world needs men who faithfully preach God's Word instead of their opinions, motivational advice, or cultural perspective. We do not determine truth; God’s Word does that; we merely conform to God’s truth. God’s Word is the final and complete authority on truth, and His method of planting truth in the world is through His people. God speaks through His messengers. This is true throughout Scripture. The slaves did not take it upon themselves to leave Egypt. God raised up and empowered Moses to lead them out of bondage (Ex. 3). When Moses died, God raised up Joshua to continue to lead the people (Num. 27:18). In the New Testament, Paul’s missionary journeys include him sharing the gospel, leading people to Christ, planting churches and establish elders in those churches. The elders were raised up to lead the churches in obedience to Christ. One of the elders instituted by Paul is Timothy at the church in Ephesus. Paul instructed Timothy to uphold the true doctrine (1 Tim. 1:3, 10). True doctrine is how God reveals the means of salvation. True doctrine comes only from the Word of God.
God’s Provision by His Word. (vv. 3:19-4:1)
God sustained Samuel as a prophet before Israel. It was not because of who Samuel was but because Samuel was devoted to listening to and proclaiming what thus says the Lord. Eli was judged and rejected for failing to listen and obey. God provides the truth needed for a life of godliness. It is our responsibility to respond appropriately and obediently. What will we do with His instruction? Even after God had pronounced judgment on Eli, the priest did not respond well. Eli responded with a lackluster submission (1 Sam. 3:18). It was not a humble submission but a careless indifference to God. This shows that the priest had no desire for repentance. He never repented or asked God for forgiveness. Many years later, another person will experience God’s condemnation for sins that he committed. King Hezekiah is confronted by Isaiah and told that he would soon die (2 Kings 20:1). Upon hearing the Word of the Lord, Hezekiah cried to the Lord for mercy (2 Kings 20:3). God heard the king's prayer and healed him of the sickness that threatened his life (2 Kings 20:5). When Hezekiah responded to God appropriately, God had mercy, but Eli disregarded God’s Word and was judged.
Conclusion
What will you do with God’s instruction? Will you likewise hear and ignore God’s Word? Though we cannot always see what God is doing, we can rest knowing God’s Word and mission will always prevail. Too often, we have listened to the culture’s lies at the expense of believing and following God’s truth. God’s Mission will prevail because God will see to it that it is achieved, but God’s method of achieving His mission is to speak through His messengers. The culture may speak loudly, but God calls us to speak the gospel truth. Salvation comes from hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). The culture’s words may be the loudest, but the gospel’s words are truth. How have you responded to God’s Word? I hope you will respond to God’s love for you with willful obedience.