On hearing from God Pt. 3: What do we do when God gives us a word?
Read 1 Samuel 3: 9-21
Part 1 of this 1 Samuel 3 series was about how God spoke to Samuel but Samuel did not recognize the voice of God because even though he worked and ministered in the house of the Lord, he did not expect God to speak to him. In turn, he did not learn how to hear the voice of God.
In Part 2 of this 1 Samuel 3 series, we examined the way in which Samuel had to position himself to hear from God.
In 1 Samuel 3: 9 -21 we see that Samuel was obedient in positioning himself to hear from God and that the Lord God once again called out to Samuel. Samuel responded, “speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (verse 9).
The passage becomes really challenging at this point because God doesn’t tell Samuel the things that we might expect or even want Him to tell Samuel. The word that the Lord God gives Samuel is bound to make so many of us uncomfortable:
11 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.’” 1 Samuel 3: 11-14
Notice how the word that God gives Samuel is not for Samuel—it concerns Eli. As a leader in Israel, the word that God gives Samuel has ramifications for all of Israel. This word is about God’s justice.
How many of us are always waiting on words just for ourselves when God is trying to do something so much bigger than us?
If you read 1 Samuel 1 & 2 you see that Eli was doing things that were abhorrent in the eyes of God because he was allowing his two sons (who were supposed to be ministers) to steal food from the people before they offered it to God. They were also sleeping with the woman at the entrance to the house of God. In doing so, not only were they treating the Lord’s offering with contempt, they were treating God with contempt and making a mockery of His name and goodness before all of Israel. Their actions were not reflective of the goodness, mercy, and righteous of God. Instead, they were using their position of power to pervert justice in God’s name. Eli was aware of his sons’ transgressions and did nothing to stop them. Eli was guilty because he knew the voice of the Lord, and he knew his sons were wrong. However in his refusal to discipline his sons, he chose to honor his sons and to dishonor God. As a result, he aided them in abusing God’s people and causing God’s name to be disrespected. We need to understand that God is zealous for His name. God is a God of justice, God is a God of Holiness, He has high standards for His people and He expects His people to act accordingly.
The reason that I said that this word is bound to make a lot of people uncomfortable is because I have noticed in my adult life that so many people in the Western church are put off by the notion of God as a God of judgment. Maybe its because this notion of God as a God of judgment has been weaponized by self-righteous religious persons who have pridefully used it to puff themselves up by making so many other people feel like outcasts and unworthy of God’s love. This is a huge problem and may God have mercy on any people who profess to follow Him, but have fallen into this trap.
And yet, what is paradoxical to me is that I have never met a human being who doesn’t make judgments. We make judgments everyday concerning so many things. We make judgments about what we eat, what kind of music is good or bad, who we should spend our time with, what we should study, where we should work, who we should date, who we like and who we don’t like, etc. And you may say, well that’s different, those things are about personal preferences and are inconsequential, but is that true? What about when we make judgments about people’s character? What about when we see racism or oppression at work? Don’t we make judgments about these things? Don’t we demand justice? How many of us have wished ill, punishment, or other forms of vengeance on those who have hurt us or people who we care about? How many of us have gone out of our way to try to hurt, tear down, or belittle the people who we believed to have wronged us? How many of us were irate (and rightfully so) at the people who voted for Donald Trump as President? How many of us as black people (including myself) wrestle with a very real often righteous anger and sometimes just a bitterness towards white people who reap the benefits and perpetuate white supremacy at our expense? How many of us are also deeply angered by sexism, ableism, homophobia, corporate greed, gentrification, structural poverty, and so many other societal ills that make it hard for people to live? How often do we judge and wish ill upon the people who perpetuate these systems often failing to see the ways in which we too perpetuate them or benefit from them globally as Americans?
On top of that, how many of us judge and condemn God everyday for failing to do the things that we believe He should have done? How many of us look at the problems with society and blame God instead of failing to see the power and reality of sin at work—instead of failing to see that these are all of the things that God has come to set us free from?
If we are so judgmental and the judgments that we make are sometimes reflective of our deep desire for justice, how much more so does God have the right to judge? And if God is God, if God is all knowing and all understanding-meaning He has the power to see the true motivation beyond every human action and the state of all human hearts, then isn’t He the best one to judge? Truth be told, I’d rather have God judge me instead of a human beings any day because God is so much more gracious and compassionate than humans—God forgives in incredible ways that seem humanly impossible. On top of that, God has made a way for us through Christ to be forgiven of the wrong we’ve done both intentionally and unintentionally.
This word may make others of us feel uncomfortable because so often we want to have our cake and eat it too: We want to have God, but we also want to cling to sin. We want God to give us words that make us feel good but often don’t want to hear about His righteousness and His justice. And yet, we need to understand that God is Holy and He expects His people to be too. And He calls us to have a healthy reverence for His holiness and His name. We have to understand that God’s holiness, His justice, His love, mercy, judgment and wrath are all inextricably linked together. God couldn’t be a God of love if He weren’t a God of judgment. How could God be a God of love but not have anything to say about oppression? The entire Biblical narrative is a story about how sin leads to and perpetuates oppression, evil, and brokenness in the world and how that sin begins in the human heart—all of our human hearts. And in the midst of all of this, the entire Biblical narrative is also about how instead of allowing sin or evil to have the final say, God comes to set us free by first cleansing us individually of our own sin and then calling us to be healers in the midst of a broken world.
So this is part of why the sins of Eli and his sons were so terrible: they were perverting God’s name, justice, holiness, righteousness—His love. We see in vs. 13 that God is judging Eli because of the sin he knew about. God is not a fan of willfully sinning and again, we would be wise to have the reverence of God in our lives to know that He is a God of love and mercy, but He is also a God of justice and wrath and He does not play with sin. Eli and his sons sinned and they refused to repent—this is why God’s judgment remained upon them. And this message of judgment are the words that the Lord God gives Samuel after he positions himself to hear from God.
Yikes! That’s a heavy and scary message, right? It surely was.
Imagine if God told you to tell your mentor and close friend that He was going to judge them? Who wants to be the bearer of bad news? Also, we are sometimes afraid about what the news may do to our relationship with the person. What if it hurts their feelings? What if it makes us come off as judgmental? This is why in verse 15, we learn that Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the message. They were so close and it was such a hard message to give? And yet, the Lord God still gives Samuel this message. Part of Samuel’s calling as a Prophet was to be the voice of God’s rebuke to Israel when they weren’t living in a way that was pleasing to God so I guess God started him off on this calling in a strong way.
I wonder what would happen if we started being honest with each other and rebuking each other in love? How would the world around us change?
In this case, in verse 17, Eli explicitly asks Samuel to share the word that God imparted to him and threatens him to not hide anything. And in spite of his fear, Samuel is forced by Eli to share the message.
But what do we do when we aren’t asked? What do we do when people don’t want to hear? How do know when we aren’t even asked whether we are supposed to share the word?
I think that it is so important to be in spiritual community surrounded by wise people who can council you as to how to gently and humbly share what God puts on your heart for others—if He gives you a word for other people. I also think that it is important to check your heart posture. Is God giving you this word to call this person to freedom out of His love or are your telling them something out of your pride to try to make yourself feel better by hurting them in the false name of God and righteousness? Be careful and be wise. We can see through Jesus’ interactions with some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law that God is not a fan of people using religious as a weapon to shame others. God will give us the discernment to know what we ought and ought not to share, but we also need to seek it out. A lot of this comes not just with time but with intentionality and spiritual maturity.
After Samuel gives Eli the message, it seems like Eli understands that God’s judgment is an important part of His justice and love. This may be why in verse 18 after Samuel tells Eli everything that the Lord said Eli responds, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” Eli’s response demonstrates an astounding level of spiritual maturity. He knows that he is in the wrong and understands that God will have His way and carry out His justice.
So we do we do when God gives a word, especially a word that makes us uncomfortable,—something that we don’t want to hear? Are we willing to accept God’s chastisement? Are we willing to accept God’s words of rebuke?
What if the Lord God tells you that the way that you’re stewarding your finances isn’t pleasing to Him because your spending reflects that you think mostly of yourself because you only spend money on yourself and you don’t even stop to be generous to people around you in need?
Or what if the Lord God tells you that you spend entirely too much time on social media consumed with what everyone and their mama, daddy, aunty, uncle, cousin, sister, brother, and ‘em are saying or doing when you don’t even make time seeking His face or positioning yourself to hear from Him, spend time in His presence, or intentionally seek out His justice in this broken world? What is God says that you’re obsession to social media is helping you be more of a gossip and that that is not pleasing to Him either?
Or what if the Lord God tells you that that job or career that you’ve been pursuing isn’t actually what He’s called you to do because He wants to do something different in your life or use you in another area? What if you have all of these dreams about making money in consulting or finance but God says your purpose is actually in the service of teaching, ministry, or something else that the world doesn’t necessarily view as prestigious?
What if God tells you to stop watching porn because that is not a godly way to cope with your brokenness and loneliness. What if He says that watching porn is actually deeply affecting you, damaging your understanding of true intimacy, and has you believing lies that you’ll find wholeness in sex and even though sex is an amazing gift that God created with purpose, sex is not what is going to make you complete? Not to mention that pornography is helping to perpetuate human and sex-trafficking industries that keep so many people in bondage.
What about when God tells you that that person that your dating, feigning over, or crushing on isn’t the one for you and it’s time to let it go—that that’s where you’ve been looking for joy or true validation but that what you’re seeking is really in Him? What if God tells you to let go and to believe that He has someone better for you?
What if the Lord God calls you to lay down your pride and apologize to that person or those people who you did wrong or hurt either intentionally or unintentionally and you thought it was justified because they or someone else hurt you?
What about when the Lord God tells you that it’s time to let go of that bitterness that you’re harboring in your heart to the person who hurt you and finally forgive them? What if God calls you a step further to pursue reconciliation?
What if God tells you to release the bitterness in your heart that you’ve been harboring towards Him because the enemy has you believing the lie that God doesn’t love you, that He doesn’t care about you, and that He’s abandoned you and it has caused you to turn you back on God?
What if the Lord God tells you to let go of those destructive coping mechanism that brings you momentary pleasure but leaves you feeling more empty when it’s done and to instead bring your hurt to Him?
Or what if the Lord God tells you that it is time to stop trying to work out your faith by yourself and its time to get into a fellowship community of people with whom you can share your struggles so that you can grow in community because faith has never been just about the one-on-one vertical with you and God, but is also very much about the horizontal relationship—what God is doing in faith community? What if that means you have to let go of your church hurt with the recognition that people, even and especially in the church, are broken and that maybe some fellowship communities aren’t for you, but maybe, just maybe, there is one where you can grow?
Or what if the Lord God tells you that yes, your faith is personal, but not necessarily private and that He is calling you to share His goodness and mercy with the people around you not in an attempt to stuff anything down their throat, but because He longs for them to know His redemption and healing and He wants to heal them through your faithfulness?
What do you do when God gives you a word like this?
Well, there’s a lot that you could do, but I think that it is helpful to begin to remember God’s character and promises. And if you don’t know what they are, you should start to learn. Remember that God loves you deeply and that He said that He would never leave nor forsake you. Remember that God never makes a promise that He can’t keep. Remember Jesus’ life, the crucifixion and resurrection as symbols that God sees your hurt, your loneliness and brokenness, and that He has come to redeem and restore you. Remember that you are saved by grace through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2: 8-10) so that you don’t start condemning yourself for not being perfect or for continually falling short. Remember that nothing can separate you from the love of God and it doesn’t matter how low you’ve fallen. Remember that in Christ’s sacrifice, we know that God meets us where we are and loves us where we are in all of our perfections and that He gives us these words so that we can turn from the brokenness of sin and turn to receive healing in Him. Remember that His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance and that there is nothing that God’s can’t forgive or redeem. Remember that in Christ you are already made clean even as you are continually being sanctified. And when you remember all of these things, when you have ministered to yourself to remember that God is faithful and trustworthy, walk in obedience to the word that He gives you in letting go of the things that He calls you to release and choosing to cling to Him instead.
When God gives you a word, let it lead you back to the foot of His throne seeking His mercy and His grace as to how to move forward. Begin to believe that in His grace, He’ll give you the anointing, the resources, the right relationships and everything else that you need to walk in faithfulness to His call.
In verse 19 we see that God is faithful to carry out His promises. If He speaks, He will act. He cannot not be faithful, He is God, after all. In verse 20, we come to understand that the test of true prophethood is being able to hear from God and speak into peoples lives with accuracy—seeing the word that God speaks to you come to pass.
And finally, in verse 21, the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel through His word. God is still revealing Himself through His word. This entire series was about hearing the voice of God. Again, I really believe that the key to coming to hear and recognize the voice of God is actively pursuing God in the truth of His word. Remember that Jesus was the word made flesh. We do not worship the Bible, however it exists in all of its complexity to help us to learn more about who God is through His relationship with Israel, through Christ’s life and ministry, and through the letters of Paul and other writers. In studying the Bible intently and spending time in worship with the prayer, “Lord, reveal yourself to me. Or Lord God, please give me understanding and help me to know you more. Or Holy Spirit please come and fill me with more of you,” God begins to transform our hearts and minds.
The psalmist in Psalm 22:3 said that He abides in the praise of His people so we need to create space to hear from God in His word, and through praising Him. People who want to know God need to learn to be still before the Lord, to wait on Him, and to seek Him both individually and in in community.
Also, for those who are interested, there are some church communities that are really intentional in training the body of Christ in the prophetic. I don’t know them all but I do recommend The Prophetic Gathering or The School of Empowerment hosted by Every Nation. I’ve been to a couple of Prophetic conferences and the School of Empowerment and they changed my life. They aren’t about money or about putting church leaders on a pedestal, they really just want people to encounter God and learn to listen to the Holy Spirit.
May you all be blessed.
In Christ,
Bolaji
