1 Samuel 3: God Speaks, Do You Know How to Listen?

Introduction

"God speaks, and if someone is speaking, the other person has to be able to listen." With this simple truth, a guest preacher from the Arbedo community opens his message at CEP Lugano. The message is part of the series "Listening to God," which the church is devoting to the month of October, and it prepares the way for a weekend entirely dedicated to this theme.

For him, listening to God is "our main calling, our work, our first commitment." God has always spoken. The problem is not on his side. It is on ours: too many voices, expectations shaped by instant communication, and ideas about God that are not true.

The heart of the message is the call of young Samuel in 1 Samuel 3. A boy who does not yet know the Lord hears a voice in the night, and an old priest finally realizes that it is God who is calling him. The question put to each of us is simple: "Does God speak today? Yes. But do we know how to listen when he speaks?"

Outline of the Message

1. A God who has spoken from the beginning

From the very first pages of Genesis, God speaks. He creates man and woman, speaks to them, and gives them specific instructions. He is "a God who communicates."
The preacher even notes the plural in the creation account (Genesis 1:26): who was God speaking with, since Adam and Eve were not there yet?
The whole Bible shows it: God spoke to the patriarchs, through the prophets, once through a donkey (Numbers 22:28), through enemies and with enemies.
At the end of Revelation, he is still speaking: "Yes, I am coming soon" (Revelation 22:20).
Created in his image, we speak too. And everyone knows how hard it is to speak without being heard. God does not speak to satisfy a need to talk. He speaks to be listened to.
He can speak to you directly, in your sleep, on your way to work, in the middle of your activities. He can also speak to you through a brother, a sister, a friend, and even a non-believer, as well as through ministries, the gifts of the Spirit, and prophecy.

2. Too many voices, too fast

The danger is "the far too many voices" we have grown used to listening to. Listening to God can be simple if we agree to filter what surrounds us.
When God speaks, I must not imagine what he means. I must receive what comes just as it is, then over time filter it, absorb it, understand it, go deeper, and grow in my relationship with him.
In the past, you wrote a letter and waited two weeks for a reply. Today, you send a message, watch for the read receipts, and start worrying after three minutes. "Our communication is stressed."
We expect immediate answers, and answers we like. Sometimes the question already contains the answer we want to hear. God does not work that way: he is free, and he speaks directly to the heart, to help you, because he loves you.
Thanks to Jesus' sacrifice, we have direct access to the Father, which was not the case in the Old Testament. Talking with God has become complete freedom. And yet, "it is one of the things we do the least."

3. The church, the place where God speaks

The church is the assembly of all who believe and gather together. It is a place that is both complex and wonderful.
Complex, because you find yourself there with everyone: next to you may be sitting a fan of Ambrì while you support Lugano, or someone you would never spend time with in private. To get beyond that, you have to put Jesus at the center. "That is a wonderful quality."
Jesus gave the church spiritual gifts, which we talk about far too little, even among Pentecostals. How much time do you spend each week praying in tongues? How much time do you seek God with others, in the assembly?
God is not only a private matter. The preacher admits with humor that if he settles comfortably in his room to pray, he is likely to fall asleep.
God speaks through preaching. Yet how many times do we go home at noon without remembering the message? He also speaks through the manifestation of the gifts and through prophecy, which help us break out of our patterns, our prisons, and our cages.

4. Letting go of false ideas about God

For years, the preacher says, he was almost convinced that God's favorite dish was spaghetti with garlic and oil, his own favorite dish, which he and his wife do not agree on.
As he grew in his relationship with God, he realized that the problem was not God: "The problem is me, making up ideas about him that are not true."
The Bible forbids making an image of God (Exodus 20:4). But if you want an idea of him, look at your neighbor: we were created in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:27).
When God speaks, he does not necessarily use our way of communicating. He uses understandable language, which then takes all our effort to decipher.
"It is not he who resembles us, it is we who resemble him." The preacher repeats it, because we so often make the opposite mistake.

5. Listen, then judge with the Word

Paul writes that two or three prophets should speak and the others should judge (1 Corinthians 14:29). Listening to God calls for an exercise in verification.
Judging does not mean "I liked it, so it was from God; I did not like it, so it was not from God." Judging means checking against the biblical text and biblical teaching.
Example: if someone told him, "Get ready, Jesus is coming back on November 10 at 10:05 a.m.," he would have to test that against Scripture. Yet Jesus said he would come like a thief and that it is not given to us to know when he will return, only that he will return (Matthew 24:36, 43-44).
Time also confuses us. We have been waiting for two thousand years. Did Jesus forget, or does our understanding of time simply not match his? "God does not change his mind. God is perfect from the beginning."
The prophets who announced the coming of the Son of God, such as Isaiah or David, never saw it. It took generations. Listening to God requires us to step out of our patterns, to have courage, and to rely entirely on him.

6. "Speak, for your servant hears" (1 Samuel 3)

The boy Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. The word of Yahweh was rare in those days, and visions were not widespread. Eli was growing old and his eyesight was failing. Samuel was lying down in the temple, where the ark of God was.
Yahweh calls Samuel. The boy runs to Eli: "Here I am; for you called me." Eli answers that he did not call him. This happens three times.
The text points out that Samuel did not yet know Yahweh: his relationship with God was just beginning. And yet, he is the one God calls.
The third time, Eli understands and tells him: "Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.'"
The preacher imagines the scene today: they would ask the child whether he had seen a psychologist, what his parents do, how his day went that he would hear voices. In the church, that should not happen.
There is an "Eli on duty" in the church, who is not necessarily the pastor. There is no primacy of authority here: all it takes is spirituality, humility, devotion, and faith to say, "It is God speaking to you."
God speaks to a child while the priest is a few feet away. This is not disrespect toward Eli: "God is sovereign." Sometimes the presumption of pastors is to think, "If I do not know it, neither do you."
Samuel's greatness is that he went back to bed, took the time to listen again, and said, "Speak, for your servant hears." One could say that this is where his prophetic ministry begins.

7. The faith to listen and to respond

The church must have the wisdom and humility to receive what happens, not to apply it right away, but to say: let us pray, let us keep praying, let us seek to understand.
When Peter walked on water, it was a matter of faith, not a superpower. Jesus called him to step out of the boat and come to him (Matthew 14:28-29). Listening to God takes faith.
Paul says that faith is foolishness to others (1 Corinthians 1:18). This "foolishness" helps us release the tension in our communication and let go of our mistaken conclusions.
At the Red Sea, with the Egyptians behind them, God did not tell Moses to stay calm while he opened the sea. He told him: "Lift up your rod" (Exodus 14:16). God does not take our place; he involves us in what he is doing.
The preacher offers a question: when did God last speak to you, and what did he say? And how many times has he told you no? "If God never tells you no, let a few doubts come to you."
He also invites us to share what God has already done, to rekindle the fire, and, like Samuel, to go to an "Eli" if we receive something from God, in order to be encouraged.

Key Takeaways

God has always spoken, from Genesis to Revelation, and he still speaks. He speaks to be listened to.
The many voices around us and our expectation of immediate answers make listening difficult. God is free and speaks to the heart.
A word received is tested against Scripture, with humility, in prayer, and over time.
The church is the place where God speaks through preaching, ministries, and gifts, and where an "Eli" can help us recognize his voice.
It is not God who resembles us, it is we who resemble him. We have to be willing to let go of our false ideas about him.

Personal Application

When did God last speak to you, and what did he say?
When did God last tell you no, or correct one of your plans?
Which voices take up the most room in your day, to the point of drowning out his?
Which idea of God, born of your tastes, your fears, or your limits, do you need to let go of?
In your church, are you ready to play the role of Eli for someone, even someone younger than you, who hears God speaking?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Does God still speak today?

Yes, the preacher answers. From Genesis to Revelation, God has never stopped speaking. He can speak to you directly, through a brother, a sister, a friend, or even a non-believer, through preaching, ministries, and the gifts of the Spirit. The real question is whether we are listening.

How do you know whether a word comes from God?

Paul asks that two or three prophets speak and that the others judge (1 Corinthians 14:29). Judging does not mean "I liked it, so it is from God." It means checking against the biblical text and the teaching of the Bible, then praying and taking time to understand before applying it.

What does the story of Samuel and Eli in 1 Samuel 3 teach us?

God chooses to speak to a young boy who did not yet know him, while the priest was sleeping a few feet away. Eli finally understands and guides Samuel: "Speak, for your servant hears." For the preacher, the church must play that role of Eli: welcoming with humility what God says, even through the youngest.