God's Sovereignty
1 Samuel 3
...the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."
(Daniel 4:25b)
When Samuel heard the Lord calling, he answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." This began his ministry as a prophet (God's messenger), and a judge (God's leader to carry out His reign as King among His people). God had a special assignment for Samuel. He gave him the job of transitioning His people from theocratic rule to a monarchy. Samuel's responsibility was to continually remind Israel and their new monarch that all the kings who would rule in Israel would be God's representatives - God would still remain sovereign and still expect absolute obedience. This new form of government would not change God's role as King of the universe. In fact, the new kings in this system of government would leave God's people always longing and looking ahead to the better King whom God would send one day.
No matter where God has given us the responsibility of "ruling," He is ultimately still the One in charge. Everything we do is in submission to our King, Jesus Christ. Who is in charge of your "kingdom?"
INSIGHT
"Come, Thou Almighty King/...O'er all victorious/ Come and reign over us"
(AUTHOR UNKNOWN)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Job 23-25
Psalm 54
Luke 17
1 Samuel 3
New Living Translation (NLT)
The Lord Speaks to Samuel
3 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.
2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle[a] near the Ark of God. 4 Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”
“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.
6 Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”
Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”
7 Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. 8 So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.
10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”
11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. 13 I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God[b] and he hasn’t disciplined them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”
Samuel Speaks for the Lord
15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle[c] as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him. 16 But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.”
“Here I am,” Samuel replied.
17 “What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” 18 So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.
Footnotes:
a. 1 Samuel 3:3 Hebrew the Temple of the Lord.
b. 1 Samuel 3:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads his sons have made themselves contemptible.
c. 1 Samuel 3:15 Hebrew the house of the Lord.
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