The Heart of God

God spoke to Abraham. He spoke to Jacob, to Moses, among others, and to a young boy named Samuel, who had to be introduced before he could know that it was God

who was calling him: Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there calling as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” (1 Samuel 3:9-10)

This brief moment, facilitated by Eli, is a seminal moment in the very history of salvation, as vital as Moses’ burning bush. For here the child Samuel unknowingly becomes God’s spokesperson and leader of Israel. He will move a nation in which: The Word of the Lord was rare. There were not many visions. ( 1 Samuel 3:1) This obscure child in Israel, Hannah’s son, would grow to anoint two of Israel’s greatest kings, Saul and David, to keep the nation faithful to the God who was remaining faithful to them.

God entered Samuel’s life in the gentlest possible way. God waited until nightfall and enlisted Eli’s knowledge of Him, to call the boy. God made no demands upon Samuel, as He had of Moses, but His call let the boy know that God exists, is real, and seeking to share His life and character with Samuel. The lonely boy had been found by the One who would befriend him for life. The message God gave to Samuel concerning Eli’s sons must have been frightening until in the morning when Eli accepted it.

From then on, Israel remembered that they were not alone, that their God had given them a voice and a mouthpiece: The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there He revealed Himself to Samuel through His word, and when Samuel spoke, all Israel listened. (1 Samuel3:21) The dry time of few visions and rare words was finally over, and Samuel’s ministry renewed the nation’s devotion to their God at the time in their history when the monarchy was born. It was Samuel who spoke the message of a future king after Saul : The Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler of His people. ( 1Samuel 13:14)

God’s heart was touched by the heart of Hannah, and she gave her child Samuel to God to be His prophet. Better than anyone else of his time, Samuel knew the heart of God when he anointed David.

Love in Him,

Prue