Daily Devotion Text

October 1, 2018

1 Samuel 3 – 2018-10-01

By carmenhsu In 1 Samuel, Devotion Text with Comments Off on 1 Samuel 3 – 2018-10-01
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  • Bible Text: 1 Samuel 3:15-21 (ESV) 15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “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.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.  20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

 

  • Reflection & Application: 
  • 1 Samuel 3:15-18
  • Samuel is called to deliver a harsh message of judgment that is necessary if there is to be a hopeful new beginning for Israel in this trying time. […] The call is to a prophetic task. […] This text reminds us of the spiritual challenges and social transformations that God’s call brings.  We are urged not only to discern God’s voice but to listen to what it asks of us as well.  We are called to become the channel for God’s prophetic word to our own time. [1]
    • Are there any situations where I am tempted to hold back from telling the truth?
    • Reflect on Eli’s passivity regarding his sons and now God’s impending judgment.  Are there similar ways in which I am passive about my relationship with God and with others?

    1 Samuel 3:1, 19-21

    The chapter opens with the absence of God’s word and ends with the proclamation of God’s word through Samuel.  The story opens with corrupt and discredited religious leadership in place and closes with new and vigorous leadership, recognized by all Israel.  We are being prepared to recognize that, in the difficult days of social upheaval ahead for Israel, there is already a new beginning: God’s initiative for new possibilities in spite of the failure and the passing away of old patterns. [2]

    • In the midst of a very discouraging period in which the “word of the Lord was rare” (v.1) and in which the religious leaders were corrupt, how did Samuel’s life bring God’s presence back to Israel?  Reflect on the importance of one person.

    [1] Bruce C. Birch, “The First and Second Book of Samuel,” New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. II (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998) 994.

    [2] Bruce C. Birch, “The First and Second Book of Samuel,” New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. II (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998) 994.

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