Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Samuel 1-3.
As a boy, Samuel “ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest” (1 Samuel 2:11). At this time the Lord spoke to Samuel, calling him three times, yet each time Samuel thought it was Eli who was calling him (1 Samuel 3:4-8).
“Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him” (1 Samuel 3:7).
Naturally, Samuel did not recognize the voice of the Lord. After Eli figured out what was happening and told him to listen to the word of the Lord, God revealed His message to the young boy.
“The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever” (1 Samuel 3:11-14).
This is the first time Samuel received a message from God; and it is a message of judgment and destruction against Eli, the one Samuel has grown up with to this point.
Many people today want to edit the message of the Bible to remove anything that might be viewed as “negative” or that passes judgment or condemns any person, group, or practice. Yet Samuel learned from a young age that these things are included in the word of God.
We must not change the message which God has revealed or try to hide some of His truth. Regardless of how others might receive it, it is all profitable (2 Timothy 3:16-17); therefore we must speak all of it (Acts 20:20).
Tomorrow’s reading: 1 Samuel 4-8
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
