Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 3:4-10
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.”
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.”
Commentary:
3:7 Samuel did not yet know the LORD in a personal relationship, though of course he knew about him.
3:10 Samuel! Samuel! The Lord called other people twice by name at a crucial point in their lives; e.g., Abraham (Gen. 22:11), Jacob (Gen. 46:2), and Moses (Ex. 3:4).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 496–497.
3:10 Samuel! Samuel! The Lord called other people twice by name at a crucial point in their lives; e.g., Abraham (Gen. 22:11), Jacob (Gen. 46:2), and Moses (Ex. 3:4).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 496–497.
Questions:
When God called Samuel, Samuel did not recognize His voice. Three times Samuel heard his name and three times he assumed Eli was calling him. Scripture explains that Samuel “did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before,” meaning this was a new experience of God's revelation for him.
Learning to recognize God's voice is a process. Eli eventually understood what was happening and instructed Samuel to respond, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Eli was showing Samuel how to place himself in the posture of a servant ready to respond.
Brandon emphasized that when we are looking to hear from God, we should first begin with Scripture. God's Spirit will never contradict what God has already revealed in His Word. Our feelings, impressions, circumstances, and even the advice of other Christians must be always be tested again God's word. We must learn to recognize His voice by becoming more and more familiar with what He has already said in His Word.
Learning to recognize God's voice is a process. Eli eventually understood what was happening and instructed Samuel to respond, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Eli was showing Samuel how to place himself in the posture of a servant ready to respond.
Brandon emphasized that when we are looking to hear from God, we should first begin with Scripture. God's Spirit will never contradict what God has already revealed in His Word. Our feelings, impressions, circumstances, and even the advice of other Christians must be always be tested again God's word. We must learn to recognize His voice by becoming more and more familiar with what He has already said in His Word.
- When you are trying to make an important decision, what tends to carry the most weight for you: what Scripture says, what you want, what seems logical, what other people think, how you feel? Why do you think that particular voice has such influence over you?
- How has knowing Scripture helped you recognize when a thought, desire, piece of advice, or “open door” was not God's direction?
- God has not left His people to guess what He is like or what He desires. How is that seen throughout Scripture, and most clearly in Jesus? What are we actually saying about God when we assume we need a new word from Him when He has already spoken?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the times you have tried to make God's voice agree with your preferences.
- Thank God for giving us His Word as the standard for what we can test what we hear, think, and believe.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and discernment so that you can recognize truth and understand God's Word.
- Praise God for sending us Jesus, the Word who took on flesh, so that we can better understand what God is like.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
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