God Speaks

Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 3

This passage complements the story of Hannah’s prayer as we see a God who both hears and speaks. In this chapter the focus is on God speaking, and the challenge on us is to listen and attend to his voice. The setting is a time when God’s word is rare, but as the boy Samuel is being brought up in the temple, he hears his name called in the night, and the old priest Eli helps him to recognise that God is speaking to him and then to respond to that word.

Hearing God’s Word: For Samuel, the form God’s word took was a voice in the night. He may have been living in a day where God’s word was thought of as rare, but that did not stop God speaking to him and doing so in a way that could break through. Our time is different to Samuel’s in that God’s word is not rare, but it is still important for each of us to hear his word, and this may look different for different ones of us. At the heart of God’s revelation today is his Son (see Hebrews 1:1-4), and in the words of Scripture we find the perfect God-breathed account that gives testimony about him. If we want to hear God’s voice speaking to us then we can pick up the Bible and read the words he has spoken. Along with the Bible, there are other ways God may speak to us today. Spiritual gifts like prophecy, dreams and visions (like in Samuel’s case), creation and the wisdom of others are all ways the Bible talks about God speaking to us. Where we believe God is speaking through these things it is important to weigh it against Scripture, but we should posture ourselves to be ready and eager to hear and respond to God’s voice.

Recognising God’s Word: When Samuel first heard his name being spoken, he was confused and didn’t know the source of the voice. It was only as he shared about his experiences with Eli that he was helped to see that it was actually God speaking to him. This links to the previous point, but is an important qualifier. It is not enough to simply say that there are different ways God may speak to us. We need to be able to recognise when it is in fact God speaking and to receive it as such. Part of what we can do in the world as believers is help those around us to recognise God’s word, just like Eli does for Samuel. Many people are having experiences, revelations, dreams, or even reading the Bible, without knowing what those things mean. We can show people how God is using these things to point them to Jesus and help them to recognise his voice. And in our own lives, we can grow increasingly familiar with the voice of the Good Shepherd (see John 10:3-4) and recognise those times when God is speaking to us.

Receiving God’s Word: After Eli had helped Samuel understand that it was God speaking to him, he told him that if it happens again he should respond with “Speak, for your servant is listening”. This is exactly the right posture to have towards God’s word. We are not to sit over the word in judgement or critique, as though we are in authority over it, but be ready to receive whatever it is God is saying to us and respond in obedience to that word. This is why it is important to engage with the Bible not only as a historical text but also as God’s living word to us today and to think about how that word applies to our lives. Jesus spoke about how many hear his word, but the wise are those who hear and obey, and we see in Samuel a model of this. God is keen and ready to speak to him, and in response we ought to be eager to receive and put that word into practice.

Potential Applications:

• As we speak about desiring God’s word, we must think about our own engagement with scripture. This is a good moment to encourage people in a regular Bible reading discipline, and perhaps have some Bible reading plans available for people to consider.
• We should also think about the other ways in which God speaks. Encourage people to listen to God prophetically, and perhaps invite space for people to share with others what they think God is saying to them as we together learn to discern his voice.