How Does God Speak to Us?

I remember a couple of stories about Samuel from Sunday school, the story of him living at the temple and thinking Eli was calling him in the night when it was really God, and the story about him anointing the next king of Israel and God choosing the least likely son of Jesse, the youngest, who was out watching his father’s sheep, named David. But, I don’t know that when I was a kid, I ever really put together that we were talking about the same Samuel.

Samuel, like Samson whom we focused on last week, was a judge over Israel. God, remember, appointed judges in response to the people’s pleas to have a king like all the nations around them, judges were governors of the people. The period of the judges began after the Israelites escaped from slavery in Egypt, wandered through the wilderness for 40 years with Moses as their leader, as they were crossing into the promised land, their new leader was the first judge, Joshua. Samuel is the last judge. God will finally give in to the pleas of the Israelites to have a king. Samuel will anoint their first king, Saul, and their second king, David.

You may not have guessed our story this morning from the banners. Our banners this morning are sound waves. God doesn’t always speak to us audibly or clearly. We hear in Samuel’s story several ways God speaks to us.

The first way God speaks in Samuel’s life is in echoes. We hear God speaking through same patterns repeating time after time. Samuel is the child of Hannah and Elkanah. Hannah is barren. Hear the echo? Abraham’s wife, Sarah was barren, and then Isaac was born. Manoah and his wife were barren, and then Samson was born.

Even though Hannah was barren, Elkanah had children by another wife, Penninah. Penninah is horrible to Hannah. Hear the echo? Remember the story of Abraham’s other wife, Hagar? She despised Sarah. Out of Abraham’s two sons, though, even though Ishmael was older than Isaac, it was Isaac whom God called. Out of Elkanah’s two sons, even though Penninah’s sons were older, it was Samuel whom God called.

Then Hannah swears a vow that if she has a child, she will dedicate him to the Lord as a Nazarite. Hear the echo? Samson’s mother dedicated him, even while he was in the womb, to be a Nazarite.

God has a way of repeating the same patterns, the same themes, so that we get the message from what can seem like all directions at once. Margaret Feinberg writes about the experience saying, “Often when God speaks, he will say the same thing through a sermon, a passage of Scripture, a chance conversation, or an unexpected encounter. When we begin looking for these sacred echoes, we are better able to recognize God’s voice in our life and walk more confidently in the fullness of what God has for us.”

Hannah knew from the echoes that God had a special purpose for her child. So, when Samuel was weaned, at least 3 years old maybe as old as 5, Hannah took him to the temple at Shiloh and left him there with Eli, the priest, who was at the time the judge over Israel.

Scripture records that in those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.

In the quiet of the night, Samuel wakes with a start – what was that? Eli? Everything ok? Did you call me? I hear something. Often when God calls us we are disturbed from our slumber – we might not literally be asleep, we might just be peacefully living our lives. God’s call tends to disturb our peace. We might just be living comfortably, life is going along just fine, work and life are balanced, everyone has clean clothes, is healthy and happy, and all of a sudden we wake with a start. Is this it? Is this what I am living for? What is my purpose? Am I supposed to be doing something more? Something different?

Here’s the key, though, Samuel went to Eli. God speaks to us through mentors, through Sunday school teachers and pastors, through Scout leaders and Christian education directors, and elders. When we are disturbed, we need faithful people to listen to what we are hearing and help us hear what God is saying to us. God speaks to us through faithful people. Eli doesn’t get it at first, don’t be surprised if the person you go to is a bit clueless at first, too. God is persistent. The third time Samuel comes to Eli and says, “Here I am; you called me,” Eli realizes what is happening.

He sends Samuel back to wait. If God calls again, he is to say “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” And Samuel did. God speaks to us when we are listening. Samuel became the first of the prophets.

God spoke through him and the people listened, but when he got old, he appointed his sons to take over but they weren’t like Samuel. They were corrupt. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. So the elders of the people all got together and went to Samuel and told him, ““You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; appoint a king to lead us, like all the other nations have.” Samuel told them all the reasons they did not really want a king, but they refused to listen. So, Samuel repeated everything that all the people had said to God, and God answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

Meanwhile, there was a tall, handsome young man named Saul. Saul’s daddy’s donkeys were lost, and his dad sent him to look for them with one of the servants. Finally, Saul is ready to just go back home. He says to the servant, “It’s been so long, Dad’s going to forget about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” The servant wants to go to this man of God he’s heard about, who is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. He says, “Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”

Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.”

When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.” Samuel anointed Saul, and seven days later Saul is made king.
Samuel bows out with a speech that asks the Israelites if he was honest or ever cheated or oppressed them, to which they answer “no.” Samuel has been able to speak God’s word because of his integrity; God’s will is spoken through people who know right from wrong. Then Samuel speaks God’s warning to them, “If you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you. do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to worship the LORD WITH AWE and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”

Saul remained king 42 years. During that time, Israel and the Philistines continued to fight. Samuel goes to Saul and tells him “I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!”

Then God sends Samuel to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king. Together, Samuel and Jesse and his sons go to worship, expecting that God will chose one of the sons to be anointed. But God rejects all 7 of them. Samuel asks Jesse if these are all his sons, and he responds yes, except the youngest who is tending the sheep. They send for him, and God affirms that he is the one, and Samuel anoints him and the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him. David began to serve Saul, first playing his harp to soothe him, then as an armor-bearer, …time went by…and before David was crowned king, Samuel died.

Saul, in desperation, goes to a woman who is able to contact the dead, again ignoring God’s command not to engage in sorcery or divination, but to listen to the prophets through whom God speaks. She brings up Samuel who asks, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

Saul answers, ““I am in great distress. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

To which Samuel answers, “The LORD has done what he predicted through me.” God has done what God told you would happen. Tomorrow, you and your sons will be with me, and Israel will fall to the Philistines.

David was 30 years old when he was crowned king, and he reigned for 40 years.

As we hear the story of Samuel, we hear God speaking through echoes, through patterns of circumstances, by disturbing the comfortable, through wise and faithful people, in a still, small voice in the quiet of our listening. We hear that we are only able to hear God’s will through people who know the difference between right and wrong and live righteously. We hear that in life and in death God’s word is steadfast and that there is no reason to disturb the dead to try to hear it. Finally, we hear that God’s chosen will be victors, but that victory is not going to be immediate. In the difficulties is the opportunity to learn to turn to God and live according to God’s word.

Thanks be to God. Amen.