Day 13: Whispers in the Night
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Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”
And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.
Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!”
So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” (Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.)
And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.”
Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord.
—From 1 Samuel 3 (NKJV)
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
—From Luke 2:52 (NKJV)
Meditation
Who can hear the voice of God?
Eli was the high priest, and surely his sons expected to follow in his footsteps. Yet when God spoke a message of warning against Eli, it was not spoken to him or either of his sons. It was to a child, a child of promise, Hannah’s son, Samuel.
We so often glance over details of the story, waiting with breathless expectation for Samuel to realize that the whisper is not Eli, but the voice of God. Let’s slow down and reflect on Eli’s blindness, and another vital statement: that Samuel did not yet know the Lord.
“Eli, in his blind faithlessness, couldn’t hear the voice of God. But an untutored child could, and did.”
Are these two points related? Eli was the highest ranking “religious professional” of his day. He was High Priest (kohen gadol) of Shiloh, the second-to-last Israelite judge (succeeded only by Samuel) before the rule of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his two sons were well known to those who visited the temple … as a scourge and embarrassment, offending all with their wildness and wickedness. It’s no stretch of the imagination to suppose that they were never taught to know the Lord, either.
Eli, in his blind faithlessness, couldn’t hear the voice of God. But an untutored child could, and did. It was through the child of faithfulness, of a vow unbroken, that the Lord brought Eli the message of his punishment. Samuel would continue in faithfulness, one day anointing Israel’s greatest human king.
As Hannah is an early whisper foretelling Mary, Samuel, the son of Hannah, prefigures another promised Son. One who was a Son of promise, given to the Lord’s service, and will likewise hear God’s voice and obey.
Let’s return to Samuel’s early childhood, when Hannah brought him to the temple to appear “before the Lord” (1 Sam. 1:22). The Hebrew word for “before” in this case is pene—face of God. Hannah brought Samuel to the face of God, into His very presence. How beautiful that another child, generations later, would stand in the temple, “Growing in favor with God and men.” And in Him God’s presence would dwell on earth.
Inspiration
Hanna Presenting Her Son Samuel to the Priest Eli
Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, c. 1665. A son of promise entrusted entirely to God.
Music
Be carried away by Still, Still, Still and remember Samuel’s faithful response to God’s voice in the quiet of the night.
If you pay close attention to the lyrics of Santa Lucia you will see how “Spells and dark powers, with light you subject” (dark powers are made subject to the Light of Christ!). As Samuel carried his lamp to Eli time and again, the Light of Christ will always vanquish the darkness.
Visit our Joy of Advent YouTube playlist for featured videos, our Ultimate Christmas playlist for all our favorite carols, or our sing-along carols to enjoy karaoke style.
Reflection
Have you ever heard the voice of God? Yesterday we reflected on an area of obedience we might need to prioritize. Take time today to listen. Pray. Wait. Be still. God doesn’t always speak, but when He does, it’s seldom with a trumpet blast. His voice is a whisper, the crackling fire as with Moses, or the silence after the wind and earthquake and storm of Elijah. Often we expect God’s voice to be obvious, but usually His voice is a whisper in our hearts. Reflect on a time when you heard God’s whisper—and if you heard it, did you heed it?
Prayer
O Lord my God, tell me what you are to me. Say to my soul, I am your salvation. Say it so that I can hear it. My heart is listening, Lord; open the ears of my heart and say to my soul, I am your salvation. Let me run toward this voice and seize hold of you. Do not hide your face from me: let me die so that I may see it, for not to see it would be death to me indeed. Amen.
St. Augustine (354–430)
Family Celebration
A lamp reminds us of Samuel’s vigilance. Each time he was called, he rose to see what Eli wanted.
In your child’s favorite Children’s Bible, read the story of Samuel hearing the voice of God.
Say: Close your eyes and listen. What do you hear? You hear my voice, and sounds in this room. You might even hear things you don’t normally hear—the buzz of the refrigerator or your own breathing. Eli was the priest, so if anyone heard God’s voice, it should have been him. But he didn’t hear it. Only Samuel heard God. And he obeyed. Today a lamp reminds us to listen for God’s voice, and to obey when we hear it.
Especially for Toddlers and Prek
Resources
Today is St. Lucy’s Day! St. Lucy’s (Santa Lucia’s) Day is a not-just-Nordic celebration of a young girl who brought food and light to Christians hiding in the catacombs of Rome. How fitting then that our symbol today is Samuel’s lamp!
Enjoy a printable coloring page of Samuel hearing the voice of God.
Would you like to make Jesse Tree ornaments to accompany your readings? Find tutorials and ideas from simple to advanced at our Jesse Tree Ornaments Pinterest board.
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