OPEN: A businessman who needed several million dollars to clinch an important deal and sensing the need for divine help, he went to church to pray for money.
By chance, he knelt next to a man who was praying for $100 to pay an urgent debt. The businessman took out his wallet and pressed $100 into the other man’s hand and, overjoyed, the man got up and left the church.
The businessman then closed his eyes and prayed, "Now, Lord. Now that I have your undivided attention...."
APPLY: That businessman wanted God’s undivided attention. But frankly it isn’t God who has the problem … it’s us. We really don’t have to work that hard to get God to hear our prayers. He’s promised He would listen.
Jesus even promised “ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened.”
We don’t have to work at getting HIS attention…. but too often God has to work to get ours.
In Ezekiel, God complained that "these people have ears to hear but they never hear - eyes to see, but they never see" (12:2).
Why don’t they hear/see?
Because they’re not paying attention.
ILLUS: I read recently that some state was thinking of making new restrictions on young drivers. It seems that having a teenager drive can be a scary thing. But they’ve found that when a teen has a friend in the car, the situation gets even worse. AND if that teen has several friends in the car… that was a recipe for disaster.
So someone has suggested that for the first year or so driving – no friends in the car.
Now, why would a teen be a danger because of his friends being in the car with him?
Because the teen would get distracted by his friends and not pay attention.
They have ears to hear… but they’d just not be listening to the things they need to listen to.
We have the same problem sometimes back in the sound booth. We have dedicated workers back there, but once in a while they talk to each other and forget to change the screens on-time for the songs. It will happen both to teenagers and to adults.
They get distracted.
They have ears to hear… but at the moment the next verse needs to come up on the screen, they’re not listening to what they need to listen to.
Now, as we come to I Samuel – we find that somebody hasn’t been paying attention.
Somebody has NOT been LISTENING to God.
And that someone is the priest of Israel = Eli.
In chapter two God explains what’s been happening (turn to I Samuel 2:13-17)
“Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD.
Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, ‘Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.’
If the man said to him, ‘Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want,’ the servant would then answer, ‘No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.’
This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD’s sight, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.”
Then in vs:22 we’re told
“Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”
Not only are the boys stealing from God… they’re making the tabernacle a place of prostitution.
So, Eli takes his boys aside and gives them a good talking to.
But he DOES NOT discipline them.
He doesn’t remove them from their office as he should have.
Now, there are a couple of possible reasons Eli didn’t discipline his sons but the one we’re going to focus today was – he loved them. These are his boys. And he gets distracted by this love for his sons.
He loves them more (pause) than he does God.
And so he overlooks their sin because he loved them too much to obey God.
Now Jesus has something to say about that.
Jesus said “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37
Eli loved his sons more than God.
They kept him from listening to God.
They distracted him from his responsibility before God.
And because Eli loved his sons as much as he did, he stopped listening to God, and he lost everything he held dear. He lost both his sons, he lost his life, and his family lost their place in the priesthood.
Now, by contrast, in 1Samuel 2:35 God tells Eli
“I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always.”
God had selected Samuel to replace Eli and his family because Samuel would be a priest who would not get distracted by anything.
Samuel would be a priest who would LISTEN to God
And that LISTENING began right here in I Samuel 3
God wakes Samuel four separate times
Each time God calls - “Samuel, Samuel”
And the first 3 times… that’s all God says.
It’s only after Samuel (following Eli’s advice) says ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening" that God starts talking to him.
It’s only after Samuel declares I’m listening.
ILLUS: I read about a high school music appreciation class where the students were asked the difference between listening and hearing. It took a while for anybody to raise their hand, but eventually one of them did they gave this insightful definition:
“Listening is WANTING to hear.”
Here’s the deal,
God had looked for a man who would listen to Him
God was looking for a man who wanted to hear what He had to say.
ILLUS: Do you remember the story in the Gospels about Mary and Martha. These women were both strong supporters of Jesus’ ministry. They gave them emotional support, fed them food… maybe even helped financially.
According to Luke, when Jesus first met these sisters they were so impressed by Him they had him come to their house for a meal. And in Luke 10:39-42 we’re told that
“ Mary… sat at the Lord’s feet LISTENING to what he said. But Martha was DISTRACTED by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Notice, Mary was “Listening” to Jesus.
Martha was WORKING for Him.
No doubt Jesus appreciated what Martha was doing for Him but Mary was doing the one thing that matters the most to God… she was listening.
Martha was “distracted” by HER preparations.
She was following HER agenda - what she felt needed done.
She hadn’t asked Jesus
In fact she TOLD Jesus what she wanted done “Tell her to help me!”
By contrast, Mary was listening to hear what Jesus’ agenda was.
She was listening to hear what HE wanted done.
Repeatedly throughout the Bible God says “LISTEN TO ME!”
• Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that you may learn them, and keep, and do them
• Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
• Hear, O Israel the word which the LORD speaks unto you
• Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth
Listen.
Listen.
Listen.
Jesus declared: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”
Don’t get distracted by anything in this world.
Don’t get distracted by your job, your troubles, your goals, your agendas, even your family.
Listen to God!
Listen to Him FIRST.
Jesus said: Seek ye first (what?)…
Seek ye first the kingdom of God (why)…
and ALL these things shall be added unto you.
Now Jesus was simply repeating what the rest of Scripture already promised
• "Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey (WHY?) so that it may go well with you." Deut 6:3
• "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear (WHY?) and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Isaiah 55:3
What God’s saying is this:
I want to bless you.
I want to give you what your heart desires
BUT I can’t do that if you’re not going to listen to Me!
The reason God chose Samuel to replace Eli was this was a boy who would say to God “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:9
So, now, that begs the question… how do I know when I’m listening to Him?
Well, how did Samuel do it?
1st – he lived close to God all the time.
He was at the tabernacle every time the place was open
Well, of course he lived there, but the point is this: He was always near to God.
Frankly, you can’t hear if you’re not near. (repeat)
What does that mean to you?
It means – go to church… every chance you get
Not because this building is the place where “God lives”
No! You come to church because when you’re here you’re surrounded by God’s people.
Jesus said “wherever two or more are gathered in my name… there I am.”
So, let me ask you a couple of questions:
Are you going to Sunday School? If not, why not?
Are you involved in a Bible Study?? If not, why not?
Now, it could be that you know the Bible better than I do. I’ve gone to Bible College for 4 years and preached for over 25 – but you could know more than I do.
But I have found that when I go to Sunday School every week I still discover things I never knew, or something I may have heard before but need to hear again.
If you miss out on Sunday School or Bible studies that you could go to... you risk missing listening to what God wants you to hear. If you want to hear, you’ve got to be near!
2nd – 1 Samuel 2:21 tells us “… the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD”
Samuel GREW in God’s presence.
He wasn’t just hanging around the tabernacle putting in his time.
He was growing… he was stretching.
Vs. 26 tells us Samuel grew “… in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.”
How have you grown in Jesus lately?
• How have you improved your prayer life?
• How have you studied God’s word at your home?
• What have you done to be a better servant of God?
Now, I’m not asking those questions to accuse you or make you feel bad…
These are questions every Christian ought to be asking themselves no matter what they status or maturity.
We should never be satisfied by getting by in our faith.
We should never be satisfied with the status quo.
It is a truth in this world that when we stop growing we begin to die.
If you stop growing in your faith… your faith will begin to die.
Make it your goal - as a Christian - to always grow up in God’s presence.
Lastly, I read something 3 separate times in I Samuel.
Again and again and again we’re told “Samuel was ministering before the LORD” (2:11,18 and 3:1)
What’s that mean?
It means – if you’re REALLY listening to God that which you hear from Him will cause you to minister for Him.
When God rebukes Eli in 1 Samuel 2:35 He tells him
“I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, WHO WILL DO according to what is in my heart and mind.”
If what you hear here on Sunday mornings doesn’t move you to serve God in some way… you’re not listening (REPEAT)
CLOSE: Victor Knowles told the story about a time shortly after the Korean War had ended.
A night watchman happened to notice a hungry boy seeking shelter on the streets. He said “Child go to yonder house and say to the one who answers, ‘John 3:16’
Now, even though the boy did not know what John 3:16 meant, he did as the watchman instructed. He went to the house, and knocked on the door. He did not understand the strange phrase “John 3:16,” but when he spoke those words the lady smiled and invited him to come in
The boy thought, “I do not know what this John 3:16 is, but it sure makes a cold Korean boy warm.”
Seeing that boy was gaunt with hunger, the kind lady brought him a bowl of hot soup. And as he ate, the boy thought again, “I do not know what this John 3:16 is, but it sure makes a hungry Korean boy full.”
The lady gave the boy a nice bath and gave him clean pajamas and as he lay in a comfortable bed with tears flowing down his cheeks. He thought to himself, “I do not know what this John 3:16 is, but it sure makes a strange lady love a lonely Korean boy”
That woman did what she did because she understood something the little boy did not
She LISTENED to God and His word changed her life so she ministered to this little boy
This morning, you need to ask yourself What is God saying to you?
Are you listening?
Is God speaking you to you about your need to study more?
To grow more?
To serve more?
Or is talking to you about the most basic need in your life?
Have you not come to the point of believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins? Have you not come to the point where you’ve accepted the fact that you are a sinner who needs to be forgiven your sins? Have you not come to the point where you’re willing to turn your life over to Jesus and make Him Lord of your life? Or have you yet to be buried in the waters of Christian baptism and risen up from those waters a new creature in Christ?
Whatever God is saying to you, you need to make up your mind to say “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening!”
