Cultivating the Word of the Lord

“In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions” 1 Samuel 3:1

I’m so glad the book of Ruth is positioned where it is in the Bible. It’s a very nice buffer between Samuel and Judges. But we have to remember that though Ruth gives us a beautiful prequel to the story of David, 1 Samuel is really the continuation of Judges, which is a book that ends in an absolutely brutal reality. As the capstone to murder, mutilation, deception, rape and massacre, comes this final verse “In those days Israel had no King; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25)

No wonder the word of the Lord was rare and there were not many visions.

In the middle of all of this comes a young boy consecrated to the Lord. You can read the story of Samuel in chapter 1 and 2 of 1 Samuel, but its enough to say that there was something special waiting for this young kid who “continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people” (2:26).

Even then, though, Samuel “did not yet know the Lord: The Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.”  (3:7). It took someone who understood something about God’s Word to point him in the right direction.

And that someone was Eli. I’m not sure what to think about Eli. This second to the last Judge of Israel (Samuel would be the last) sometimes seems like the kind of good guy God could use; but then, far too often, he and his family expresses just more of what got Israel messed up in the first place. In other words, if it were up to only Eli, there wouldn’t have been a radical departure from what was happening in the book of Judges and we might have had a “Judges part 2” instead of a 1 Samuel.

We do have a 1 Samuel, however, and Eli had a lot to do with it.

“Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.” (3:8)

Maybe the Word of the Lord is rare in your life or ministry right now. I’m not going to tell you to throw in the towel, because I believe in continual grace that keeps giving us a second chance. Keep pursuing God’s word and His vision for your own life. He is still speaking to you!

But you also need to consider cultivating God’s Word and vision in someone else’s life. Maybe you are in a dry spell (we all go through them), but you can encourage someone who is just starting to learn to hear the Lord. You know how to hear Him; you know how He speaks, but a newer leader you are discipling may not have that kind of experience. You just may be the encouragement someone else needs in order to hear and obey the Lord.

I’ve found that when I am in a dry time, if I can refresh someone else and encourage them to hear the Lord, I often get refreshed as well. It awakens something in me. When I bless others, I get blessed in return.

But you have to have someone to bless! If you are a leader, I truly believe you must have a younger person around you who you are teaching how to lead by example and through conversation. Help them to learn how you hear the Lord and send them back to listen for Him.

Though Eli missed his opportunity for repentance, you have not! And if God could use a hardened heart like Eli to help Samuel become one of the greatest prophets and leaders of Israel’s history, God will certainly use your soft heart to both equip others to great impact and keep using you for His Kingdom as well.