"And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the Word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, that the Lord called Samuel; and he answered, Here am I." 1 Samuel 3:1-4
Additional readings: 1 Samuel 3:1-10, Luke 2:25-40
Samuel was consecrated to the Lord in the days when Eli was the High Priest. At that time conditions in Israel were at a low ebb. The government of Eli had been feeble and careless; so the elements of evil and decay gathered and increased on every side. Eli made no real effort to stay the impending ruin. He was faithless to his duty, and permitted his children to mock at virtue and to make a mockery of worship. He should have been able to foresee the results. As a priest he was a watchman, but he gave no warning.
It is recorded that "the Word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision." Therefore the priests had a greater responsibility.
The invisible world is not distant; it is merely too refined for the course observation of natural sight. The spiritual world is as the soul to this — an inner universe which is the realm of causes and the source of power.
The Word of the Lord is the teacher, and it is precious. It contains Divine thoughts, and the means of communication between men and God. It is the refuge and strength of humanity, a very present help in trouble. The Word is precious for its uses, and because it conjoins the soul to the Lord Himself.
Our text portrays a night scene at Shiloh, where the tabernacle was set up. It represents the Church at that time. The priests are sleepy; their eyes are dim; they can hardly see. The lamp of God is going out in the temple of the Lord. We read, "Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see, and ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord."
Natural life, as compared to spiritual life, is as sleep to wakefulness. Our life in the world is composed of nights and days. We cannot be always in the study of spiritual things. We have our work in the world. We have our occupations and daily tasks. Yet this outer world is the Lord's as well as the inner and higher world. We should love it for Him, and be earnest in our duties here. The proper use of life is an aid to our regeneration. So it is written, "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep and rise, night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how" (Mark 6:26-27). We should not sleep too much, lest we be not fully awake at any time. This is the kind of sleep Eli represented. Isaiah graphically describes this kind of priesthood: "His watchmen are all blind; they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs which can never have enough, they are shepherds which cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one to his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant" (Isaiah 56:10-12).
A power-loving and luxurious priesthood is the greatest curse of a Church. Their minds are absorbed in their appetites. They are so greedy for gain that they are lynx-eyed for whatever will result in gain for themselves, but blind like owls at any ray of heavenly light. They come at last to love mystery, and pride themselves on the darkness of their dogmas, hoping to keep power from the people under the plea of being privileged guardians of deep and magical secrets.
How simple is the truth! "Cease to do evil, learn to do well" (Isaiah 1:16). "Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God" (Micah 6:8). If we live according to the Commandments, we shall go to heaven. The Word is given to guide us. If we read its precepts and live them, they will lead us on the path to eternal life. Then we shall rise higher and higher and see more and more clearly.
But these simple truths a corrupted priesthood cannot see; the eyes of their minds are too dim to see. To them, religion is a series of mysteries. "You cannot understand them; nobody can understand them," they say. They do not ask, "Send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me, let them bring me to the holy mountain, and to Thy tabernacles" (Psalm 43:3), or "Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death" (Psalm 13:3). They will not learn, and they cannot teach.
The text continues, "Ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord." The dimness of Eli's eyes is, as has been noted, the little understanding possessed by the priesthood of the decaying church. The lamp dying out represents the light of the Word almost extinguished in the Church.
This also is a representative picture of the clergy taking the Word from the people and keeping it like a mysterious treasure useful for their own aggrandizement.
Those who cherish the Word and want its light for themselves and others are represented by Samuel, from whom some light can still be given. Such were Anna the prophetess, Simeon, and Zacharias. Such also were the apostles. Those who formed the center of the first Christian dispensation were a very few humble people, who were faithful and obedient. Such a remnant, mentioned in the Divine Word, should be a comfort and inspiration to those humble souls who feel compelled to stand for truth and goodness amidst shallow and unthinking multitudes. The seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal were the remnant in the days of Elijah. Indeed of all times and of our individual lives it may be said, "Except the Lord of Hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah" (Isaiah 1:9). To be of such a remnant, however despised by the world, is the truest glory.
The mission of the remnant is to come into conjunction with the Lord, and to be a means of bringing down His love and truth to the view of the world.
Samuel represented such a remnant. As a child, he represented simple trust in the Lord and willing obedience. The Lord called Samuel, and he said, "Here am I." Samuel alone heard this voice. He did not know where it came from. He ran to Eli, thinking that it was he who called him. So it is today. They suppose that they owe their new call to the old established order of things. They think that the new thoughts granted to them will be welcomed by the world at large, and by the authorities in power. It is not, however, so. Eli had made no call. He had nothing to say but, "I called not; lie down again."
Nevertheless the Divine message does not rest; it is given again, and the third time. Still it appeared to Samuel that the call was from Eli. "He did not yet know the Lord, nor was the Word of the Lord yet revealed unto him." It is one thing to know OF the Lord, and quite another to know the Lord. To know the Lord is of the heart, not of the head. We know the Lord only in proportion as we love to learn and do His will. They who love God know God. So John writes, "He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8).
We know but little of the Divine purposes, or of the meaning of the Word. But we should be conscious of a yearning for something higher, and of a desire to be true to what we know.
So it is with the revelation for the new age. To the multitudes it means little. Some think there may be something in it, but they are not interested. It is as Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth." This was was good counsel, though it made no difference to the giver of it. Many give good counsel but themselves do not care to follow it.
But the Samuels hear and do. They are not content with following in the thoughts and ways of the world. They seek Divine guidance.
In the changes and confusions of today, in the indisposition to receive new light, in the confessions of multitudes that their eyes are dim and they cannot see, we may recognize a parallel to the time of Eli. Let us strive that in the new unfoldings of the Word of God we may ever keep that humility of mind that says, "Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth."
