March 1, 2021

Sharing from the Congregation: David Petty

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” — First Samuel 3:7-9

Samuel, you may recall, was one of Israel’s first great prophets and the last of the judges. The story of his calling is almost comical. The boy Samuel is sleeping near the priest Eli, under whom he is training, and three times when he hears the Lord call he assumes that it is Eli. Finally Eli, who is undoubtedly exasperated from having his sleep repeatedly disturbed, figures out what is going on, and on the fourth time Samuel answers the Lord.

Do you think all of us are called? Some don’t seem to be called when they are as young as Samuel; some of us are more like Moses, who was approaching 80 when it happened to him. Still, like Samuel, we may not understand the call the first time we hear it. I suspect that God will keep calling. It may help if we have someone like Eli who can advise us.

Even when the call was clear, many of the prophets were reluctant to do what was asked of them. Moses gave all sorts of excuses; Jonah initially refused. Samuel was not asked to do anything at the time of his original call, but he was given a very negative prediction about Eli’s sons, and was reluctant to share it with Eli. Eli, however, encouraged the boy to tell him everything, perhaps because the Lord had already given Eli an idea of what it was about.

When I see all the difficulties that Samuel and others had in hearing and in answering their calls, it’s easy for me to get discouraged. On the other hand, the fact that they eventually found their way gives me hope.

Gracefully submitted,
David Petty