1 Samuel 3:1-10: When The Voice of God Breaks Through

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose 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 hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” - 1 Samuel 3:1-10

 How to differentiate between God speaking and something else? In these verses, Samuel is hearing God speak but he doesn't know that it is God speaking. So he attributes what he is hearing to some other source, a source that he imagines as possible or even likely: the voice of Eli. Why was it difficult for Samuel to distinguish? 

First, it wasn't common for God to speak to anyone directly. "And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision." Eli and Samuel are living at the end of the period of the judges in Israel's history--a chaotic period where Israel was a fragmented people where each tribe was doing what it felt was best. God spoke to the judges but at the end of that period, even the judges weren't getting a clear signal from God.

Second, even if Samuel was the right one to hear God, he didn't know what God sounded like. "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him." It is normal what when you hear a voice, you look around to see who spoke.  Since Samuel wasn't familiar with how God spoke, he would assume some other explanation and Eli speaking seemed a lot more likely than Almighty God speaking. 

Third, even for seasoned saints like Eli, the voice of God wasn't his first guess as to what was going on. I'm not sure what Eli thought was going on with Samuel. Maybe he thought Samuel was hearing things or misinterpreting what he was hearing. The temple was quiet and dark so maybe he thought Samuel was being imaginative or playful. But whatever the reason, it took three tries before Eli guess that something was going on.

I think that it is difficult for us to hear the voice of God. Maybe it is because God doesn't speak as often. Or maybe we aren't in the right season of life where God would speak more often. Or maybe it is just because distinguishing God's voice from all of the other possibilities is just difficult. But the main thing is to listen and do what he says. Samuel asked God to speak and he prepared himself to hear and he made it a pattern for the rest of his life. So I won't whine about how difficult it is to know the voice of God, but when God does break through my ignorance, insensitivity or selfishness so that I can hear, that I will listen and do what he says.