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almost gone out, and gone out in God's House, e.g., the time of the Reformation. If the
lamp of the Word of God goes out, the ark of God, with its Mercy Seat is unknown, the
cross of Christ is unknown. Surely the mark of the last great apostasy of the last days is
that the Word of God will be rejected and cast from the House of God: a situation which
now appears not so remote. How very careful the `Berean' should be to give full heed to
all that is said in a `rightly divided' Word of Truth, remembering that `all Scripture is
God-breathed'.
At such a time God called Samuel: and Samuel answered "Here am I" (3: 4). The
one point to note here is that he was willing. When first he was called, he thought Eli
called him; but he was willing to go on responding in spite of the `rebuff' he received
from the old man. It may seem strange that Eli did not immediately recognize that God
was speaking to Samuel. But it was not only his physical eyes which began to wax dim
that he could not see clearly: his spiritual perception also had `waxed dim'. Samuel was
also persistent: three times he went to Eli before it was suggested that the Lord called
him. When at last Eli perceived Who called Samuel, it is to his credit that he did not
discourage the young lad: He could have said "Ah! He called three times: He won't
call again. What a pity!" No. His response, when he realized that it was Jehovah Who
called was:
"Go, lie down: and it shall be, if He call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for
Thy servant heareth" (I Sam. 3: 9).
Samuel obeyed the old man Eli, and went and laid down in his place.
"And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then
Samuel answered, Speak, for Thy servant heareth. And the Lord said to Samuel, behold,
I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle"
(3: 10, 11).
Like many another whom God called, Samuel was not given an easy and popular
ministry. His first task, youth though he was, was to be the bearer of Eli of tidings of
judgment upon Eli and his house. And Samuel did not fail.
"And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision: Then Eli called Samuel, and said,
Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am 1: And he said, What is the thing that the
Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more
also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that He said unto thee. And Samuel
told him every whit, and hid nothing from him" (3: 15-18).
We are sometimes tempted to think of those whom God called as being fearless; but
they were also men `subject to like passions as we are'. Samuel feared: but when Eli
asked him to reveal all the Lord had told him, he did not hesitate to do so. From
Samuel's call we learn that those whom God calls must be willing and persistent:
(1) To know God, perhaps above all else, this should be the attitude of the true
`Berean'. Paul's great desire was to get to know Him (Phil. 3: 7-10). For Paul no
sacrifice was too great `that I may know Him'.