1 Samuel 3:1-4:22, Speak Lord, for Your Servant Hears

In Chapter 3, young Samuel responds to the voice of the Lord: “Speak, for Your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10b). Samuel then obediently communicates God’s message of judgment to the aged Eli. “So, Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 3:19-20 NKJV). In Chapter 4, the Philistines defeat the Israelites in battle and capture the Ark. When Eli hears the distressing news and that his sons had been killed, he falls and dies. Soon after, Eli’s daughter-in-law dies in childbirth after delivering a son. “Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, ‘The glory has departed from Israel!’ because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband” (1 Samuel 4:21 NKJV).
Pastor Kevin shares archeological evidence that testifies to the existence of ancient Shiloh as the location of the tabernacle during this time period. He also draws parallels between this sad account of the people’s rejection of God’s word and the resulting judgment and the state of our country and the church today. May we as believers continue to faithfully attend to and obey the voice of the Lord lest His glory depart from our lives: “Speak, for Your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10b).
Maranatha!
Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, 1 Samuel, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/speak-lord-for-your-servant-hears-1-samuel-31-422/