1 SAMUEL 3:1-21 TEXT: v1 "NO OPEN VISION/THOSE DAYS"
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.
Here is proof: the Lord can be served in all kinds of circumstances:
[i] Samuel was but a child and so limited in many ways, but still, the Holy Spirit records that he ministered unto the Lord
[ii] Samuel served under the tutelage (again with restraints) of old
Eli Whilst this might have been of some advantage, yet Eli's
life/testimony left much to be desired (2:29) Would be unfair to be
very hard on Eli - his advice to Samuel when the Lord was speaking to
him was invaluable advice (v9)
[iii] There was no open vision in those days
Not only did he not have a full canon/Scripture (only completed around
96AD when John finished writing revelation) but there was no ongoing
revelation either at that time (text)
Important to note that Samuel did have access to some Scripture
He had at least the 5 books of Moses, and chronologically at least, the Book of Joshua, Judges and Ruth
You can't serve God without some knowledge
Acceptable service is built on and flows from faith and true faith is
built on knowledge: I know whom I have believed and am persuaded…
But in those days, the going was exceedingly tough, and yet Samuel still maintained a veritable testimony for God: 2:21/2:26
I accept that the Bible says that Samuel did not yet know the Lord (v7) but I do not take this to mean re: salvation
He did not know the Lord speaking to Him in a prophetic sense - a consequence of the word/Lord being precious or rare in those days
It is this last part - the scarcity of prophesies from the Lord- that we want to examine. 4 main points:
1) THE REASONS WHY THERE WAS NO OPEN VISION AT THAT TIME:
A number of reasons may be advanced why this is so:
A/ God is sovereign in the dispensing/timing of His revelations
Man cannot work his way towards creating conditions when God MUST
reveal something more about Himself and His purposes
God speaks when and how He will and always when it suits Him
If God did not speak, then we know little about Him
As it is: Lo, these are parts
of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder
of his power who can understand? (Job 26:14)
E.W. Bullinger renders this verse:
"Lo, these are but the outlines of His way, a whisper only, that we hear of Him: His wondrous power, who then, can comprehend?"
Flesh/blood has not revealed unto the doctrines we now contend for
Eye hath not seen nor ear heard…but the Spirit has revealed them unto us and has done so in a sovereign manner
B/ Another reason why there was no open vision then was that God did not give us a full revelation all at one time
He, very wisely, filtered all information to us over a long period/time
Sometimes, it came very slowly - Other times, it flowed freely:
Consider the many Psalms which came to us in David's lifetime Consider
the many Proverbs which came to us in Solomon's lifetime
In Galatians 4, Paul described this process as being like the pupil sitting under a Schoolmaster
No one learns by being swamped with tonnes/information at one time
C/ But there was another, more sinister, element at play also
We have already considered God's sovereign ways…
…but now we have man's responsibilities
We must view the relative silence/God here in the light/context
Which is this: Israel at this time had sunk into great sin against God
[i] Among the God fearing people - Samuel's mother was 1/2 wives of his father (1:1-2) Polygamy always brought sorrow/Bible
[ii] The sons/Eli as priests were very wicked people (2:12-17/22-25)
They were eventually judged for their sin (2:25/3:11-14/4:11)
[iii] Eli, although basically a good man, was lax about his sons (2:29)
And this sad typical scene/Israel may be attributed: scarcity/word
2) THE CONSEQUENCES OF NO OPEN VISION:
A/ Positively, the word/God was precious - what the saints did have,
they held dear to themselves, meditating often upon it and cherishing
it, feeding upon it and esteeming it more than their meat and drink
B/ Negatively…it had a most adverse affect upon the people
Where there is no vision…the people perish (Proverbs 29:18)
Seen again: Her gates are sunk into
the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her
princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also
find no vision from the LORD. (Lamentation 2:9)
Lord Grey said: "The lamps were going out all over Europe" - a reference to the beckoning WWI when millions perished
Likewise…when the demand for the word/God plummets (as it is
doing all over Europe again and the West in general) then men/women die
in their sins - uninstructed, unconverted and unsaved (Romans 10:14-17)
C/ Let us not think that such a calamity affects only the heathens whether of the East/West - that only unsaved folk suffer
It is true too of the Church/Jesus Christ
Any discernible thirsting for the word/God among professing saints?
Many Evangelical churches no longer preach the word/God!
Might believe it…but only because it has been preached in the past
Living on their capital - they have substituted a fun/games mentality for the word/God. Any Bible study is a superficial tag on
This will lead to the demise of that church…just as giving up
eating wholesome food has a detrimental effect on your health
D/ Soon the Lord was to speak again
He spoke through a man of God to Eli (2:27ff)
He would speak again through Samuel, who seems to be put at the head of a whole line of prophets:
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as
many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. (Acts
3:24)
Often his messengers were prophets speaking of wrath, but at least, the
voice/Lord was heard in the land and preached repentance, at least
suggests pardon/mercy from a gracious God
3) THE BLESSINGS OF AN OPEN VISION IN OUR DAY:
A/ We have already considered the idea of a partial revelation, given
over a long period/time. It took about 4,000 years to write the OT
It took only 100 years to write the whole/NT
We have now a complete canon/Scripture - No more revelations from
God - and so a rejection of the Charismatic Movement and the likes of
Benny Hinn and other "faith prophets" - We have a complete Bible
We are not looking for the Lord to give more revelations, but to
instruct us as to what is already written in the full canon/Scripture
Hence our prayer: Psalm 119:18 Open thou mine eyes…etc.,
B/ What advantages we have at this time
[i] Our knowledge of the Lord Jesus and His work is much more than even the Prophets
Although, it is to the prophets we turn (in the Bible) yet we do so in the light/gospel narratives and the epistles
We don't read Isaiah 53 and ask: Of whom spake the prophet? (8:34)
[ii] The prophets desired to see/hear the things we now take for granted (Matthew 13:16-17) See also Hebrews 11:39-40
[iii] Again, we have a fuller outpouring of the Holy Spirit than them
Although we should not minimise their experiences, yet we should recognise/appreciate and make the most of ours
Think of how stale the Jewish church went in the days/our Lord
Think of the writings/commentaries that buried the Bible's message
By comparison: Think of the hundreds of mighty commentaries - Matthew Henry/Calvin/Spurgeon etc., we have in our day
All because we have the full canon/Scripture in our day
4) THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT ACCOMPANY OUR BLESSINGS:
A/ Israel/Samuel's day did not take full advantage of their privileges
That cannot remain a static situation - soon despised the Giver (2:30)
It is our responsibility (as well as our joy/pleasure) to take full advantage of all that we have in our full revelation age
B/ How well do you know your Bible? Do you read it daily? Do you read
it to learn more about its Glorious Author? Do you obey it?
Does this Book keep you from sin or does sin keep you from this Book? (Bunyan)
Do you meditate upon it. Is your experience that of Solomon:
When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep
thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. (Proverbs 6:22)
If not…it should be and it can be and it can be now
Jesus said: Search the Scriptures (John 5:39)
Let's cry out to God for a hunger/thirst for His word
THE END
Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland