Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. – 1 Samuel 3:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 25, 2012): 1 Samuel 3

I remember some great (probably meant in sarcasm) ‘hellfire and brimstone’ sermons when I was a kid. It was a time when those types of sermons were preached more regularly than they are now. And they were always preached to scare. The problem was that the fear never lasted long enough to keep someone on the straight and narrow path. And so the sermons slowly fell out of practice. Today they are rarely heard.

A couple of years ago a friend handed me a book that she wanted me to read. It was one of the many ‘visions of hell’ books that have hit the market in recent years. She loved the book and wanted everyone to reads it – apparently starting with me. So I sat down one afternoon and gave the book a read. Unfortunately, I less impressed with the book than she was. As I read it, it seemed like someone had taken the worst of the hell sermons that I had sat through as a kid and rolled them into a book. I had heard it all before. And I was not convinced that I it was an experience that anyone else needed to have ever again. Admittedly, my familiarity with the subject matter – and especially the descriptive way that it was presented – left me immune to the message. I just did not have the same emotional reaction to the words that my friend had experienced.

Hannah leaves her son with the High Priest, Eli. The idea in Hannah’s mind is that with Eli, Samuel would learn all about God and be dedicated to his service. Her purpose was clearly stated – she was dedicating her son to a lifelong dedication to the God that had given him to her. But Eli was apparently not following through on his obligation. The child grew, but apparently as he began to mature, Eli neglected his obligation to educate him. Samuel was still not being taught in the ways of God of Israel. And that suited God perfectly.

God had a message he needed delivered to Eli, and Samuel’s lack of knowledge made the child the perfect carrier for the message. God could deliver the message to Samuel, and Samuel would have no preconceived idea of what that message should sound like. The result would be a message spoken by an innocent child that Eli could not miss hearing.

Sometimes I wonder if God is still doing that. Maybe today, take some time to listen to a child. God might be trying to speak to you.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 4

Note: The VantagePoint Community Church sermon "Is Dad Mad" from the series "In the Hands of an Angry God" is now available on the VantagePoint  Website. You can find the link here.