Bible Text: 1 Samu\u00adel 3:1\u201321 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | Samu\u00adel was born into a time when the word of God was \u00abexpen\u00adsi\u00adve\u00bb. Com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly clum\u00adsy and una\u00adwa\u00adre, he began to lis\u00adten to God\u2019s spea\u00adking. He hum\u00adbly obey\u00aded his God and thus beca\u00adme a priest, pro\u00adphet and cen\u00adtu\u00adri\u00adon in one per\u00adson, the likes of which had not been seen sin\u00adce Moses. From his expe\u00adri\u00adence we can learn a lot for our own com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon with God. When we lis\u00adten to Him and obey Him, we beco\u00adme bles\u00adsed and a bles\u00adsing to others!<\/p>\n
\tWhy were the words of God \u00abexpen\u00adsi\u00adve\u00bb at that time? What kind of obs\u00adta\u00adcles were the\u00adre to God\u2019s speaking? Bible Text: 1 Samu\u00adel 3:1\u201321 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | Samu\u00adel was born into a time when the word of God was \u00abexpen\u00adsi\u00adve\u00bb. Com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly clum\u00adsy and una\u00adwa\u00adre, he began to lis\u00adten to God\u2019s spea\u00adking. He hum\u00adbly obey\u00aded his God and thus beca\u00adme a priest, pro\u00adphet and cap\u00adtain in\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2720","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nRecent\u00adly, when I was sit\u00adting on the chair in the hair\u00addres\u00adsing salon, the hair\u00address\u00ader told me about her expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces in Cuba. The\u00adre are long queu\u00ades of peo\u00adp\u00adle in front of the half-emp\u00adty shops. The next per\u00adson is only allo\u00adwed to enter the shop when ano\u00adther per\u00adson lea\u00adves. With a lot of effort and a litt\u00adle luck, they can buy the bare neces\u00adsi\u00adties at hor\u00adren\u00addous pri\u00adces. Cuba has infla\u00adti\u00adon cau\u00adsed by cri\u00adses. The result is an infla\u00adti\u00adon that bare\u00adly allows the inha\u00adbi\u00adtants to make a living.
\n\u00abMan needs more than bread to live. He also lives on every word that comes from the mouth of God\u00bb (Matthew 4:4 NL<\/span>). We are not only depen\u00addent on a bodi\u00adly sus\u00adten\u00adan\u00adce, but also on a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal sus\u00adten\u00adan\u00adce. The\u00adre is also dearth in the word of God: \u00abThe word of God was dear in tho\u00adse days\u00bb (1Samuel 3:1 Elb1905). The reason was a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal cri\u00adsis. We despera\u00adte\u00adly need the cos\u00adt\u00adly Word of God for sus\u00adten\u00adan\u00adce. Are we wil\u00adling to pay the neces\u00adsa\u00adry pri\u00adce for it?
\nWhen God is silent
\nAbout 3000 years ago, in the moun\u00adta\u00adins of Ephra\u00adim, the\u00adre lived a man named Elka\u00adnah who had two wives, Pen\u00adin\u00adnah and Han\u00adnah. Han\u00adna almost bro\u00adke under the bur\u00adden of her unwan\u00adted child\u00adless\u00adness. In Shi\u00adloh, sin\u00adce Joshua, stood the taber\u00adna\u00adcle and here was also the cent\u00adre of Israe\u00adli\u00adte wor\u00adship and their feasts. Eli was priest in the taber\u00adna\u00adcle at that time. Elkanah\u2019s fami\u00adly also sacri\u00adfi\u00adced every year in Shi\u00adloh. Han\u00adnah took this event as an oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to ask God for a child and pro\u00admi\u00adsed to dedi\u00adca\u00adte the reques\u00adted child to God (1Samuel 1:11). And inde\u00aded \u2013 Han\u00adnah had a son and named him Samu\u00adel (heard by God). And when Han\u00adnah no lon\u00adger nur\u00adsed Samu\u00adel, she took him to Shi\u00adloh to Eli so that Samu\u00adel could ser\u00adve God in the taber\u00adna\u00adcle, as Han\u00adnah had pro\u00admi\u00adsed God in her vow.
\n\u00abIn the mean\u00adti\u00adme, young Samu\u00adel ser\u00adved the Lord by hel\u00adping Eli. At that time, mes\u00adsa\u00adges from the Lord were rare and visi\u00adons were not fre\u00adquent\u00bb (1Samuel 3:1 NL<\/span>). Isra\u00adel expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces a time when God hard\u00adly spo\u00adke to them. Radio silence. Broad\u00adcas\u00adting pau\u00adse. It seems that God does not speak inces\u00adsant\u00adly to peo\u00adp\u00adle who do not want to hear. Even in our lati\u00adtu\u00addes, the word of the Lord has beco\u00adme rare. God is not a silent God who some\u00adti\u00admes speaks, but a spea\u00adking God who is some\u00adti\u00admes silent. At that time \u2013 about 3000 years ago \u2013 the reasons for the \u00abdear word of God\u00bb were obvious.
\n\u00ab[\u2026] Samu\u00adel slept in the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry of the Lord, whe\u00adre the ark of God stood\u00bb (1 Samu\u00adel 3:3 NL<\/span>). Samuel\u2019s bed was in the Holy of Holies of the taber\u00adna\u00adcle. He slept next to the Ark of the Coven\u00adant, the most sacred object of the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes. In Moses\u00bb time, no Israe\u00adli\u00adte, not even a priest, was allo\u00adwed to enter the Holy of Holies. Even Moses was only allo\u00adwed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year. The fact that Samu\u00adel had his night\u2019s lodging the\u00adre makes it clear to us that the taber\u00adna\u00adcle had dege\u00adne\u00adra\u00adted into a junk room, it was negle\u00adc\u00adted and God had moved out of the place whe\u00adre he wan\u00adted to dwell in Isra\u00adel. The reli\u00adgious sell-out had taken on huge pro\u00adpor\u00adti\u00adons. But \u00abthe lamp of God had not yet gone out\u00bb (1 Samu\u00adel 3:3a NL<\/span>).
\nThe sons of Eli were cal\u00adled Hof\u00adni and Phi\u00adne\u00adhas. They, the offi\u00adci\u00ada\u00adting priests, enri\u00adched them\u00adsel\u00adves with the offe\u00adrings, \u00abate\u00bb even the best pie\u00adces of meat ins\u00adtead of con\u00adse\u00adcra\u00adting them to God. That which actual\u00adly belon\u00adged to God was ruthl\u00adess\u00adly con\u00adsu\u00admed for them\u00adsel\u00adves. In addi\u00adti\u00adon, the priests\u00bb brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters slept in the taber\u00adna\u00adcle with other women. Pret\u00adty bra\u00adzen, tho\u00adse guys! Sin inter\u00adpo\u00adses its\u00adelf bet\u00adween the sen\u00adder and the recei\u00adver. \u00abLis\u00adten! The Lord\u2019s hand is not too short to help you, and he is not deaf that he will not hear you. No, your sins are a bar\u00adri\u00ader that sepa\u00adra\u00adtes you from God\u00bb (Isai\u00adah 59:1f NL<\/span>).
\nWe should not be sur\u00adpri\u00adsed if mes\u00adsa\u00adges from the Lord were rare. God\u2019s Spi\u00adrit with\u00addraws whe\u00adre He is not wan\u00adted. Are we sur\u00adpri\u00adsed that God\u2019s Word has beco\u00adme rare in our own lives? May\u00adbe our heart has beco\u00adme a junk room that needs to be clea\u00adned out.
\nIn our lati\u00adtu\u00addes, a tre\u00admen\u00addous infla\u00adti\u00adon of words is taking place. One theo\u00adry is that the amount of infor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon that rea\u00adched a per\u00adson in the Midd\u00adle Ages during his who\u00adle life of 35 years on avera\u00adge is equi\u00adva\u00adlent to the amount of infor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon that floods us today in a sin\u00adgle day. In our lives it is often so noi\u00adsy and rest\u00adless that we can\u00adnot pos\u00adsi\u00adbly hear the voice of the Holy Spi\u00adrit. A wise rab\u00adbi said, \u00abEver\u00ady\u00adthing important comes quiet\u00adly. The rising of the sun, the bea\u00adting of the heart, a thought of love and the spea\u00adking of God.\u00bb The con\u00adse\u00adquence of such an infla\u00adti\u00adon of words is a dearth of the Word of God. The word of God beco\u00admes expen\u00adsi\u00adve. The\u00adre is also an infla\u00adti\u00adon of pious words: a ple\u00adtho\u00adra of retrie\u00adva\u00adble ser\u00admons from the best spea\u00adk\u00aders in the world. In this jungle of words, do we still per\u00adcei\u00adve God\u2019s word? Maria Pre\u00adan says: \u00abWe are so busy with our pro\u00adgram\u00adme that it dis\u00adturbs us when God speaks to us.\u00bb God\u2019s silence is a sign that He wants to speak.
\nWhen God speaks
\n\u00abOur God is coming and he will not be silent\u00bb (Psalm 50:3 NL<\/span>). With Samu\u00adel it went like this: He is lying on his mat\u00adtress in the Holy of Holies. He is pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly just fal\u00adling asleep bet\u00adween day and dream. \u00abSud\u00adden\u00adly the Lord cal\u00adled out, \u00abSamu\u00adel!\u00bb \u00abHere I am!\u00bb repli\u00aded Samu\u00adel. He jum\u00adped up and ran to Eli. \u00abHere I am. You cal\u00adled me.\u00bb \u00abI did not call you,\u00bb Eli repli\u00aded. \u00abLie down again.\u00bb And Samu\u00adel went and lay down again\u00bb (1Samuel 3:4f NL<\/span>). Almigh\u00adty God is tal\u00adking, but Samu\u00adel does not rea\u00adli\u00adse it is God. And the old priest Eli, a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of the insti\u00adtu\u00adtio\u00adnal church, sends him back to sleep. Are peo\u00adp\u00adle in our church more likely to be led to lis\u00adten or to sleep? Are we satis\u00adfied if our ser\u00admons are lis\u00adten\u00aded to and nod\u00added off or do we empower peo\u00adp\u00adle to be Chris\u00adti\u00adans on their own?
\nGod wants to say some\u00adthing, but tra\u00adgi\u00adcal\u00adly he can\u2019t get through to us. We have a com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon pro\u00adblem. It\u2019s like a radio recei\u00adver. God\u2019s radio waves, his spea\u00adking, would be the\u00adre. But we have tun\u00aded into the wrong chan\u00adnel. May\u00adbe it\u2019s becau\u00adse I don\u2019t expect God to talk to me at all. Or I no lon\u00adger know his voice becau\u00adse many other voices around me are louder.
\nIt is no coin\u00adci\u00addence that Samu\u00adel heard the voice of God in the night. In the night, other sounds fall silent, it is still. Our lives have beco\u00adme loud and fast. Even though it has beco\u00adme dif\u00adfi\u00adcult, we need to have space for silence with God. A walk, just you and your hea\u00adven\u00adly Father, an hour in the evening with the Bible, not every day, but once in a while, a good book that moves you on. If you don\u2019t have time for all that, then it\u2019s high time to chan\u00adge some\u00adthing in your life. Alt\u00adhough I depend on God\u2019s spea\u00adking in my work \u2013 espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly when wri\u00adting ser\u00admons \u2013 I strugg\u00adle to hear His voice in my office. But when I cycle from Seon to D\u00fcr\u00adre\u00adn\u00e4sch on my way to work, it is much easier for me. With a litt\u00adle distance from ever\u00ady\u00adday life and let\u00adting go of my own thoughts, God\u2019s words sud\u00adden\u00adly beco\u00adme audible.
\nIn Samu\u00adel, God speaks into a grie\u00advan\u00adce. God wants to bring life to what has died. He also likes to do this in our lives. Often the voice of God can be heard in the area of our tensions.
\nAfter the LORD<\/span> had cal\u00adled three times, Eli noti\u00adced some\u00adthing and says to Samu\u00adel, \u00abGo and lie down again, and when you are cal\u00adled again, ans\u00adwer, \u00abSpeak, LORD<\/span>, your ser\u00advant is lis\u00adtening.\u00bb So Samu\u00adel lay down again in his place\u00bb (1Samuel 3:9 NL<\/span>).
\nThis is impres\u00adsi\u00adve: \u00abSpeak, Lord, your ser\u00advant hears.\u00bb Such an atti\u00adtu\u00adde of heart is a very good basis for hea\u00adring God\u2019s voice. The con\u00adcept of \u00abI the boss \u2013 God my ser\u00advant\u00bb pre\u00advents com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon. Why should God talk when I am in char\u00adge of my own life any\u00adway and only need God as a gan\u00adgo? God is not a ted\u00addy bear that you can play with for a while, then lea\u00adve in the cor\u00adner and bring out again when it\u2019s con\u00adve\u00adni\u00adent. God is God. We can\u00adnot dis\u00adpo\u00adse of Him.
\nSamu\u00adel appar\u00adent\u00adly heard God\u2019s voice acou\u00adsti\u00adcal\u00adly. That is rather less the case for us. Hea\u00adring God for us means cal\u00adling my sub\u00adjec\u00adti\u00adve expe\u00adri\u00adence, which has ari\u00adsen in a pray\u00ader rela\u00adti\u00adonship, divi\u00adne information.
\nWhen man obeys
\nAt the gre\u00adat forks in the road of my life, I often per\u00adcei\u00adved God\u2019s words so cle\u00adar\u00adly that the only ques\u00adti\u00adon left for me was whe\u00adther I wan\u00adted to be obe\u00addient or not. Obe\u00addience meant set\u00adting out and say\u00ading yes to the chall\u00adenge. We are by no means deal\u00ading with a harm\u00adless God who scrat\u00adches our necks from time to time. When God speaks, he often pres\u00adents us with a real chall\u00adenge. Samu\u00adel was given the task of pro\u00adno\u00adun\u00adcing jud\u00adge\u00adment on the fami\u00adly of his fos\u00adter father Eli. With trembling and trepi\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon he obeys the will and com\u00admand of God. Meekly and hum\u00adbly he bears the holy bur\u00adden of the refor\u00admer and prophet.
\nAfter the cal\u00adling of Samu\u00adel, as the event of that night was later cal\u00adled, ever\u00ady\u00adthing remain\u00aded the same on the out\u00adside, but some\u00adthing chan\u00adged: It is now God who has begun to speak in Shi\u00adloh. Just as after a gre\u00adat drought the cle\u00adan\u00adsing thun\u00adder\u00adstorm, befo\u00adre it breaks out, sends iso\u00adla\u00adted lar\u00adge drops ahead, so God\u2019s word now beg\u00adins to hap\u00adpen in Shi\u00adloh. But now God has ope\u00adned the ear of Samu\u00adel, made him his mouth, priest, pro\u00adphet and cap\u00adtain in one per\u00adson, such as the\u00adre has been none sin\u00adce Moses. \u00abAnd Samu\u00adel began to preach to all Isra\u00adel\u00bb (1Samuel 3:21 Elb1905). Prea\u00adching, what is that? But God is now pre\u00adsent in this prea\u00adching. \u00abThe Lord con\u00adtin\u00adued to appear in Shi\u00adloh and deli\u00adver mes\u00adsa\u00adges to Samu\u00adel the\u00adre in Shi\u00adloh\u00bb (1Samuel 3:21 NL<\/span>). Of Samuel\u2019s prea\u00adching we are told, \u00abBut Samu\u00adel grew up, and the LORD<\/span> was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground\u00bb (1Samuel 3:19 Lut). Samu\u00adel lis\u00adten\u00aded, obey\u00aded, was bles\u00adsed and beca\u00adme a bles\u00adsing. Not only he, but his who\u00adle envi\u00adron\u00adment bene\u00adfits and is changed.
\nOne com\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtor points out that no pro\u00adphet and man of God was so clue\u00adl\u00adess, so clum\u00adsy and \u00abnai\u00adled down\u00bb at his cal\u00adling as Samu\u00adel was here. That is nor\u00admal! Was Peter a high\u00adly respec\u00adta\u00adble appearance on the day of Pen\u00adte\u00adcost? And Paul with the Athe\u00adni\u00adans, in Corinth, Ephe\u00adsus and Rome? Who was the litt\u00adle monk befo\u00adre the Diet of Worms? That is the encou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adment of the day! Even if you feel awk\u00adward or even over\u00adwhel\u00admed in com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adting with your hea\u00adven\u00adly Father: That is normal!
\nAnd then it takes some prac\u00adti\u00adce. Of all the voices around me, I pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly know my wife\u2019s best. Becau\u00adse that\u2019s the case, I reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse her words even from a bab\u00adb\u00adle of voices at a fes\u00adti\u00adval. It is the same with the voice of God. The more we get used to it, the bet\u00adter we hear it in ever\u00ady\u00adday life. So it takes a start and then a lot of practice.
\n
\n\u00abMy sheep lis\u00adten to my voice; I know them and they fol\u00adlow me. I give them eter\u00adnal life, and they will never peri\u00adsh\u00bb (John 10:27f NL<\/span>). This is the ques\u00adti\u00adon in desi\u00adring to hear God\u2019s voice: Are we even his sheep? It is the intan\u00adgi\u00adble pri\u00advi\u00adle\u00adge of a fol\u00adlower of Jesus to hear his voice. It is his voice that crea\u00adtes life in and around us. It bles\u00adses us and makes us a blessing.
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: 1 Samu\u00adel 3:1\u201321<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat did it take for Samu\u00adel to hear God speak?
\n\tAfter this \u00ablis\u00adtening expe\u00adri\u00adence\u00bb, Samuel\u2019s life was dif\u00adfe\u00adrent. What was released in him?
\n\tWhat would you need to chan\u00adge in your dai\u00adly rou\u00adti\u00adne and prio\u00adri\u00adties to make God\u2019s Word more rele\u00advant in your life?
\n\tHow do you hear God\u2019s words in your life? What do you do with them?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"