My Mother's Journal Gems

From her red 1994-1995 Journal:

Thoughts from the book of Samuel~

1 Sam. 3:1-"Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent."
I am wondering who will replace Billy Graham? God may have a young Samuel somewhere that He will use. I hope so. The times are surely the same.

It is interesting that God's voice sounded just like Eli's; not the echoing, profound voice used in plays, etc. Samuel was in bed for the night (when God first called him by name)
but he immediately got up and went to Eli at what he thought was his call-not once but three times. No sign of annoyance or patronizing of the foibles of a nearly blind, aging old man. If he had decided, 'the man is confused, probably the beginning of Alzheimer's,' God would not have been able to speak to him.

And when Eli told Samuel that it was God calling and that he was to go lie down and wait for His call, Samuel did. There is no sign of fear or apprehension even though verse 7 says that 'Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him.' So Samuel was unaware that he was ministering to the Lord.

A fearsome statement in this chapter, v 13-'His sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.'

1 Sam. 4-a chapter of heartache especially for Eli and his daughter-in-law. As is often the case when the spiritual has declined, man clutches the form and hopes for "magic." After being defeated by the Philistines and losing around 4000 men they decided to take the ark of God, v.3, 'that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.' No cry to God, and of course, the battle was lost and 30,000 died. Eli had grave concern for the ark of God and at the news of its capture, died. Poor Phinias' wife also. She seems to have been a godly woman and close to Eli for at the news of the capture of the ark of God and the death of Eli and her husband, she went into pre-mature labor and died in childbirth. Her husband had been unfaithful and had caused her grief by his life much more than by his death most likely.