1 Samuel 3:11

1 Samuel 3:11 says, And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.  After Samuel realized that it was God speaking to him, he finally heard his message.  Once we recognize that God is talking to us today, we likewise need to be ready to receive His message.  God told Samuel that He was going to do a thing in Isreal which would have the people's ears tingling.  We need to see God at work in the world today, and His people need to make themselves readily available to do what God calls them to do, so that others can hear about it and tell others as well.  Verse twelve adds, In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.  God said He was one day going to make an end to Eli and his house.  This might not happen immediately, but it was going to happen.  God's judgment may not be immediate, but it is certain.  Verse thirteen continues, For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. God said He had already warned Eli about what would happen because of the iniquity of his sons as they served as priests especially and Eli's failure to restrain them, even though he knew what they were doing.  As Christians, if we see something going on in the church that is wrong, we have a responsibility to attempt to correct it.  Verse fourteen concludes, And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.  God said He had sworn to the house of Eli that their iniquity could not be forgiven by sacrifices and offerings.  In the legal system of God’s law, there were some sins that could not be atoned for according to Matthew Henry, but we know that under the blood of Christ, all sins are forgiven if we accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse fifteen states, And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.  Samuel went back to bed until morning, then opened the doors of the house of the LORD that morning, but was afraid to share what God had said to him with Eli.  If God has spoken to us, it is not enough for us to just go about life while being afraid to share the message He has given us.  Verse sixteen adds, Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.  Eli called Samuel, and Samuel responded by saying, "Here am I."  This should be our response, not when others may call us, but when God does, and then we should not be afraid to share what God has told us with anyone.  Verse seventeen continues, And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.  Eli asked Samuel what God had told him, and then told Samuel to not hide what God had said from him,and if he did then to have all the things that God had told him to happen to Samuel as well.  We cannot hide God's word from others because we are afraid it will make them feel bad.  Verse eighteen declares, And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.  Samuel told Eli everything that the LORD had said, and Eli said let it happen because it was what the LORD had said.  Though we have no chance of stopping what God says will happen because we disagree with it, we are much better off if we simply accept the fact that what God says is going to happen.  Verse nineteen adds, And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.  Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and His word did not fall to the ground.  In other words, whatever Samuel said would happen as a prophet came came to pass, and God's law will still come to pass today.  We just need to faithfully share His word.  Verse twenty continues, And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.  All of Israel recognized that Samuel was a prophet of God.  We as the church, God's people  today, should be able to recognize if a person is dec)aring God's truth or not.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.  We aren't told how much later this was, but God revealed Himself to Samuel again at Shiloh.  Though God is with us everyday as Christians  through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, He will come to us with a call to a particular task at times.  We need to recognize His Voice if He does.