Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-02-12
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY u
SAMUEL CALLED TO BE A
PROPHET.


: LESSON TEXT Samuel 3:1-13, 10, 20.
GOLDEN TEXT-Speak, Jehovah; for
thy servant heareth.-I Samuel 49, R. v.
Samuel was the last judge and the
first of the order Of prophets. His
name means asked of God" and he
was dedicated to God Gid as Naz-
arite. In fulfillment of his mothers
vow he was brought to the temple
when he was young child 1:24), Jo
sephus says, at twelve years of age.
Hannab's song of rejoicing CLIO is
the expression of a great soul and
choice piece of literature. Samuel /
had the advantage of being we'll born,
but after studying ELS household we
are not SO confident as to the environ |
ment amid which he was placed.
|. samuei's Vision, w. f-1o. The
young child entered heartily into the
temple worship and duties as directed |
by the aged priest, Eli. This man was
not faithful in giving the people the
word of God. at was rare" (margin1 |
and the result was that there was no
frequent vision" (R W. The word
though when 1t is as common as it is
in this land men frequently set but
little store by it, God will Judge men
for such laxity even as he judged
Israel (Amos S:4-6, II, 12). A vision
is knowledge of a need and of the
resources at our command. Eli and
his sons had no vision and people
lacking in this direction perish (Prov.
1918. Jehovah is about to make
known to Israel his will and in so do
ing he passes over this indulgent father
and chooses the child Samuel. Teach
ableness and obedience are the chief
characteristics of childhood and these
traits count for more with God than
does age or experience Matt. 1925.
1 Tim. 4:12, Matt. 21:6). Samuel had
not acquired the conceit of youth, he
was faithful to his duties, respectful to
his elders and did not boast of his
accomplishments nor of the special
/ revelation which came to him. Sam
! uel slept in the holy place of the "sa-
cred tent" near Eli, for the great
temple was not yet built. AS such he
is a type for the Christian Cps. 27:4).i
It was there that the Lord revealed
himself to him (John 1:14 r. " mar.
! gin). One of SamuePs duties as the
special attendant of Eli was to open
the house of God every morning, also
to tend the sacred lamp which burned
from evening to morning eek. 27:20.
/ 21). AS he attended to these duties
God made himself known to Samuel
/ ". a. God frequently calls men and
they are not at home but have gone
into the far country Samuel knew
God as every devout worshiper knew
him, but had not yet received direct
revelation, hence he did not yet know
Jehovah" Thinking at once of the
priest, Samuel ran to receive orders
or to render service Had he disre,
garded the voice he would not in the
end have received his clear revelation.
To have closed his ears, turned over
for further sleep or to have risen hesi-
tatingly would, in all probability, have
prevented any further calls prov
1:24, 25, 2S). God wants, for special
services, those who make glad re-
sponse to his first call lisa. 6:S; Luke
9:59-62: Acts 9:6). Three times the
call comes and three times Samuel
makes reply. There are three periods
in the unfolding life that are most sus
ceptible to the leading of the Holy
Spirit. Nine to twelve, fourteen an6
! fifteen, seventeen and eighteen are
particularly open to impressions, espe
cially if the child has had religious
: atmosphere and training
The teacher needs to be ever aler
; to take advantage of these opportu
mites to unfold and enforce the claim.
of Christ and to challenge an imme
diate decision of the soul. Happy ar,
they who like Samuel hear and recog
nize, even though it be a progressiv,
revelation, the voice of Jehovah, ant
hearing, obey it. There is little nee,
at present for the audible voice, TO
we have the word and the still small
voice of the Holy Spirit. The voic
Samuel heard became vision (v. 15)
The Bible everywhere assumes tha
God speaks to men. We do not fin,
: him SO much by searching for him, fo
he is made known (s4manifssted') il
! the person of his Son (I John IL, 2
: John 1850. Gods calls to servic
? may come at any period, but frequent
I ly they come very early. Hudson Tay
lor. founder of the wonderful Chin
Inland mission, received his call a
! seventeen. Eli in times past mus
;. have heard Jehovah speak, else b
1 would not have recognized who it wa
that was speaking to Samuel (chapte
2:27). Samuel's call was to service
to be prophet. Our commission is t
n witness and to serve mark 1915
Samuel received Jehovah's word nc
n at Ellis side but in his own restin
}. place; so God would speak to us whe
/, In our own place where he has put III
5, 1t is well for us to be sure we ar
II truly hearing the voice of God (Joh
/ ~.
{ II. Jehovah's Verdict, w. 11-13, 1!
20. The chapter following tells of th
u defeat of Israel, the capture of th
l. ark and the death of Eli and his SON
q These were the things "at which bot
It the ears of everyone that heareth
shall tingle." The word of Jehova
= stands fast, and what he speaks thu
he performs from the beginning eve
. unto the end (Luke 21:,32, Number
y 23:19). The word of Jehovah to San
uel about the house of Eli was or
t. calculated to strike terror and silene
l. into the lads heart. Eli was not ign
" 4 rant of the wickedness of his sor
l, (2:27-36). Eli learns from Samuel j
# hovah's message. Eli was great an
e good man, submissive to Gods vii
@ but he vas weak man, rather tha
D. just piously resigned He might be
', ter have prayed for mercy an
= strength to deal with his wicked son