Blind and deaf

Sometimes, you can see some sharp irony in the Bible. I think this is one of those cases.

It says in 1 Samuel 3:1,

In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.

This was in the time of the judges, when “everyone did whatever he wanted.” (Judges 21:25).

When you look at chapter 2, you see this extended even to the priests. Little wonder that God refused to speak.

In verse 2, you see the irony. Eli, the high priest, had failing eyesight. But he was not only losing his physical eyesight; he was losing his spiritual eyesight.

Why?

Because Eli failed to truly honor God in his life. Instead, he honored his sons above God.

His sons blatantly sinned both against God and the people, and Eli refused to remove them from the priesthood.

As a result, God was about to take the priesthood from them all. (1 Samuel 2:29-36; 3:11-14)

On the other hand, you had Samuel. Again you have some irony here: the priest who could not see gives insight to Samuel on how to see.

When Eli realized God was calling Samuel, he told him,

If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ (1 Samuel 3:9)

You then have the picture of the Lord standing by Samuel’s side, calling him. At which point, Samuel did as Eli told him to. He said, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

How often does the Lord stand by our side calling us, but we can’t perceive him? We can’t perceive him because we cling to our sin, shutting our eyes and ears to him.

If we do this for too long, God will eventually stop talking to us.

Jesus said,

For this people’s heart has grown callous;
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;

otherwise they might see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and
understand with their hearts,
and turn back—

and I would heal them. (Matthew 13:15)

When God calls you, who will you be? Eli, who clings to his sin, refuses to listen, and becomes blind and deaf?

Or Samuel, who when his Lord calls, says, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”?