The Bible is like an onion.
I don’t mean it stinks or adds flavor to cooked dishes. I mean it has many, many layers of interpretation. That is why Christians re-read Bible passages many times during their lifetimes. Each time we read a passage, if we stop and think about it, we can peel away our old reading and get a new nuance or understanding of God’s word in that particular passage.
So it is with the boy Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:1-10 — this week’s suggested Old Testament passage in the Revised Common Lectionary. Samuel is serving in the Temple under his mentor, the Rabbi Eli. They are asleep and Samuel hears a voice calling to him. He runs to Eli and says “Here I am. You called me.”
Eli says “I did not call. Go back and lie down.” This happens twice more, until Eli finally tells him that the Lord is talking to him and to say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Today, over 2,000 years later, it is rare for Christians to hear the literal voice of God booming from a cloud or speaking to them in the air over their bed. Instead, God “works in mysterious ways” as the saying goes. We might get a certain feeling or indication that we need to act in a particular way or do a specific thing. For example, if we “pop off” at a relative over something they did, we might have a feeling that we should apologize. It might be just a realization on our part that our reaction was too severe for the situation.
If we see someone who looks homeless sitting outside a convenience store, we might have a feeling that we should offer them a few dollars to get a bit to eat. No one suggested it to us, it is just a feeling we have.
Do not underestimate the significance of these random sentiments. They may be nothing. However, they may be our God speaking to us in this modern age, guiding and motivating us to be the person God created us to be. When we have these feelings, our response should be: “Your servant is listening.”
