I didn’t call you, go back to bed
Preaching Outline on 1 Samuel 3:3-9 – “…The Lord called Samuel, who answered, ‘Here I am!’ He ran to Eli and said, ‘Did you call me?’ Eli answered, ‘I didn’t call you; go back to bed’…”
Introduction to I Samuel 3:3-9
A time of silence and spiritual crisis
The nation of Israel was in spiritual decline:
- The Word was rare (v.1): Not for lack of God speaking, but for lack of attentive ears (Amos 8:11).
- Eli, the priest, was blind and conformed (v.2): His family corrupted the priesthood (1 Samuel 2:12-17).
- God’s lamp had not yet gone out (v.3): A symbol that, even in the darkness, God maintains a faithful remnant.
In this scenario, God calls Samuel, a young man who didn’t know His voice (v.7), but whose heart was prepared to listen. The story confronts our willingness to respond to God’s call in the midst of religious apathy.
Development
1. The crisis of the priesthood: Eli and the accumulated indifference
Eli, although a priest, failed in three respects:
- Lack of spiritual discernment: He didn’t immediately recognize that God was calling Samuel (v.8).
- Paternal negligence: His sons, Hophni and Phinehas, desecrated the altar, and he didn’t correct them (1 Samuel 3:13).
- Conformity: Even after understanding that God was speaking, he remained lying down (v.9), symbolizing passivity in the face of sin.
2. Samuel: A willing heart in the midst of chaos
Samuel contrasts with Eli:
- Willingness to serve: Since he was a child, he served in the temple (1 Samuel 2:11).
- Humility to learn: Despite his inexperience, he obeyed Eli and returned to the place of listening (v.9).
- Readiness to respond: Three times he exclaimed “Here I am!” (vv.4, 6, 8), showing sacrificial readiness (Isaiah 6:8).
God is not looking for experience, but availability: Samuel was not a priest, but a young man with an upright heart, different from the skepticism of his time.
3.”Go back to bed”: The danger of spiritual complacency
Eli’s command to Samuel (“go back to bed”) reflects a mentality that..:
- It minimizes the supernatural: Eli treated the call as something ordinary.
- Prioritizes comfort: The bed represents accommodation in an empty religious routine.
- It lacks eschatological urgency: Jesus warned: “Watch, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).
While Eli says “Go back to bed”, Christ says “Get up, take up your bed and walk” (John 5:8). God does not call us to laziness, but to supernatural action.
4. The voice that persists: God speaks until someone listens
God called Samuel four times (vv.4, 6, 8, 10). His persistence shows:
- Grace: He reveals himself even to those who don’t know him (John 1:10-13).
- Mercy: Despite Eli’s failure, God used him to guide Samuel (vv.8-9).
- Purpose: Samuel became a prophet in a time of silence, showing that God renews his work (Isaiah 43:19).
How often do we attribute God’s voice to natural causes? He speaks through the Bible, conscience and community, but we demand spectacular signs (Luke 11:29).
Conclusion of I Samuel 3:3-9
The choice between the bed and the call
The story ends with a contrast:
- Eli, lying down, faced judgment (1 Samuel 4:18).
- Samuel, standing up, became a channel of revelation (1 Samuel 3:19-21).
God is calling you not to more encounters, but to a transforming encounter. Don’t leave Him out!
Are you like Eli, who heard God’s voice but preferred the bed of conformity, or like Samuel, who said “Speak, Lord, for your servant listens” (v.10)?
More Preaching Outlines
- And I took for myself two sticks – Zechariah 11:7
- He will pass before me. – Job 9:11
- Hannah’s affliction – I Samuel 1:13
