30. Samuel’s Night Vision Dream

The Dream Setting/Backstory

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This night vision came nearly one hundred years after The Midianite’s Dream for Gideon.  Eli the high priest ministered before The Ark of the Covenant and judged Israel for forty years.  Young Samuel was given into Eli’s care to fulfil a vow made to God by Samuel’s mother Hannah.  

Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas who ministered with their father were wicked men with no regard for the Lord or the custom of the priests with the people.  

They were sleeping with the holy women who served at the temple entrance. They also took prime cuts of meat, sometimes by force, from the sacrifices instead of honouring the random method God had ordained for this process. [1]  

Eli rebuked them too lightly and they continued in their sin.  Scripture says, Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. [2]

Even though revelation was scarce in those days God still sent an unnamed prophet to tell Eli he had honoured his sons above the Lord because he did not rebuke them and remove them from office. 

Because of Eli’s toleration of his son’s sin, forever  afterwards, all of Eli’s male descendants would die before reaching old age.  

The King James Version says it poetically, They shall die in the flower of their age. [3]

The unknown prophet said the sign of his prophecy coming to pass would occur when Hophni and Phinehas would die on the same day.

The Dream Scripture

1 Samuel 3:1-15

* * *

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.   The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was.   Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”   And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realised that the Lord was calling the boy.  So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.   At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end.   For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.   Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ ”

Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

“What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.”  So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”

The Problem

* * *

God’s spiritual leaders were wicked men with little regard for the Lord or His instructions. God was about to change the guard.

It was like when Isaiah said, These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. [4]  

The priests and people were not seeking the Lord and God was not pleased.  Isaiah said dreams and visions being rare was a sign of God’s punishment. He wrote, 

Be stunned and amazed,

    blind yourselves and be sightless;

be drunk, but not from wine,

    stagger, but not from beer. 

The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:

    He has sealed your eyes (the prophets);

    he has covered your heads (the seers).

 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give
the scroll to someone who can read, and
say, “Read this, please,” they will
answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.”  Or if you
give the scroll to someone who cannot
read, and say, “Read this, please,” they
will answer, “I don’t know how to
read. [5]”

When God refuses to give dreams and visions and interpretation we are all in trouble. King Saul who continually disobeyed God cried out, 

I am in great distress.  The Philistines are
fighting against me, and God has
departed from me. He no longer
answers me, either by prophets or by
dreams. [6]  

Micah also spoke about a time when Israel disobeyed God.  He said, 

Therefore night will come over you, without
visions, and darkness, without
divination. The sun will set for the
prophets, and the day will go dark for
them.  The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover
their faces because there is no answer
from God.  But as for me, I am filled with
power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and
with justice and might, to declare to
Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.
Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you
rulers of Israel, who despise justice and
distort all that is right. [7]

* * *

The Dreamer’s Metron

* * *

Samuel had a deep and wide metron in a range of leadership roles.  He was a seer, priest, nazarite, judge, prophet, and military leader. God used Samuel to set up Israel’s monarchy.  Initially he resisted Israel’s desire for a king but conceded after God said it was okay.  

He then anointed Saul as king and later David. Afterwards he prophesied Saul’s rejection as king three times.  The third rejection occurred after the Witch of Endor conjured up Samuel’s spirit at King Saul’s insistence.  

Samuel has the distinction of being only one of two ghosts, apart from the Holy Ghost, who appears in Scripture. The other is Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration. Remember Elijah never died.

Samuel arrived on the scene at a pivotal time in Israel’s history.  After Joshua’s death Israel entered the days of the judges, a time without a centralised government. During this era, God in response to the peoples’ prayer would raise up certain individuals like Gideon to deliver Israel from her enemies for a time.  

The Book of Judges records twelve judges and First Samuel presents Eli and Samuel. Samuel was the last judge. After Samuel’s time Israel was led by kings.  

Samuel was born when words from the Lord were rare and scarce.  God used Samuel to usher in the era of the prophets, a time when Israel was awash with prophets and revelation that still blesses the whole world today. 

The Message

* * *

As often happens in a new move of God, judgement began at the house of the Lord. [8] Eli knew his sons were sinning but he failed to properly deal with them. Now God’s clear message said He was about to swiftly judge them in a manner that will shock all of Israel.

God’s Purpose

* * *

God was keeping His Covenantal Promises to Abraham concerning caring for Israel. God’s purpose was twofold. He planned to bring judgement on the old regime for not dealing with sin in its midst and He wanted to start speaking again to the nation through his new prophet Samuel. 

Satan’s Purpose

* * *

Satan’s purpose as usual was to resist God’s plans and purpose and to lead men astray from the true worship of God.  Hophni and Phinehas like Satan were full of pride, lust, greed and rebellion.  Like Satan they were no longer fit for purpose. 

Dreamer’s Eyes Enlightened

* * *

God bursts on the scene and starts speaking to Samuel.  Overnight Samuel receives divine revelation concerning the nation and begins to function as a prophet.   

* * *
Dreamer’s Response and Application

* * *

Young Samuel was afraid to tell Eli of his revelation and didn’t know what to do until Eli encouraged him to reveal it under the threat of God dealing severely with him if he withheld anything from Eli.  

So Samuel shared everything he received with his spiritual mentor.  Samuel’s dream revelation was a confirmation of what the prophet had said earlier.  Eli’s response was lethargic.  As a priest he should have interceded with God for his sons. Instead he just let things take their course. 

Know God Better

* * *

God is still the Promise Keeper yet He is also a God of justice able and willing to judge His people. In this incident God raises up a new innocent next-generation of prophetic people who will press in to know Him better.

The Dream Process

* * *

This is a literal dream. Although Samuel doesn’t need an interpretation he did need instruction on how to properly respond to God.   It was all new to Samuel.  He assumed God’s voice was the High Priest’s Eli’s voice, so he kept going to Eli until Eli realised God was talking to Samuel.  

Perhaps God had similarly spoken to Eli in the past. When Samuel eventually recognised God as the source of the voice he says, Speak, for your servant is listening.  At that point God delivered his plain message. 

The Usual Suspects

* * *

The lamp and the Ark of God was there. The Lord who came and stood there, calling as at the other times was probably Jesus. Satan was evident in the actions of Hophni and Phinehas. 

Takeaways

* * *

Like Gideon before him and David and Solomon after him, Eli didn’t properly discipline his sons.  The children’s hearts were not turned to their father and the land was cursed. [9]   

Samuel didn’t do much better.  The Bible says, 

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba.  But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have. [10]”

Lack of integrity and no fear of God within the next generation opened a door for Israel to reject God as King and instead choose a man to rule over them.  Samuel was displeased at this but the Lord told him: 

Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. [11]

The people were able to reject God as king because of the neglected character flaws within Samuel’s sons. 

1 1 Samuel 2:12-17

2 1 Samuel 2:12

3 1 Samuel 2:33

4 Isaiah 29:13

5 Isaiah 29:9-12

6 1 Samuel 28:15

7 Micah 3:5-9

8 1 Peter 4:17

9 Malachi 4:6

10 1 Samuel 8:1-4

11 1 Samuel 8:7