Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 3 (day three)
“The lamp of God had not yet gone out.” These words refer to an actual lamp with an actual flame—the lampstand at the curtain on the other side of which sat the ark of the covenant. It was to be kept burning from evening till morning. This detail of dimly burning fire serves to mark the time as the wee hours. But it marks something else, too. It signals to us that God has not given up on saving the human race. We know that these words indicate God’s intention because we can look at the entire witness of scripture in a way that the people living it at the moment could not. In every night dimly-lit, in every church persecuted, in every incident of God’s supposed slowness, there rises the providence of God.
God is the creator of the whole universe and He provides what needed. God can guide all events without destroying human freedom.
He is God. He owns the earth, is present and is active in our lives and the earth affairs. He governs all His creations, all human needs, all things and all conditions, not by chance, but by His will and His plan. This active engagement of God reminds us that our prayers are crucial in execution of God’s will and His plan! The providence of God is so apparent and we must believe it and trust Him.
This passage, “The lamp of God had not yet gone out.” seems to point out that God appeared very early in the morning before the lamp was out of fuel/oil or was set to be out. It signals to us that God called on Samuel in the daylight so it was not a dream. It was an actual calling of Samuel from God. God called on Samuel to serve His purpose directly, and not through Eli!
God may appear at anytime and at any location to call on us to serve His will and His plan. We just have to prepare for it! Will you be concerned if God’s voice is no longer rare?