The Call
Shalom. It is good to be here today,
to share with you a bit of my story. I am getting old and shaky, and my voice
is not as strong as it once was. I hope you can hear me at the back. It is
important that you are able to hear.
My name is Eli. You probably know me
because of my connection to Samuel. It was I who helped him hear when God
called his name. It was I who gave him the words to say, “Speak, Lord, for your
servant is listening.” Samuel was a good boy, with a good heart and a strong
faith. Not like Nahshon. His was another story altogether!
You haven’t heard of Nahshon? Well,
Nahshon was my young helper before Samuel came.
But he was not like Samuel and he left my service while still young.
Perhaps that is why you have not heard of him. Let me tell you his story.
Many years ago there was a woman who
believed in God. She believed in God even when God didn't seem to answer her
prayers. The talk about the town was that God was angry with her, that she must
be a sinful person. For this reason people mostly ignored her.
Rather than curse and turn her back
on God this faithful woman continued to pray and hope that God would soon grant
her request. Her prayer was a simple one; she wanted a child. For years this prayer remained barren, as if
not heard at all. This, even after she made a vow to God, a vow that promised
that if she was given a child, she would dedicate that child to God's service…
life-long service in the Temple.
God, who is a God of surprises,
answered, “Yes!” to the woman's prayer. Much to the surprise of all she bore a
son. Great was her joy! She named her child Nahshon after one of the early
leaders of Israel.
After a few years, when Nahshon was
able to live without his mother's care, she took him to the Temple and
presented him to me. I was thankful to God for this young boy, for now there
was someone to help me with the various tasks around the Temple. I was well
aware of my failing eyesight, weakening body, and shaky hands. It was good to
have this young boy there as a helper. I taught the young boy many and various
things, from the simple everyday maintenance of the building to the wonderful
Word of God written down in the scrolls.
For seven years I taught Nahshon,
who, at first, eagerly learned everything I shared with him. Then things began to change, Nahshon seemed
uninterested or distracted much of the time.
At first I decided it was just a stage, just part of the boy's growing
up and there was nothing I could really do about it but wait for the stage to
pass.
One night, long after all the duties
for the day had been completed, I thought I heard something. Sitting up in my
bed I listened carefully. Were there thieves in the Temple? Was someone having
a nightmare? Or was it just my imagination? I strained my aging ears, listening
to the night. At first there was nothing, then I heard it again. This time I
could make out Nahshon’s name being repeated over and over. “Who is calling the
boy?” I wondered. Crawling out of my bed
I made my way to the place where Nahshon was sleeping. The voice continued
calling out the boy's name. I could hear the voice quite plainly now, but I
couldn’t see who was calling, the room was empty except for me and the boy.
Then suddenly I realized the truth; “God is calling the boy!” I made my way
over to Nahshon’s bed and gently shook his arm to wake him.
With a prolonged groan the boy woke
and whined, “What do you want? Can't you see I was sleeping?” I gently, but
firmly told him the news, “God is calling you.”
Nahshon pulled the blanket around his
shoulders and stared at me like I was crazy. “What are you babbling about?” he
demanded. I simply repeated what I had said the first time, “God is calling
you, listen!”
We both stopped talking and listened.
There was nothing but silence. “I think you must have been dreaming” Nahshon
asserted, “so go back to your room and let's both get some sleep.” Satisfied that he had said enough Nahshon
rolled over and within moments was once again asleep.
I began to wonder if my ears had
deceived me, or if I had possibly dreamt hearing the voice. Doubt began to creep all over me. Feeling
rather disappointed, and a little out of touch, I made my way back to my
bedroom.
No sooner had I sat down on my bed
when I heard the voice again. I pinched myself to make sure I was awake. “No,
I'm not dreaming,” I concluded when I felt the sharpness of pain where my skin
was wedged between my thumb and finger. Once again the voice was repeating
Nahshon’s name. This time I hurried to the boy's room. “Wake up! Wake up!” I
shouted at the boy, “God is calling you again!”
Still Nahshon slept. “Wake up and
listen,” I urged as I shook the boy's shoulder for a second time that night.
“You again! I thought I told you I
was sleeping!” he protested. I put a finger to my lips and urged the boy to be
quiet. “Listen, God is calling you,” I whispered. However, when Nahshon finally
did listen there was only silence once again.
“Now you listen to me old man… I've
had enough of you and your crazy ideas,” he sneered back at me. I couldn’t
believe what I was hearing, but Nahshon wasn’t finished, “You're old and you
must be going senile! I'll have you know that I don't appreciate you disturbing
my sleep with your insane ideas of God talking to you.”
I tried to explain, “God wasn't
calling me, God was calling you!” Nahshon just shrugged and growled, “Whatever!
I don't care! Just get out of here and leave me alone.”
Shocked by Nahshon’s rudeness I could
only shake my head. As I turned to go I told him, “You have changed so much in
the last while, I think you are beginning to grow into a man. But I do not think all the changes have been
for the better.” He looked me straight in the eyes and proclaimed, “I don't
care what you think!”
At that very moment the voice called
out once again. “There! Listen! You must have heard that!” I insisted. The
voice of God called out the name of the boy once more. I heard it clearly. I
looked at Nahshon to see if finally he had heard the call. As I looked at the
boy the voice called out a final time. Feeling reassured I said, “See, what did
I tell you? God is calling you! Didn't you hear it?”
Nahshon replied, “I only heard the
wind, or a wolf howling in the distance, or something like that… but I don't hear
any God saying anything.” The tone of his voice was flat and disinterested.
What could I do? I sighed deeply and
turned away. I slowly shuffled back to my room. My excitement had faded into disappointment, and
the disappointment wore me out. I did not sleep well that night.
After that night everything changed.
In the following days Nahshon seemed less and less interested in my work, or in
the things I would try to teach him. One day he simply packed his things and
walked away. I never saw him again. It was a sad day, one of the saddest of my
life. It was shortly after that when I met Hannah… but that’s another story.
I’ve often wondered why Nahshon
couldn’t hear God’s voice. Perhaps he simply didn’t want to hear it, or perhaps
he was so focused on his own wants and needs that he simply missed it. Dear
people of God, may you always listen for the voice of God. May you always be
open to God’s leading. May you be open and humble like young Samuel, and not
stubborn and self-centered like Nahshon. May God’s Spirit keep your ears and
hearts open to the voice of God which calls to you throughout your life.
Thank you for taking a few moments to
listen to this old man.
Peace be with you. Shalom.
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