Is it possible to grow up in a godly home and not know God? Is it possible to be part of the Lord's community and not know God? The answer would be Yes! That was just the case in the life of the young Samuel. Samuel grew up in a good home. His parents periodically worshipped the Lord. They met the necessary requirements to purge their sins. They even dedicated Samuel to temple service. Samuel even grew up in the Tabernacle in the service of the priest Eli.
But, in 1 Samuel. 3.7 we are told that Samuel did not yet know the work or person of the Lord. Samuel lived in a time when divine revelation was rare. It was a time of poor spiritual leadership. The Elide dynasty was corrupt and immoral. But the lamp of God had not gone out, both literally and spiritually (3.3). The Lord had great things in mind, through Samuel. Samuel did not need a better family, tabernacle, or teacher, he needed the word of the Lord.
Notice how Samuel progresses as time passes in this narrative. At first, the Lord's word was rare in those days (3.1). However, in one night Samuel came to know the Lord as God spoke to him. The next morning Samuel had something he never had at that point. He had divine knowledge. Yet, he was reluctant to share with Eli because it's message convicted Eli. Even though this message contained judgment, Samuel shared it with Eli. Samuel kept growing in the subsequent days because he kept a relationship with God through his word.
Is it possible to grow up in a Christian home and be a part of the Lord's Church and not know God? Yes! Is it possible to live in a "evangelical society" and have a deficiency in spiritual leadership? Yes. The Samuel narrative teaches us that God remedied Israel's spiritual deficiency and Samuel's relational deficiency with his Word.
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