Reflections on 1 Samuel 3 and Hebrews 10
As we reflect on last week’s scripture, (1 Samuel 3) we are invited into a hard truth: “grace is not a loophole. It is a gift—and gifts can be refused.”
Thinking back to our Sunday School days, this story is told as a little boy running back and forth to Eli. We think that it is a great for kids, but I am not a kid. But UCC Theologian Dr. Walter Brueggemann sees 1 Samuel 3 not just as a call story, but as a theological pivot: the moment when God’s word reenters a community that had grown numb to it. He writes that “the word of the Lord was rare” not because God was silent, but because the leadership had grown deaf—Eli’s failure to restrain his sons was symptomatic of a broader spiritual malaise.
Tragically, Eli’s sons knew the rituals but not the reverence. Just as the people addressed in Hebrews10:26-31, knew the gospel but not its gravity. In both stories, the failure wasn’t ignorance—it was willful neglect. And the consequences were not just personal—they were communal.
The Word of the Lord is not a take it or leave it option. The vengeance of God is a real thing. We like the quote in Romans 12:19, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” Here it is talking about our compassion in the face of injustice. But in Hebrews 10:30, it is talking about how God will judge his people. For it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Eli and his sons experienced the justice of God for their abuse of their spiritual office and responsibilities. But the application is not just for them, it is also for us, if we ignore the Word of the Lord and the responsibilities that the call of grace has upon us.
Let us reflect on this warning, may we ask not just what we believe, but how we live it. May we listen like Samuel, speak truth like prophets, and lead with integrity like Christ.
“Where have I been silent when God was speaking?”
Pastor Greg
