A short exhortation based upon some points from a Brother of mine in Christ, Sheum.
1Sam 3:1-3
...And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was...
'The word of the Lord was precious in those days' the days mentioned here were not unlike today, idolatry was rampant, traditionalism and religiosity the norm; such that God had very few men in whom he found favour, with whom he could fellowship, with whom he could share his word.
'There was no open vision', again it is stark just how history seems to repeat itself and even when it's recorded for us, we still fail to see when the devil uses the same tactics time and time again! In those days like now, the people who should have had their spiritual eyes open, were blind.
We are then told how Eli, the head Levite Priest, was 'laid down in his place'; that is laid down at his post. He wasn't doing as he should have been doing, his spiritual eyes were heavy and he was blind. And so what happened next...disaster! The lamp of God, in the Holy of Holies, the lamp that ought to burn always (Ex 27:20), went out. This is what we're in danger of doing when we grow spiritually dim, the light that Jesus shines in us, our bodies being the temple of God, is likewise in danger of going out.
Let us pray that the Lord our God help us to keep his light burning in our lives. Jesus, please give us open vision in these these last days by your Holy Spirit, such that your church will not lay down but arise because of the grace you give it. Holy, mighty Lord God, let your word have a resurgence in these days, even in a complete turnaround so that it resounds and reverberates around this fallen world and becomes not precious any more but common. In the righteous name of Jesus we pray, amen.
