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Apostle Dr. Opoku Onyinah

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Apostle Dr. Opoku Onyinah HEARING AND OBEYING THE LORD'S VOICE IN MY GENERATION Apostle Dr. Opoku Onyinah KEY TEXTS: 1 SAMUEL 3:9-10 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears” (NKJV). 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 GOD SPEAKS IN EVERY GENERATION God always speaks to people in every generation. The way God speaks to people in each generation may change but there is a clear indication that he always speaks to people. In the Bible, God spoke to Abraham and his immediate descendants—Isaac and Jacob. They are often referred to as the Patriarchs. For example, Genesis 12:1 reads, "Now the LORD said to Abram...." How God spoke to him or the way he spoke to him is not clear. In other places, he spoke to Abraham and also to Jacob in dreams. What is certain in this period is that the Lord spoke to these people and they were sure that they had heard the voice of God. Another picture comes out during the call of Moses. God called him through the burning bush experience, and commissioned him to go and deliver His people. The experience that Moses had with the Lord is described as "speaking to God face to face": Then He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?" (Num 12:6-8, NKJV). Through this special dealing with Moses, God gave him the Law which became the standard way of knowing the will and ways of God. God's purpose was well established in His Law. On the one hand, those who heard and obeyed were blessed. On the other hand, failure to obey resulted in curses and punishments. Nevertheless, new trends emerged which did not have the direct reference to the Law of God as written down for His people. Therefore, God continued to speak to people through some people who were identified as 'prophets'. Seventeen books have been assigned to the prophets who were able to write down their prophecies in 1 the Bible. The Law and the words of the prophets continued until the coming of the Lord Jesus. The coming of Jesus began a new era. The person of Jesus was the embodiment of the word of God. He was the voice of God on earth, throwing light on God's word that had been misunderstood and showing people the right path to God. Jesus did not throw away the Law of God that had been written down. Rather, He made the written word of God clearer. For example, in Matthew 5:17-18, He declared, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (NKJV). What did he mean by this? He wanted the people to know that the Law of God was from God and it was perfect, but people had misunderstood it and applied it differently. His presence was to demonstrate to people the meaning of God's word and to make it relevant to generations. But the people of His generation could not 'hear' Him, thus several times He told them, "He who has ears, let him hear" (Matt 11:15; 13:9 (NIV); cf Luke 8:8; 14:35; John 14:23-24). Jesus appointed twelve men whom he called 'apostles'. He trained them and impacted their lives in such a way that they should be able to continue the work which He began after his death. They were, however, to wait for the Holy Spirit before embarking on this ministry. The death of Jesus began an era which continues up to our time—the period of the apostles. In this era, the apostles become the mouthpiece of God. The coming of Jesus shows us that God could still speak through a person without saying "thus says the Lord". It shows us that the body of a human being can demonstrate the voice, power and glory of God. In other words, the apostolic era, which includes our days, has a combination of the ministry that was common in the Old Testament and that of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this era, the revelation of God settles in the body of a person for the person to become a source of blessing. 1.2 Common things in the Lord's Voice in All Generations We have established so far that the Lord speaks to people in all generations. One thing the Lord required from His people was for them to hear and obey Him. Obedience brings blessings and disobedience brings curses and punishments. One thing I have observed is that Christians often think God spoke in the past but not today. Some Christians think and talk about the past and the future but not of today. The theme, "Hearing and Obeying the Voice of the Lord in my Generation", is about how God continues to speak to his people in all times including today. In this study, I shall use the call, life and ministry of Samuel to show how the Lord speaks and deals with people. The contempt of God's statutes by Eli's sons that contributed to the rarity of God's word will be looked at. I shall discuss Eli's 2 instruction to Samuel, "Speak, LORD! your servant hears" (1 Sam 3:10), and how Samuel responded to it. The role that Eli played and how he responded to the Lord through the message sent through Samuel will also be handled. Highlights will be thrown on hindrances to hearing from the Lord. Samuel's encounter with Saul and the issues that came out will be examined to shed light on the operations of a prophet. An attempt will be made to link hearing the voice of the Lord in the Old Testament with that of the New Testament. The impact of hearing from God on generations will be analysed. The downside of the prophet will be analysed so as to focus on the Lord always without depending on people. It is hoped that lessons drawn from this study will strengthen your faith in the Lord in order that you will continue to hear from the Lord and obey Him. 2.0 RARITY OF THE WORD OF GOD And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision (1 Sam 3:1, KJV). Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision (1 Sam 3:1, ESV). The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions (1 Sam 3:1, NIV). 2.1 The Power of God was Still at Work God always speaks, but sometimes the word of God becomes rare. It becomes rare because when He speaks, people do not listen. During the time of the boy Samuel, there was the scarcity of the word of God in Israel. Yet, the power of God was still at work. Samuel was born out of the dedication of his father's worshipful practice and his mother's prayerful nature. Hannah was barren and so she prayed to God for a child. Samuel was the result of her prayer and the blessing of the High Priest Eli. Do not underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer that comes from the heart can change situations at home, school, the workplace and church. One of the reasons that caused the author of 1 Samuel to say there was scarcity of the word of God was that the two sons of the High Priest, Hophni and Phinehas, were living in sin. They were treating the offering of the Lord with contempt and also leaving in immorality. The Lord used the officials around to speak to them but they would not listen (1 Sam 2:15-18). The Lord also used their father to speak to them, still they would not obey him (1 Sam 2:22-25). Thus they had hardened their hearts. Meanwhile Samuel's mother brought him to the High Priest after she had weaned him. It is said that Jewish mothers weaned their children at age three. This means Samuel was brought to Eli the High Priest when he was about three years. 1 Samuel 3 2:11 indicates that Samuel started ministering to the Lord immediately he was sent to the High Priest. "Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy ministered to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest" (ESV; cf 1 Sam 1:11-28; 2:1-11).
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