I’ve heard the story of Samuel and Eli (from 1 Samuel 3) before, but something stood out to me this week when I read it again. If you are unfamiliar with the tale, God audibly woke up Samuel several times, and the first few times, Samuel ran to Eli (the temple priest with whom he lived and worked) because he thought it was him calling. The fourth time God called, Samuel finally responded to God’s voice and listened to the message he had for him.

The first thing that hit me was at the beginning of the story: God approached Samuel during a time when he wasn’t speaking much to his people. God had been pretty quiet, and his revelations were few and far between.

It reminded me of the Kingdom Dog Ministries performance last week, in which a trainer sent his dog through a series of commands and tasks to test his obedience. At one point, he sent the dog into the corridor behind the stage, so the animal had to obey only the master’s voice commands to navigate his way out. The trainer asked the audience if we ever felt like we couldn’t see the Master (that is, God) and were afraid we’d been abandoned. In those moments, we have to trust his voice and rely on him in faith.

The second thing that caught my attention was that the news God told Samuel wasn’t even about him, and it wasn’t good news, either. God let Samuel know about his forthcoming judgment on Eli, and it was up to Samuel to go and share that information with his caretaker/boss/father-figure.

I wondered why God didn’t just tell Eli directly, but I think it may have been partly to see whether Samuel would do it. When Eli confronted Samuel later about his conversation with God, Samuel had a choice to make: he could obey and share the bad news or face the consequences of disobeying. He chose to obey, even though it had to have been difficult.

Like the trained dog who stalwartly ignored a treat right in front of his nose because his master said not to eat it, Samuel demonstrated loyal obedience. When you are faced with tempting choices, do you give in, or do you serve God’s interests above your own?