Have you ever received a prophetic word, or encounter from the Holy Spirit, then ran off to tell someone? Did you ever stop to consider what this is doing to your spirit? Prophet Sameul once did the same thing until God gave him the understanding needed to break free from this trap. And it was this understanding that made Samuel’s prophetic words like no other, all of his words came to pass…
1 Samuel 3:19
"And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground."
So let's discover what God revealed to Samuel and receive the same prophetic fruit in our lives!
Samuel's Calling
Samuel was different, he became a minister in God's temple as a child. Something unheard of before this time, yet his age wasn't a hindrance. Late one night as he fell asleep and the Lord called out to Him. Young Samuel ran to Eli thinking it was him saying, "Here I am; for thou calledst me." Eli clears things up and dismisses it, sending him back to bed. This happens two more times and on the third time Eli realized what was going on.
Eli counsels Samuel to respond and say, "Speak Lord; for the servant heareth." So Samuel listens and when the Lord speaks to Samuel, God reveals something unexpected about his master Eli. God tells Samuel about Eli's wickedness and His coming judgment against him:
1 Sam. 3:11-14
"11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. 14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever."
The next day, Samuel continued on with his duties but was afraid to tell Eli what happened. Eli urges him to reveal it, and finally Samuel cracks. Samuel tells him everything, and Eli responds, "...It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good." The very next verse we read how God made all Samuel's words come to pass, so what happened to Samuel that caused this shift? Samuel stopped eating the bread of hypocrisy and traded it for the truth. Let's break it down.
The Bread of Hypocrisy
Eli was a hypocrite. Eli and his sons took the food offerings from the people's sacrifice and cooked it for themselves, 1 Sam. 2:14. They took the fat offerings by force, 1 Sam 2:16, Eli's sons slept with the women who came into the congregation, 1 Sam. 2:22, and Eli's failing duties as a minister were seen when he was too blind to even see the light in the tabernacle going out in 1 Sam. 3:2-3.
God was already upset at Eli for this, and especially for allowing his sons to stay in the priesthood after all this. Eli tried to correct his sons in 1 Sam. 2:24-25 but God hardened their hearts because He was going to kill them. You can see how powerless hypocrisy makes your words, even under your own covering. Eli idolized his sons, got fat off the people's forgiveness of sins, and abused his office of a priest to benefit himself.
God was so upset at Eli for this that He changed his word! God once promised to make all of Eli's family ministers before the Lord, but God brought an end to that in Eli's bloodline, 1 Sam. 2:30, he cursed Eli's bloodline with blindness, grievance of heart, and death at an early age, 1 Sam. 2:33. God ends His word against Eli's bloodline by removing his forgiveness of sins! 1 Sam. 3:14 "...I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever."
Was God too harsh? Well, it's important to consider what Eli was actually doing by taking the people's food offerings for himself and his sons. Their offerings were for the forgiveness of sins, it was their atonement and his failures as a minister meant he was putting the forgiveness of sins for all the Israelites in jeopardy! The Israelites had no idea Eli was doing this, and caused them to hope in a lie! Eli's rebellion robbed the people of the forgiveness of sins through their obedience to the law. All God did was judge Eli with the same judgment he gave others, so Eli ended up robbing himself and his whole bloodline of the forgiveness of sins.
The Damage it Causes
Look at what hypocrisy does, Eli threatened to curse Samuel with the curse God put on him saying, 1 Sam. 3:17 "...I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee." Do you see what Eli was speaking over Samuel, a child at this time? Eli previously falsely accused Samuel's mom Hannah of being drunk as she was pouring her heart out to the Lord, in 1 Sam. 1:13. Another word for this is error through assumption.
So when God revealed this to Samuel and all Eli had to say was "...let him do what seemeth him good." Samuel saw Eli as the hypocrite he's always been. A priest ordained to minister the forgiveness of sins, yet robbed them of it. It was at this moment Samuel stopped taking Eli's counsel and began to refuse the bread of hypocrisy.
Eli represents all men, because all people are hypocrites. A hypocrites counsel will always inspire someone to be a hypocrite who is blind, weak and void of understanding. Don't forget, Samuel was never taught to discern God's voice while under Eli's counsel until God chose to move in Samuel’s life. God's counsel is the only counsel that can free you from hypocrisy and lead you to the truth, something a prophet can't live without.
Conclusion
So why take what God is giving you and give a hypocrite the power to confirm it? Jesus tells us where a hypocrite's counsel leads in Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." It was this revelation that opened Samuel’s eyes to see God’s word, wether spoken or written, as the only source of truth. If we only spoke what was written or said by the Holy Spirit, none of our words would fall to the ground either.
So consider, who are you giving the power to confirm God’s words in your life?