I Samuel 3:9-10 tells how Eli taught Samuel to say to God, “Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.” But we also need to remember the message He subsequently gave Samuel — it was not pleasant! God immediately said in :11, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.” In :12-14 He indicated that He was about to judge the house of Eli because he did not rebuke his sons for their heinous sins as servants of the house of God.

This serves as an important reminder to us: those entrusted with God’s message do not always have “good news” to share.

We are not commissioned by God to tell people what is pleasant or comfortable, or what they want to hear, but the truth of God’s word, whatever it is. Verse 15 says that Samuel was afraid to tell this vision to Eli, but he did. He was a faithful messenger for the Lord.

If we would similarly be faithful messengers for God, we must do the same thing. People today may not want to hear the full counsel of God’s word. And like II Timothy 4:3-4, predicted, they will often want have their “ears tickled” by accumulating teachers in accordance with their own desires. But God’s faithful servants must not give in to the spirit of the age. If it costs position, or popularity in the eyes of our generation, we must at all costs remain faithful to whatever God says in His word, for we have a much higher responsibility than that of pleasing people. Eli reminded Samuel of that in :17, “May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” That’s a needed reminder for us, too. To be a faithful messenger of the word means that sometimes you have to be willing to share the bad news.