I was recently listening to a sermon in which the pastor spoke from the book of 1 Samuel and recounted how Samuel was told by Eli to respond to the voice of the Lord which had come to him in the middle of the night. It soon became apparent why this particular passage was chosen and the thrust of the message was clear: that individuals must first give God permission to act.

As I considered the (audacious) concept that man must give God permission to act, my thoughts were immediately directed to other passages of Scripture such as Ephesians 1:11 and Daniel 4:35.

“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Eph 1:11).

“And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he [God] doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou” (Dan 4:35)?

Now with these Scriptures in mind I reread the context of 1 Samuel 3:9-10 and observed in verses 4-8 the sovereign God coming in matchless, condescending grace to speak to a young child, not once or twice but for a third time.

“That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child” (1 Sam 3:4-8)

In context, and by way of primary interpretation, the gospel narrative focuses attention upon the Lord coming, calling, and commissioning his messenger declaring His impending judgment. How then does a passage designed to set forth the sovereignty of God, and later the terror of the Lord (1 Samuel 3:11-21), become a narrative about man giving God permission to act? Perhaps the answer lies in a theological bias which emphasizes man and his responsibility, power, and ability. Standing in stark contrast, however, are those who love to exalt the doctrines of divine sovereignty whereby all power and praise, honor and glory, are ascribed to God.

If there is a practical lesson to be learned about biblical hermeneutics or principles of interpretation from this incident, it might be that a theological presupposition and a frame of reference will not only influence doctrinal understanding but practical applications of a given text as well. One must first have a God-centered approach when reading Scripture and never the other way around. Just as the Psalmist declared, “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Ps 115:3). God does not need man’s permission to act--He does whatever He pleases.