Tribe - Podcast/Discussion Guide 10-11-26

HAVE YOU BEEN TO SHILOH?

A 5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide

Based on 1 Samuel 3:1-21 and the Themes of Fusion Church Madison

Day 1: When the Word Is Rare

Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-3

Devotional: There are seasons when God feels distant and His voice seems silent. Israel knew that condition well. The priests were corrupt, the people were spiritually adrift, and prophetic revelation had grown uncommon. Yet God had not abandoned His people. He was preparing a servant through whom He would speak again. The silence was not the end of the story. If you find yourself in a spiritually dry season today, do not mistake the quiet for absence. God is still at work. Return to the written Word He has already given. Open it with expectation. The same God who broke the silence at Shiloh is the God you serve today.

Reflection Questions:

1. Have you experienced a season when God felt silent or distant?

2. What habits help you remain anchored to Scripture during spiritually dry seasons?

3. What might God be preparing in and around you even now?

Practical Application: Set aside fifteen minutes today to read Scripture with no other agenda than simply listening. Ask God to speak to you through what He has already revealed.

Day 2: Speak, Lord, Your Servant Is Listening

Reading: 1 Samuel 3:4-10

Devotional: Three times Samuel ran to Eli thinking a man had called his name. Three times he was wrong. It took the wisdom of an older servant to help Samuel recognize that God Himself was speaking. There is something deeply instructive here. Learning to hear God's voice often requires humility, teachability, and the guidance of those who have walked with God longer than we have. Samuel's response in verse 9, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening," is one of the most important postures a believer can adopt. It is not a passive posture. It is a posture of complete surrender and readiness to obey whatever God reveals.

Reflection Questions:

1. Are you approaching Scripture and prayer as a listener, or primarily as someone presenting requests?

2. Who in your life has helped you better understand how God speaks?

3. What would it look like for you to say, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening," and truly mean it today?

Practical Application: Before you read Scripture today, pause and pray those exact words from verse 9. Ask God to prepare your heart to receive and respond to whatever He reveals.

Day 3: The Cost of Faithful Obedience

Reading: 1 Samuel 3:11-18

Devotional: The first message God entrusted to Samuel was not a comfortable one. It was a word of judgment against the household of the very man who had mentored him. Samuel was afraid. That is an honest and understandable response. But when Eli pressed him for the truth, Samuel did not soften the message or hide it to protect himself. He communicated it faithfully and completely. Obedience to God's Word will sometimes cost us something. It may cost us comfort, approval, or ease. But the alternative, knowing what God has commanded and refusing to act, carries a far greater cost. Faithfulness is rarely convenient. It is always necessary.

Reflection Questions:

1. Is there an area of your life where you know what God has called you to do but have been reluctant to obey?

2. What fears most often prevent you from speaking or acting faithfully?

3. How does Samuel's example challenge you today?

Practical Application: Identify one specific act of obedience you have been delaying. Take one concrete step toward that obedience today, even if it is small.

Day 4: The God Who Does Not Fail

Reading: 1 Samuel 3:19-21

Devotional: The chapter that began with the Word of God being rare ends with God establishing a faithful prophet through whom He would speak to all Israel. The contrast is striking and intentional. God did not abandon His people. He raised up a servant, stood with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground. That is the character of the God we serve. He is not dependent on favorable circumstances or impressive human resources. He accomplishes His purposes through ordinary people who make themselves available to Him. The power behind Samuel's ministry was not Samuel. It was the God who called him, equipped him, and remained with him.

Reflection Questions:

1. In what area of your life are you tempted to trust your own abilities rather than God's faithfulness?

2. How does the arc of 1 Samuel 3 encourage you about what God can do in spiritually difficult seasons?

3. Where do you need to trust that God is still at work even when you cannot see clear evidence of it?

Practical Application: Write down one situation in your life that feels spiritually discouraging. Beside it, write a specific attribute of God's character that speaks directly to that situation. Spend time in prayer anchoring your confidence in who God is rather than in what you can see.

Day 5: Yesterday's Faithfulness Is Not Enough for Today

Reading: Jeremiah 7:12 and Matthew 28:18-20

Devotional: Shiloh had a remarkable history. It was a place of worship, prayer, and divine revelation. But centuries later, God used Shiloh as a warning. Its history did not protect it from the consequences of disobedience and spiritual presumption. Past faithfulness does not excuse present complacency. The same principle applies to every believer and every church. The Great Commission is not a past assignment that has been completed. It is a present and ongoing calling. Every generation must take personal responsibility for proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and remaining faithful to the Word of God. What God has done through you before is a reason for gratitude, not a reason to coast.

Reflection Questions:

1. Are there areas of your spiritual life where you are living off past faithfulness rather than pursuing present obedience?

2. How seriously do you take personal responsibility for the Great Commission in your everyday life?

3. What would it look like for you to move from being a spectator in God's mission to an active participant?

Practical Application: Identify one person in your life who does not yet know Jesus Christ. Write their name down. Commit to praying for them daily this week and ask God to give you a natural opportunity to share the gospel with them.

This reading plan was developed from the sermon "Have You Been to Shiloh?" preached at Fusion Church Madison on October 11, 2026, from 1 Samuel 3:1-21.