HINENI - HERE I AM! SEND ME.

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

1 Samuel 3: 2-5 NIV)

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INTRODUCTION

It all starts with a call. Are we going to obey and respond or not? Will we answer God as Moses, Abraham, and Samuel did? Will we give God our Hineni? Hineni is a Hebrew contraction of two words: “hiney” meaning “here” and “ani” meaning “I.” In other words, it translates as, "Here I am." It is not a shallow "Hi there!" Rather, it is an expression declaring full availability and readiness to go where told to.

HERE I AM! YOU CALLED

Samuel was lying down for the night. It was a normal day, and nothing too unusual had happened in a very long time in Israel. The word of the Lord was rare in those days. So when young Samuel heard the call in his dreams, he immediately reported to Eli with words of: "Hineni; you called me.". And so it happened three times before Eli realized God was calling the boy.

The fourth time God called, and Samuel answered as instructed: “Speak, for your servant is listening."

When God calls, how will we respond?

HINENI - HERE I AM! SEND ME!

The Hebrew word Hineni is deeper than it may look at first glance. It is a Hebrew contraction of two words: “hiney” meaning “here” and “ani” meaning “I.” (2) In other words, it translates as, "Here I am." It is not a shallow "Hi there!" Rather, it is an expression declaring full availability and readiness to go where told to. (3)

It can be used by family members, ready to be fully available and ready to pay attention, or to obey. Concerning God, great men like Abraham, Moses, and Samuel, just to name a few, responded to God's call with a "Hineni". (3)

And even God says about Himself, "Hineni. I am available. I am here for you." And then He does the unimaginable. And wholly He gave Himself on that cross; He showed His readiness and availability for us all. (3)

Nina Beth Cardi wrote in her article The Deepest Meanings of Hineni, "“Hineni” is a response of sacred and undiluted presence, a response in which the self sheds all reservations, which expands the boundaries of self, indicating a readiness to receive and respond to whatever experience is about to unfold. It is brave and humble. (4)

THE GREAT CALL

Every Christian is called to serve in their sphere of influence and preach the gospel in their unique way - the great commission. We all start small, though, with little steps, then grow and grow more and more. God trusts us with more as we become more faithful.

CONCLUSION

God wishes for us to be available to do His will and not ours. To respond to the call and go where He is telling us to go. Hineni is a Hebrew contraction of two words: “hiney” meaning “here” and “ani” meaning “I.” In other words, it translates as, "Here I am." It is not a shallow "Hi there!" Rather, it is an expression declaring full availability and readiness to go where told to.

Application

Let us ask God during this week where He is taking us.

SOURCES

1. Image was created via canva.com

2. Susan Glickman. Hineni. Available at https://canlit.ca/article/hineni/

3. One for Israel. "Hineni": Here I am. Send Me! Available at https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/hineni-here-i-am-send-me/

4. Nina Beth Cardi. The Deepest Meanings of Hineni: Exodus chapter 3. 19.4.2022. Available at https://www.929.org.il/lang/en/page/53/post/40815