1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
6 And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him.”
19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Samuel was working in the tabernacle under the guidance and teaching of Eli. The passage in the ESV refers to the temple rather than the tabernacle because that’s what the underlying word means but Solomon’s temple had not yet been built. During that period, God had not frequently given direct revelation to anyone through word or vision. Eli was asleep in his own place while Samuel was lying in the tabernacle attending to the burning lamp near the ark of the Lord. The Lord called Samuel but he mistook it for Eli and ran to Eli but Eli had not called him and sent him to lie down again. Again the Lord called him, “Samuel!”. Samuel again went to Eli but was sent back. The passage emphasises that Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The third time Samuel went to Eli after the Lord called him, Eli realised that it must be the Lord speaking. He told Samuel to lie down again and if God spoke again, to reply, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” On the fourth time, God called Samuel’s name twice and “came and stood”. Samuel responded as a humble servant of the Lord. The Lord revealed to Samuel his plan to remove Eli and his sons from the priesthood and that it would be so shocking that the peoples’ ears would tingle (they would respond in fear and dismay). God declared that Eli and his sons were guilty of deliberate (high-handed) sin because of his sons’ blasphemous actions and Eli’s failure to restrain his sons and so their guilt could not be atoned by sacrifice or offering (Num 15:30-31).
The next morning Samuel opened up the tabernacle but was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. Eli insisted that he tell him everything. Samuel told Eli what the Lord had said and Eli accepted it as the Lord’s word and acknowledged God’s sovereign right to do what He deems best.
From there Samuel grew as a prophet and God was with him letting none of his words fall to the ground, meaning everything he prophesied came to pass. The sign that someone was called to be a prophet was that their predictive word came true (Deu 18:21-22). Everyone in Israel from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south recognised that he was a prophet. God had established a new way of speaking to His people. Revelation through priest and ephod had passed away and revelation through prophets had begun.
Samuel and Eli show us the proper response to God’s word. We must be willing to hear God’s word as humble servants and then willing to accept what the sovereign Lord has to say which implies obedience should follow. Are you inclined to listen to all of God’s word and do what He says? (John 14:23-24).
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Calling the Disciples: Matthew 9-10