The Lord Calls Samuel

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 3:1) And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

In the last chapter and post, we learned that the priesthood had become defiled by Eli's sons, the priests.  The word of the Lord was precious and rare in those days, and there were no visions of the Lord to people.  However, Samuel had continued to grow physically and spiritually under the leadership of Eli.

(2) And it came to pass at that time, when Eli lay down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim that he could not see, (3) And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down, (4) That the Lord called to Samuel, and he answered "Here am I."

One night when Eli had lain down in his place to go to sleep, and his eyes had grown dim so that he could not see, Samuel had also lain down to go to sleep.  This was early in the morning when it was still dark, before the lamps in the candlestick in the tabernacle that were lit in the evening went out in the morning.  The Lord called to Samuel, and he answered he was there.

(5) And he ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down.

Samuel ran to Eli, thinking it was he who called him, needing his assistance in something.  However, Eli told him that he had not called him, and he should go back to sleep.  Samuel went back and lay down.

(6) And the Lord called yet again, "Samuel." And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." And he answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."

The Lord called to Samuel again, and again Samuel, thinking it was Eli who called him, went to him, telling him he was there for he did call him that time.  However, once again, Eli said he had not called, and he told Samuel to go lie down again.

(7) Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.

Samuel obviously knew of the Lord but did not know Him personally.  Hearing the word of the Lord was very rare at that time, and Samuel had never heard from Him before.

(8) And the Lord called Samuel the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

The Lord called to Samuel a third time, and again he went to Eli, thinking it must be him who called him.  Eli could tell that Samuel was definitely hearing someone call him, and as there was no one else around, he realized that it was the Lord who was calling Samuel.

(9) Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Realizing it was the Lord who called Samuel, Eli told him to go lie down again, and if the Lord called him again, he should answer, asking the Lord to speak for he, His servant, was listening.  Therefore, Samuel went and lay down again.

(10) And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel." Then Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant hears."

The Lord came and stood before Samuel this time, or a vision of one whom Samuel would know to be the Lord, as no one could actually see God and live (Exodus 33:20).  He called out to Samuel again, and Samuel answered that he was ready to hear the Lord.

(11) And the Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle."

The Lord spoke to Samuel, telling him He was going to do something in Israel so great it would stun everyone.  In the words of Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, "It shall be a piercing word to all Israel; it shall astound them all; and, after having heard it, it will still continue to resound in their ears."

(12) "In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house; when I begin, I will also make an end. (13) For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. (14) And therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever."

The Lord told Samuel that He would perform against Eli and his house all the things He had spoken to Eli through the prophet (1 Samuel 2:27).  When He began the execution of His purpose, nothing would deter Him from bringing all His judgments to a conclusion.  He told Samuel what He had told Eli, that He would judge his house forever because his sons had been so vile in the priesthood, and he had done nothing to restrain them.  The iniquity of Eli's house could not be atoned for through sacrifices or offerings forever.

(15) And Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

After the Lord had spoken to him, Samuel lay there until the morning, when he got up and opened the doors of the house of the Lord.  He was afraid to tell Eli about his vision.

(16) Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son." And he answered, "Here I am." (17) And he said, "What is the thing that the Lord has said to you? I pray you do not hide it from me. God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you."

Eli called to Samuel, and Samuel came to him.  Eli asked him what the Lord had said to him and asked him not to hide it from him.  He went as far to pledge a sort of curse against Samuel if he did not tell him everything the Lord had said.  I don't believe Eli was threatening Samuel.  I believe his intent was to have Samuel tell him everything even if he felt it might hurt Eli.

(18) And Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him."

Samuel told Eli everything the Lord had said to him.  In submission to the will of God, Eli said He was, after all, the sovereign Lord, and He would do what was just and right.  Eli was a good man, but he was a weak man.  As the Apostle Paul would later say in 1 Timothy 3:5, "For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?"

(19) And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

Samuel grew to manhood, and the Lord was with him, teaching him and prospering him.  He let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground as false or useless, which may refer to the words Samuel spoke about his vision.  It may also refer to Samuel's words in general as the Lord was preparing him to be His prophet.

(20) And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. (21) And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

All of Israel from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the south knew that Samuel was to be a prophet of God.  The Lord appeared again to Samuel, perhaps often, for the Lord revealed His will to him by His word.

One cannot help but be struck by the beauty of Hannah's testimony.  Once so low, she appealed to the Lord for a son.  In gratitude, she gave her son back to the Lord for His service.  Little did she know just how great a service he would provide.  The Lord blessed her sacrifice beyond her wildest dreams, I'm sure, in raising up Samuel to be His prophet, and He also gave her five more children.

A more unpleasant moral of this story is about raising our children to fear the Lord and putting God first.  Eli was held responsible for not reining in his sons.  Sometimes even the best parents can have rebellious children, and they still love them.  However, the love for their children cannot supersede the love for God.  That was where Eli really failed.  When his sons violated the laws of God and His house, that is when Eli should have stood up for the Lord and ousted his sons, or at the very least sought counsel of the Lord and had his sons repent and seek atonement for their sins if the Lord allowed.  We are to seek the Lord first and foremost, and when man contradicts God, "We ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).