1 Samuel: Chapter 3
Chapter Recap
These were the days where the word of the LORD was very rare, and there weren't many visions. The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli, who was now very old and his eyes were weak that he could barely see. One particular night, Eli was resting at his usual place, and Samuel was lying down in the tabernacle of the LORD, where the ark of God was kept; the LORD called Samuel.
Samuel at once answered, "Here I am" and ran to Eli and said "Here I am, you called me." Eli responded that he didn't call Samuel, and asked him to go and lie down. Yet again the LORD called Samuel, and Samuel ran to Eli again, who responded the same as he did before. A third time the LORD called Samuel, and Samuel, not knowing that it was the LORD who called him, ran once again to Eli.
Eli, this time, realized that the LORD was calling the boy, and told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening' ". And Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then,
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel, Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." I Samuel 3:10
And the LORD said to Samuel; "See, I am about do do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family for ever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guild of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.' " I Samuel 3:11-14
After this chilling revaluation, Samuel laid down at his place till morning and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli, but nevertheless told everything to Eli, after being asked. Eli in turn completely accepted the judgement saying, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes. "
The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. I Samuel 3:19-21
Samuel
The previous chapters covered the character and commitment of Samuel's parents and Eli. Here, in this chapter, we see Samuel' nature, and his very first encounter with the LORD.
The first verse in the chapter establishes Samuel as a diligent worker, who ministered before the LORD under Eli. This is particularly remarkable considering that Eli's own sons lost their way and weren't true to the LORD, which implies that very few were true to the LORD.
Samuel, also slept in the tabernacle, at Eli's beck and call, showing his readiness to attend and serve Eli, when his own family members aren't near. This is clearly seen when Samuel gets up and promptly runs to Eli when he mistook the LORD's call for Eli's.
The start of this chapter also establishes that the word of the LORD was rare and so were the visions. This could be one of the reasons why Samuel didn't recognize the call instantly. Eli to his credit, understood that the call could be from the LORD and gave Samuel the words to respond.
A further testament to Samuel's good character can be seen from his behavior after listening to the message the LORD delivers to him - Samuel's behavior was unchanged. Samuel got up as usual and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. There wasn't any pride found in him, even though by token of the message, the LORD made it clear that he is going to use Samuel as his prophet. He didn't think himself to be better than others around him, and did his regular work humbly.
Samuel's delivery of the message to Eli, shows the concern he had for the high priest. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision, but the fear Samuel had, is for Eli's wellbeing, and what might happen to Eli, when he hears this news. This is because, the message which Samuel delivers is not new, as we saw in the previous chapter, it was already given to Eli through a man of God, but added here, is the confirmation for all that is to follow. Eli, again, to his credit, wholeheartedly accepted the message and didn't treat Samuel any differently.
For Samuel however, this was a valuable lesson. He understood his place as a messenger for the LORD alone, and he by himself wasn't special anymore than he was before. He also understood the cost of failure, which Eli had to suffer. It was a warning for him to remember, with his own children in the future.
Samuel's truthfulness to the LORD, diligence in his work, readiness to serve, humbleness in heart, concern for people, made him sensitive to the voice of the LORD, who then chose him to be his attested prophet.
Likewise, when we in our lives, remain true to the LORD, and do everything he has given to us perfectly and sincerely, not letting pride take over us, we too will develop a sensitivity to his call, and the LORD will use us for even greater things. Let us work towards this perfection and holiness by the strength we get from above. See you in the next one. Take care of yourself and each other!
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