Samuel's Calling
v1 The boy Samuel served the Lord. Eli the priest led him. In those days, it was rare for the Lord to speak directly to people. Also, he did not give many visions. v2 Eli now had bad eye-sight and he was nearly blind. One night, he was asleep in his usual place. v3 Samuel was asleep in bed in the house of the Lord. The ark was there too. It was not yet dawn and the lamp was still burning. v4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel said, ‘Here I am’. v5 He ran to Eli and said, ‘You called me. Here I am’. But Eli said, ‘I did not call you. Go back to bed’. So Samuel went back to bed. v6 Again the Lord said, "Samuel." Samuel went to Eli and said, "You called me. Here I am." Eli answered, "My son, I did not call you. Go back to bed."
v7 Samuel did not know the Lord yet. The Lord had not spoken directly to him. v8 Then the Lord called Samuel for the third time. Samuel got up, went to Eli and said, "You called me. Here I am." Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. v9 So Eli said to Samuel, "Go back to bed. If he calls you again, you must say, 'Speak, Lord. I am your servant and I am listening.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his bed.
Commentary
Chapter 3 outlines the first time God spoke to Samuel three times. This is the beginning of his work as a prophet. In the days of Moses and Joshua, the Lord often spoke to the leaders of the Israelites. However, after the days of Joshua, the people did not always worship the Lord with their spirit. Instead, they often worshipped foreign gods. Even the priests were wicked, so God did not speak to them. A vision is like a dream but the person is awake. It is one way that God speaks to people.
Samuel was a young boy now, not a little child. He probably did more work in the house of the Lord because Eli could not see very well. The "ark of the covenant" was a wooden box that had gold all over the outside and inside of it. It contained the ten commandments that the Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. The ark was holy. It was in the house of the Lord on behalf of God. God separated the ark from the people. The people could not go near the ark because of their sin (Leviticus 16).
The lamp was also in the house of the Lord. It needed oil to burn. The priest had to light it every evening. Samuel slept in the house of the Lord. He had to make sure that the lamp did not go out until the morning.
Samuel served in the house of the Lord. But this was the first time that the Lord spoke to him. Samuel heard the Lord’s voice but he thought it was Eli. It was rare for the Lord to speak directly to people in those days. Eli taught Samuel the proper way to reply to the Lord.
God Calls Samuel Again
v10 The Lord came and stood there. He called Samuel as he had done before. He said, "Samuel, Samuel." Samuel said, "I am your servant and I am listening." v11 This is what the Lord said to Samuel. "I am going to do something among the Israelite people. It will shock everyone who hears about it. v12 I will do everything to Eli and his family that I have said. I will start at the beginning and go on to the end. v13 I told Eli that I would punish his family forever. Eli knew that his sons were wicked. He knew that they did wicked things against me. But he did not stop them. v14 So I made a very serious decision. I said to Eli’s family, “I will never forgive you even if you give sacrifices and offerings. You will always be guilty."
Commentary
God means business when He says a name twice as "Samuel, Samuel." There are only ten instances in the Bible with double direct addresses.
This time, Samuel answered the way Eli taught him. God related to the young boy what He was going to do to the Israelites and to Eli and his family even if they gave sacrifices and offerings.
Samuel Tells Eli What God Had Said
v15 Samuel lay down until the morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. v16 But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." Samuel answered, "Here I am." v17 Eli asked, ‘What did the Lord say to you? You must tell me. Do not keep it a secret or God will punish you. You must tell me everything that he said to you’. v18 So Samuel told Eli everything. He did not keep any of it a secret. Then Eli said, "He is the Lord. He will do what is right."
v19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him. The Lord made sure that all of Samuel’s messages from him came true. v20 All the people who lived in Israel knew that Samuel was a true prophet from the Lord. They knew this from the north of the country to the south. v21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh. He showed himself to Samuel and spoke to him.
Commentary
Samuel obeyed Eli. Samuel heard the Lord and saw him too. The Lord spoke to the boy Samuel who gave the message to the priest. It was a very serious message for a young boy to give to an old priest. In chapter 2, God had warned Eli about what he was going to do. But Eli did not act on God’s warning. Eli did not confess his sin and obey God. So God could not forgive him. Verse 14 is a very serious verse. "I will never forgive you." God said that he would never forgive Eli and his family. They would always be guilty, even when they died. God punished them.
Samuel was afraid to tell Eli but he did not hide from him. Eli gave a strong warning to Samuel so that he told the truth. The Lord is a judge. He decides what is right and wrong. He is holy and fair. Eli had sinned. He accepted the Lord’s judgment without complaining.
Everyone in the country of Israel knew about Samuel. People recognized him as a true prophet from the Lord. Everything that Samuel said came true. In Deuteronomy 18:21-22, this is the test for a true prophet. Verse 1 said that it was rare for the Lord to speak directly to people. Now the Lord knew that Samuel would obey him. So the Lord "‘showed himself" to Samuel. He showed Samuel what he was like. So, Samuel knew God more and understood him better.
|
|
