1 Samuel 3:1-18

1 Samuel 3:1-18

[1] And the child  Samuel  ministered  unto the LORD  before  Eli.  And the word  of the LORD  was precious  in those days;  there was no open  vision.  [2] And it came to pass at that time,  when Eli  was laid 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  to sleep; [4] That the LORD  called  Samuel:  and he answered,  [5] And he ran  unto Eli,  and said,  for thou calledst  me. And he said,  I called  not; lie down  again.  and lay down.  [6] And the LORD  called  yet again,  Samuel.  arose  to Eli,  and said,  Here am I; for thou didst call  me. And he answered,  I called  not, my son;  lie down  again.  [7] Now Samuel  did not yet  know  the LORD,  neither was the word  of the LORD  yet revealed  [8] And the LORD  called  Samuel  again  the third time.  And he arose  to Eli,  and said,  Here am I; for thou didst call  me. And Eli  perceived  that the LORD  had called  the child.  [9] Therefore Eli  said  unto Samuel,  lie down:  and it shall be, if he call  thee, that thou shalt say,  Speak,  LORD;  for thy servant  heareth.  So Samuel  and lay down  in his place.  [10] And the LORD  came,  and stood,  and called  as at other times,  Samuel,  answered,  Speak;  for thy servant  heareth.  [11] And the LORD  said  to Samuel,  Behold, I will do  a thing  in Israel,  at which both  the ears  of every one that heareth  it shall tingle.  [12] In that day  I will perform  against Eli  all things which 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  for  ever  for the iniquity  which he knoweth;  because his sons  made themselves vile,  and he restrained  them not. [14] And therefore I have sworn  unto the house  of Eli,  that the iniquity  of Eli's  house  shall not be purged  with sacrifice  nor offering  for  ever.  [15] And Samuel  lay  until the morning,  and opened  the doors  of the house  of the LORD.  And Samuel  feared  to shew  Eli  the vision.  [16] Then Eli  called  Samuel,  and said,  Samuel,  my son.  And he answered,  [17] And he said,  What is the thing  that the LORD hath said  unto thee? I pray thee hide  it not from me: God  do so  to thee, and more also,  if thou hide  any thing  that he said  unto thee. [18] And Samuel  told  him every whit,  and hid  nothing from him. And he said,  It is the LORD:  let him do  what seemeth  him good. 

What does 1 Samuel 3:1-18 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Hebrew word used to describe Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:1 (naar) elsewhere refers to a young teenager (cf. 1 Samuel 17:33). Consequently we should probably think of Samuel as a boy in his early teens as we read this section. Josephus wrote that Samuel was12years old. [1] At this time in Israel"s history (i.e, the late Judges Period), special revelations from God were rare. These normally came to prophets in visions or dreams (cf. Numbers 12:6; 1 Samuel 28:6). Samuel, who saw clearly, both physically and spiritually, contrasts with Eli, who could not see well either way ( 1 Samuel 3:2, cf. 1 Samuel 3:5-6; 1 Samuel 4:15).
The lamp of God ( 1 Samuel 3:3) is an expression that refers to the lamps on the sanctuary lampstand that continued to give light through the night (cf. Exodus 27:20-21; Exodus 30:8; Leviticus 24:2-4; 2 Chronicles 13:11). Samuel was probably sleeping in the courtyard of the sanctuary. [2] Eli evidently slept nearby ( 1 Samuel 3:5). Samuel"s self-discipline in getting up three times in response to what he thought was Eli"s call was commendable. His selfless, willing obedience qualified him to receive the ministry that God entrusted to him (cf. Genesis 22:1; Genesis 22:11; Exodus 3:4; Isaiah 6:8; 1 Timothy 1:12).
1 Samuel 3:7 does not necessarily mean that Samuel did not then know the Lord at all personally, that he was an unbeliever. One writer took terms such as "knew the Lord" and "did not know the Lord" as evidence of salvation or lack of it (cf. Jeremiah 31:34; John 17:3). [3] However this may be reading too much into the text. Rather, it means that the boy had not yet come to know Yahweh as he was about to know Him, having heard His voice speaking directly to him. Even though Samuel knew God and His will, God had not previously communicated with him directly. Finally, God not only called to Samuel but also stood by him ( 1 Samuel 3:10, cf. Genesis 18:22) suggesting the possibility that Samuel could see Him (i.e, a theophany). The Lord"s repetition of Samuel"s name added a note of urgency (cf. Genesis 22:11; Exodus 3:4; Acts 9:4).
In 1 Samuel 3:11-14, God restated for Samuel what the prophet had told Eli concerning the fate of Eli"s house in the near and far future ( 1 Samuel 2:27-36). The reference to people"s ears tingling occurs only here at the beginning of the monarchy and at its end in the Old Testament ( 2 Kings 21:12; Jeremiah 19:3). Under the Mosaic Law the penalty for showing contempt for the priesthood, for disobeying parents, and for blasphemy, was death ( Deuteronomy 17:12; Deuteronomy 21:18-21; Leviticus 24:11-16; Leviticus 24:23). This was what Hophni and Phinehas would experience (cf. 1 Samuel 4:11). The cutting off of Eli"s line happened about130 years later (cf. 1 Kings 2:27; 1 Kings 2:35).
The writer may have intended to mark the beginning of Samuel"s ministry with his statement that the lad opened the doors (i.e, the curtained openings into the courtyard) of the Lord"s house ( 1 Samuel 3:15; cf. 1 Samuel 1:28 b). [4] Evidently the curtained openings were closed at night.
Eli realized that God"s words to Samuel would have been very significant. He therefore insisted that the lad tell him what God had said. Samuel faithfully reported to Eli all that God had revealed to him ( 1 Samuel 3:18). He was a faithful prophet from the start. This was the second time Eli had received a prophecy of his family"s future (cf. 1 Samuel 2:27-36). Thus he knew that the prediction would surely come to pass (cf. Genesis 41:32). He accepted God"s will submissively ( 1 Samuel 3:18).