1 Samuel 3:1-21
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, Here am I.
5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went 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 unto him.
8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went 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, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then 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, Here am I.
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,a if thou hide any thing from me of all the things 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.
19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was establishedb 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.
At this point in the history came a change, startling, and full of meaning in Samuel's life. In the silence of the night a Voice called him by name. Thrice he answered by going to Eli. At last Eli recognized that the Voice was the Voice of God speaking to the lad, and he told Samuel to answer for himself.
This was the beginning of direct divine communication to him. We have already read that he had ministered before the Lord, and yet that he had not known Him directly until now.
This in itself is a beautiful revelation of the true life of a child. Samuel had obeyed Eli in doing all he commanded him within the Tabernacle courts, and thus had rendered service to the Lord. Now the time had come in which, not through mediation, but directly, he must hear and obey.
The first message entrusted to him was a terrible one for him to deliver, and it is interesting to notice how in his action the two elements of fear and courage were manifested. He was afraid to tell Eli, but when Eli charged him to do so, he told the whole message entrusted to him.
There was a further period of training and growth before Samuel was ready to assume the work of leadership. During that period Jehovah vindicated him by permitting no word he spoke to fall to the ground, that is, to fail of fulfilment. Moreover, he became the instrument through whom God appeared to His people, and through whom the word of Jehovah was delivered to them.