1 Samuel 3:1-10

Samuel's call. 1 Samuel 3:1-10

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.

1.

Why was the word of the Lord precious? 1 Samuel 3:1

It was not easy for the people in Samuel's day to have a copy of the scriptures. Manuscripts were expensive. Some of them were made on vellum in ancient times. Others were made on papyrus. The copies were handmade and generally they were kept at the center of worship. The copies were made in later times as kings were commanded to do so in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 17:18). In Samuel's day the Word was precious because not very many people listened to it. Not many prophets were active and as the scripture says, there was no open vision.

2.

What was wrong with Eli's eyes? 1 Samuel 3:2

One of the very common afflictions of old age is the dimness of eyes mentioned frequently in the scripture. Jacob's eyes became dim so that he could not see (Genesis 27:1). This dimness came quite a number of years before Isaac died. Eli seems to have been afflicted with this same weakness. Some commentaries suggested that this was the kind of affliction we notice when cataracts form. They did not have the benefit of eye glasses nor surgery to correct this weakness. Eli's being in this condition must have thrown more responsibility on Samuel.

3.

When did the lamp of God go out? 1 Samuel 3:3

The lamp that was in the tabernacle outside the veil near the Holy of Holies was never to go out (Exodus 27:20). Some of the exterior lamps, however, would be put out as activity around the tabernacle ceased. Reference must be made of some of these lamps and it may have been a part of Samuel's responsibility to tend these lamps. This may be a part of his service unto the Lord before Eli (1 Samuel 3:1).

4.

What vision did Samuel have? 1 Samuel 3:4; 1 Samuel 3:10-18

Samuel had a vision in which the Lord called to him and revealed to him the coming destruction of the House of Eli. Samuel's reaction was that he was afraid to tell Eli. When we read Jehovah came and stood, we understand that the revelation then was an objectively real affair and no mere dream of Samuel'S. No doubt Samuel had first thought that the aged Eli had called him for assistance. Before the communication was over, however, he was undoubtedly sure of what he had heard and seen. A dream is not being described, for Samuel rose and ran to Eli after each call. The prophet heard a voice physically audible. This voice enunciated in articulate words the message which the prophet was to receive. The experience is not a parallel to Jacob who saw and heard God in a dream.

5.

Why did Samuel not yet know the Lord 1 Samuel 3:7

Samuel had not had a personal revelation of the will of the Lord to him. He knew that God was the maker of the heavens and the earth. He must have known of how his mother had prayed to God for him. His own name meant heard of the Lord. The last two letters of his namee, 1, were an abbreviation of the Hebrew word for God. Although Samuel knew that there was one true and living God, he had not yet been called of the Lord to His ministry.

6.

How many times did he go to Eli? 1 Samuel 3:8

Samuel went to Eli three times, during the course of the vision. On the third time when Samuel came to him, Eli spoke to him and told him that it was the Lord calling to him out of heaven and that he should answer him and say Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth. On the fourth time, he came to him in the morning after he had opened the doors of the house of the Lord.