Samuel Meets God

In 1 Samuel 2, God sent a prophet, a “man of God,” to convey a message to Eli. Here in 1 Samuel 3, He sends another messenger—Samuel, a “boy of God,” as it were—with another communication for the priest. Samuel does not yet know the Lord (v. 7); although he loves God, he has not been used as His conduit of revelation before. That is about to change. God is about to make Samuel His prophet. The God of Israel is about to end His silence.

It is late in Eli’s life—he is old and nearly blind. And it is late one night—Eli has gone to bed and Samuel is sleeping nearby, apparently within the tabernacle itself. We are told that the lamp of God in the tabernacle has not gone out. This may be a comment about the time of day—the lamp is to be kept burning continually, but perhaps the priests have become inattentive to this command and typically let it burn overnight. Or the author may be setting this incident in its historical context, indicating that the tabernacle is still functioning and has not yet been destroyed by Israel’s enemies. In any case, Samuel is pulled from his bed by the sound of someone calling his name. As far as he knows, Eli is the only person who would call, so he goes to the old man’s bed to see what he needs. But Eli denies that he called and sends Samuel back to bed. Three times this happens, and only then does Eli realize what is happening, that God is calling the boy. Perhaps it is humiliating to him, the high priest, to be bypassed by God in favor of a small boy, and yet he willingly instructs Samuel as to what to do should the call come again. Eli seems to know that the word of God is more important than its channel.

God Himself then comes and stands, perhaps in visible form, within the tabernacle, and repeats His call, doubling it for emphasis: ” ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ ” And Samuel, summoning his courage, replies as Eli suggested: ” ‘Speak, for Your servant hears.’ ” The message he then hears is that Eli should prepare himself, for the judgment of God on his house is near at hand. As we have seen, it is a judgment against Eli’s sons, who have ” ‘made themselves vile,’ ” and against Eli for not restraining them. God already has passed judgment and is prepared to execute His sentence. And when He does, ” ‘both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle,’ ” for His hand will be evident.