1 Samuel 3:1-18 - The Call of Samuel

1 Samuel 3:1) Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. 2) At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grows dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3) the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the Temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4) Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said he said, “Here I am!” 5) and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6) The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call you; lie down again.” 7) Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8) The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9) Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10) Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11) Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12) On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house from beginning to end. 13) For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14) Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15) Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16) But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here, I am” 17) Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18) So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.” 19) As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20) And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

Historical Context: 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings are really one continuous document that was split into sections by the length of typical Hebrew scrolls and labeled to make things easier to find. These writings come from Israel’s early history. After the people of Israel were rescued from slavery in Egypt, they spent 40 years in the wilderness making their way to the land of promise. It was during the wilderness time that that God gave the gift of the Law, the specific ways that the people could live according to God’s values. After crossing the Jordan under Joshua’s leadership, the people entered into a time of bloody conquest to gain control of the land. Israel had always believed that God was her king and had a deep suspicion of human rulers. During these turbulent times Israel formed a loose confederation of the tribes. When a threat arose, God sent a particular charismatic leader, called a judge, to deal with it. God often spoke through the prophets to call, and then to advise, these leaders. Prophets were God’s confidants, people who knew God and spoke God’s truth into the contexts of their lives.

Place: Today’s lesson takes place at Shiloh. The word probably means tranquil or secure. Shiloh, about 30 miles north of Jerusalem, was the center of Israel’s religious life for more than 100 years after the conquest. Shiloh was the home of God’s Tabernacle, once called the Tent of Meeting. It was the place people went to meet God. At the time of today’s story, Shiloh was the home of the Ark of God.

The Characters:
Samuel: Son of Elkanah and the second of his two wives, Hannah. Hannah was barren and went to Shiloh to pray for a child that she promised she would dedicate to God’s service. God answered her prayer and young Samuel was given into the service of the Temple when he was weaned, at about age 2 or 3. His early service was functionary, but with his call he and all of Israel moved into a new moment in their history. It was Samuel who, after initial reluctance, anointed Israel’s first King, Saul.

Eli: He was a priest at the Temple at Shiloh. The fact that he held this highly honored post attested to his deep faith and piety. Still, he was not without his blind spots-- namely his two sons. His inability to deal forthrightly with them and his trifling efforts to stop their blasphemous activities led to his ultimate downfall.

Hophni and Phinehas: Eli’s sons who served with him in the Temple. Scripture is harsh with these two men, calling them worthless. They were said to have no regard for God, not to know God personally, and to have no commitment to the covenant. Yet they continued to function as priests, flaunting the Law and taking what they wanted from the holy sacrifices. This was not as simple as skimming off the top. Their disregard for the holiness of the sacrifices, rendered the sacrifice ineffectual for them and all the people. For the faith of Israel of their day, that would be the equivalent of rendering Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross null and void and leaving the people with no way to get right with God.

Word Study
Vs. 1 – boy – this is a generic word that could refer to an infant or a man up to the age of 40. It has to do with unfinished maturity, not yet grown.
Ministering – lit. - serving, taking care of
Word of the Lord – refers to the speech, stories, advice of God
Rare – an unusual translation of the Hebrew, Lit., precious, splendid, costly, weighty.
Visions – the way God made God’s truth clear
Were not – lit. - gone, lacking, as in what happens when one is starving from hunger
Widespread – Lit. - the word is in the negative, something like “breakthroughs were infrequent.
I would translate the sentence “Words from the Lord (YHWH) were very precious in those days; clear vision did not come to sustain and breakthroughs of God’s presence were infrequent.”
Vs. 2 – grow dim – Lit. his eyes had grown profaned or polluted. The Hebrew mind understood anything that prevented full life to be a profanity.
Vs. 3 – ark – the throne upon which it was believed that God sat and ruled. It was a tangible sign of God’s presence with the people.
Vs. 4 – called – a strong word like proclaimed, screamed, shouted
Here I am – one word in Hebrew, something like Lo! Or Behold! Look here, you will see me!
Vs. 7 – did not yet know the Lord – interesting phrase, it means to be acquainted with personally as opposed to having known by reputation. It means to comprehend, grasp, understand, detect. Samuel was not yet steeped in a personal relationship with YHWH and was therefore unable to comprehend or detect God as calling.
Vs. 8 – a third time – the fact that the call came three times would have been a way of attesting that it was real and not a hallucination.
Perceived – understood, discerned, paid attention to
Vs. 9 – listening – also a word translated as heeding, obeying completely, diligently attending to
Vs. 10 – came and stood – Lit. “YHWH came in and took up his station, planting his feet.” God is determined to get through to Samuel!
Vs. 13 – told – this simply indicates that God has somehow made it clear to Eli
Forever – there was no understanding of the afterlife at this point in Hebrew theology. One’s hope was to have one’s name live on through children. God is not saying that Eli and his sons are damned. Rather, he is saying that their hope for the family will be thwarted. This was damnation in Israel.
Did not restrain them – an interesting phrase using words for slight or trifling effort. I would translate as “Put little or faint effort to stop them.”
Vs. 14 – iniquity – guilt
Expiated – covered up
Vs. 15 – opened the doors – his morning duties to open up the Temple
Vs. 17 – said – Lit. - pleaded
Vs. 18 – It is the Lord – Eli immediately recognizes the truth of the prophecy
Good – best, favorable, generous, splendid, worthy

Questions for Reflection
1. Has there ever been a time when you felt unable to discern God’s presence or working in your life? Looking back were you able to see God at work?
2. Has there ever been a time when you felt God wanted you to speak up for God’s values and you were afraid to do so? Do you think God may want you to speak to some specific situation in your life, family or community right now?
3. Has there ever been a time when you had to face the painful consequences of past sin? Has there ever been a time when you wanted to find a way to protect a child or loved one from the consequences of his or her behavior?
4. What are the situations in which you find it easy to trust God? When is it most difficult? As you pray about these situations, ask God to increase your trust and peace.