1 Samuel 3

The Explanation

It is night in Shiloh. The lamp in God's house is still burning, but only just. Soon it will go out. Samuel, a boy of maybe eleven or twelve, lies asleep near the ark, the golden chest that stands for God's presence with his people. Eli, the old priest, lies somewhere else in the building. His eyes have grown dim. He can hardly see anymore.

The chapter begins with a sad sentence: "Yahweh's word was rare in those days. There were not many visions, then." That means God had gone quiet. Not because he had left, but because people had stopped listening. It was a grey, dull time for Israel.

And then, in that silence, a voice: "Samuel!"

Samuel runs to Eli. Of course he does. Who else would call him in the middle of the night? "Here I am; for you called me." Eli, half asleep, says he did not call. Go back to bed.

It happens again. And again. Three times Samuel runs through the dark to an old man who did not call him. The text explains why Samuel does not understand: "Now Samuel didn't yet know Yahweh, neither was Yahweh's word yet revealed to him." Samuel worked in God's house every day. He knew all about God. But he had never yet heard God himself. That is not the same thing.

The third time, Eli finally understands. And here Eli does something good, whatever else you may think of him: he teaches the boy how to answer. "Say, 'Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.'"

So Samuel lies down again. And this time the text says something striking: "Yahweh came, and stood, and called." God comes close. "Samuel! Samuel!" Twice, by name.

Then comes the message, and it is heavy. God is going to act against Eli's family. Eli's sons have done terrible things as priests, and Eli knew it, and he did not stop them. No sacrifice will undo it. That is the first word Samuel ever hears from God: a word of judgement about the man who raised him.

Samuel lies awake until morning. Then he does his usual job, opening the doors of God's house, and he is afraid. Who wants to tell his own foster father something like that?

But Eli asks. He even makes Samuel swear to hide nothing. And Samuel tells him everything. Eli's answer is short and strange and, honestly, a bit hard to read: "It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him." Is that faith? Or is it giving up? The text does not say. It leaves us wondering.

The chapter ends with light. Samuel grows up. God is with him, and none of his words fall to the ground, which means: everything Samuel says from God actually happens. From Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the far south, all Israel knows Samuel is a real prophet. The silence is over. God speaks again in Shiloh.

What Does This Mean?

God calls a child by name, in a time when almost nobody is listening, and the child does not even recognise the voice at first. That is worth noticing. God did not wait until Samuel was ready or trained or old enough. He started the conversation himself.

It also means that hearing God is something you learn. Samuel needed Eli to tell him how to answer. God chose to use an old, half-blind, failing priest to teach a boy how to listen. God works through people who are not perfect. That is a relief, because none of the people around you are perfect either.

And there is the hard part. God's word is not always comfortable. Samuel's first message was one he was afraid to pass on. Being close to God does not mean everything becomes easy.

The Common Thread

Israel needed someone who would listen to God and speak his words honestly, whatever it cost. Samuel did that, but Samuel also grew old and died. Later God sent Jesus, who did not only pass on God's words but was God's Word himself, come to live among us. And notice this: the message Samuel had to bring was that no sacrifice could remove Eli's family's guilt. Jesus came to be the one sacrifice that does remove guilt. What was impossible in Shiloh became possible at the cross.

For You

You do not have to lie down next to an ark to hear God. But you do have to want to hear. Try Samuel's sentence before you read the Bible: "Speak; for your servant hears." Then read a few verses slowly, as if they are addressed to you, because they are.

And here is the harder half. Samuel had to say something true that he did not want to say. Maybe you know a situation like that: something at school, something at home, something a friend is doing. Telling the truth kindly is hard. Samuel was afraid and did it anyway. You can ask God for that kind of courage tonight.

Talk About It

Samuel worked in God's house every day, but verse 7 says he did not yet know God. What is the difference between knowing about God and knowing God?

Eli says, "Let him do what seems good to him." Do you think he is trusting God, or has he simply given up? Why do you think that?

Praying Together

Lord, you called Samuel by name in the dark, and he did not even know it was you. Call us too. Teach us to recognise your voice and to answer, "Speak, for your servant hears." Give us courage when the truth is hard to say. Thank you that you still speak. Amen.