1 Samuel 3

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 one day when Eli was lain down in his place, his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

3 and before the lamp of God was put out, Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was;

4 and the LORD called Samuel, and he answered, Here am I.

5 And he ran unto Eli and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me. And he said, I did not call; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

6 And the LORD called Samuel yet again. And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me. And he answered, I did not call, my son; lie down again.

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither had the word of the LORD yet been 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. Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the child.

9 Therefore, Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down, and it shall be if he calls thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD, for thy slave hears. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the LORD came and stood and called as at the other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy slave hears.

11 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of each one that hears it shall tingle.

12 In that day I will perform against Eli all the 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 knows of (because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them).

14 And therefore, I have sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be reconciled, not with sacrifices nor with presents for ever.

15 And Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to show 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 word that the LORD has spoken unto thee? I pray thee do not hide it from me. God do so to thee and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the word that he spoke unto thee.

18 And Samuel declared all of it to him without hiding any thing. Then he said, It is the LORD; let him do what seems good unto him.

19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and did not let any of his words fall to the ground.

20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of the LORD.

21 Thus the LORD appeared again in Shiloh, for the LORD manifested himself to Samuel in Shiloh with the word of the LORD.

1 Samuel 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

The word of the Lord first revealed to Samuel. (1-10) God tells Samuel the destruction of Eli's house. (11-18) Samuel established to be a prophet. (19-21)

Verses 1-10 The call which Divine grace designs shall be made effectual; will be repeated till it is so, till we come to the call. Eli, perceiving that it was the voice of God that Samuel heard, instructed him what to say. Though it was a disgrace to Eli, for God's call to be directed to Samuel, yet he told him how to meet it. Thus the elder should do their utmost to assist and improve the younger that are rising up. Let us never fail to teach those who are coming after us, even such as will soon be preferred before us, ( John 1:30 ) . Good words should be put into children's mouths betimes, by which they may be prepared to learn Divine things, and be trained up to regard them.

Verses 11-18 What a great deal of guilt and corruption is there in us, concerning which we may say, It is the iniquity which our own heart knoweth; we are conscious to ourselves of it! Those who do not restrain the sins of others, when it is in their power to do it, make themselves partakers of the guilt, and will be charged as joining in it. In his remarkable answer to this awful sentence, Eli acknowledged that the Lord had a right to do as he saw good, being assured that he would do nothing wrong. The meekness, patience, and humility contained in those words, show that he was truly repentant; he accepted the punishment of his sin.

Verses 19-21 All increase in wisdom and grace, is owing to the presence of God with us. God will graciously repeat his visits to those who receive them aright. Early piety will be the greatest honour of young people. Those who honour God he will honour. Let young people consider the piety of Samuel, and from him they will learn to remember their Creator in the days of their youth. Young children are capable of religion. Samuel is a proof that their waiting upon the Lord will be pleasing to him. He is a pattern of all those amiable tempers, which are the brightest ornament of youth, and a sure source of happiness.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 3

This chapter gives an account of the Lord's calling to Samuel in the night season, which he first took for the voice of Eli, but being instructed by him, made answer to the voice, 1Sa 3:1-10, and of a message sent from him by Samuel to Eli, foretelling the destruction of his family, 1Sa 3:11-14 and of the delivery of it to him, which Samuel was first fearful of doing, but, encouraged by Eli, he delivered it to him, to which he patiently submitted, 1Sa 3:15-18 and the chapter is closed with the establishment of Samuel as a prophet of the Lord, who continued to appear and reveal himself to him, 1Sa 3:19-21.