1 Samuel 3: The Lord Calls a Boy
In a time when God's word was rare, the Lord calls the boy Samuel by name and establishes him as a trusted prophet.
1 Samuel 3 (WEB)
1 The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. Yahweh’s word was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.
2 At that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see),
3 and the lamp of God hadn’t yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down in Yahweh’s temple, where the ark of God was;
4 Yahweh called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”
5 He ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” He said, “I didn’t call; lie down again.” He went and lay down.
6 Yahweh called yet again, “Samuel!” Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” He answered, “I didn’t call, my son; lie down again.”
7 Now Samuel didn’t yet know Yahweh, neither was Yahweh’s word yet revealed to him.
8 Yahweh called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” Eli perceived that Yahweh had called the child.
9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Yahweh came, and stood, and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”
11 Yahweh said to Samuel, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even to the end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he didn’t restrain them.
14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be removed with sacrifice nor offering forever.”
15 Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of Yahweh’s house. Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.
16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, “Samuel, my son!” He said, “Here I am.”
17 He said, “What is the thing that he has spoken to you? Please don’t hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to you.”
18 Samuel told him every bit, and hid nothing from him. He said, “It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.”
19 Samuel grew, and Yahweh was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Yahweh.
21 Yahweh appeared again in Shiloh; for Yahweh revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by Yahweh’s word.
1 Samuel 3 (KJV)
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 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.
11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all 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 knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew 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 thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.
19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beer–sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.
21 And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
1 Samuel 3 (ASV)
1 And the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.
2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see),
3 and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was;
4 that Jehovah called Samuel: and he said, 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 Jehovah called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, neither was the word of Jehovah yet revealed unto him.
8 And Jehovah called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And Eli perceived that Jehovah 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, Jehovah; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And Jehovah came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel said, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
11 And Jehovah said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of Jehovah. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.
16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he said, Here am I.
17 And he said, What is the thing thatJehovah hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he spake unto thee.
18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is Jehovah: let him do what seemeth him good.
19 And Samuel grew, and Jehovah was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Jehovah.
21 And Jehovah appeared again in Shiloh; for Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Jehovah.
Summary
In days when the word of the Lord was precious and visions were rare, the boy Samuel ministers to the Lord before Eli, whose eyes have grown dim. One night, while the lamp of God has not yet gone out and Samuel lies near the ark, the Lord calls his name. Samuel runs to Eli, thinking the old priest called him, and this happens three times, for Samuel does not yet know the Lord. At last Eli perceives that it is Yahweh and instructs Samuel to answer, “Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.” When God calls again, Samuel responds, and the Lord tells him of the coming judgment on Eli's house, a thing that will make the ears of all who hear it tingle, because Eli's sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not restrain them. In the morning Samuel fears to tell the vision, but Eli draws it out of him, and Samuel hides nothing. Eli receives the hard word with submission: “It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.” As Samuel grows, the Lord is with him and lets none of his words fall to the ground, and all Israel from Dan to Beersheba comes to know that Samuel is established as a prophet of Yahweh. The chapter shows God seeking out the willing heart and raising up his servant to speak his word faithfully, even when it is costly.
Main Characters
- Samuel — The boy ministering at Shiloh who hears God's call, learns to listen, and is established as a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.
- Eli — The aging priest who helps Samuel recognize God's voice and humbly accepts the Lord's word of judgment on his house.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who calls Samuel by name, reveals himself again at Shiloh, and confirms his servant's words before all Israel.
Key Verse
1 Samuel 3:10 (WEB)
Yahweh came, and stood, and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”
Lessons Learned
- God still speaks even in seasons when his word seems rare and his presence distant.
- Learning to listen to God begins with a heart that says, “Speak; your servant hears.”
- Faithfulness sometimes means delivering hard truths we would rather not speak.
- God confirms his servants over time, letting none of their faithful words fall to the ground.
- God takes the initiative to call. “Yahweh called Samuel” by name in the night (1 Samuel 3:4, WEB). He seeks us out before we know how to seek him.
- A listening heart is ready to obey. “Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9, WEB) is the posture God honors—willing attentiveness before his word.
- Faithfulness speaks the whole truth. Samuel “told him every bit, and hid nothing from him” (1 Samuel 3:18, WEB), even when the message was hard. Faithful servants do not edit God's word.
- God establishes the faithful. “Yahweh was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19, WEB). The Lord backs up the words of those he sends.
- Why is it significant that “Yahweh's word was precious in those days” when God calls Samuel?
- What does Samuel's confusion about the voice, and Eli's guidance, teach us about discerning God's call?
- Why might Samuel have feared to tell Eli the vision, and how does he handle that fear?
- How does Eli respond to the word of judgment, and what does his response model?
- What would it look like for you to say this week, “Speak, Lord; your servant hears”?
- Visions were rare, making God's call to Samuel all the more striking (3:1). Even in spiritually barren times, God is not silent; he raises up a new voice, reminding us he is never bound by the dryness of an age.
- Samuel mistakes God's voice for Eli's three times because he does not yet know the Lord (3:7). Eli helps him interpret it. Often we discern God's voice with the help of wiser believers and a willingness to keep listening.
- Samuel naturally fears delivering a hard word to the man who raised him (3:15). Yet drawn out by Eli, he hides nothing. Discuss how love for people can tempt us to soften God's truth, and why faithfulness requires honesty.
- Eli says, “It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him” (3:18). Despite the severity, he submits to God's justice. His response models humble acceptance of God's righteous dealings, even in judgment.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage members to create space to listen for God, perhaps through Scripture and prayer, and to adopt Samuel's posture of ready obedience. As leader, keep it gentle and practical.