22 God Calls Samuel [1 Samuel 3]
The Bible passage: [1 Samuel 3]
The Story:
During the period of the judges of Israel, there was a man name Elkanah. His wife was Hannah. They did not have any children and Hannah really wanted to have a child.
One day while she was praying at the Lord’s house in Shiloh, she was crying and praying to God for a son. She promised God that if He would give her a son, she would give him back to God to serve Him for the rest of his life. The priest, Eli, thought she might be drunk and scolded her. She told Eli that she wasn’t drunk but was crying out to God because of her broken heart. Eli told her to, “Go in peace, and may God answer your prayer.”
After a short time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, which means “God has heard.” After the boy was weaned, Hannah took him to Shiloh and left him there to serve under Eli.
One evening, Samuel was lying down where he slept.
The Lord called to Samuel and he answered, “Here I am.”
He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am: you called me.”
Eli replied, “I didn’t call you. Go and lay down.”
Samuel went back to his bed.
This happened a second time.
Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy.
He told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’”
So, Samuel went and lay down in his room.
The Lord came and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel responded, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”
The Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel and everyone who hears about it will shudder. Eli’s sons have done bad things in my house and Eli has done nothing to stop them. I warned Eli that his family would be judged for what they have done. The day is coming soon when I will punish Eli and his family for their sin.”
Samuel lay down until morning. When he got up, he opened the doors of the Lord’s house, as he always did. Samuel was afraid to tell Eli what God had told him.
Eli called him and said, “Samuel my son.”
“Here I am,” answered Samuel.
Eli asked Samuel, “What was the message He gave you? Don’t hide it from me. May God punish you severely if you hide anything from me that He told you.”
Samuel told Eli everything and did not hide anything from him.
Eli responded, “He is the Lord. He will do what He thinks is good.”
Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him. All Israel knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the Lord.
One day the army of Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle. Israel was defeated in the battle. Both of Eli’s sons died and the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the enemy. When word came back to Eli about what had happened, he fell backwards off his chair and broke his neck and died. So the word that the Lord had spoken to Samuel had been fulfilled.
The Lessons:
- Eli’s sons sinned against God and because Eli would not correct them, they all died on the same day. God had waited and given them opportunities to repent and turn from their evil ways, but He finally punished them.
- This is another of the “Here I Am” stories that I have mentioned before. Once Samuel knew that it was God speaking to him, God called to him and he answered, “I’m listening.”
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