1 Samuel 3 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 1 Sam 3:1-10

1 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.’ 5 And he ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’

But Eli said, ‘I did not call; go back and lie down.’ So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, ‘Samuel!’ And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’

‘My son,’ Eli said, ‘I did not call; go back and lie down.’

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 A third time the Lord called, ‘Samuel!’ And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’

Then Eli realised that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, ‘Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’

Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’

A. Find Out:

1. What was the spiritual state of these days? v.1
2. Where did Samuel sleep? v.3
3. Who did Samuel think was calling? v.5
4. Why didn’t he recognise the voice? v.7
5. How many times was it before Eli realised? v.8
6. How did he say Samuel should respond? v.9

B. Think:

1. Why hadn’t Samuel been taught previously how to listen to God?
2. What was the Lord obviously wanting from Samuel before He said anything more?
3. Why do you think the Lord wasn’t speaking to Eli?

C. Comment:

     The physical description of Eli in verse 2 could also describe his spiritual condition. Spiritually he could hardly see and probably hadn’t had a vision from the Lord for a long time. He was also spiritually lying down, virtually inactive in his spiritual life, very sad! Verse 3 is also significant in the spiritual realm – the lamp of God had not gone out; Samuel was to be God’s light in the land. Now we have this unusual episode of the Lord calling Samuel. Three times He calls, apparently audibly, and three times Samuel assumed it was Eli, and only on the third time did Eli realise it was the Lord!

     Samuel had obviously not been taught to expect God to speak. Many Christians today don’t expect God to speak, but He does! God wanted an acknowledgement from Samuel, He wants an awareness of Himself in the person to whom He speaks. If thoughts come into your mind, they can come from self, Satan or God, and so we have to learn to discern their origins. God’s “thoughts” do not drive or compel or bring guilt or fear or doubt, but they come in line with His written word, bringing love, peace, order, divine wisdom.

D. Application?

1. Does the description of Eli also describe my spiritual condition?
2. If God speaks then we need to learn to hear and acknowledge Him.

Passage: 1 Sam 3:11-21

11 And the Lord said to Samuel: ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family – from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family for ever because of the sin he knew about; his sons uttered blasphemies against God, and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, “The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”’

15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’

Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.’

17 ‘What was it he said to you?’ Eli asked. ‘Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.’ 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, ‘He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.’

19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognised that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

A. Find Out:    

1. What did the Lord say He would do? v.12
2. Why? v.13
3. What did Samuel feel about Eli? v.15
4. What was Eli’s response to the prophecy? v.18
5. As what did all Israel recognise Samuel? v.20
6. How did the Lord reveal Himself to Samuel? v.21

B. Think:

1. What do you do if you DON’T let something “fall to the ground”? v.19
2. Look up Jeremiah 1:11,12a. For Samuel it was “hearing”, for Jeremiah it was seeing. What 2 forms of prophecy are indicated here?
3. What is the simple mark of a prophet?

C. Comment:

      Once Samuel has responded to the Lord, the Lord imparts this simple prophecy: He will judge Eli’s family as He had said because Eli continues to sin and refuses to restrain his sinful sons. Samuel was naturally afraid to share this with Eli, fearful perhaps of what his response might be. Here we have a lesson to learn as we see Eli take and accept the word. How people respond to a word that God gives us to share is not our responsibility, the Lord may well have prepared that person’s heart to receive it.

     Sadly Eli accepts it as it is and doesn’t repent; as far as he’s concerned it WILL be. He hasn’t learnt that heartfelt repentance always enables the Lord to relent. The Lord doesn’t delight in any man’s death (see Ezekiel 18:22). Thereafter Samuel grows up before God hearing God’s words and being careful to hold onto what He says. Samuel a) hears carefully and b) retains the word that comes from God. Beware of being casual with the forth coming word of God. A prophet hears God’s word and takes note of God’s word and obeys God’s word.

D. Application?

1. Are we able to freely receive God’s word without a quibble AND respond to it in obedience.
2. Do we hold and retain God’s word?