The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Hear” it comes from the Hebrew Word “shama” which means “to hear, to listen and obey.”
A young boy hears his name called in the night, and mistakes God’s voice for his mentor’s. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is 1 Samuel 3.
In a time when the word of the Lord is rare and visions are infrequent, the Lord calls to young Samuel by name in the night. Samuel, assuming it is Eli calling him, runs to him three times, but Eli did not call him. On the third occasion, Eli realizes the Lord is calling the boy, and instructs him that if the voice comes again, he should respond, “Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth.”
The Lord comes and calls again, and Samuel answers exactly as instructed. God delivers a devastating message concerning Eli’s household, confirming the prophecy already given, that judgment is coming because Eli’s sons made themselves vile and Eli failed to restrain them, and that this sin will never be purged by sacrifice or offering. Samuel lies awake until morning, afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli insists on hearing everything, and responds with humble resignation, “It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.”
As Samuel grows, “the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground,” and all Israel from Dan to Beersheba comes to recognize him as an established prophet of the Lord. God continues appearing at Shiloh, revealing Himself to Samuel through His word, “hear,” “shama” in Hebrew, being the very word Samuel used in his first response to God, a fitting theme for a life defined by listening and obeying.
Samuel’s simple willingness to listen, even before he fully understood who was speaking to him, opened the door to a lifetime of prophetic ministry. Eli’s response to devastating news about his own family, submitting to God’s judgment rather than resisting it, shows a kind of humility worth noticing even in his failure.
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