3:2,3The Ark of God was kept in the Most Holy Place, the innermost room of the Tabernacle where only the high priest could enter once a year. In front of the Most Holy Place was the Holy Place, a small room where the other sacred furniture of the Tabernacle was kept (the incense altar, the Bread of the Presence, the lampstand). Just outside the Holy Place was a court with small rooms where the priests were to stay. Samue! probably slept here with the other priests, only a few yards away from the Ark.
Life Application Study Bible1 SamuelChapter 3
1 Samuel 3
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 413, 414
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
31 Samuel 3
1Sam 2:11 3Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days mesyen ae sages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed.
5The lamp of God had not• Parents need to discipline their children responsibly• Life is more than simply reacting; it demands actionPast victories cannot substitute for present trustKey verses
6Then the LORD said to Samuel, ‘! am about to do a shocking thing inIsrael. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family,from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming uponhis family forever, because his sons are blaspoheming God and hehasn't disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sonswill never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings” (1 Samuel 3:1 1-14).His story is told in
7Samuel 1—4. He is also mentioned in 1 Kings 2:26, 27.3:1-5 Although God had spoken directly and audibly with Mosesand Joshua, his word became rare during the three centuries ofTule by judges. By Eli's time, no prophets were speaking God’sMessages to Israel. Why? Look at the attitude of Eli’s sons. Theyeither refused to listen to God or allowed greed to get in the wayof any communication with him.Listening and responding is vital in a relationship with God.Although God does not always use the sound of a human voice, healways speaks clearly through his Word. To receive his messages,We must be ready to listen and to act upon what he tells us. LikeSamuel, be ready to say “Here I am” when God calls you to action.
yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle* near the Ark of God. 4Suddenly the LORD called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. 6Then the LORD called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” 7Samuel did not yet know the LORD because he had never had a message from the LORD before. 8So the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy. 9So he said to Samuei, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. 10And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 11Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 121 am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. '$I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God* and he hasn't disciplined them. 14So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”
Samuel Speaks for the LORD
1515Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle* as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the LORD had said to him. 16But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” Samuel replied. 17“ What did the LORD say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” 18So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the LORD’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.” 184s Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD. 21The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. 41And Samuel's words went out to all the people of Israel.
Textual footnotes
- 3:3 Hebrew the Temple of the LonD. 3:13 Asin Greek version; Hebrew reads his sons have made themselves
- 3:15 Hebrew the house of the LORD.
Life Application Notes 3 notes
3:8,9One would naturally expect an audible message from God to be given to the priest Eli and not to the child Samuel. Eli was older and more experienced, and he held the proper position. But God's chain of command is based on faith, not on age or position. In finding faithful followers, God may use unexpected channels. Be prepared for the LORD to work at any place, at any time, and through anyone he chooses.
3:13Eli had spent his entire life in service to God. His responsibility was to oversee all the worship in Israel. But in pursuing this great mission he neglected the responsibilities in his own home. Don't let your desire to do God's work cause you to neglect your family. If you do, your mission may degenerate into a quest for personal importance, and your family will suffer the consequences of your neglect.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 414
Gaza. They were originally one of the “Sea Peaples” who had migrated to the Middle East in ships from Greece and Crete. By Samuel’s time, these warlike people were well established in five of Gaza’s cities in southwest Canaan and were constantly pressing inland against the Israelites. Throughout this time, the Philistines were Israel’s major enemy. 4:3. The Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses. The Ark was supposed to be kept in the Most Holy Place, a sacred part of the Tabernacle that only the high priest coutd enter once a year. Hophni and Phinehas desecrated the room by unlawfully entering it and removing the Ark. The Israelites rightly recognized the great holiness of the Ark, but they thought that the Ark itself—the wood and metal box—was their source of power. They began to use it as a good luck charm, expecting it to protect them from their enemies. A symbol of God does not guarantee his presence and power.