Boy Samuel Called by the Lord

1 Samuel 3
The Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. 1 Samuel 3:10

When Samuel was a young boy, he served in the temple at Shiloh with Eli, the elderly priest (see 1 Samuel 3:12).

One night after Samuel had gone to bed, the Lord called, "Samuel." Samuel answered, "Here am I" (1 Samuel 3:4), then ran to Eli because he thought Eli had called him. But Eli said he had not called and sent him back to bed. (See 1 Samuel 3:5.)

Again the Lord called, "Samuel," and once more Samuel answered, "Here am I" (1 Samuel 3:6). The boy ran to Eli, who answered, "I called not, my son," and sent him back as before (see 1 Samuel 3:6).

The third time this happened, Eli knew that the Lord had been calling Samuel (see 1 Samuel 3:8). He told the boy to go back to bed and, if the voice called again, to say, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth" (1 Samuel 3:9).

When the Lord called, "Samuel, Samuel" again, the boy answered as Eli had told him (see 1 Samuel 3:10). Then the Lord talked to Samuel, "and Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him. ... And all Israel ... knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord" (1 Samuel 3:1920).

Summary

The child Samuel served in the temple with Eli, the high priest. One night while Samuel was sleeping, the Lord called to him by name. Samuel answered, "Here am I," and ran to Eli, believing he had called. Eli told Samuel he had not called him and to go lie down again. The Lord called Samuel two more times, and each time Samuel went to Eli. Eli now realized that the Lord must be calling Samuel and told the boy to answer. When the Lord called a fourth time, Samuel answered and then listened to His words. The Lord was with Samuel as he grew, and all the people knew he was a prophet.

Artist, Harry Anderson

© 2002 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA

My Word: There are so many wonderful stories that we have past by (I mean come on, thousands of years of history in a few pages.) I have to remind myself this is just a very shallow overview! You are learning about people who lived righteously and served the Lord throughout their lives....but, there are also other characters with great potential who just don't live up to their birthright. We can learn a lot from them also. Take for instance Samson, Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas, even Samuel's sons Joel and Abiah, Achan...he gives us quite a lesson, Naaman's payment to Gehazi (can you figure out what Gehazi did wrong?), these are just a few that come to the front of my mind. (If you look up the bold names in the BD you will find the references for these stories...it's amazing what a few verses will teach us.)

Alright, we see that the Lord calls youth to the ministry. Is it so impossible for the Lord to call a teenager in 1820 to restore His gospel to the earth? Joseph Smith began to become spiritually minded a few years before the "First Vision." Have you ever felt compelled to learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Don't stifle those feelings, let them grow and respond to the urgings.

I want to tell you about Hannah, Samuel's mother. She is another woman I want to visit with. She was a faithful daughter of God but that didn't keep her from having trials. Hannah was barren (childless) and her husband's other wife threw her fertility and children in Hannah's face continuously. Hannah prays and begs for a child and promises to raise him to serve the Lord all of his days. Her request is granted. At the age of three or so she takes Samuel to the Tabernacle and leaves him with the Prophet Eli. How did she do that? She also took an ephah of flour (about 20 quarts ... I may be wrong it possibly could be more.) I wondered why this particular detail would be mentioned. Have you ever tried to grind wheat? It is extremely difficult! I like to think that with every stroke of the grinding rock she was praying and thinking about her covenant with God. What might she have been taught in her moments of meditation?

ASSIGNMENT: Read at least the first couple of chapters of 1st Samuel. Look up the bold names above in the BD and write down the lessons we learn from those people. In your repetitive work (that doesn't take a lot of thought) focus your thoughts on spiritual things. Ask questions (silently in your mind), practice a hymn or primary song, pretend you are going to teach a lesson about a gospel principle (I have given many a talk in my mind while I do the dishes...I've learned a lot doing that!) Do you see a pattern concerning the women we have learned about so far? What is the pattern? Write down the steps to having your requests granted.