Last week we studied about Hannah and her miraculous birth. Her son Samuel was dedicated to the Lord. She followed through with her vow. And now Samuel is growing up at the temple there.

1 Samuel 3:1
And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

• Eli was the high priest, and he was the one that was taking care of Samuel at the temple.
• However, there was no open vision. What does it mean that there wasn’t any open vision?
• Visions were given from God to the people through prophets.
• Ezekiel 7:26
  Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.
• So if there was no open vision, then it means that God was not communicating with them, God was not guiding them.
• Then it must mean that there were some wicked things taking place in the nation of Israel, namely in Eli’s home.

How old was Samuel at this point though?

• 1 Samuel 2:20-21
  20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home. 21 And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.
• He must have been at least 10-12 years old. Possibly older.
• He certainly wasn’t 5 years old anymore. Time had passed already to the extent that Hannah had more children already. 5 in fact.

What wickedness was taking place in the home of Eli that there would be no open visions though?

• 1 Samuel 2:12-17
  12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. 13 And the priests’ custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; 14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. 15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. 16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
• The names of Eli’s sons was Hophni and Phinehas.
• They were priests that served under their father Eli who was the high priest. And it was not that they didn’t know the Lord as it said there in verse 12, but they were rebelling against the Lord and acting as if they didn’t know Him.
• First, they were eating raw meat and the fat which it was forbidden for them to eat. The fat had to be cut off before it was burnt and the meat had to be cooked.
• So they were despising the offerings that were given by the people to the Lord. But that was not all. What else was taking place with these sons of Eli?
• 1 Samuel 2:22-24
  22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. 24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress.
• Eli’s sons were also sleeping with some of the women that would come to the tabernacle to worship and offer their sacrifices. They were committing fornication.
• Eli had heard about it but all he did was reprimand them.

What should Eli have done from the standpoint of the high priest in disciplining his sons?

• Deuteronomy 22:22
  If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
• He should have pronounced judgment on his sons. He should have removed them from being priests and should have punished them with death.
• People were stoned in those days for committing fornication or adultery.
• But all he seems to have done is scolded them and it seems like it didn’t have any effect of them. So God had to take things into His own hands.
• 1 Samuel 2:27-29, 34
  27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? 28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? 29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
• God sent a prophet to tell Eli His judgment that He was about to pour on his sons. Both of them would die in one day.
• So now we know the reason why there was no open vision. The sons of Eli had affected the whole nation. Because of their wickedness, it had caused God to stop communication with them.

1 Samuel 3:2-4
2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; 3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; 4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

• God now comes to talk with Samuel one night. He calls him by name but Samuel thinks that it is Eli that is calling him.
• 1 Samuel 3:5
  And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
• God calls a second time and Samuel does the same thing.
• 1 Samuel 3:6
  And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
• He is mistaken once more. How come?
• 1 Samuel 3:7
  Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
• He did not yet know the Lord. Why? It’s not that Samuel never did his devotion or spend time in reading the Bible or prayer. But God had never communicated to Samuel this way before.
• And so God comes again a third time.
• 1 Samuel 3:8-9
  8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
• At this third time when God calls Samuel, he does the same thing and runs to Eli. But this time Eli perceives that it is the Lord calling him.
• God had bypassed the aged judge and high priest in Eli to communicate with a young child in Samuel. What a slap in the face it must have been to Eli.
• But anyways, Eli teaches Samuel how to respond if the voice calls to him again.

And so God comes again once more.

• 1 Samuel 3:10
  And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
• Probably in the nervousness of speaking with God for the first time, Samuel does not say all the same words that Eli had just taught him.
• Eli taught Samuel to respond to God by saying “Speak Lord, for the servant heareth.” But Samuel forgets to address God. However, thankfully God understood his heart and did not take any disrespect from it.
• But what is God wanting to communicate to Samuel about?
• 1 Samuel 3:11-14
  11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. 14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
• It was about the judgment of Eli and his sons. Because Eli did not restrain them and do what was necessary to prevent all this wickedness from taking place in the temple, God would judge his house forever. He was a neglectful father.
• Maybe he was afraid to talk to them. Or he was just being too lenient, thinking or assuming that they would change as they took the position in the temple and served with him, or that they would grow up and grow out of those things.
• Maybe he was praying earnestly, hoping that God would just convert his son’s hearts without him having to say anything to them.
• But God would not do for Eli what he had power in himself to do. Eli should have acted as that faithful high priest. He was the judge, the highest position in Israel at that time.
• He had power to do something about his sons if he wanted to, but he never did. And because of his neglect, God had to take this matter into his own hands.

However, we read already in chapter two that a prophet had already come to Eli to tell him about the judgment of his sons. How come God is now telling the same thing to Samuel? It wasn’t anything new to Eli.

• It is not so much the message, but it was the act of God not talking to Eli and speaking to the little boy Samuel about this judgment which spoke clearly that God was passing over Eli and now choosing Samuel as the next judge of Israel.
• This really teaches us a lot about the importance of being a parent. When we don’t rebuke the sins of our children and do what we can to check their evil practices, God holds us accountable. Their sins are placed on our shoulders if we did not speak up or act upon it.

Was Eli a religious man though?

• Yes he was! He loved the truth, he loved the Lord.
• How do we know?
• In 1 Samuel 4 there is war between the Philistines and the Israelites. The 2 sons of Eli go and take the ark of the covenant to war with them like a sacred charm.
• Israelites lose the war and the ark is taken. But not only that.
• Messengers come back to report to Eli what has happened.
• 1 Samuel 4:17-18
  17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died:for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years
• He cared so much about the ark that when he heard it was taken he fell back and died. He didn’t do that when he heard his sons were dead.
• Maybe when he heard about his sons that he was thinking that it was only a matter of time
• But yes, Eli loved the Lord. Yet he still had this one blot of sin on his live to mar his record.
• We must train our children. It is so important!

But I want to show you that this applies to more than just parents but to everyone:

• Ezekiel 33:8-9
  8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul
• What is the outcome of the wicked man in both verses? He perishes in his sins
• But what is the outcome of his friend? In the first instance he sins because he doesn’t do anything. In the second instance he delivers his own soul because he warns his friend about his sin.

The next morning, Eli calls for Samuel and asks about the previous nights events.

• 1 Samuel 3:15-18
  15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. 16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. 17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee. 18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
• Samuel was so scared. To have to tell Eli such a straight message of judgment. To the man who had been like a father to him since he arrived at the temple to serve God.
• But nevertheless, he was faithful to tell everything about what God had told him to Eli. And Eli accepted the message. It wasn’t new after all.

As a result, because Samuel was true to his trust of telling a straight message to Eli, God exalted him and made him a powerful influence for good!

• 1 Samuel 3:19-21
  19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
• His words would not even fall to the ground. Samuel was faithful in telling all of God’s messages to His people. He was true as a prophet of God, as a mouthpiece for God. All of Israel would know that he had been called to the prophetic office.
• Shortly after this in the next chapter, Eli dies after hearing the ark of the covenant is taken. Samuel transitions in smoothly into the role of the next judge.

Samuel would be a mighty judge!

• 1 Samuel 7:8-10
  8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. 10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
• It was obvious that God was with him and was working through him.

However, why is all this detail important as we are about to study the kings though?

• 1 Samuel 8:1-3
  1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
• There is one spot in the ministry of Samuel. It was the same spot that marred the ministry of Eli. Samuel also did not raise his sons up rightly. Even though they were judges of Israel, they were wicked. They chased after money and took bribes and their judgment was swayed by money. They could be bought.
• We need to learn from the mistakes of those before us instead of keep repeating them. Samuel did not. And because of this, there were big repercussions of his lack of disciplining and training his children.

Because of the wickedness of the leadership, what did the children of Israel do?

• 1 Samuel 8:4-5
  4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
• They asked Samuel for a king. It was because they had lost faith in the leadership, they had lost faith in God that they wanted someone to lead them, someone like how all the other nations were led.

The sins of Israel had been accumulating for decades now. People had been drifting away from God every time a judge died. Eli’s sons had abused their position and office that God had appointed them. Samuel’s sons had done the same thing. God was rejected because of the actions of men.

• 1 Samuel 8:6-7
  6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
• In asking for a king, they were rejecting God as their leader. They wanted a human to judge them and lead them and fight for them. Up to this point God was the leader even though there were judges and prophets and priests that stood as the head. Just like Moses, even though he was the leader, everything that he did was upon command from God. He was the One that lead them in and out and guided them.

Often our actions will either recommend people to the gospel or push them further away. People make decisions about God because of what they see in us. May all that we say and do be a blessing and a light to all around us. May our influence be a savour of life unto life and not death unto death. May God guide our actions, guide the words that come out of our moths, guide all that we say and do that we will not be a stumbling block to anyone around us.