Prophet

They weren't honoring or seeking the Lord, weren't keeping the covenant. They were a mess. So the word of the Lord was rare, and "there was no frequent vision."

When we read 'vision,' we're not talking about some new age concept. Throughout Israel's history, God had shown up repeatedly. Yet now, because of the condition of Israel and its leaders, God wasn't showing up. As we saw in the first two chapters, God explained:

"I will honor those who honor me, and those who don't honor me will not receive it."

"At that time, Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place."

This verse is deeply symbolic. Eli is blind to the Lord. There's been no frequent vision. As a representative of Israel, he beautifully illustrates where God's people have fallen.

"The lamp of God had not yet gone out and Samuel was lying down in the temple of Yahweh where the ark of God was."

Here's the contrast: Eli, the high priest who should minister in the tabernacle before the ark, is blind and lying in 'his own place.' Meanwhile, young Samuel is in the tabernacle, lying before the Ark of the Covenant. Samuel symbolizes those who will honor God, those close to Yahweh.

The opening line, 'the lamp of God had not yet gone out,' is significant. God had instructed the priests to light a lamp at dusk each night and tend it so the light stayed lit until sunrise. This symbolic duty was neglected by Eli but maintained by Samuel.

Despite the dire situation—Eli's failures, his sons' corruption, and Israel's mess—'the lamp of God had not yet gone out.' Isn't that beautiful? Even when we are faithless, God remains faithful. There's hope.

"Then Yahweh called to Samuel."

Samuel was sleeping in the tabernacle in front of the ark of the covenant when he heard a voice. He responded, 'Here I am,' and ran to Eli, thinking the high priest had called him. This is not the first time in Scripture that God has called someone who responded, 'Here I am.' This pattern indicates something significant is about to happen.

"Samuel ran to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' But Eli replied, 'I did not call you. Go lie down again.'"

This happened three times before Eli realized that Yahweh was calling the boy. The author tells us,

"Samuel did not yet know the Lord and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him."

This doesn't mean Samuel was unaware of Yahweh or His deeds—it means he hadn't yet personally encountered Him or recognized His voice.

"Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'"

Imagine what it would be like for this young boy to return to the tabernacle, lie down near the Ark of the Covenant with the giant cherubim statues, realizing God was speaking to him!

"The Lord came and stood."

This wasn't a disembodied voice or a dream—this was a real, physical, tangible encounter. God called 'as at other times,' not just the three times already mentioned, but in the pattern He had called Abraham, Jacob, and Moses—repeating the name: 'Samuel, Samuel.'

"Speak, for your servant hears."

This calling narrative places Samuel in line with the patriarchs whom God had called and used in significant transitions of His plan. Samuel would be the first national prophet of Israel since Moses.

There had been other prophets—Deborah in Judges, and unnamed prophets including one who spoke to Eli a chapter earlier. But these prophets typically served individual tribes or regions. There was no national cohesion; Israel was split up with tribes doing their own thing. God would transform this through Samuel, who would serve as a prophet to all the tribes.

Moses had prophesied:

"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen."

Moses knew Israel would fail and warned them to look for a prophet like himself when that happened. Samuel is now being presented as that prophet, called like Moses was called, speaking with God in the tabernacle near the ark just as Moses did.

"Behold, I am about to do something, and everyone who hears it, their ears are going to tingle."

This unique phrase appears only twice in Scripture—here at the beginning of the monarchy and again in 2 Kings 21 and Jeremiah 19 at the end of the monarchy. God was announcing something momentous.

He continued,

"On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house from beginning to end."

God was confirming the prophecy delivered by the unnamed prophet—that Eli's line would no longer serve as high priests because of his sons' blasphemy and Eli's failure to restrain them.

"The iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

"Samuel lay till morning."

Imagine the intensity of emotion after such an encounter! 'Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord.' This beautiful symbolic image shows that as morning comes and the sun breaks, Samuel opens the doors of the Lord's house. Though the temple hadn't been built yet, they had constructed some structure around the tabernacle at Shiloh. Samuel emerges from the tent and opens these doors—because 'the lamp of God had not gone out,' and a new day was dawning for Israel.

"Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli."

Of course he was—he was a young boy serving the high priest, and the message wasn't good news. But Eli called Samuel and said,

"What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do to you and more also if you hide anything from me."

This was a curse pronouncement. Eli knew what was coming and was essentially saying, 'May God kill you if you don't fulfill your prophetic office and reveal what you've heard.'

"Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him."

Eli's response shows a measure of integrity:

'It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.'

Despite his failures, Eli wasn't afraid to acknowledge God's sovereignty. There's something admirable in his recognition: 'He's God. He's the faithful one. He's the covenant keeper. He's the creator. Let him do what seems good to him.'

"And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground."

This Hebrew idiom means everything Samuel prophesied came to pass. He was a trustworthy prophet.

"All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord."

He began as a young boy and ended as an established prophet, secured in his role by God Himself.

"Yahweh appeared again at Shiloh. For the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord."

This wasn't a one-time encounter—God and Samuel would meet regularly, with God speaking through Samuel to His people just as He did through Moses. Chapter 4 begins with 'and the word of Samuel came to all of Israel,' confirming his role as a national prophet.

Samuel, as a prophet like Moses, points us toward Jesus, who is the ultimate prophet like Moses. This is one of the beautiful aspects of Scripture—the intertextuality, the unfolding stories, repeating patterns, and threads running throughout. Moses was a great prophet but failed so badly he couldn't enter the promised land. Samuel was a great prophet but wouldn't endure forever. Both were shadows of the one to come.

This thread is picked up throughout the New Testament. In John 1, after Jesus begins his ministry and calls Philip, Philip finds Nathanael and tells him,

"We found the one whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote about."

He's referencing Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses promised a prophet like himself would come. The Jewish people had gone through much—the monarchy, division, destruction, exile, return, and rebuilding a temple where God's glory never appeared. They were desperately waiting for God to fulfill His promises, waiting for the prophet like Moses to come. Philip tells Nathanael they've found him in Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus parallels Moses and Samuel in many ways. Consider Jesus' birth narrative—born in danger, fleeing to Egypt, then returning

"Out of Egypt I have called my son." (Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15)

Think about Jesus' baptism in the Jordan, after which the heavens split and God declared,

"This is my beloved Son." (Matthew 3:17)

Jesus called twelve disciples, just as Moses led the twelve tribes. Moses gave the law on the mountain; Jesus sat on the mountain in Matthew 5-7 saying, 'You have heard it said, but I say to you,' establishing the terms of the new covenant.

At the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the mountain, and God said,

"This is my Son; listen to him" (Mark 9:7)

—echoing Deuteronomy 18:15. Moses gave manna in the wilderness; Jesus is the bread of life. Moses struck the rock for water; Jesus is the living water. Moses instituted the Passover meal; Jesus transformed it into communion, proclaiming the true exodus from sin and death.

We live in a time when it seems dark and the word of the Lord is rare, with many competing voices. But the lamp of God has not gone out. The lamp of God will never go out because we have a true and faithful high priest who intercedes forever. He doesn't offer repeated sacrifices but was himself the once-for-all sacrifice.

Nations come and go, but God's lamp will not go out. God is faithful. You'll have hard times when you don't know where God is or what's happening, but remember—the lamp has not gone out, even when things look bad. Even when God's people are faithless, God remains faithful. Jesus is what we've been longing for, the great and true prophet.

Hebrews 1 tells us:

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power."

Jesus is the lamp of God that will not go out. He is the faithful and true one, the prophet who speaks God's word. So let us hear again God's voice:

"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

The question isn't whether God is speaking to you—God is a God who calls and speaks. The question is: Are you listening? Will you hear? Will you trust? Will you honor him? Will you humble yourself? Because:

"God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble."

Church, listen to him. Trust him. Because the lamp of God has not gone out. And it never will.