'The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.' So begins the Third chapter of First Samuel. 'One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was'. - 1 Sam. 3:1-3 NIV
Eli is an old man going blind, and the blind eye he has cast towards the sins of his two sons, has resulted in being blinded spiritually as well. All he has to rely on is the familiar, so he is lying down in his usual place while Samuel is lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. But the lamp of God had not yet gone out. Samuel, the one prayed for and consecrated to the Lord, still has eyes and ears. At first he thinks the voice he hears is Eli, so in obedience he runs towards the voice. But it is not Eli, it is the voice of God, and Samuel runs towards that voice. He runs toward the Lord for the rest of his life.
'The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.' - 1Sam. 3:19-21 NIV
Throughout his life, God gave Samuel the ability to hear and see what others could not. Even as an old man, he sees God's hand on a ruddy faced shepherd boy who will become the king of Israel. Samuel hears and sees from the Lord until the day he dies.
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