God Calls Samuel

1 Samuel 3:1-10,19-20

     Samuel's mother left him at the temple in Shiloh to live with Eli the priest and to serve the Lord. He was about two years old when she left him.

     As Samuel grew older, Eli taught him all the things that had to be done to take care of God's temple. In those days God did not speak much to the people, and they did not have many dreams or visions of God.

     While Samuel was still just a boy, he began to sleep near the place where the ark of the covenant was kept. Eli was getting old and could not see very well anymore. He slept in his own room.

     One night while Samuel was asleep, God called, "Samuel! Samuel!" The boy thought that Eli had called him so he ran to Eli and said, "You called me, Here I am."

     "I didn't call, my son," Eli said, "Go lie down."

     After Samuel lay down, God called again. "Samuel, Samuel!"

     Samuel got up and ran again to Eli. "Here I am. You called me?"

     "I didn't call, my son," said Eli. "Go lie down again."

     Now Samuel did not know the Lord yet. God had not spoken to him before. So when God called Samuel a third time, he got up and went to Eli again. "You called me," he said. "Here I am."

     Then Eli knew what was happening. He knew that God had called Samuel.

     "Go lie down," Eli said. "And if God calls again, say, "Speak, Lord for your servant is listening."

     So Samuel went back and lay down. Then God called, "Samuel, Samuel!"

     "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening," "Samuel said. Then God told Samuel many things that were to happen to Israel.

     Samuel grew up there at Shiloh. After that night God was with Samuel all the time and talked with him often. And soon all Israel, from north to south, knew that Samuel was a prophet of the Lord.