I Shmuel 3: Call Me Maybe

Chapter 3 is Shmuel’s first calling from God, and the setup—being called by name and responding “Here I am”—echoes earlier biblical callings, from Adam to Avraham. The Navi is positioning Shmuel as one of the great prophets. But there is also a touch of humor: teenage Shmuel keeps running back to Eli as if to say, “Here I am! You rang?” only for Eli to answer, “It was not me.” It takes three attempts before Eli realizes that God is calling the boy. Yet Shmuel’s first vision is strikingly dark. Why would God begin Shmuel’s prophetic career with a message of doom against the house of Eli? The answer may be that Shmuel is not being trained only to hear God’s word; he is being trained to lead. Shmuel will eventually guide the nation through one of its most delicate transitions—the move from judges to kings—and that requires more than inspiration. It requires the courage to speak painful truths, even to people he loves. Eli has raised Shmuel in the Mishkan and functioned almost like a father to him. So God’s first message tests whether Shmuel can place loyalty to God above personal loyalty to Eli. Shmuel passes that test. When Eli demands to know the vision, “Samuel then told him everything, withholding nothing from him” (verse 18). Before Shmuel can appoint kings, he must first prove that he can tell the truth to power—even when that power is his own teacher and father figure.