1 Sa. 3: "Samuel! Samuel!"

1 Samuel 3:7 "Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD : The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him."

Apparently in the time of Samuel, the LORD was silent for the most part. Not many visions occured, and following that, the LORD was probably not using a mouthpiece to the nation of Israel as he had with Moses and Joshua and stuff. Maybe as a result, Eli wasn't the most ideal priest when it came to sticking with convictions. Eli may not have listened enough. The Bible doesn't say, so I can only infer.

The greatest evidence of the LORD's silence, and Eli's lax attitude toward the priesthood is verse 7, where it says "Samuel did not yet know the LORD." This seems pretty important. Here was Samuel, who had been serving in the temple, for a few years at the very least, serving someone he did not yet know. What was Eli doing this whole time? What was he teaching, if anything? Maybe he tried, and anyone who has tried to be a leader in a youth group knows they don't exactly have rapt attention. Anyway, I find that somewhat troubling. The priesthood itself was not in good hands, and was ready to be handed off to incapable hands.

The second part of verse 7 speaks about revelation. How was Samuel supposed to have any sort of propriety or passion about what he was doing, if he didn't really know why he was doing it? The LORD had not yet revealed himself to Samuel. Even when Samuel was in the temple...the most holy place...essentially the doorstep of God, he had no knowledge of God. I'm sure he was taught the answers, and the sacrifices, and the rules and regs, and he probably memorized some scripture here and there. But God had not taken hold of him. God had not reached out to Samuel. This implies that a person cannot truly know the LORD until God reveals himself to that person. How God reveals himself is the variable.

Anyway, one night, God calls out to Samuel. Samuel at first thinks its Eli calling him, so he goes to Eli and says, "Here I am."

"I didn't call you, boy. Back to bed."

"Oh."

...

"Samuel."

"Here I am, Eli."

"Now, Samuel, I didn't call you. Go lay down before I throw you into the Holy of Holies."

...

"Samuel!"

"Eli, you called?"

"Hmm...it must be God. If he calls you again, tell him you are listening."

"Uhh...kay. Good night."

...

"Samuel?"

"Speak, for your servant is listening."

God tells Samuel what He is going to do. As promised, God tells Samuel about what He is going to do to Eli's house. And this is not exactly the happiest introduction from God to the uninitiated. Imagine if your first interaction with God is a curse on the person who took you in and taught you everything you knew about God? Also interesting that God would tell Samuel (inexperienced, youthful Samuel) about the curse on Eli instead of Eli himself.

Because of Eli's unwillingness or inability to restrain his loutish sons, God would bring severe judgment on his house. Sacrifice and offering wouldn't even atone for it. Theoretically, would repentence? God seemed pretty set on what he was going to do.

Because of Samuel and Eli's relationship, of course you could expect Samuel to be hesitant to tell Eli the bad news. Bad news Eli probably expected was coming. But Eli threatened Samuel into telling him what God said, whether that was the right course of action is irrelevant, because Samuel reacted with concession, saying that God is God, and will do what is good in his eyes.

Samuel soon became widely recognized as Israel's prophet from the LORD. Did they have any previously? Like, real prophets? I don't know yet.