What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 3:18? So Samuel told him everything Samuel, a boy yet newly called as a prophet, delivers the full weight of God’s word to Eli. His willingness models faithful obedience: - Like Jeremiah, who was told, “Do not omit a word” (Jeremiah 26:2), Samuel holds nothing back. - Paul echoes this standard: “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). - Prophetic responsibility demands completeness; Ezekiel 3:18-19 warns that silence makes the watchman guilty. and did not hide a thing from him Transparency safeguards both messenger and hearer. Samuel’s openness: - Mirrors righteous Josiah’s reception of the entire book of the Law (2 Kings 22:10-13). - Reflects Proverbs 27:5: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” - Shows love that refuses to soften truth for comfort, anticipating New-Covenant candor such as Paul’s confrontation of Peter (Galatians 2:11). “He is the LORD,” replied Eli Eli immediately acknowledges divine authority: - Job does the same after loss: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away” (Job 1:21). - Psalm 24:1 grounds this posture: “The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.” - Isaiah 33:22 declares, “The LORD is our Judge… our King; He will save us,” underscoring that ultimate rulership belongs to God alone. Eli’s words, though tinged with resignation, are a confession of that sovereignty. “Let Him do what is good in His eyes” Eli surrenders to God’s verdict, accepting both justice and goodness: - David, facing Absalom, says similarly: “Let Him do to me what seems good to Him” (2 Samuel 15:26). - Jesus, the perfect Son, prays, “Yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). - Peter urges suffering believers to “entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19). Such submission trusts that even severe discipline flows from a God who defines goodness (Romans 8:28). summary 1 Samuel 3:18 captures a complete prophetic exchange: Samuel fearlessly declares every word God gave; Eli humbly bows to the Lord’s sovereign judgment. Together they teach that God’s people must speak His truth without omission and receive His will without resistance, knowing that the One who judges is always right and always good. |
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