What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 3:5? He ran to Eli • Samuel, still a boy serving in the tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:18), hears a voice and immediately sprints to the priest who has raised him. • Quick, eager footsteps show a heart ready to serve—echoing Psalm 119:60, “I hurried and did not delay to keep Your commandments.” • Even before he knows it is God, Samuel’s instinct is to run toward spiritual authority. Compare the impulse of the shepherds in Luke 2:15 who “hurried off” to see what God had revealed. And said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” • “Here I am” is the language of availability; Abraham (Genesis 22:1) and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8) answered God the same way. • Samuel assumes a personal summons; there is no thought that God might speak directly to him—yet that is exactly what is happening (1 Samuel 3:10). • His words embody humility; he places himself at Eli’s disposal, just as believers are to present themselves as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). “I did not call,” Eli replied. • Eli’s response underscores the spiritual drought of that era: “the word of the LORD was rare” (1 Samuel 3:1). • The aging priest does not yet discern that God could be breaking the silence. Similar dullness appears in Mark 6:49-52 when the disciples miss the significance of Jesus walking on the sea. • Yet Eli does not chastise Samuel; he remains a mentor God will use moments later to guide the boy (1 Samuel 3:8-9). “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. • Samuel obeys without argument—a picture of simple trust. Jesus commends this childlike posture in Matthew 18:3. • Resting in obedience positions Samuel to hear the LORD again. Psalm 4:8 celebrates the safety of lying down under God’s watchful care. • Waiting quietly for further instruction is often how God unfolds His will (Lamentations 3:26). summary 1 Samuel 3:5 captures Samuel’s eager responsiveness, humble availability, and obedient waiting—traits God values in every servant. Though Eli initially misses heaven’s call, Samuel’s swift compliance keeps him in position to receive it. The verse invites us to cultivate the same readiness: run toward what we believe is right, present ourselves without reservation, listen carefully, and rest obediently until the LORD speaks again. |
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