What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 3:7? Now Samuel - The boy is already serving: “And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli” (1 Samuel 3:1). - He grew up in a godly environment (1 Samuel 2:18, 26), yet God waited to speak until the perfect time—just as He later did with John the Baptist (Luke 1:80) and even Jesus (Luke 2:52). - Context matters: “in those days the word of the LORD was rare” (1 Samuel 3:1). Samuel’s calling stands out precisely because the nation had grown dull to God’s voice (Judges 21:25). did not yet know the LORD - “Know” points to personal relationship, not mere information. Compare the tragic line, “another generation rose up who knew neither the LORD nor the works He had done” (Judges 2:10). - Serving in the tabernacle did not automatically equal intimacy. Religious activity can precede real encounter (Matthew 7:22–23). - The New Testament echoes this: “Now this is eternal life, that they may know You” (John 17:3). Samuel is on the cusp of that kind of knowledge. because the word of the LORD - God makes Himself known chiefly through His spoken, revealed word. From Abram (“the word of the LORD came to Abram,” Genesis 15:1) to the prophets (“the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah,” Jeremiah 1:4), the pattern is constant. - Scripture itself testifies, “The unfolding of Your words gives light” (Psalm 119:130). Until that unfolding occurs, real knowledge of God remains partial. had not yet been revealed to him - Revelation is God’s initiative. “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). - In Samuel’s case the first revelation will be startling (1 Samuel 3:11) and prophetic, setting the course of his life. - Jesus underscores the principle: “this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father” (Matthew 16:17). What Samuel lacks on his own, heaven is about to supply. - When God does reveal Himself, He expects obedience; Samuel’s quick response (“Speak, for Your servant is listening,” 1 Samuel 3:10) shows the heart God seeks (Isaiah 66:2). summary Samuel’s upbringing and ministry duties could not substitute for a personal encounter with God. 1 Samuel 3:7 explains the gap: he served faithfully, yet intimacy awaited divine revelation. God bridged that gap through His word, turning a ministering boy into a knowing prophet. The verse reminds us that true knowledge of the LORD begins when He speaks and we listen—an unchanging pattern from Genesis to Revelation. |
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