Home / 1 Samuel: Verse by Verse / 1 Samuel 3
1 Samuel 3: Speak, Lord, Your Servant Is Listening
- Passage
- 1 Samuel 3
- Taught
- June 21, 2026
- Series
- 1 Samuel: Verse by Verse
- Length
- 47 minutes
Summary
In a time when the word of the Lord was rare, God calls to Samuel in the night. Samuel, who did not yet know the Lord, thinks it is Eli and runs to him three times. Eli finally realizes who is speaking and tells the boy to answer, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.”
The message is hard. God announces irreversible judgment on Eli’s house for iniquity Eli knew about and failed to restrain, since his sons were blaspheming. Samuel is afraid to tell Eli, but he tells him everything. Eli answers, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”
The chapter closes with Samuel established. The Lord is with him and lets none of his words fall to the ground, and all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knows he is a prophet. God keeps revealing himself at Shiloh through his word.
Practical takeaways
1 Samuel 3:1–10
- Cultivate attentiveness to God, not just activity for him. Build rhythms of Scripture and quiet.
- Invite wise counsel when things aren’t clear.
- Respond with humility and readiness to obey.
1 Samuel 3:11–18
- Sin can have inevitable consequences. Forgiveness doesn’t always remove the outcome.
- Speak God’s truth boldly, even when it’s hard.
- Accept God’s authority, even in correction.
1 Samuel 3:19–21
- God establishes those who faithfully deliver his word.
- Consistent faithfulness builds a recognized reputation.
- God reveals himself through his word.
Questions to talk about
- How do I make room to listen to God in my week?
- Whom do I turn to for wise counsel?
- Is there a hard truth I need to speak or accept?
Scriptures in this lesson
- 1 Samuel 3Interlinear
- 1 Samuel 2:27–34Interlinear
- 2 Timothy 3:16–17Interlinear
- John 16:13Interlinear
- Proverbs 11:14Interlinear
- 2 Timothy 4:2Interlinear
- Acts 5:29Interlinear
Background
Background: how God speaks, and Dan to Beersheba
- The deck compared cessationist and continuationist views of whether God still speaks beyond Scripture, and listed ways God speaks today: Scripture, the Spirit’s illumination, providence, godly counsel, and (debated) impressions.
- “Dan to Beersheba” covers the whole land, from the northern border to the Negev.
- Hebrew has two words here: navi (prophet, one who delivers God’s message) and ro’eh (seer, one who receives it). See 1 Samuel 9:9.
- Forgiven sin can still carry consequences, as with David (2 Samuel 12:13–14) and Moses (Numbers 20:12).