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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And the youth Samuel is serving Jehovah before Eli, and the word of Jehovah hath been precious in those days there is no vision broken forth. |
Was precious – Scarce. R4091:5
No open vision – Visions and revelations were not then given; the Urim and Thummim answers had ceased. R5615:5
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| 2 And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Eli is lying down in his place, and his eyes have begun to be dim he is not able to see. |
Eyes began to wax dim – Eli was then about 70 to 80 years of age. R5615:5, R4091:5
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| 3 And the lamp of God is not yet extinguished, and Samuel is lying down in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God [is], |
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| 4 and Jehovah calleth unto Samuel, and he saith, 'Here [am] I.' |
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| 5 And he runneth unto Eli, and saith, 'Here [am] I, for thou hast called for me;' and he saith, 'I called not; turn back, lie down;' and he goeth and lieth down. |
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| 6 And Jehovah addeth to call again Samuel, and Samuel riseth and goeth unto Eli, and saith, 'Here [am] I, for thou hast called for me;' and he saith, 'I have not called, my son, turn back, lie down.' |
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| 7 And Samuel hath not yet known Jehovah, and the word of Jehovah is not yet revealed unto him. |
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| 8 And Jehovah addeth to call Samuel the third time, and he riseth and goeth unto Eli, and saith, 'Here [am] I, for thou hast called for me;' and Eli understandeth that Jehovah is calling to the youth. |
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| 9 And Eli saith to Samuel, 'Go, lie down, and it hath been, if He doth call unto thee, that thou hast said, Speak, Jehovah, for Thy servant is hearing;' and Samuel goeth and lieth down in his place. |
Speak, LORD – Indicating Samuel's readiness to do him service. R5297:1
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| 10 And Jehovah cometh, and stationeth Himself, and calleth as time by time, 'Samuel, Samuel;' and Samuel saith, 'Speak, for Thy servant if hearing.' |
Samuel answered – Blessed shall we be if, like Samuel, when we hear the Lord's message we respond promptly. R4092:5
Thy servant heareth – We should be willing to receive the truth in whatever way the Lord is pleased to send it, whether from the mouth of a little child or from unlearned men. R5297:2
How often the servant wants to do all the talking and to have the Lord hear him and perform his will. R1882:5
Some mistakenly interpret the Lord's voice directing them in accordance with their own wills. R4092:5
Eli showed no resentment against Samuel, the channel the Lord had used. R5297:1
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| 11 And Jehovah saith unto Samuel, 'Lo, I am doing a thing in Israel, at which the two ears of every one hearing it do tingle. |
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| 12 In that day I establish unto Eli all that I have spoken unto his house, beginning and completing; |
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| 13 and I have declared to him that I am judging his house to the age, for the iniquity which he hath known, for his sons are making themselves vile, and he hath not restrained them, |
I will judge – This was not the first time that the Lord had reproved Eli regarding the wrong course of his sons. R5615:6
Restrained them not – Hence he was a sharer in the penalty which came upon his sons. R5615:6
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| 14 and therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli: the iniquity of the house of Eli is not atoned for, by sacrifice, and by offering unto the age.' |
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| 15 And Samuel lieth till the morning, and openeth the doors of the house of Jehovah, and Samuel is afraid of declaring the vision unto Eli. |
And Samuel – Samuel exhibited the spirit of meekness; so we should speak sympathetically when telling of the trouble coming on Babylon. R4092:4
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| 16 And Eli calleth Samuel, and saith, 'Samuel, my son;' and he saith, 'Here [am] I.' |
Eli – Seems to represent the Great Company. R5297:5
Samuel – Seems to represent the Little Flock. R5297:5
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| 17 And he saith, 'What [is] the word which He hath spoken unto thee I pray thee, hide it not from me; so doth God do to thee, and so doth He add, if thou hidest from me a word of all the words that He hath spoken unto thee.' |
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| 18 And Samuel declareth to him the whole of the words, and hath not hid from him; and he saith, 'It [is] Jehovah; that which is good in His eyes He doth.' |
Told him every whit – It was a trial to Samuel to tell his friend and benefactor of the Lord's criticism and pronouncement of judgment. Sympathy and tenderness of heart must not prevent the Lord's faithful servants from speaking his message boldly. R5615:6
It is the LORD – Some in Nominal Christendom are not in sympathy with the trend of affairs. R5297:5
The Great Company are weak in standing forth, yet submissive in the time of trouble. R5297:5
Seemeth him good – If Eli was weak in some respects he was strong in others, as is shown in his humility and this beautiful example of absolute submission. R5297:2
We should all strive to have that attitude of mind that would be fully submissive to the divine decree. Q499:T
Eli should have trained his sons in righteousness, otherwise they should have ceased to be members of his household and should have come under certain restraints, which he as a lawgiver should have enforced. R5296:6
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| 19 And Samuel groweth up, and Jehovah hath been with him, and hath not let fall any of his words to the earth; |
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| 20 and all Israel know, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, that Samuel is established for a prophet to Jehovah. |
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| 21 And Jehovah addeth to appear in Shiloh, for Jehovah hath been revealed unto Samuel, in Shiloh, by the word of Jehovah. |
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