Speak, Lord · the boy who learned to listen
A Bible story to tell as a family · 1 Samuel 3:1–10 · ages 4–12 · 10 min
The story
Samuel was the boy his mother, Hannah, had asked God for in prayer. While he was still small, he went to live in the house of the LORD, in Shiloh, to serve alongside Eli, the old priest. But those were silent times. The Bible says: “Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare and visions were scarce.” It seemed that God hardly spoke to his people.
One night, Eli was lying in his room. His eyes had grown weak, and he could barely see. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and the boy Samuel was lying down in the temple, near the ark of God. Everything was quiet, with the smell of burning oil and shadows dancing on the wall.
Then the LORD called Samuel. The boy answered: “Here I am.” He got up, ran to Eli and said: “Here I am, for you have called me.” But Eli was sleepy. “I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” Samuel went back to bed.
The LORD called again: “Samuel!” And off went the boy again, running to Eli. And Eli, once more: “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” The text explains why Samuel was confused: “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, because the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.” He served in the temple, but he had not yet heard God’s voice.
For the third time, the LORD called, and for the third time Samuel ran to Eli. Then the old priest realized: it was God who was calling the boy! Eli could have been jealous or just sent Samuel back to sleep. Instead, he taught him. “Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” And Samuel went back to his place.
Then something solemn happened. The Bible says the LORD came and stood there, calling as before: “Samuel! Samuel!” God called him by name, twice. And Samuel answered: “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” Notice a detail: nervous, maybe trembling, he even left out one word of what Eli had taught him. But his heart was ready to listen, and that was what mattered.
What God said that night was hard: it was a serious message about Eli’s house, whose sons were doing evil. In the morning, Samuel was afraid to tell him, but Eli insisted, and Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing. From that day on, Samuel grew, the LORD was with him, and all Israel recognized that he was a prophet. The time of silence was over, because a boy learned to say: speak, for I am listening.
1And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare and visions were scarce. 2And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room. 3Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located. 4Then the LORD called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” 5He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” 7Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, because the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8Once again, for the third time, the LORD called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy. 9“Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
What the Bible says
- v. 1: the word of the LORD was rare in those days.
- v. 7–9: Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and it was Eli who realized what was happening and taught him how to answer.
- v. 10: God calls him by name, “Samuel! Samuel!”, and the boy answers: “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
What we learn
God speaks to the little ones and calls each one by name. Samuel did not recognize God’s voice on his own: he needed an adult to help him understand, and this shows the value of parents, grandparents and mentors who point to God instead of to themselves. Listening also takes courage, because sometimes God says what is hard to hear. Today God speaks to us mainly through Scripture and, fully, through Jesus, the Word who became flesh (Hebrews 1:1–2).
Questions to talk about
For little ones
- How many times did God call Samuel?
- What did Samuel answer when God called?
For kids
- Why did Samuel think Eli was the one calling him?
- How can you be quiet this week to hear God through the Bible?
For teens
- Samuel served in the temple but did not yet know the LORD. Is it possible to be close to the things of God without really knowing him?
- Samuel was afraid to tell a hard truth. When have you needed courage to tell the truth?
For adults
- Who in our home needs an Eli, someone to help them recognize God’s voice?
- How much real silence is there in our routine for listening?
Activity
Play a voice-guessing game: with eyes closed, the child listens as each person in the family calls their name and guesses who it was. Then talk: how do we learn to recognize someone’s voice? Finish by reading a verse in silence before bed.
To memorize: 1 Samuel 3:10
Prayer
Speak, Lord, for we are listening. Teach us to be still, to open your Word and to recognize your voice. Thank you for the people who help us know you. Amen.