Parent and Family Background
Samuel was one of the judges of Israel. There were fifteen judges named in the Bible. The judges were the leaders of God’s people before they had kings. They were filled with God’s spirit.
Samuel’s mother was Hannah. She prayed to God for a child. God answered Hannah’s prayer. When Samuel was little, his mother brought him to the shrine at Shiloh. The priest, Eli, taught Samuel as he grew up. In this story, Samuel hears the voice of God calling him. The name Samuel means “one who hears God.”
Samuel
1 Samuel 3:1-10
When Samuel was young, he was a minister to the Lord under Eli. One day, Eli was asleep in his usual place. His eyes had grown so weak that he could not see. Samuel was sleeping nearby in the temple. The Lord called out to Samuel. He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.”
“I did not call you,” said Eli. “Go back to sleep.”
Samuel went back to sleep. Again the Lord called Samuel who rose and ran to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “You called me.”
“I did not call you, my son,” said Eli. “Go back to sleep.”
Samuel did not know that it was the Lord who was calling him. He went back to bed and again the Lord called him a third time.
Samuel got up, ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am. You called me.”
Then Eli understood that it was the Lord who was calling the youth. So Eli said to Samuel, “Go back to sleep, and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’”
Samuel went back to sleep. Again the Lord called out to him, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
Connecting to Faith First - Legacy Edition
Grade 4, chapter 3
Grade 6, chapter 14
Connecting to Faith First®
Grade 4, chapter 3
Grade 6, chapter 14