1 Samuel 3:15
And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.
The night before was spent in the temple where the ark of God was, ere the lamp of God went out, at a time when the word of the Lord was precious and there was no open vision, while Eli lay in his place with eyes dim so that he could not see. The Lord called Samuel three times, and three times Samuel hastened to Eli saying Here am I, until Eli was convinced the mysterious call was God's voice. Eli told him how to answer if called again, and Samuel, awed at the thought that the great God should speak to him, answered in substance Speak for thy servant heareth without remembering the exact words he had been bidden to say.
The Lord thus passed by Eli, His chosen servant and aged priest of hoary hairs responsible for sacred duties, to commune directly with the child Samuel, still a boy and young and innocent, whom his mother had dedicated to His service and whom He watched over. God accepted Samuel, instructed him and molded his mind, and chose him for important work among His people. He did this because Eli failed to train and restrain his vile sons who profaned the house of God, reproving them but not restraining them. Though good and pure in morals and loving purity and righteousness, Eli was too indulgent and loving of peace and harmony to strengthen his weak points and have the moral courage to rebuke, reprove, remove and restrain them, until he became insensible to impurity and crime and blind through indolence and neglect of duty. He was so set in his own course that even when God sent messages to him he did not hear with a firm will to obey, so God could not go forth with His people.
In the morning Samuel opened the doors and went about his usual duties with a heavy burden on his young heart, filled with fear and amazement at having so terrible a message committed to him and dreading to show Eli the vision. He kept silent because God had not commanded him to reveal it, and avoided Eli as far as possible because he loved and reverenced him and trembled lest questioning compel him to declare the divine judgments against him. Yet he delivered God's rebuke despite his fear.
What Samuel was entrusted to tell was a solemn message and warning of judgment and reproof concerning Eli and his house for Eli's failure to restrain his sons, in itself a bitter yet deserved rebuke. The vision gave Eli a chance to work and repent. Eli showed no envy, jealousy or resentment toward Samuel, but loved him as before, condemned himself because he recognized the rebuke was deserved, and submitted saying the will of God be done. He did not repent and work as the Ninevites did, but was discouraged and thought it was no use to try to correct his children.
Samuel made the messages of warning and reproof to the house of Eli known to the whole nation, hoping to counteract in some measure the evil influence of past neglect. The warnings were disregarded by the people just as they had been by the priests. Eli's neglect to stand for the right at last deprived Israel of strength and glory, when his guilty sons were slain in battle and the ark of God was taken. News Eli could not bear brought the pallor of death upon his face until he fell backward and died. Youth are more impressible than older persons, and as God communicated with the child Samuel, He can still communicate with children and youth today to raise up from them workers for Christ to do a work which adults could not do.