And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
The verse marks the close of a time when the word of the Lord was rare and there was no open vision, with the Lord revealing Himself to the child Samuel in Shiloh by His word. He could not communicate with Eli the high priest and his sons, because their sins had shut out the presence of His Holy Spirit like a thick cloud. Samuel in the midst of evil stayed true to Heaven, and his childhood purity and reverence and his dedication to God made him a channel of light whom the Lord accepted and used.
The Lord passed by His chosen aged servant, the man of gray hair, to commune with a child and to commission Samuel as a prophet with the message of condemnation to the house of Eli, which was in itself a bitter yet deserved rebuke to Eli and his house. Eli felt no envy or jealousy, and directed Samuel that if he was called again he should answer that the servant hears. When the voice came again, Samuel was so awed at the thought that the great God should speak to him that he could not remember the exact words he had been told to say. A life consecrated to God is valuable to Him.
The verse marks the close of a time when the word of the Lord was rare and there was no open vision, with the Lord revealing Himself to the child Samuel in Shiloh by His word. He could not communicate with Eli the high priest and his sons, because their sins had shut out the presence of His Holy Spirit like a thick cloud. Samuel in the midst of evil stayed true to Heaven, and his childhood purity and reverence and his dedication to God made him a channel of light whom the Lord accepted and used.
The Lord passed by His chosen aged servant, the man of gray hair, to commune with a child and to commission Samuel as a prophet with the message of condemnation to the house of Eli, which was in itself a bitter yet deserved rebuke to Eli and his house. Eli felt no envy or jealousy, and directed Samuel that if he was called again he should answer that the servant hears. When the voice came again, Samuel was so awed at the thought that the great God should speak to him that he could not remember the exact words he had been told to say. A life consecrated to God is valuable to Him.