I Samuel 3 notes

Eli (my God) is a priest. (Is it significant that his name could be a short form of Elisha or Elijah?

Eli’s sons were desecrating their role as priests. His pleas for them to repent found deaf ears. God saw what they did. When Samuel is called, Eli is asleep/deaf and asleep/blind

This is a priest who does not hear God. He is a Good enough priest that he recognizes the calling of another. He knows enough to give Samuel the ritual response to the call of God. See the novel, Diary of a Country Priest.

Comic elements are here for those who are good at deklivering humor. The repetition of poor sleeping eli being awakened is classic.

Samuel-God hears, as his name was the answer to his mother’s desperate prayer for a child. Remember that Eli thought she was drunk in saying her prayers. Even then, he was spiritually deaf.

Samuel is young when called by God.. His mother consecrated him to serve God’s tabernacle. Every year, she made him a new robe.

We are told that visions were rare in those days? Are they today? Why or why not?

The lectionary appends vv.10-20. it is the awful realization of the curse placed on eli’s sons. How do you deal with the seeming vindictive work here?

Samuel is called by God. Have you detected God’s call? How old were you? When and where did it come? Do callings shift with time? How does one do that? How can be hearing other voices? How do you test competing spirits?

The lamp still burns. The presence of God lights the tabernacle. I assume tha the lamp refers to the lamps of Ex. 27 that burns with pure oil at night. God’s presence does nto depend on time.