Learning from 1 Samuel 3 - Where Eli Went Wrong

1 Samuel 3:1-2 – “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days, the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place…”

The book of 1 Samuel contrasts the ministry of the boy Samuel, who listened to God and functioned as a prophet, with the ministry of the old priest named Eli, who served in the Tabernacle during a period of apostasy (falling away from God) in Israel’s early history. Most of Eli’s ministry occurred during the period covered by the book of Judges, an era of spiritual confusion, curses, and disobedience. Eli was over 90 years old in this story, so he began ministering a generation earlier.

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