Once, there was an Israelite named Elkanah who had two wives—Peninnah and Hannah. Was an Israelite supposed to have two wives? No! In the garden of Eden God created man and woman. Adam and Eve married. That was God’s design for God’s people. Anyway, Elkanah didn’t obey God’s word. And anytime someone doesn’t obey God’s word, it doesn’t go well for him. Having two wives caused tons of trouble. Peninnah was very mean to Hannah. And Peninnah had lots of babies, but Hannah had none. Peninnah would actually tease Hannah because she had no babies. This made Hannah so sad that she cried and cried.

One day, she cried out to the Lord! She traveled to the temple and made this special promise: “Lord, if you give me a son, I will give him to you all the days of his life” (see 1 Sam. 1:11). Eli, the priest in the temple, didn’t hear her prayer, but he offered her a blessing: “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition” (1:17). She went in peace. And our kind God answered her prayer: “In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked for him from the Lord’” (1:20). The name Samuel means “heard of God.”

Just as his mother had promised, Samuel grew up in the temple and served God. One night, the boy named “heard of God” heard from God! This was unusual. Sure, there are times in Israel’s history when God spoke to people. But in the days of the judges, “the word of the Lord was rare” (3:1). Almost no one heard from God. But Samuel did. Here’s what happened. The Lord said, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel thought it was Eli. So he ran to him and said, “Yes, you called.” Eli said, “Go back to bed. It wasn’t me.” God called three more times, and each time Samuel thought it was Eli. Finally, Eli realized that it is was the Lord!

So he gave Samuel these instructions: the next time he heard the voice, he was to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears” (3:9). Samuel did exactly what Eli said, and from that point on, God used Samuel to talk to his people. God spoke to Samuel, and Samuel spoke God’s word to the people.