Samuel.

Do you sohenier Teak ae: little boy who lived in the Tabernacle‘at Shiloh ? His
mother had brought’ him,. when he.was quite young, to Eli, the High Priest, and had told
him she wished to dedicate’ him: to God’s service, as she had promised ° ‘when she had
prayed to God to give her a son.”

We saw what sort ofa life his must have been, ashe lived in El? s chambers, and took
care of the lamps, and’ werit*messages’
for the old priest, and’ learned’ about _
God and tried’ to please Him. °

But we cannot’ help wanting ‘to’
know what became’ of'-him, and what |
sort of a man he gréw up to‘be: Did
the teaching of Eli, ‘when’ Samuel was
a boy, help to “make “him a good
man? It was not easy for him to do
‘what was right; for.Eli’s two sons,
who were priests in the Tabernacle,
were very bad men.‘ They were so
bad, that many people’ ‘complained of
their -evil conduct, and called them
“Sons of Belial,” ‘which means very
wicked men.+ But Samuel, although
he was obliged often"to be with them,
never did as they did, but grew on
and was in favour both with the Lord
and also with men.’ All his life he
ministered to the Lord, as Hannah
had promised he should.

Shall we look and see how he
served God, when he grew up to be a
man? He was a priest, a prophet,
and a judge. ©

First of all he was a priest and
when his turn came, he offered’ the
sacrifices in the Tabernacles. I suppose when
he was a little boy helping the priests, he used
to look forward to the day when he would be
old enough to be .anointed priest, and do
what they were doing... And at last the time .

‘came when he ministered before the Lord, :
no longer as.a child in a linen ephod, which
his mother brought | himyear by year, but in the beautiful vestments that the priests were
ordered to wear.

 
  
  
 
 
  
 
 

There were two special times when we are told about his doing the work ofa priest. The -

first time was when the Philistines, who were the enemies of the Israelites, and lived close
to them, gathered together a great army to fight against them. And the people were
afraid when they heard the Philistines were going to attack them, and they came: to
Samuel in his Tabernacle, and said, “Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that

He will save us out of the hands. of the Philistines.” And Samuel listened to them,