Big Idea: The Lord opposes those who treat him with contempt and withholds his promised blessings from those who despise him.

Understanding the Text

Samuel’s arrival at Shiloh (1:28; 2:11) provides a contrastive backdrop for the author’s negative portrait of Eli and his sons. The narrator alternates between negative accounts of Eli’s house (2:12–17, 22–25, 27–36) and brief positive observations about Samuel’s growing relationship with the Lord (2:18–21, 26). This culminates in the account of how Samuel becomes the Lord’s prophet and reiterates the earlier judgment announcement upon Eli’s house (3:1–4:1a). The narrator’s positive assessment of Samuel helps to establish the latter’s credentials, which is an important part of his strategy in promoting David as God’s chosen king (see the dis…