There was a Hebrew woman named Hannah who loved God and wanted to serve Him, but she was sad because she had no children.  Her husband's name was Elkanah and they lived in a town called Ramathaim-zophim.  Every year Elkanah and his wife Hannah journeyed to Shiloh to offer a burnt sacrifice to God.  Shiloh was where the tabernacle and the priests of Israel were then located, and the sacrifices were brought to the priests.

While in Shiloh one year, Hannah felt so badly that she had no children that she was praying specially to God about it.  The high priest, Eli, saw Hannah praying, and when he learned what she was praying for, he told her that God would answer her prayer and that she would be given a son.   Hannah was so thankful and happy that she promised that when God gave her a son, she would give the child back to God to be used in His service.

After a while God gave Hannah a son and she named him Samuel.   While Samuel was still a little boy his mother took him to Shiloh and gave him to Eli the priest to be used in the service of God, as she had promised.  And when Hannah went back home she left Samuel with Eli.

Eli was now an old man, and so there were many ways in which the boy Samuel could help him to do God's work.  When the priests of Israel were serving God in the tabernacle they wore white linen garments, so Samuel was given white clothes.  Every year his mother came to see him and each year she brought him a new set of clothes.  Samuel was very faithful in working for Eli, and slept near him so that he would be able to help him during the night.

One night while Samuel was still young, he heard a voice calling, "Samuel, Samuel."  The boy answered, "Here am I" and ran to Eli and said, "Here I am.  What did you want?"  Eli told him, "Son, I didn't call you.  Go back to sleep."  Samuel was rather puzzled, but he obediently went back to bed.

He had been in bed only a little while and again he heard the call, "Samuel, Samuel."  Samuel jumped up again and hurried to Eli's bedside saying, "Here am I."  But the priest had not called and Samuel went back to bed even more puzzled.  The voice called again a third time and when Samuel came to Eli, the priest realised that it was God speaking to the boy.

So he told Samuel to go back to bed and if he heard his name called again, to answer, "I am listening, Lord."  Samuel went back to bed and sure enough he heard the voice calling again, "Samuel, Samuel."  This time Samuel replied, "I am listening" and God gave him a very important message.

Now, Priest Eli loved God and wanted to serve him faithfully, but he had two sons who were wicked.  Their father had told them that they were doing wrong, but they kept on doing sinful things.  Eli should have punished them, but he failed to do so.  The time had now came when God was going to put a stop to their wrong doing.  He told Samuel that Eli and his two wicked sons would die, and that he would raise up a new priest, one who would serve Him faithfully.

This was a very important message for God to give to such a young servant, but Samuel told Eli about it the next morning.  Eli replied that he was willing that God should do whatever was best.  Things turned out just as God had told Samuel, and when the people learned about it, they were certain that there was a prophet of God among them.  From that day forward, Samuel was loved and obeyed by the people of Israel, for they knew that God was with him.

Samuel served the children of Israel very faithfully for many years.   After he grew up and married, he had two sons of his own, and unfortunately when they grew up they sinned against God just as Eli's sons had done.   By this time more than four hundred years had passed since Joshua had died.  During this period there had been no one to properly rule and guide the people, as Moses and Joshua had done.

They were called "judges" and advised the people of Israel and sometimes served as leaders of the army.  Gideon, who defeated the Midianites with only three hundred soldiers, was one of Israel's judges.  Samuel was also a judge in addition to being a prophet.  But, he was the last of Israel's judges, because his sons had become so wicked.  The people then demanded that they be given a king to rule over them like other nations.

They asked Samuel to select someone to rule over them as king.  Samuel felt very badly about this, but God comforted him and told him that the Israelites were not rejecting him.  "They are rejecting me," God said to Samuel.  You see under the judges, God was the real Ruler of the people because the judges merely represented God.

God then told Samuel to appoint a king to rule over the people of Israel.  "But before you do it," God said to Samuel, "Make it plain that the people will have a great deal of trouble, as their kings will make life very hard for them."  Samuel gave this message to the people, but they insisted that they wanted a king to rule over them!

Kings are all right if they are good kings and the best King is Jesus.   King Jesus will rule over the whole earth for a thousand years.   During this time there will be no war, no one will be hungry or without clothes.  Everybody will love King Jesus and serve Him.

When you grow up, God doesn't want you to sin like Eli's sons did.  God wants you to grow up to love God and to serve Him faithfully like Samuel did.  And then one day God will reward all who love Jesus and we will live with Him for ever.  I hope you will be there!

God bless.