In the House of the Lord at Shiloh

THE QUESTION

When God called young Samuel in the night, where was Samuel sleeping?

A) In his family’s home in Ramah

B) In the house of the Lord at Shiloh ✓

C) Out in the fields with the sheep

D) In the temple in Jerusalem

A closer look

Samuel’s mother, Hannah, had prayed for a son. When he was still young, she brought him to “the house of the LORD at Shiloh” (1 Samuel 1:24), where he grew up serving the Lord under Eli the priest (1 Samuel 2:11). “Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him” (1 Samuel 2:19).

One night, as the boy lay near the ark of God, he heard someone call his name. Three times he went to Eli, thinking the old priest had called him, until Eli realized it was the Lord. Then the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).

If you chose the temple, there’s good reason: many Bibles, like the King James Version, call the house of the Lord at Shiloh “the temple of the LORD” (1 Samuel 3:3, KJV). It just wasn’t in Jerusalem. That temple came later, in Solomon’s day.

Even as a child, Samuel heard God’s voice. As Jesus said in today’s verse, the kingdom of heaven “belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

We hope this helped you grow in God’s Word today. Now head back to your email and tell us how you liked today’s devotional. 🙏