From the time Samuel was very young, he lived and worked at the tabernacle, the place where people came to worship Jehovah. Do you know how Samuel got to be at the tabernacle? Let’s first learn about Samuel’s mother, Hannah.

For a long time, Hannah could not have a baby even though she really wanted one. So she prayed to Jehovah and begged him to help her. She promised that if she had a son, she would send him to live and work at the tabernacle. Jehovah answered her prayer, and she had a son. She named him Samuel. And just as Hannah had promised, when Samuel was three or four years old, she took him to the tabernacle to serve God there.

Eli was the high priest at the tabernacle. His two sons also worked there. Remember, the tabernacle was God’s house of worship, and people are supposed to do good things there. But Eli’s sons were doing very bad things. Samuel saw what they were doing. Did Samuel do bad things as Eli’s sons did?— No, he kept doing what was right, just as his parents had taught him to do.

What do you think Eli should have done about his two sons?— He should have punished them. He should not have allowed them to work at God’s house anymore. But Eli did not do that, so Jehovah was angry with him and his two sons. Jehovah decided to punish them.

One night when Samuel was sleeping, he heard someone calling him: ‘Samuel!’ He ran to Eli, but Eli said: ‘I did not call you.’ This happened two more times. After the third time, Eli told Samuel that if he heard the voice again, he should say: ‘Please, Jehovah, speak; I am listening.’ So that is what Samuel did. Then Jehovah said to Samuel: ‘Tell Eli that I will punish his family for the bad things they have done.’ Do you think it was easy for  Samuel to give Eli this message?— No, it was not. But even though Samuel was afraid, he did what Jehovah told him to do. What Jehovah said came true. Eli’s two sons were killed, and Eli died too.

Samuel is a good example for us. He did what was right even though he saw other people doing bad things. What about you? Will you be like Samuel and keep doing what is right? If you do, you will make both Jehovah and your parents happy.