"Ministering Before Jehovah as a Boy" Conclusion

 We can picture the boy growing bigger and bigger and exploring the hills around Shiloh. As he gazed down on the town and the valley that spread out below it on one side, his heart likely swelled with joy and pride when he caught sight of Jehovah's tabernacle. That tabernacle was a sacred place indeed.  Built nearly 400 years earlier under the direction of Moses himself, it was the one center for the pure worship of Jehovah in all the world.

Young Samuel grew to love the tabernacle. In the account he later wrote, we read: "Samuel was ministering before Jehovah, as a boy, having a linen ephod girded on."  (1 Samuel 2:18) That simple sleeveless garment evidently indicated that Samuel had assisted the priest at the tabernacle. Although not all of the priestly class, Samuel had duties that included opening the doors to the tabernacle courtyard in the morning and attending to elderly Eli. As much as he enjoyed the privileges, though, in time his innocent heart became troubled. Something was terribly wrong at Jehovah's house. 

Next time: Staying Pure in the Face of Corruption

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