And Elkanah went to Ramah - Immediately after the 10th verse, the Septuagint add, Και κατελιπεν αυτον εκει ενωπιον Κυριου· και απηλθεν εις Αραματαια, And she left him there before the Lord, and went unto Arimathea. Thus the Septuagint suppose that the song of Hannah was composed when she brought Samuel to present him to the Lord; and as soon as she had completed this fine ode, she delivered him into the hands of Eli the high priest, and the child entered immediately on his ministration, under the direction and instructions of Eli.
The word “minister” is used in three senses in Scripture:
(1) of the service or ministration of both priests and Levites rendered unto the Lord Exodus 28:35, Exodus 28:43:
(2) of the ministrations of the Levites as rendered to the priests, to aid them in divine Service Numbers 3:6:
(3) of any service or ministration, especially one rendered to a man of God, as that of Joshua to Moses Numbers 11:28.
The application of it to Samuel as ministering to the Lord before Eli the priest accords “most exactly” with Samuel‘s condition as a Levite.
Samuel, who served God from his childhood, needed a very different discipline than one who had a set, stubborn, selfish will. Your childhood was not marked with grossness, although there were the errors of humanity in it. The whole matter has been laid open before me. I know you far better than you know yourself. God will help you to triumph over Satan if you will simply trust Jesus to fight these stern battles that you are wholly unable to fight in your finite strength. 2MCP 809.4
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