ABSTRACT
What are my reasons for entering pastoral ministry? Why do people in general respond to the "call" of this vocation? Typically, the call to ministry has been ideally understood as a supernatural prompting or message from God. One of the biblical models of such a call from God is found in 1 Samuel 3. Samuel is privileged to receive and then speak a message of revelation not only for the priest Eli, but also for the people of Israel. Samuel's distinctive call is expressed in the last verse of Chapter 3 and the first verse of Chapter 4:
And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. (1Samuel 3:21-4:1, RSV)
A commentary in the Oxford Annotated Bible related to the previous passage states that the "word of Samuel" in 4:1 probably means "reputation." Consequently, "Samuel became known and trusted throughout all the land as a man who spoke for God."1
