Charles Spurgeon Commentary 1 Samuel 3:1

"And the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision." — 1 Samuel 3:1 (ASV)

And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli (1 Samuel 3:1).

Samuel was only a child, yet he was a faithful servant of God according to the light he had received. The grown-up sons of Eli were rebelling against God, but the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD. It greatly aggravates sin for ungodly men to persist in it when even little children rebuke them by their careful conduct and manner of life; it made the sin of Eli's sons all the worse because the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before ELI.

And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

God spoke with very few, and his speech to them was private: There was no open vision. What was spoken was very rich and rare, but there was little of it. The Lord, in anger at the sin of Eli's sons, took away the spirit of prophecy from the land.