Hannah's little boy Samuel grew up under the watchful eye of the priest Eli.

In those days the word of the Lord was rare. Was that because the people were so evil?  It seems as if there was no spiritual connection with the Lord because there was nothing for the Lord to "plug in to".

One night Samuel was lying down in the temple when the Lord spoke to him.

“Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.”
Is this because Eli had not prepared Samuel?  God was speaking. Samuel was listening. Samuel was more than willing to respond to Eli’s voice, and just as willing to respond to the voice of God.

“The Lord came and stood there…”
The word of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Son of God) had just been revealed to Samuel. 

“The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”
Sounds like the Lord appeared to Samuel in bodily form. Another encounter with the Son of God?

Israel's age-old enemy the Philistines appear once more on the scene and soundly defeat the Israelites in battle. Then the elders of Israel make a very bad judgment call! They take the Ark of the Covenant out of the Holy Place and into battle with the Philistines. They put their trust in the ark of the Lord, instead of the Lord of the Ark. The result? The Israelite army was defeated and the ark was captured. But read 1 Samuel 5 and see what happened to the Philistines. The ark brought nothing but trouble with a capital T.

The Ark of the Covenant was supposed to stay in the Holy of Holies and not be visited but once a year on the Day of Atonement and then only by the high priest.

The Philistines were descendants from Noah's son Ham.  Dagon, god of grain and harvest, was the most worshiped god of the Philistines. The god Dagon kept falling down while in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant and so the Philistines kept sending the Ark to other places.  Disaster always followed.

After crying out to the Lord, Israel then defeats the Philistines, but not in their own power, only through the power of God. Good reminder for us Believers today.
Phil 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
We think this verse should be read in this way, "Through him who gives me strength, I can do everything." This way it puts God first.

Samuel called for re-dedication for the whole house of Israel.  It is a classic "if  - then" proclamation!
If...
1. you return to the Lord with all your hearts
2. you rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths
3. you commit yourselves to the Lord
4. you serve Him only

Then...the Lord will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.  Reminds us of 2 Chronicles 7:14.  The only problem then was that the people put away the pagan gods but didn't destroy them.  They were to destroy any tiny bit of paganism.  But they didn't and there was still a lingering influence.  So true for us today.  We have been told if we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, repent....then He will...