Samuel, like Samson, was dedicated to the Lord by his mother at birth, but unlike Samson, Samuel remained faithful to the Lord. Samuel's mother, Hannah, had been barren and dedicated her son after the Lord opened her womb, giving him to Eli the high priest of Israel. While Eli's sons were sinning, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. To get a feel for how pure Samuel was... at the time he was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.
In those days the LORD only rarely appeared, so when the Lord called to Samuel at night, Samuel thought it was Eli. When Eli realized what was happening, he instructed Samuel to say "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening" and God revealed his plans to Samuel.
The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.When I first read that line I thought that it was a characterization of Samuel's holiness and righteousness, that is, that Samuel didn't let any of the Lord's words fall to the ground. Having read the same passage in other translations, it appears to be a characterization of how God treated Samuel, that is, that God ensured that all of Samuel's prophecies came true. In either case, it is a testament to Samuel's life.
As an aside, I find that some of the funniest parts of the Bible are the places when the one, true God comes into contact with other people's gods. In 1 Samuel 5:1-4 we read... "After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained." I love that!
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