1 & 2 Samuel

1 Samuel Chapter 7

Samuel Judges Israel

• 1Samuel 7:1  And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 
• 2  And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 

Everything seems to quiet down for a while as the ark was safely in Kirjathjearim and the son of Abinadab was set apart to properly keep the ark of the Lord. They did all that the law required I assume because no one died by doing something outside the bounds God set for the keeping of the ark. They were still in bondage to the Philistines at this time and they sought the Lord continually. Lamenting means to seek with fasting, repenting and cries to the Lord.

• 1Samuel 7:3  And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 

It is sad though that people get this way. They live how they want to live until things get so bad, then they begin to seek the Lord. It is so much better to love the Lord, love His presence, desire to walk in them and teach our children also. As we see in studying the book of Judges, they would repent, God would deliver, they got comfortable, they returned to evil and idolatry, then God allowed bondage from other countries. This is why God originally commanded them to wipe out all of the Canaanites from the beginning because of the influence they had in causing Israel to follow idol gods that led people to do horrible things to children like sacrificing them in the fiery bellies of idols. When they forsook God, God allowed the nations they were following, to bring them into bondage. It happened over and over again. That is why obedience is important and teaching children the word of the Lord from childhood.

• 1Samuel 7:4  Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. 
• 5  And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. 
• 6  And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. 
• 7  And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 
• 8  And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 
• 9  And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. 
• 10  And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 

If God was on their side, nothing could defeat Israel. Nothing. Without God though, other nations can overcome them. God was their strength and help. There was no other way. He promise to Abraham was genuine and God kept it. There were conditions to that promise though. They had to stay with God and not depart from Him and learn the ways of the heathen.

• 1Samuel 7:11  And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar. 

First God had a direct hand in defeating the Philistines by sending thunder to weaken the determination of the Philistines and cause them to fear. Then Israel took courage and went after them to battle. God shows up in emergencies but He still uses us to do His work but we must always give Him the glory and credit for His hand of protection.

• 12  Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. 
• 13  So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 
• 14  And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 

Only if the Lord was with them, was Israel victorious in battle. Samuel judged Israel until the days when they ask for a king. As long as Samuel was in charge though, they had victory over any enemies that came to try to defeat them.

The name Ebenezer means, "The Lord has helped us." Samuel named the place between Mizpeh and Shen where he called on the name of the Lord and set a stone there, Ebenezer. I didn't know anyone by the name until a few weeks ago when I found out the first name of someone that attended the same church fellowship that I attend. That was his first name. Of course most of us remember the fictional story of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickson in which was a character named Ebenezer Scrooge. Those are the only two I've ever heard of. One was a real person and the other one was fictional. Truly though unless the Lord helps any of us, we have no hope of salvation or anything. God is our salvation and strength.

• 1Samuel 7:15  And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 

This of course means until Israel demanded a king. Samuel lived after that a few years where he still served as a prophet to Israel.

• 16  And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. 
• 17  And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD. 

Samuel was faithful to keep his calling to the Lord pure. When God was ready to bring judgment in later years by using Babylon to bring Israel into captivity because of their sin of idolatry and other abominations, God mentions Samuel.

• Jeremiah 15:1  Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. 

God was saying that even if Moses and Samuel tried to intercede and pray for Israel at that particular time just before judgment, He (God) would not change His mind. At that point in the time of Jeremiah's prophecy, they were at the point of no return. Later God restored them back to their land after 70 years but they were then in bondage to the The Medes and Persians, later the Grecian Empire and under Rome at the time Jesus Christ came the first time to die for our sins. So God never permanently gave up on Israel but in the days of Jeremiah, they were under judgment.
It is amazing how God mentions Moses and Samuel as those that did intercede when they were in charge. -DC

1 Samuel Chapter 8