These books rightly bear his name, as he arguably emerges as the principal character of the time and also because he was the vital link in the transition from the rule of the judges to the reign of kings. 

Samuel did indeed fill an important role. He was certainly chosen of God and this is seen in his miraculous birth and depicted in Hannah’s song and mentioned in other passages of scripture such as Ps 99:6; Jer 15:1; Act 3:24. 

No one can deny Samuel’s greatness and his achievements.  But note that the two Books that bear his name are a continuation of the Book of Ruth. Ruth derived its significance from its history of David’s ancestors and genealogy. Clearly then, in the mind of the sacred historian, the personal history of Samuel was  a link to connect David with the Patriarchs, just as the subsequent history connects David himself with our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Samuel actually passes over some twenty or thirty years (Acts 13:21) to relate an occurrence in the last quarter of Saul’s reign. This was God’s rejection of Saul from the kingdom, and His choice of “a man after His own heart” to be king in Saul’s stead, 1Sa.13:13-14. 

The contents of the Books of Samuel consist mainly of three portions,

(1) the history of Samuel’s life and judgeship from 1 Sam. 1–12: inclusive;

(2) the history of Saul’s reign from 1 Sam. 13:1–15:35;

(3) the history of David from 1Sa_16:1 to the end of the second Book; this latter portion not being completed until 1Kings 2:11. 

Samuel was literally chosen from birth and dedicated to the work of the Lord.  Under the guardianship of Eli, he grew to be a man of prayer in constant communion with God.  For the most part he managed to make godly decisions, save when he followed in the steps of Eli and allowed his corrupt sons to be judges in Israel. 

In today’s lesson, Samuel’s work as judge comes to the forefront.  We must recall that the era of the judges was a terrible and sordid time in the history of Israel.  They were trapped in a cycle of rebellion and oppression, due to their continual lusting after the gods of the pagan nations that surrounded them. 

When they neglected the covenant and disobeyed God, they quickly and progressively entered a downward spiral that took them through a period of apostasy, idolatry and gross immorality.  God then allowed the pagan nations to oppress them terribly. 

Periodically, due to the intense oppression to which they were subjected, they would cry to God and He would remember his covenant and mercifully raise up a judge to deliver them from their oppressors. 

Our text is set in an oppression phase of the cycle and the nation is under the thumb of the Philistines. The situation is bad and it is only the supernatural actions of God that brings some light into this dark situation outlined in chapters four, five and six. 

It is generally thought that God had judged the sanctuary at Shiloh, which the immoral conduct of Eli's sons, as well as his own compromising behavior had desecrated. 

We do not know what Samuel had done during this period up to the time when he appears in chapter seven. We can conjecture that he would have been traveling around warning the people of their sins, encouraging them to turn to Yahweh and to be obedient to the terms of the Covenant.  

It is fair to say in view of Samuel’s personality and history, that for twenty years Samuel preached repentance and pleaded with Israel to forsake the false gods and return to worship the true and living God.  The oppression again was quite intense and the people were primed to return to God. 

Their return however would come only after many years of intersession, confession of their sins and true repentance.

THE TEXT

The Ark of the Covenant had been in the possession of the Philistines a total of seven months. They were a wicked and proud people, who like the Egyptians resisted the power of God. However when their god was found face down before the Ark on the first morning after the Arc had been placed in their temple and then bowed down again the second morning without head or hands and then the people were plagued with tumors; the Philistines frantically tried to get rid of the Ark. 

The people of Ashdod first sent the ark to Gath, another Philistine city, but when the wrath of God came on them, they sent the ark to another Philistine city Ekron, to confirm that their calamity was truly due to the presence of the Ark. 

At Ekron they feared the Ark and did not want it to remain there.  They built a new cart and hitched it  to two oxen. Without driver the oxen miraculously made their way directly to Beth Shemesh, which was a Levitical city. 

The people rejoiced to see the Ark return and as they received it they sacrificed two oxen. Some however presumptuously opened the ark to look in, and this led to a massive slaughter of over fifty thousand men. 

The cry of the people was great for Israel had good reason to lament.  Their armies were defeated, the Philistines dominated them, they were experiencing spiritual defeat and their cities were all in ruin. 

They were not worthy to be custodians of the Ark, so they sent it to Kirjath Jearim, where the ark was finally sent to the house of Abinadab. There Eleazer and his son were consecrated and there the Ark remained for the next twenty years. 

It must be noted that there is no reason given for the Ark not being taken directly to Shiloh where the tabernacle was, though Shiloh was not too far away. This city of Kirjath-jearim was not a priestly or a Levitical city. 

This testifies to the awful situation in Israel.  Note that the men of that city treated the Ark of the Covenant with respect and honor. They did not dare to take it to the sanctuary that had been desecrated without first hearing an express declaration of the divine will, but took it to the house of Abinadab, where they consecrated Eleazar to be its guardian.   

We are not told that if he was in the priestly line, (but it is likely that he was) or what his consecration ceremony was like, but their actions showed that they wanted to do things right.

Verse 3.   Until now Samuel was probably best known in his prophetic role and for his priestly activities. In addition to this,  he was also recognized as the leader in Israel and the judge whom God would use to deliver the Children of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. 

We tend to think of the prophet or priest as performing certain types of spiritual activities, but here we see another dimension, that of judge, which is a military leader.  Samuel was no pushover, he was a man of great spiritual integrity and a man of valor. He was not afraid to face the enemy or his own backslidden people, demanding they return to God and keep his covenant. 

Twenty years had passed and the Ark of the Lord was still at the house of Abinadab.  During this time Samuel was constantly interceding for the people and exhorted and beseeched the people to repent and return to the Lord. He pleaded with them to put away the strange gods and prepare their hearts to worship the true and living God. 

It seems that after twenty years Samuel’s exhortations and ministry began to get through to the people, for we read in verse two that the people lamented . They had rejected the covenant and neglected the worship of the true God. Instead they worshipped the Philistine and Canaanite gods and because of their apostasy, they lived a deplorable life under the oppression of the enemy. 

When we sin we should consider that God might leave us in a difficult situation for quite some time, during which time we are constantly praying and repenting.  The length of this time of trouble is determined by God. Believers, who know that they are under the care and protection of God should use the occasion to correct the sin in their life, to change and to please God in every way.  So we are exhorted to pray and not faint. (Luke 18:1).  

“And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel,...”  

The results of their years of lamentation, earnest solicitation because of their grief and anxiety, now bore fruit.  The people were undoubtedly aware of Samuel's accreditation as prophet, ( See 1 Samuel 3:19-21). Repentance came to Israel and Samuel could see that, probably as they assembled at one of their three yearly feasts, or as he went from place to place, exhorting them to repentance and reformation.  Rays of hope now emanated from Samuel’s preaching of deliverance.   

Samuel's words assume that the people had already begun to turn to God in their hearts, and so he demanded that this turn into God be something permanent and that it would show in their outward actions. 

Note that the inward change, the change in the heart must come first, for it is most important. Let us remember also that inward repentance is secret, it is hidden and must be proved by outward action.   

So when somebody says they repent, that is good, but they must show ‘fruits of repentance’ to prove that they are not  liars.  So said John the Baptist when the soldiers, Pharisees, and others came to him.  Remember that the Apostles say the same thing. Unfortunately, we treat repentance as a light and casual thing. Godly repentance, which is the only kind that God accepts, is neither light nor casual, but is something very serious. 

So the people must put away the false gods, for it was totally unacceptable that they add the worship of other gods to the worship of Yahweh.  Jesus tells us the same thing in Matthew 6:24

“Now one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” 

The famous preacher Spurgeon puts it this way, and we should note this carefully and apply it to our lives and situation:

“A worse enemy than the Philistines held sway over the land… the people were thus in double bondage; the heavy yoke of the Philistines was upon them, because the heavier burden of a false worship crushed out the life of their hearts.” 

Jehovah would deliver them from the hand of the Philistine.  Pretentious or insincere worship was not acceptable however, neither was the worship of Jehovah and other gods; it was to be God alone or alone without God. 

There was to be no backsliding, no idolatry, no insincere outward service and false profession.

Verse 4.   An incredible spirit of repentance came over the people as, “the sons of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served Jehovah only.”   

The Baals and the Ashtoreths were the most dominant of the Canaanite deities. They were obviously popular among Israel.  The people loved Baal because he was the God of weather, storm and fertility, and would bring them food crops and financial success.  He was actually thought to be the son of Dagon, the God of grain. 

Ashtaroth was attractive to Israel because for them, she was the goddess of love and sex. She was also associated with fertility. 

The plural form signifies their superiority over all the Canaanite gods; actually it was the fertility gods that had plagued Israel, Judges 2:13. So these fertility gods that were always associated together, and for which many naked figures have been found in Palestine, brought along with them depraved sexual rituals and practices centered at Canaanite shrines.  All of this was an abomination to God and brought his wrath on Israel. 

Now the cycle of rebellion, repentance and restoration had come full circle.  Through the prayers and preaching of Samuel deliverance was near.  Samuel wanted the people to completely renounce these rival gods, to throw them all away. 

So we see that the gods of financial success, health, and wealth, existed in the past too.  But note also who they were associated with.  The people of God always seem to lust after material things, foolishly thinking that they can worship God and mammon at the same time.  This is an attractive but foolish idea, that the scriptures warn against.

Verse 5.   Samuel called for a corporate assembly of the people, where he would pray to God for them. There is no doubt that Samuel had prayed privately for their repentance, reformation and restoration. This however was a national matter and required a formal assembly of the people, as did the giving and renewing of the covenant. 

The meeting appears to be one necessary to prepare the people for fighting against the Philistines.  They were being consecrated after a day of prayer and confession.  The Philistines certainly thought that was what Samuel was doing. 

The people came together at Mizpah a city in Benjamin approximately eight mile from where the Ark was in Kirjath Jearim.  This was where Jacob separated from Laban according to Genesis 31:49, and this was an ideal place for a repentant Israel to recall that they were to separate themselves from others and repent. 

This prophet and judge was a man of prayer (Judges 7:8,9; 8:6; 12:19,23; 15:11) and it was Samuel’s prayer that God answered.

Verse 6.   The gathering together of the people after Samuel’s instructions showed that the people felt their spiritual need, and wanted to do something openly to show that they desired to reject the false gods and accept the true God. They were showing the fruits of repentance.  This of course was necessary, so that they would prepare themselves to be released from bondage.  They had to be in a right relationship to God. 

Having gathered here the Scripture says that they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. 

This ritual has been interpreted in different ways. Firstly that the drawing and the pouring out of water is linked to and belong especially to the Feast of Tabernacles and the Day of Atonement, respectively.  Hence, some think that Samuel chose the Feast of tabernacles, and the fast that preceded it, as the occasion for assembling the people. 

However, others explain the pouring out of water to represent the pouring out of ones heart in an act of true penitence, depicting their sorrow, ruin and helplessness before the Lord. As in the case of David, who says, Psa.22:14,

“I am poured out like water, my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.”

The same idea is expressed in repentance, when the prophet exhorts fallen Jerusalem:

“Arise, cry out in the night; in the beginning of the watches Pour Out thine Heart Like Water before the face of the Lord” Lam.2:19.  

 The same figure is used by Hannah in 1Sa.1:15 of this book;

“I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have poured out my soul before the Lord”. Perhaps the drawing and pouring out of water mentioned in the text was done symbolically, to represent the contrition of their hearts. 

“For we must all die, and we are as water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. And God does not take a life, but has devised plans so that the outcast is not cast out from Him.” 2Sa 14:14   

It may also typify the deep desire that their sins be forgotten “as waters that pass away”: “for you shall forget your misery, and you shall remember it as waters that pass away.” Job 11:16   

They fasted that day and confessed their sins to God.  Thus we see intercession, confession and repentance as necessary requirements for forgiveness; and that sincerity of the heart overrides the mere participation in religious rituals. 

“And Samuel judged…” It is here that we see Samuel stepping into the role of judge in a more public and open forum, in both a civil and military capacity. 

As civil Judge he did exactly what Moses did (Exo. 18:13-16): he sat, and heard, and tried cases that came before him. He explained the laws of God to them and enforced the obedience of them. He reformed abuses that were among them and punished idolaters.  As military Judge he did what Othniel, Ehud, Barak, and Gideon had done before him; organized and marshaled the people for effectual resistance to their oppressors and led them out to victory. 

Here however, the emphasis is that Samuel, the last judge, interceded for the people (verse five) for they had confessed their sins, and through his intercession, the favor of God came and their sins were forgiven. Israel's relationship with their God was restored.  God would now prove that they were his people.

Verse 7.   The Children of Israel were totally unorganized militarily, they had few if any weapons of significance; it was in the interest of the enemy to keep them in such a fragile state. 

When the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together, the Philistines probably saw such an assembly as an uprising and an attempt to unify.  They likely reasoned that it was a precursor to an attack or an act of war to rid themselves of their oppressor.  They were quite right, for they did a similar type of religious exercise before their battles.  They would have remembered what God had done to them and to their gods when they had captured the Ark. 

Thus the Philistines lords consulted and did not hesitate to assemble themselves  to mount a pre-emptive strike and smash any possibility of a revolt. 

Of course when word got back to the children of Israel that the Philistines were coming against them with a unified army, they were filled with fear. 

One writer thinks that it would be good if every spiritual attack on modern-day believers would find us repentant and humble before God, crying out to him, and trusting in him.

Verse 8.   The reaction of the Children of Israel strongly suggests that they had truly repented and believed as Samuel said that God would deliver them if they abandoned the false gods and turned to him and worshipped him only. 

So instead of enquiring what military offence or defence they could possibly use, they demonstrated their renewed trust in God and the power of prayer; they asked Samuel to continue to intercede on their behalf; “cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us”. 

They probably recalled the numerous victories God had given them and how under Joshua, He had told them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.  They would also recall that in times past how they defeated the superior equipped Philistines army, though they were seriously outnumbered and now they fully looked to the Lord to deliver them from the hands of the Philistines. 

Every judge that God had raised up for them was successful in every military venture, this was to be no exception. 

But let us not kid ourselves.  The Scriptures tell us that Israel was afraid of the Philistines.  They had not reached the ideal level of confidence in God.  Though they were fearful of defeat they did what was right and trusted God for victory.  Their small faith was sufficient. 

The last time they faced that perilous military situation they had been so confident of success that they took the Ark of the Covenant into battle with them, feeling that that way they could never lose.  They were trusting in the Ark instead of trusting in God.  This time they cried out to God instead.

Verse 9.   Samuel took a young lamb still being nursed and offered it as a whole burnt offering.  Parts of the sacrificed animal usually belonged to the priest, but in this case everything was burned, skin and all. 

Samuel knew that only a sacrifice would atone for sins.  The animal that had never done anything wrong had to take on the punishment for the people.  Blood had to be shed and everything sacrificed to teach Israel that, that was what they deserved.  

Samuel cried to the Lord, that is, he prayed for them, and the Lord heard him and answered either by fire that consumed the offering off the altar or by the thunderous voice that frightened and confounded the Philistine army. 

Note that God hears our cries and sees our spiritual sacrifices.  This battle is over even before it began, for God had heard the prayers of the Saints.

Verse 10.  Though offering of sacrifice was the domain of the priest, Samuel may have offered the sacrifice through the agency of a priest. He himself only being a Levite or possibly being an extraordinary person, and this an extraordinary case, he might have done it himself, as Gideon and others ventured to do. 

As the sacrifice was being offered the Philistine army prepared to attack; they came as close as Mizpeh, where Israel was encamped and the sacrifice was being offered. 

With a thunderous storm the Lord totally disoriented, confused and confounded the enemy – and they were smitten or killed before Israel, the battle was over before it even began.  This was a special word of God.  It is certain that the Israelites heard the thunder but they were not confused.  The Philistines were however confused and were overcome.

This was the real God of storms and thunder.  The Philistines would learn that Baal was not the real God of thunder. 

Many were destroyed, some commentators believe they were struck by lightening and some swallowed by the earth as the ground opened up due to an accompanying earthquake.   It is also quite likely that they turned and killed each other in the confusion, as we see was the case in a similar previous situation. 

Those that were left fled and the Children of Israel pursued them. 

Verse 11.   Recognizing the hand of the Lord in this victory, and now embolden by the work of the Lord, they pursued those Philistines as they fled.  In the mayhem the enemy abandoned their weapons and attempted to escape on foot, not unlike one Sisera.

“And Jehovah struck Sisera, and all the chariots, and all the army, with the edge of the sword in front of Barak, so that Sisera got down from the chariot and fled on his feet.” Jdg 4:15   

Having very few of their own weapons, the Children of Israel used the Philistines own weapons that they had left behind and slew the Philistines all the way to Bethcar. 

This was an amazing victory that ushered in twenty years of peace. The Philistines defeat was complete and the ‘hand of the Lord’ was now against them.  All the land and cities that the Philistines had taken from the children of Israel was restored to them, and as long as Samuel lived the Philistines would never be a threat. 

This was not to say that the Philistines never made any attempts to regain their lost supremacy, for we are told in verse thirteen that the hand of God was against them all the days of Samuel.  We are told that whatever they tried failed during the life of Samuel.

Verse 12.   Having won the victory Samuel took a large stone and placed it between Mizpeh and Shen, not as an altar or place of worship, but simply as a monument to remind them of the victory the Lord had delivered. 

Shen seems to have been a popular or well known place, it was a precipice of a rock which juts out, and hangs over in the form of a tooth, hence the name.  The positioning of the monument would then be seen frequently by many people. 

Samuel named the monument ‘Ebenezer’, which means “stone of help”.  This place would have great significance, as it was here that the Israelites had been beaten twice by the Philistines and the Ark taken from them – now it had become the place of their salvation. 

“hitherto hath the Lord helped us…” Their repentance and return to God was just the beginning of their deliverance. Thus far the Lord had helped them, ever true to His covenant, this monument would continually remind them of the faithfulness of God and perpetuate the memory of the great victory. 

Every time they passed the stone and considered its meaning, they would be encouraged and optimistic about their future, as long as they followed God and kept the covenant.

Verse 13.   “So the Philistines were subdued…”  The Philistines were humiliated by this defeat, so it is said they were subdued. This does not mean that Israel conquered their country or made them slaves or subjected them. It means the defeat ended their tyranny and oppression of Israel. 

“and came no more into the coast of Israel…”  After this defeat they did not regroup with the intention to avenge the people or invade them again. They dared not cross into the territory of Israel, but contented themselves to post garrisons to protect their own border, to protect their own land from possible invasion. 

“the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”  We have read of the other Judges, that the Lord gave them peace as long as they lived . In Samuel’s case, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines, affording Israel peace as long as Samuel governed the people; this lasted approximately twenty years. 

Israel even recovered all of the cities they had lost to the Philistines.  The other Canaanite tribes kept peace with Israel after this victory, including the most powerful tribe, the Amorites.

Why?  He was a man of prayer.  The Lord fought for Samuel, and unlike some of the other Judges who finished in disgrace, Samuel finished well. 

He was faithful to the Lord always and he worked hard in the service of the Lord. He did not break the Commandments of God as some leaders do, and never stopped promoting righteousness.  He was consistent in his relationship to God, always worshiping and offering sacrifices. 

Sadly we note that there came a time when the Children of Israel foolishly rejected God, demanded a king like the other nations, despite warnings to the people and their request displeased God.  When their first king disobeyed and displeased God, God removed his hand of protection and once again allowed the Philistines to rise up and trouble Israel.  This occurred during the life time of Samuel. 

So we learn about the value of men of God who stand up for the truth, who intercede for the people, who at every opportunity call on the people to be faithful to God and to obey him.