Saul is Chosen as King

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 9:1) Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

In the last chapter, the Israelites decided they wanted a king to rule over them instead of God and His judges.  God told Samuel to go ahead and find the people a king even though He did not approve.  Meanwhile, we learn of a Benjamite named Kish who came from a long line of Benjamites.  He was a man of great strength.

(2) And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man and goodly, and not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he, from his shoulders and upward higher than any of the people.    

Kish had a son named Saul who was a fine man probably in stature and looks, and a good man, as good a man to be found among the Israelites.  He was a very tall man, as well, taller than any other.

(3) And the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, "Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go look for the donkeys."

Kish's donkeys were lost, and he told his son Saul to take a servant and to go look for them.

(4) And he passed through Mount Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and not there, and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them. (5) When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come and let us return lest my father cease caring for the donkeys and take thought for us."

Saul and his servant passed through Mount Ephraim, Shalisha, Shaalim, and all through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find the donkeys.  When they came to the land of Zuph (where Ramah was), Saul told his servant that they should go back before his father started worrying about them.

(6) And he said to him, "Behold now, in this city there is a man of God, and an honorable man; all that he says comes surely to pass. Now let us go there; perhaps he can show us our way that we should go."

Saul's servant told him that there was a man of God there in that city in Zuph.  He was an honorable man and a prophet whose words always came to pass.  He suggested that they go to him and see if he could tell them which way they should go.  With that city being Ramah, the honorable prophet was, of course, Samuel.

(7) Then Saul said to his servant, "But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is spent in our vessels, and no present to bring to the man of God. What have we?" (8) And the servant answered Saul again, and said, "Behold, I have here at hand one fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give that to the man of God to tell us our way."

However, Saul told his servant that they had nothing to give the man.  It was a custom that if one asked a great man for a favor, he should bring a gift for him.  Or perhaps, as a prophet, he expected the man to charge for his prophecy.  But they had no bread nor any money nor anything of value to give such a man.  However, his servant said that he did have a quarter of a shekel of silver, and he would give that to the man of God in exchange for telling them how they should go.

(9) (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, he spoke thus, "Come and let us go to the seer," for he now called a prophet was beforetime called a seer.)

As this is a parenthetical statement, I believe it is made to explain how people might seek seers and perhaps it was customary to pay them.  It also explains why Saul and his servant ask for a seer in verse 11.

(10) Then Saul said to his servant, "Well said, come let us go." So they went to the city where the man of God was.

Saul agreed with his servant that that was a good plan, and they went to the city, Ramah, where the man of God, Samuel, was.

(11) As they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?" (12) And they answered them, and said, "He is, behold, he is before you. Make haste now for he came today to the city for a sacrifice of the people today in the high place."

As they went up the hill to the city, they saw some young maidens going down the hill to fetch some water, and they asked them if the seer was there.  They answered that indeed he was, and he was ahead of them also going up to the city for a sacrifice of the people that day in the high place at the top of the hill.

(13) "As soon as you come into the city, you shall straightway find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes because he blesses the sacrifice; afterwards, they eat who are invited. Now therefore, get up, for about this time you shall find him."

The maidens went on to tell Saul and his servant that the seer had gone up to the high place to eat, but they would find him before he went to the feast to bless the sacrifice, if they hurried and went straight there.

(14) And they went up into the city. When they were coming into the city, behold, Samuel came out opposite them to go up to the high place.

Indeed, when Saul and his servant went up into the city, they saw Samuel coming toward them from his place into the high place in the city.

(15) Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, (16) "Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin and you shall anoint him captain over My people Israel that he may save My people out of the hand of the Philistines, because their cry has come to Me."

The Lord had told Samuel the day before that He would send to him the next day a man out of Benjamin whom He wanted Samuel to anoint as captain over His people Israel.  He had heard the cries of His people, and He wanted that man to save His people out of the hand of the Philistines.

(17) And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, "Behold the man of whom I spoke to you. This same shall reign over My people."

When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord spoke to him again and told him that Saul was the one He had spoken of the day before, the one He chose to reign over His people Israel.

(18) Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Tell me, I pray you, where is the seer's house?" (19) And Samuel answered Saul, and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart."

Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate and asked him where he might find the seer.  Samuel told him that he was the seer he sought.  He told him to go on up to the high place and participate in the feast, for Samuel would have Saul eat with him that day.  Then he could depart the next day when and after Samuel would answer all his questions for which he had sought the seer in the first place.

(20) "And as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and all your father's house?"

Samuel went on to tell Saul not to worry about his donkeys, for they had been found.  He also rhetorically asked on whom was the desire of all Israel, meaning the king they wanted.  Was it not on him and his father's house, indicating Saul was the one to be king.

(21) And Saul answered and said, "Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me so?"

Saul answered Samuel, pointing out he was from the smallest tribe in Israel, and from a family that was least among the families in that tribe.  Therefore, he asked why Samuel would talk to him in that manner.

(22) And Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the parlor and made them sit in the chiefest place among them who were invited, which were about thirty persons.

Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the parlor which was the dining room of the house of the high place.  He placed them in the most honored places at the table among the thirty people who had been invited.

(23) And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, 'Set it by you.'"

Samuel told the cook to bring the portion which he had given the cook earlier, instructing him to set it aside by him, not serving it to anyone else.

(24) And the cook took up the shoulder and what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, "Behold that which is left, set before you, eat! For until this time has it been kept for you since I said, 'I have invited the people.'" So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

The cook took up the shoulder and the meat attached to it, which some Biblical scholars think meant the breast, and he set it before Saul.  The right shoulder and breast in peace offerings were given to the priest.  In this case, it was Samuel's portion, and he gave it to Saul as a token of the highest honor.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote that "it was an emblem of the government to which he was now called."  He referred to prophecy in Isaiah 9:6, which said a child would be born, and the government would be upon His shoulder.  That of course, referred to Jesus Christ.  However, the government would now be upon the shoulder of Israel's king.  Samuel told Saul that he had set back that portion ever since he had invited the people to the feast.  So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

(25) And when they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul on the top of the house. (26) And they arose early, and it came to pass about the spring of the day that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, "Up, that I may send you away." And Saul arose, and they went out, both of them, he and Samuel, outside.

After the feast at the high place, Samuel and Saul went back to Samuel's house where they communed on the roof of Samuel's house.  The houses back then were all flat allowing people to sit, commune, and sometimes even sleep in the fresh air.  The next morning about daybreak, Samuel called Saul again to the roof from where he apparently wanted to send Saul on his way.  They both went outside on the roof.

(27) As they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to pass on before us" (and he passed on), "but stand here awhile that I may show you the word of God."

It seems going out on the roof took them outside where they walked together to the end of the city.  Samuel told Saul to send his servant on ahead, which he did, but asked him to stay behind while Samuel shared with him the word of God.

(1 Samuel 10:1) Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him, and said, "Is it not because the Lord has anointed you captain over His inheritance?"

Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul's head.  He kissed him in reverence and respect to him, asking him rhetorically if that was not because the Lord Himself had anointed Saul captain over His inheritance, His people Israel.

(2) "When you have departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, 'The donkeys which you went to seek are found, and lo, your father has left the care of the donkeys and sorrows for you, saying, "What shall I do for my son?"'"

Samuel, the seer, the prophet of God, told Saul when he had departed from him, he would come to two men at the tomb of Rachel which was on the border of Benjamin and Judah, at a place called Zelzah.  They would tell him that his donkeys had been found, but now his father had ceased worrying about the donkeys, and was worried and sorrowful for him, Saul, wondering what had happened to his son.

(3) "Then shall you go on forward from there and you shall come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet you three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine. (4) And they will salute you and give you two loaves of bread which you shall receive of their hands."

Samuel continued prophesying, telling Saul that after he left Zelzah, he would come to the plain of Tabor (not the foot of Mount Tabor, but a different place).  There he would meet three men going up to Bethel to worship God, probably at Jacob's altar (Genesis 28:19).  One man would be carrying three kid goats, another three loaves of bread, and the other a bottle of wine.  The men would greet Saul and give him two loaves of bread which Saul was to accept.  

(5) "After that you shall come to the hill of God where the garrison of the Philistines is, and it shall come to pass, when you have come there to the city, that you shall meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them, and they shall prophesy; (6) And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you shall prophesy with them and shall be turned into another man."

After leaving the three men, Saul would come to "the hill of God."  The word translated as "hill" is "gibah" and is the same word as Gibeah, the place.  There was a high place in Gibeah, probably hence the name, and this was closer to Saul's home, and it makes good sense he would have reached there by that time.  Apparently, there was a garrison of the Philistines there.  It being a hill, the Philistines probably kept a watch on the top of the hill, with a company of soldiers to keep the Israelites in check.  When he came into the city, Saul would meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with several musical instruments, and they would prophesy.  The Spirit of the Lord would come upon Saul, and he would prophesy with them.  And he would be turned into another man.  Perhaps a "new man" as one becomes after accepting Christ, "renewed in knowledge after the image of Him who created him" (Colossians 3:10).

(7) "And let it be, when these signs are come to you, you do as occasion serves you, for God is with you."

When those signs had all come to Saul, he was to do as the occasion required, for he would then be furnished with the wisdom to undertake what was necessary for his office, and God would be with him.  How incredibly detailed was Samuel's prophecy!  There could be no doubt he was a true prophet of God, and Saul could have great confidence to trust everything Samuel had said.

(8) "And you shall go down before me to Gilgal, and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings; seven days shall you tarry till I come to you and show you what you shall do."

Samuel then told Saul that he was to go before him to Gilgal, wait there seven days, and Samuel would come to him and offer burnt offerings and sacrifices and then show Saul what to do, surely as shown him by inspiration of God.  However, this was not to be immediately, as we will see in the forthcoming scriptures.  Most Biblical scholars agree that "it may be this was a general rule to be observed by Saul, that whenever anything turned up of importance to the children of Israel, and was a difficulty with him, he should go to Gilgal, and there wait seven days for Samuel, from the time he gave him notice of it, who would come at the appointed time, and would give him what advice and instructions were necessary" (Dr. John Gill); thus he would be guided by God through Samuel.

(9) And it was so that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all those signs came to pass that day.

Interestingly, the Biblical scholars whom I study who chose to comment on this, made it a point to say that this new heart was not the new heart and new spirit as in conversion, but rather another heart and wisdom fit for government.  This was probably due to the fact we may later discover by his actions, that Saul was not a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), or I should say in His Holy Spirit, as the person of Christ was not available to Saul at that time.  All of Samuel's prophesies for that day came to pass.

(10) And when they came there to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

"They" came to the hill or Gibeah.  I'm not sure if Samuel had rejoined Saul at this point, or if this was Saul and his servant, but when they came to that place, indeed a company of prophets met Saul, and the Spirit of God came upon him so that he prophesied among the prophets.

(11) And it came to pass, when all who knew him beforetime saw that behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, "What is this come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

When the people who knew Saul before then saw him prophesying, they wondered among themselves how the son of Kish had come to be among the prophets.  They had known Saul to be a herdsman who took care of his father's farm and flock, and now he was among the prophets performing as well as any of them.

(12) And one of the same place answered and said, "But who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Some other people asked rhetorically who the father of the prophets was.  It was God who inspired them and instructed them; their gift did not come from their parents.  God inspired and used whom He wished so He could just as easily have inspired Saul as anyone else.  Therefore it became a saying among the people, "Isn't Saul also among the prophets?"  That saying could be used as encouragement that even Saul was among the prophets, so anyone could be.  However, it could also be used to diminish the father or leader who would admit such a person as Saul into his company.  I can't help but relate this to the people during Jesus's time who were offended by Him because they knew Him only as the carpenter's son (Matthew 13:54-57).  Jesus had said then that a prophet did not have honor in his own home among his own people, and that is because they did know him so well as an ordinary person that they could not comprehend that he had become a prophet of God.

(13) And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

Saul made an end of prophesying.  His place was not to be a prophet of God.  One can only truly prophesy when inspired by God's Holy Spirit.  Saul was given the gift for a short time to make him respectable among the people because God had honored him with a special gift, and when he was chosen as king, the people would more readily receive him.  When he had stopped prophesying, Saul went to the high place where the prophets had come from (verse 5), probably to thank and praise God for the honor He had bestowed on him.

(14) And Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, "Where did you go?" And he said, "To seek the donkeys and when we saw they were nowhere, we went to Samuel."

It would seem that Saul's uncle was at the high place, as well.  He asked Saul where he and his servant had gone as they had been gone for so long.  Saul told him that they had gone to look for his father's donkeys, but when they could find them nowhere, they went to Samuel.

(15) And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, I pray you, what Samuel said to you." (16) And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys were found." But of the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he did not tell him.

Saul's uncle asked Saul to tell him what Samuel had said to him.  He told him that he had told them that the donkeys had been found.  However, he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about his being made king.

(17) And Samuel called the people together to the Lord to Mizpeh, (18) And said to the children of Israel, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all kingdoms, of them who oppressed you.' (19) And you have this day rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations, and you have said to Him, 'No, but set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands."

Samuel called all the people together at Mizpeh, the one in the tribe of Benjamin, where he had called the people to pray for them in 1 Samuel 7:5.  He told all the people the words of the Lord, that He had brought them out of Egypt and delivered them from the Egyptians and had continued to deliver them out of the hands of all kingdoms that had oppressed them.  Yet they had rejected their Lord who had always saved them from their adversities and had decided they now needed a king to save them.  Samuel told the people to present themselves before the Lord in groups by their tribes and by the rulers of the thousands into which their tribes were divided.

(20) And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

When Samuel had brought all the tribes together before him, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by Urim and Thummim, or by casting lots to reveal the will of God.

(21) When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken, and when they sought him, he could not be found.

The tribe of Benjamin came forward by their families, and the family of Matri was chosen.  Nowhere else in the Bible is the name Matri mentioned, but he was undoubtedly head of a family within the tribe of Benjamin, of which Kish and his son Saul were a part.  The lot eventually came down to Saul, but when the people looked for him, they could not find him.

(22) Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come there. And the Lord answered, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the stuff."

The people inquired of the Lord again, probably through the same means He had been showing them who their king should be.  They wondered if their king was there or if they should expect him to come.  The Lord answered that he was hiding behind some stuff, household tools, equipment, arms, baggage the people may have brought, whatever stuff was there.  I don't know if Saul felt unworthy, unwilling, or embarrassed, but I can't help but think about the people's rejection of their Lord as their king to have this man in hiding be their king.

(23) And they ran and fetched him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

The people ran to him and brought him among them.  He was a very tall man, head and shoulders above the rest of the people.  The people probably thought him very majestic.  I still can't rid myself of the image of their tall majestic king in hiding.  They wanted that instead of their Lord God who was greater than all (Exodus 18:11, John 10:29).

(24) And Samuel said to all the people, "See him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?" And all the people shouted and said, "God save the king!"

Samuel pointed out to the people that the Lord had chosen Saul, and they could see that there was none like him among all the people.  In stature and appearance, that was true, but I wonder if there wasn't a part of Samuel that thought, "See what you have chosen above the Lord?"  After all, he had been most displeased that the people wanted a king.  Whether he was thinking it or not, I believe it is a perfect illustration of what people get when they choose anyone or anything over God.  Even though he was the best among men, their desired king was a sniveling coward compared to Almighty God.

(25) Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

Samuel told the people the laws and rules by which the kingly government was to operate, and he wrote it down in a book and laid it before the Lord, which probably meant before the ark of the covenant.  Then Samuel sent the people back to their homes.

(26) And Saul also went home to Gibeah, and there went with him a band of men whose hearts God had touched.

Saul also went back to his home in Gibeah, not yet to any grand palace.  A group of men went with him, men whose hearts God had touched and made them inclined to show honor and respect to their king.

(27) But the children of Belial said, "How shall this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

The children of wickedness, which is what Belial means, despised Saul and did not think him able to save them.  Without God, he would not be able to, that is true, but we are told these were wicked men, so their reasoning was not because they preferred God to man, but they had no faith in God's choice.  They brought him no presents as others did, but Saul took no notice, or at least he acted as if it did not matter to him.

The Israelites wanted to be as the other nations and have a king to rule over them, and God provided one, although He saw it as a rejection of Him.  How patient and good is our Lord!  This shows how people do not know what is best for them.  I think about this with regard to prayer all the time.  I don't know what is best; only God does.  I may think I know what is best, but my desire may just get in the way of a more perfect plan of God.  If only we could just trust in God's will, that it be done, and let go, and let God.  However, God still acts in love for us, sometimes giving us what we want, and letting us learn for ourselves why it is not always best.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out that those who knew the scriptures back then would be able to foresee that the family of Saul would not succeed for long.  It was the tribe of Judah that would rule as a lion, and "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes" (Genesis 49:10); Benjamin was just a ravenous wolf (Genesis 49:27).

Israel Demands a King

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 8:1) And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

In the last chapter we were told that Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life, so now that he was old and making his sons judges, they must have been under him, with him still judging as well.  He was used to doing circuits throughout Israel, so perhaps he stayed at his home base and let them do the traveling to other places.

(2) Now the name of the firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abiah, judges in Beersheba.

Samuel's firstborn son was Joel, and his second son was Abiah.  They were judges in Beersheba in the southern part of the land, whereas Samuel's home was in Ramah more to the north, so that is how they worked things out, with Samuel judging the north and his sons judging the south.

(3) And his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after lucre and took bribes and perverted judgment.

Samuel's sons did not walk in his righteous ways but went after monetary gain.  They took bribes and perverted justice.

(4) Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel to Ramah, (5) And said to him, "Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."

The elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel.  Because he was old and his sons did not walk in his ways, they said they wanted to have a king to rule over them like all the other nations had.  It's interesting that it doesn't occur to them that they might as easily have a corrupt king as they had corrupt judges in Joel and Abiah.

(6) But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the Lord.

The people wanting a king to rule over them greatly displeased Samuel because the people were not content to be governed by God and the order He had set up, but wanted to be governed like the Gentiles were.  That meant they wanted a king to judge them rather than him.  Samuel prayed to the Lord.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that Josephus the historian noted that "he could neither eat nor sleep, but watched all night, and spent it in prayer."

(7) And the Lord said to Samuel, "Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me that I should not reign over them."

The Lord told Samuel to listen to the people and do all they wanted him to do.  He acknowledged that the people had rejected Him that He should not reign over them, but they wanted a king instead to be like all the cool kids.  He assured Samuel that it was not about him personally as judge, but God's system of government and God Himself they rejected.

(8) "According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day, with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods, so they also do to you."

This was no new thing for the Lord.  Ever since He had brought His people out of Egypt even to that very day, they were constantly forsaking Him and serving other gods.  So they now did to Samuel after he had served them his entire life since childhood.  As Jesus said in Matthew 10:24, the servant was not above his lord, meaning that if such things had been done to the Lord, Samuel could not expect to be treated better than the Lord.

(9) "Now therefore hearken to their voice. However, protest solemnly to them and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them."

The Lord told Samuel to go ahead and listen to the people.  However, He wanted him to warn them about what they were asking for, how a king would rule over them.

(10) And Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked of him a king. (11) And he said, "This will be the manner of the king who shall reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and his horsemen, and to run before his chariots."

Samuel told the people who had asked for a king all that the Lord had said.  Then he went on to tell them what to expect from a king.  He would take their sons and appoint them for his own use and service.  He would have them take care of his chariots and his horses and to be his running footmen.  Their sons would be unable to choose their own employment or have estates of their own.

(12) "And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, and to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war and instruments of his chariots."

A king would appoint their sons to jobs in military service whether they wanted them or not.  He would make them plow his ground and reap his harvest.  He would make them make his instruments of war and instruments for his chariots, again whether they wanted that type of work or not.

(13) "And he will take your daughters as confectionaries, and cooks, and bakers."

A king would likewise take their daughters and make them serve him as perfumers, which is the meaning of the original word "raqqachah" that was translated as confectionaries, and as cooks and bakers. 

(14) "And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, the best of them, and give them to his servants. (15) And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants."

A king would take the best of their fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his servants.  He would impose a tax of one tenth of their seed, grapes, and olives, to give to his officers and servants.  That would be in addition to tithes to the Lord.

(16) "And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. (17) He will take the tenth of your sheep, and you will be his servants."

A king would take their menservants and maidservants, their finest young men, and their donkeys, and put them into his employ.  He would take a tenth of their livestock and make them work for him.  A king could take anyone or anything of the people's and use it for his service.

(18) "And you shall cry out in that day because of your king which you shall have chosen for you, and the Lord will not hear you in that day."

Samuel warned the people that they would eventually cry out to the Lord because of their king whom they had wanted, because of his power and oppression.  They would cry to the Lord, but He would not listen to them because He had given them what they wanted.

(19) Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but we will have a king over us, (20) That we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."

The people didn't care about the warnings Samuel gave them and told him they wanted a king anyway so they could be like all the other nations.  They wanted one king to judge them and to lead them and to fight their battles.  The last thing was one that Samuel could not do; he was not a military leader, but God had never failed to fight their battles for them or raise someone up who could lead them.

(21) And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. (22) And the Lord said to Samuel, "Hearken to their voice and make them a king." And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."

Samuel listened to the words of the people and then relayed them to the Lord.  The Lord told Samuel to listen to the people and give them a king.  Let them have what they wanted and let them deal with the consequences.  We serve a most patient God!  Even though He did not approve of the people having a king and knew it was not the best thing for them, He allowed them to make their own choice and would go on to help them find the best possible king.  Then Samuel sent the men back to their homes.

Samuel Judges Israel

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 7:1) And the men of Kirjath Jearim 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.

In the last chapter, the Philistines sent back the ark of God because keeping it had caused them much death and destruction.  They sent it to Beth Shemesh, where the people were not careful in handling the ark as it should be handled according to the law, and the Lord struck down over 50,000 men.  The men of Beth Shemesh wanted to send the ark away because of all the destruction, and they sent messengers to Kirjath Jearim to have them come and fetch the ark, which they did.  They brought the ark to the house of a man called Abinadab, the one on a hill in Kirjath Jearim, distinguishing him from some other Abinadab.  This Abinadab appears to have been a man of great esteem for religion and righteousness, and he sanctified his son Eleazar to be in charge of the ark of the Lord, to watch over it and guard it from people touching it or using it irreverently.

(2) And it came to pass while the ark abode in Kirjath Jearim, that the time was long, for it was twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

The ark of God had remained in Kirjath Jearim for twenty years up to this point.  The people lamented after the Lord, becoming sensible of their evil deeds and repenting of them.  They cried after God who had withdrawn from them.

(3) And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you do return to the Lord with all your hearts, put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts to the Lord, and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

Samuel now judged Israel, and he spoke to the people, telling them that if they truly were returning to the Lord with all their hearts, then they should put away the false gods from among them and also Ashtaroth who represented the female gods, destroying all their images and altars from among them.  They should direct their hearts to the Lord only and serve only Him, and then the Lord would deliver them out of the hand of the Philistines, under whose dominion they still were and had been for many years.

(4) Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth and served the Lord only.

The Israelites indeed put away the Baals, the male gods, and Ashtaroth, the female gods, and they served the Lord God only.

(5) And Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you to the Lord."

Samuel called for all the people to be gathered to Mizpeh on the borders of Judah and Benjamin, and he would pray to the Lord for them.

(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.

Samuel gathered the people to Mizpeh where they drew water and poured it out before the Lord, symbolic of the sincerity of their repentance, as they poured out their hearts in repentance, as water.  They acknowledged that they had sinned against the Lord, and they prayed and fasted.  Samuel judged them there at Mizpeh, listening to them, addressing grievances, and teaching them how to get reconciled with God.

(7) And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together at Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard, they were afraid of the Philistines. (8) And the children of Israel said to Samuel. "Do not cease to cry to the Lord our God for us, that He will save us out of the hand of the Philistines."

When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered together at Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines gathered forces and went up against Israel in a surprise attack.  When the Israelites became aware of them, they were afraid and cried out to Samuel to continue praying to the Lord that He might save them from the Philistines.

(9) And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered a burnt offering wholly to the Lord, and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him. 

Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered a burnt offering to the Lord, the whole lamb being burnt.  Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard his cries.

(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 confused them, and they were struck down before Israel.

As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to the Israelites, but the Lord thundered with a great thunder upon them that confused them so that they were struck down before Israel.  The Israelites never had to engage in battle; the Lord Himself struck down the Philistines with His thunder and lightning.  This fulfilled a prophecy of Hannah's, Samuel's mother, in her song, "The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them." (1 Samuel 2:10)

(11) And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh and pursued the Philistines and killed them until below Beth Car.

The Israelites then went out of Mizpeh and chased the remaining confused and terrified Philistines as far as below a place called Beth Car, killing them.

(12) Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and Shen and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, "To this point the Lord has helped us."

Then Samuel set a stone as a monument between Mizpeh and a place called Shen.  He called it Ebenezer, saying the Lord had helped them.  Ebenezer meant literally "stone of the help," and was the same place that the Israelites had pitched in 1 Samuel 4:1; there Samuel wrote that it was called Ebenezer even though it had not yet been named at that point.

(13) So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the border of Israel, and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

The Philistines were subdued and no longer came inside the borders of Israel.  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 to Gath, and their territory Israel delivered out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

All the cities from Ekron to Gath, at least all those between those two cities were restored to Israel.  Dr. John Gill wrote in his Exposition of the Bible, that if Israel had indeed taken back Ekron and Gath, "they were not long held by them, for we soon read of them as in the hands of others."  There was peace between Israel, and as "Josephus calls them the remnant of the Canaanites; these, finding the Philistines were subdued, were quiet and peaceable, and gave Israel no more trouble."

(15) And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. (16) And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.

Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.  He went in circuit every year to the cities of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel from those places where the people would come from all parts for advice and counsel.

(17) And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house, and there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

After making his circuit, Samuel would return to Ramah where his house was.  As the last judge of Israel, he judged Israel there, at his home base, so to speak, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

The Philistines Return the Ark

Continuing a chronological Bible study: 

(1 Samuel 5:1) And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

At the end of the last chapter, the Philistines had defeated the Israelites in battle, killing 34,000 men including Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas.  The Israelites had brought the ark of the covenant of God into battle thinking it would save them, but the ark was taken by the Philistines.  Eli died at news of the taking of the ark.  The Philistines took the ark from Ebenezer where the Israelites had camped to Ashdod, a principality of the Philistines.

(2) When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.

The Philistines brought the ark of God into the house of Dagon, their god, and they set it beside Dagon, which was probably some carved statue or image.

(3) And when they of Ashdod arose early the next day, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon and set him in his place again.

The next morning when Philistines of Ashdod went into the house of Dagon, they found that he had fallen face down before the ark of the Lord, as if in reverence and adoration.  The people supposed Dagon had just accidentally fallen, and they put him back in his place.

(4) And when they arose early on the next morning, Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

When the people arose early on the morning after that, they not only found Dagon what would have been face down before the ark of the Lord, but his head and the palms of both his hands were cut off upon the threshold.  Only the stump of Dagon was left.  There was much symbology in this.  Obviously, both days Dagon had lain prostrate before the Lord, in submission to Him.  Additionally, the head is the seat of wisdom, and the hands are the instruments of action.  The false idol Dagon had neither the wisdom nor the strength to defend himself against the Israelite God.  Dagon was the fish god, said to have the head and arms of a human and the body of a fish.  His human parts had been cut off and all that remained was a fish.

(5) Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any who came into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

Because Dagon's head and hands had been cut off on the threshold, the Philistine priests nor anyone who came into Dagon's house ever tread on the threshold to the day of Samuel's writing.  However, that didn't mean they never went into Dagon's house, but they would leap over the threshold.

(6) But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and He destroyed them and struck them with hemorrhoids, Ashdod and the coasts of it.

The hand of the Lord was also heavy against the Philistines themselves.  He struck them with hemorrhoids, which the early Biblical historians said was very painful and bloody.  He destroyed them with either a severe case of hemorrhoids or some other calamity in addition to that.  He struck not only Ashdod, but the area around it.

(7) And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us, for His hand is sore upon us and upon Dagon our god."

The men of Ashdod who had not died understood that all that calamity was the doing of the God of Israel.  They said that the ark of God could no longer abide with them because they knew it was God who struck them and their god Dagon.  It's really interesting that they could plainly see that the Israelite God was greater than their god, yet they still clung to their weak fish god.

(8) They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" And they answered, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath." And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about.

The people called all the lords of the Philistines to them and asked what they were to do with the ark of God.  The lords said that they should carry it to Gath which was another of their principalities.  They carried the ark about, which doesn't sound like they took it directly to Gath.  Perhaps they thought carrying it about would air out the disease that it seemed to contain.

(9) And it was so, that after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction, and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and they had hemorrhoids in their secret parts.

The Philistines carried the ark about but presumably finally placed it in Gath where the hand of the Lord was mighty against that city.  He struck all the men of that city, both great and small, with hemorrhoids.

(10) Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!"

Then the Philistines sent the ark of God to Ekron, another of the principalities of the Philistines.  Those people had heard what had happened before and were wise enough to know that it meant destruction for them, too.  It's interesting that the lords had not yet figured this out and were destroying all their principalities.

(11) So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel and let it go again to its own place, that it not kill us and our people," for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city. The hand of God was very heavy there.

The people of Ekron sent for all the lords of the Philistines and asked that they send the ark of God away back to its own place so that it not kill all their people, for there had already been a deadly destruction throughout their city.  The hand of God had already been very heavy against them there.

(12) And the men who did not die were struck with the hemorrhoids, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

The men who did not die were struck with hemorrhoids, so that sounds as if they died from some other calamity God sent.  But the ones who did not die did not escape, as they were struck with hemorrhoids so terrible that the cry of the people went up to heaven.  Not that it would be regarded there, but it was that great and loud.

(1 Samuel 6:1) And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

It seems the Philistines moved the ark of God to the country where they thought He could not afflict so many people.  It stayed there seven months.

(2) And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we shall send it to its place."

The Philistine people called for their priests and diviners, asking what they should do with the ark of the Israelite God.  If they were to send it back to its place, how should they go about it?

(3) And they said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty, but in any way return Him a trespass offering; then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand is not removed from you."

The priests and diviners told the people that if they sent the ark back to Israel, they should not send it back empty but should return a trespass offering to God.  They thought by doing this, they would be healed.  It's interesting that the Philistines seemed to have some knowledge of the kinds of offerings made by the Israelites.  They were obviously after seven months still stricken with hemorrhoids, and once they sent the ark back to Israel, they would know that that was the reason they still had hemorrhoids, because the ark had not been returned.

(4) Then they said, "What trespass offering shall we return to Him?" They answered, "Five golden hemorrhoids and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on you all and on your lords."

The people asked what kind of trespass offering they should send.  The priests and diviners told them they should send five golden hemorrhoids and five golden mice, five, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague afflicted both the people and the lords.  It was a custom in the ancient world that when a plague or some other calamity came upon a country, the magicians would form an image of the destroyer and set it up in some proper place that the evil represented by it might be driven away.  The golden hemorrhoids are understandable because of their affliction, but I do wonder what a golden hemorrhoid looked like.  However, they were a gift of gold.  But why five mice?  We have not been told about mice, but they surely were instrumental in bringing plague and death to the Philistines.

(5) "Therefore you shall make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your mice that mar the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from off you and from off your gods and from off your land."

The priests and diviners continued with their advice for the offering.  The people were to make images of hemorrhoids and mice that marred their land, giving us a hint that there had been a plague of mice.  They were to give glory to the God of Israel in hopes that He would remove His heavy hand from them, their gods, and their land.

(6) "Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?"

The priests and diviners asked why the people would harden their hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh had done and not return the ark.  They reminded them that Pharaoh and the Egyptians finally did let God's people go after the Lord had performed awesome plagues and miracles among the Egyptians.  I believe their point was that eventually the people would be forced to give the ark back, but they could do it now and avoid more terrible plagues.

(7) "Now therefore make a new cart and take two milk cows on which there has come no yoke, and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them. (8) And take the ark of the Lord and lay it upon the cart, and put the jewels of gold which you return Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side, and send it away that it may go."

They told the people to make a new cart and take two milk cows that had never had a yoke, take their calves from them, and tie them to the cart.  They were to place the ark of the Lord in the cart.  They were to put the jewels of gold that they made in a chest and place it beside the ark.  Then they were to send away the cows with the cart.

(9) "And see if it goes up by the way of its own coast to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us; it was a chance that happened to us."

The priests and diviners told the people that if the cows took the cart back to the Israelite borders to Beth Shemesh which was the nearest city within Israel from where the Philistines were then, then they would know that the Lord of Israel had done that great evil to them.  However, if the cows did not go that way, then they would know it had not been the Lord's doing, but just a coincidence that the calamity had come upon them.

(10) And the men did so, and took two milk cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. (11) And they laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart, and the chest with the mice of gold and the images of their hemorrhoids.

The Philistines did as their priests and diviners had instructed.  They took two milk cows, took their calves away from them, and tied them to a cart.  They laid the ark of God in the cart and put a chest with gold mice and gold hemorrhoids beside it.

(12) And the cows took the straight way to the way of Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

One would think that the cows might go back to their calves, but they went together straight toward Beth Shemesh even though they had not been used to a yoke before, lowing as they went perhaps because of their calves, but still they did not turn aside to the left or the right when other ways presented themselves, but went straight ahead to Beth Shemesh.  The lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

(13) And they of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it.

Inhabitants of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and when they lifted up their eyes, they saw the cows with the ark coming, and they rejoiced to see it.

(14) And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there where there was a great stone, and they split the wood of the cart, and offered the cows a burnt offering to the Lord.

The cows and the cart came into the field of a man named Joshua, a resident of Beth Shemesh, and it came to stand where there was a large stone.  The men who were there split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.

(15) And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone, and the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the Lord.

Levite priests were evidently called to take the ark of the Lord off the cart before the men began splitting the wood of the cart, as they were the only ones who by law could take the ark down.  They put the ark and the chest with the gold objects on the great stone.  The men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices that same day.  The offering of the two cows that had brought the cart with the ark would be seen as having been offered by the Philistines, but the men of Beth Shemesh also offered their own offerings and sacrifices.

(16) And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

When the five lords of the Philistines who had followed the cows with the ark to the border of Beth Shemesh saw that the ark had been returned to the Israelites, received joyfully, and sacrifices were offered because of its return, they were satisfied that they had accomplished their goal and returned to Ekron that same day.

(17) And these are the golden hemorrhoids which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to the Lord, for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; (18) And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, of fenced cities and of country villages, even to the great stone of Abel on which they set down the ark of the Lord that remains to this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.

The five golden hemorrhoids and the five golden mice, representing the Philistines' five principalities, Ashdod, Gaza, Askelon, Gath, and Ekron, were given by the Philistines as a trespass offering to the Lord of Israel.  The gold items not only represented their principal cities, but all the cities and villages within those principalities, that reached to the great stone where the Levites had placed the ark, called the great stone of Abel, that remained in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite, to the writing of this passage.

(19) And He struck the men of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; He struck of the people fifty thousand and seventy men, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.

The Lord struck 50,070 men of Beth Shemesh because they looked into the ark of the Lord which was forbidden or else they would die (Numbers 4:20).  The people were surely overjoyed to see the return of the ark and may have wanted to look inside to be sure the Philistines had not taken or added anything.  However, the fact that over 50,000 people had looked into it indicates that there had been a more selfish motive in looking inside the ark.  They were probably curious to look inside the ark, and this was an opportunity that would never come again.  The Lord would not tolerate such a trifling of His law.  The historian Josephus wrote that the Lord killed the people with a thunderbolt, according to Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible.  The people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with so great a slaughter.

(20) And the men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?"

The men of Beth Shemesh questioned who was able to stand before their holy Lord God.  It seemed to be a complaint toward God because of the severity of His punishment.  However, they had known the law but decided to disregard it for their one chance to sneak a peek.  However, God will not be mocked; whatever a man sows, he will reap (Galatians 6:7).  The men wondered aloud to whom they should send the ark.

(21) And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come down and fetch it up to you."

The men of Beth Shemesh sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, telling them that the Philistines had brought the ark back.  They told them to come to Beth Shemesh and take it.  They knew that surely it would be good news to them that the ark had been returned, but they did not tell them why they wanted it moved from Beth Shemesh to Kirjath Jearim.  Shiloh had undoubtedly been destroyed when the Philistines took the ark, so it did need a new home.

As Christians, we must never forget that we serve an awesome and holy God who demands complete and holy reverence, not because He is arrogant, but by His very nature, He cannot be in the presence of sin.  It is only by the most precious and gracious gift of Jesus that we are allowed to come to God with our cries and our petitions without being struck dead as our filthy sin deserves.  Thank you, Jesus!  Thank you, dear God, for providing a way for us to be in Your holy presence.

The Ark of God is Taken by the Philistines

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 4:1) And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle and pitched beside Ebenezer, and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.

Samuel had grown to manhood, and the Lord had raised him and prepared him to be His prophet.  Now Samuel, as the Lord's prophet, spoke the words of the Lord to all Israel.  At that time Israel went to battle against the Philistines.  The Israelites pitched beside a place later called Ebenezer, which would be so named in 1 Samuel 7:12.  The Philistines pitched in Aphek, a city in the tribe of Judah, bordering on the Philistines.

(2) And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel, and when they joined battle, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, and they killed of the army in the field about four thousand men.

The Philistines formed their battle line, and when Israel engaged with them, the Philistines defeated the Israelites and killed four thousand men.

(3) And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies."

When the people returned to their camp, the elders rightly perceived that the Lord Himself defeated them before the Philistines, but they failed to understand why or to seek counsel of the Lord.  They were incredulous that the Lord should allow those heathens to defeat them.  They had become complacent.  I can't help but relate that to my country today.  Americans have become so fat and lazy and smug, they take no notice of the dangers on the horizon, thinking those things never happen to us, or if they do, we always bounce back.  People are oblivious of why they were ever blessed in the first place and have turned their backs on God.  Likewise the Israelites did not look inward but foolishly placed their confidence in an external object, the ark, to save them.  They did not look to the Lord.

(4) So the people sent to Shiloh that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who dwells between the cherubim, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. (5) And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout so that the earth rang again.

The people sent word to Shiloh to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord who would appear and dwell in the mercy seat between two cherubim that covered the seat.  Eli's sons were there with the ark and presumably brought the ark to the camp themselves.  When the ark came into the camp, the people shouted with great joy and confidence in their coming success.  They shouted with such a great shout, the earth shook.

(6) And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" And they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp.

When the Philistines heard the shouting, they wondered among themselves what it meant.  Then they perceived that it was the ark of the Hebrews' Lord.

(7) And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For there has not been such a thing before. (8) Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? These are the Gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness."

The Philistines were then afraid when they realized the Israelites' God had come into their camp.  They feared for their fate for they had never fought the Israelite God before, at least not so obvious a presence.  They had heard about the ten plagues that were inflicted on the Egyptians, and they didn't think they stood a chance against their Gods, as they called Israel's Lord, because they were accustomed to their many gods.

(9) "Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, O you Philistines, that you be not servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men and fight!"

However, the Philistines gave themselves a pep talk.  Since there was no one else to deliver them out of the hands of the Israelites' God, they had to depend on their own strength.  It is interesting that they evidently thought the Hebrew God to be stronger than their gods, yet they presumed to fight against Him anyway.  Of course, that could have been the Spirit of God spurring them on for His purposes.  They did not want to become servants to the Israelites as they had previously been servants to them, so they had to gather their strength and fight.

(10) And the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled every man to his tent, and there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

The Philistines did fight, and they defeated Israel, killing thirty thousand of their army.  The men who escaped death ran back to their tents.

(11) And the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

The Philistines had taken the ark of the Lord and had killed Hophni and Phinehas who had been with the ark.

(12) And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.

A Benjamite from the Israelite army ran that same day to Shiloh.  His clothes were torn and there was dirt on his head which were signs of distress and mourning.

(13) And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. 

When the man in mourning came into the city, it seems he bypassed Eli who sitting by the wayside watching for he feared for the fate of the ark of the covenant.  He didn't so much fear for his sons as he expected their death because of the divine prophecy he had received.  He now displayed honor for God and His ark above his sons, whereas God through prophecy had accused Eli of honoring his sons above Him (1 Samuel 2:29).  Once again, I see Eli as a good man, but a weak one.  However, it is true that he sinned when he should have honored God above his sons and dealt with them accordingly but didn't.  The man in mourning came into the city and told what had happened in the battle, and all the people in the city cried out.

(14) And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What does the noise of this tumult mean?" And the man came in hastily and told Eli. (15) Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were dim that he could not see. (16) And the man said to Eli, "I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army." And he said, "What is there done, my son?"

When Eli heard the cries of the people, he asked what the commotion meant.  The man came to tell him.  Eli was very old and had become blind, so the man described himself to Eli.  He told him he had come from the army, and Eli asked him for news of the battle.

(17) And the messenger answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken."

The man told Eli that the Israelites had fled from the Philistines in defeat, and that there had been a great slaughter, including his two sons who were dead.  He told him that the ark of God had been taken.

(18) And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

It was when the man told Eli that the ark of God had been taken, that he was so struck with grief that he fell backward off his seat and broke his neck.  He was very old, probably with brittle bones, and he was heavy, so that his fall broke his neck and he died.  It's noteworthy that Eli was heavy, meaning fat, and you don't normally think of men in Eli's position as fat men.  That was usually the condition of gluttonous and wicked kings.  But Eli had become fat with the best offerings of the people (1 Samuel 2:29).  Eli had judged Israel for forty years.

(19) And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was with child due to be delivered, and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth for her pains came upon her.

Eli's daughter-in-law, Phinehas's pregnant wife, was so distraught when she heard the news that the ark had been taken and that Eli and her husband were dead, that she went into labor.

(20) And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said, "Fear not, for you have borne a son." But she did not answer, neither did she regard it.

After she delivered the baby, she was dying.  The women who stood by her tried to encourage her by telling her she had borne a son which was usually a matter of joy, but she did not answer them, nor did she seem to regard what they said at all.

(21) And she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory is departed from Israel," because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband. (22) And she said, "The glory is departed from Israel for the ark of God is taken."

As she was dying, she named her child Ichabod which literally meant "no glory."  She gave as her reason for naming him Ichabod, that the glory had departed from Israel because the ark of God had been taken and her father-in-law and her husband had died.  That may have been what the women attending her thought was the reason, but Phinehas's wife repeated her reason, specifying it was only because the ark of God had been taken that the glory had departed from Israel, and that is why she named her child Ichabod.  It was not because of the death of her father-in-law and her husband that she said the glory had departed, but only because the ark was taken.

I am struck by the sincere love of God and His ark displayed by Eli and his daughter-in-law.  Although there was much sin and apathy in Israel that caused God to turn away from them and allow His ark to be taken by heathens and "suffered His glory for a time to become eclipsed," as Adam Clarke put it in his Commentary on the Bible, these two were so struck by sorrow and the horror of it, it killed them.  Nothing brings such overpowering grief and feelings of desolation and even hopelessness than the thought that God has left us, that He has turned His back on us.  Although they had become complacent, these two apparently had a deep love for God.  They just needed to be reminded of that fact.  However, it was too late for them as they died, but their lesson for us lives on forever.  God hates a lukewarm Christian (Revelation 3:16).

The Lord Calls Samuel

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 3:1) And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

In the last chapter and post, we learned that the priesthood had become defiled by Eli's sons, the priests.  The word of the Lord was precious and rare in those days, and there were no visions of the Lord to people.  However, Samuel had continued to grow physically and spiritually under the leadership of Eli.

(2) And it came to pass at that time, when Eli lay down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim that he could not see, (3) And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down, (4) That the Lord called to Samuel, and he answered "Here am I."

One night when Eli had lain down in his place to go to sleep, and his eyes had grown dim so that he could not see, Samuel had also lain down to go to sleep.  This was early in the morning when it was still dark, before the lamps in the candlestick in the tabernacle that were lit in the evening went out in the morning.  The Lord called to Samuel, and he answered he was there.

(5) And he ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down.

Samuel ran to Eli, thinking it was he who called him, needing his assistance in something.  However, Eli told him that he had not called him, and he should go back to sleep.  Samuel went back and lay down.

(6) And the Lord called yet again, "Samuel." And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." And he answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."

The Lord called to Samuel again, and again Samuel, thinking it was Eli who called him, went to him, telling him he was there for he did call him that time.  However, once again, Eli said he had not called, and he told Samuel to go lie down again.

(7) Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.

Samuel obviously knew of the Lord but did not know Him personally.  Hearing the word of the Lord was very rare at that time, and Samuel had never heard from Him before.

(8) And the Lord called Samuel the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

The Lord called to Samuel a third time, and again he went to Eli, thinking it must be him who called him.  Eli could tell that Samuel was definitely hearing someone call him, and as there was no one else around, he realized that it was the Lord who was calling Samuel.

(9) Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Realizing it was the Lord who called Samuel, Eli told him to go lie down again, and if the Lord called him again, he should answer, asking the Lord to speak for he, His servant, was listening.  Therefore, Samuel went and lay down again.

(10) And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel." Then Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant hears."

The Lord came and stood before Samuel this time, or a vision of one whom Samuel would know to be the Lord, as no one could actually see God and live (Exodus 33:20).  He called out to Samuel again, and Samuel answered that he was ready to hear the Lord.

(11) And the Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle."

The Lord spoke to Samuel, telling him He was going to do something in Israel so great it would stun everyone.  In the words of Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, "It shall be a piercing word to all Israel; it shall astound them all; and, after having heard it, it will still continue to resound in their ears."

(12) "In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house; when I begin, I will also make an end. (13) For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. (14) And therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever."

The Lord told Samuel that He would perform against Eli and his house all the things He had spoken to Eli through the prophet (1 Samuel 2:27).  When He began the execution of His purpose, nothing would deter Him from bringing all His judgments to a conclusion.  He told Samuel what He had told Eli, that He would judge his house forever because his sons had been so vile in the priesthood, and he had done nothing to restrain them.  The iniquity of Eli's house could not be atoned for through sacrifices or offerings forever.

(15) And Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

After the Lord had spoken to him, Samuel lay there until the morning, when he got up and opened the doors of the house of the Lord.  He was afraid to tell Eli about his vision.

(16) Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son." And he answered, "Here I am." (17) And he said, "What is the thing that the Lord has said to you? I pray you do not hide it from me. God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you."

Eli called to Samuel, and Samuel came to him.  Eli asked him what the Lord had said to him and asked him not to hide it from him.  He went as far to pledge a sort of curse against Samuel if he did not tell him everything the Lord had said.  I don't believe Eli was threatening Samuel.  I believe his intent was to have Samuel tell him everything even if he felt it might hurt Eli.

(18) And Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him."

Samuel told Eli everything the Lord had said to him.  In submission to the will of God, Eli said He was, after all, the sovereign Lord, and He would do what was just and right.  Eli was a good man, but he was a weak man.  As the Apostle Paul would later say in 1 Timothy 3:5, "For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?"

(19) And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

Samuel grew to manhood, and the Lord was with him, teaching him and prospering him.  He let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground as false or useless, which may refer to the words Samuel spoke about his vision.  It may also refer to Samuel's words in general as the Lord was preparing him to be His prophet.

(20) And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. (21) And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

All of Israel from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the south knew that Samuel was to be a prophet of God.  The Lord appeared again to Samuel, perhaps often, for the Lord revealed His will to him by His word.

One cannot help but be struck by the beauty of Hannah's testimony.  Once so low, she appealed to the Lord for a son.  In gratitude, she gave her son back to the Lord for His service.  Little did she know just how great a service he would provide.  The Lord blessed her sacrifice beyond her wildest dreams, I'm sure, in raising up Samuel to be His prophet, and He also gave her five more children.

A more unpleasant moral of this story is about raising our children to fear the Lord and putting God first.  Eli was held responsible for not reining in his sons.  Sometimes even the best parents can have rebellious children, and they still love them.  However, the love for their children cannot supersede the love for God.  That was where Eli really failed.  When his sons violated the laws of God and His house, that is when Eli should have stood up for the Lord and ousted his sons, or at the very least sought counsel of the Lord and had his sons repent and seek atonement for their sins if the Lord allowed.  We are to seek the Lord first and foremost, and when man contradicts God, "We ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).