1Samuel 7:1 ¶ And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
The Ark, then, is in Kirjathjearim for twenty years, a time of
lamentation for the Lord. I suppose that the defeat by the Philistines was one
thing but losing 50,000 able-bodied men was an entirely different disaster. Why
were the men of this place not afraid of bringing the Ark there? The
implication is that the men of Bethshemesh had disobeyed God as noted
previously.
Numbers 4:20 But they shall
not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.
1Samuel 6:19 ¶ And he smote
the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even
he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the
people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great
slaughter.
1Samuel 7:3 ¶ And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. 5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. 6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
Ashtaroth or Astaroth was a fertility goddess of the Canaanites. The
name is derived from the Phoenician goddess, Astarte. They are the Canaanite
version of the Mesopotamian goddess, Ishtar, whose Egyptian version, Isis, has
a statue in New York Harbor which we call Lady Liberty. Liberty Enlightening
the World was derived from a goddess of the French Revolution that gave us modern
political communism. She represents a revival of the ancient pagan gods. Ishtar
was the goddess of immigrants, liberty, and prostitutes I have read although
the study bears more detail than I’ve given it.
Samuel calls for a time of national repentance. John the Baptist
did this to prepare the people’s hearts for the Messiah to come.
Matthew 3:1 ¶ In those days
came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that
was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s
hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild
honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem,
and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan,
confessing their sins.
By David in Psalm 51, Moses, Jonah, and even Naaman the Syrian we
have a fortelling in type of this baptism presented by John. This is not the
same baptism that we share. This is for national repentance in preparation of a
Messiah who, for us, has already come and will return. As the Messiah had not
been revealed yet David, Moses, and Jonah could not have made the following
prayer Peter commands the believing Jews to make later.
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all
the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye
have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 ¶
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said
unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Samuel here calls for Israel to put away the foreign gods, the
idols they have embraced to receive a temporal deliverance from the Philistines.
1Samuel 7:7 ¶ And when the
Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh,
the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of
Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel,
Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the
hand of the Philistines. 9 And Samuel
took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the
LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.
10 And as Samuel was offering up the
burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the
LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and
discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and
pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.
12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it
between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto
hath the LORD helped us.
First, the Israelites are terrified of the Philistines who have
dominated them. But they humble themselves pleading for Samuel to make a burnt
offering to God. This act of humility, acknowledgement that God can help them,
results in God doing battle with weather. This is followed by a mighty military
victory by Israel over the Philistines. God used weather at various times, for
instance, against the Egyptians.
Exodus 9:23 And Moses
stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and
the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of
Egypt.
Then remember Hannah’s prophecy;
1Samuel 2:10 The
adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he
thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall
give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
Later in Samuel we will see this;
1Samuel 12:16 ¶ Now therefore
stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call
unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see
that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in
asking you a king.18 So Samuel called
unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people
greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
Psalm 18 would be a good chapter to read regarding God’s power and
willingness to bend the elements to His will.
1Samuel 7:13 ¶ So the
Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and
the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 And the cities which the Philistines
had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and
the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And
there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 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. 17 And his return was to
Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he
built an altar unto the LORD.
The Philistines, defeated, were not conquered and their territory
not occupied but they did not raid into Israel during Samuel’s judgeship by the
hand of God. There was even a restoration of the towns conquered by them.
Samuel was one of the original circuit preachers like in early
America, going on a regular journey to specific towns to preach and teach.
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