Summary: Samuel exhorts the people to earnestly turn to God and destroy their idols (v.3), prompting a renewed commitment among them. Meanwhile, the Philistines posed a renewed threat (v.7), but Samuel interceded on behalf of Israel (v.9), leading God to grant them victory (vv.10-11). Throughout his tenure as judge over Israel (v.15), Samuel maintained his spiritual leadership, a role he never relinquished, despite transferring political authority to Saul.
(7:1-2) So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD. 2 The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the LORD.
The people of Kiriath Jearim took the ark to Abinadab’s son Eleazar to look after the Ark. Eleazar guarded the Ark for 20 years until David retrieved it.
“All the people of Israel turned back to the LORD.” This must show that they had repented of their false belief that the Ark was a magic instrument of military warfare. They turned back to the LORD, rather than to the Ark. Their repentance was the key to their change of circumstances.
(7:3) So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
Samuel encourages this repentance by getting the people to take it all the way, getting rid of the idols in the nation.
(7:4) So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.
The Baals and Ashtoreths were local Canaanite deities.[] Baal was considered to be the “god of fertility and the storm.” He “was believed to be the son of Dagon, god of grain.”.[] Likewise, Ashtoreth was considered to be the “goddess of love and fertility.” She “vied for supremacy with Asherah, mother-goddess and consort of El (the creator-god in the earlier Canaanite pantheon but now displaced by Baal).”[]
(7:5) Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the LORD for you.”
Mizpah was fourteen miles south-southwest of Shiloh.[]
(7:6) When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.
“They drew water and poured it out before the LORD.” This act of pouring out water is unique. This could be an act of “contrition”[] or “a symbol of the washing away of communal guilt.”[] After all, it is combined with “fasting,” and it is in the context of national repentance.
(7:7) When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines.
The Philistines were still keeping close eyes on the Israelites, looking for any opportunity to attack. Since the Israelites were all in one place (at Mizpah), the Philistines must have seen this as a strategic military opportunity.
(7:8-9) They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel’s behalf, and the LORD answered him.
“Crying out to the LORD our God for us.” The lesson was learned. The people directed their prayer to God himself, rather than to the Ark or their military might. Instead of relying on swords and spears like before, the Israelites responded with prayer. Perhaps they remembered that God promised to protect them in battle if they followed him (Lev. 26:7-8; Deut. 28:7).
(7:10) While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.
Hannah had prayed that God would “thunder” against his enemies: “Those who oppose the LORD will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth” (1 Sam. 2:10).
“Threw [the Philistines] into such a panic.” In the ancient Near East, armies believed that they fought alongside their gods. That is, if their local deities were more powerful, they would win the war. Thus, this thunder from heaven must have had apologetic value, causing the Philistines to panic.[] Youngblood writes, “In so doing he demonstrated that he, not the Philistine Dagon, not the Canaanite Baal son of Dagon, was truly the God of the storm, the only one able to control the elements whether for good or ill.”[]
(7:11) The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.
This is a good balance of God’s role and our role. God did what the Israelites could not do, and this was sought after through prayer. However, the Israelites still picked up swords and attacked the people.
(7:12) Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
Is this Ebenezer the same person from earlier? (1 Sam. 4:1; 5:1) Youngblood doesn’t think so, because this is a far different location than Mizpah.[]
(7:13) So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines.
This protection from the Philistines seems contingent on the length of Samuel’s reign (“throughout Samuel’s lifetime”).
(7:14) The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
The cities were restored to Israel. This could be why the Israelites were still “lamenting” (NASB) in verse 2: they still didn’t have their land back. But what had seemed like a strategic military maneuver from the Philistines turned out to be a total failure.
Regarding the peace with the Amorites, we know that the Amorites lived in the hill country, rather than along the coast.[] They must have learned their lesson from what happened to the Philistines.
(7:15) Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life.
Judges were not just judicial rulers, but also executive rulers. Thus, Samuel was a leader that had a considerable amount of authority.
(7:16) From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places.
This wasn’t all of Israel. These three cities were all close to one another. So, this was a small circuit for Samuel to travel.
(7:17) But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the LORD.
Samuel would travel frequently, but he liked to come home. He built an altar at his home—likely to remind him of the focus of his ministry.
Samuel doesn’t appear in chapters 4-6. The people were using the Ark as their magic weapon against the Philistines, rather than consulting God through Samuel. However, when Samuel comes back in the picture, his prayers to God leave the Philistines with a resounding defeat.
These physical battles in Israel’s history were supposed to prefigure the spiritual battles of believers in the new covenant. Imagine how terrifying it would be to take your seat and trust the Lord, when the Philistines were coming to slaughter your family! Similarly, as believers it is our natural inclination to act when we are undergoing persecution or spiritual battle. This is a proper inclination, but we should act by praying—not by trying to manipulate our circumstances. Turning to the Lord in prayer is always the right action to take. As Chuck Smith liked to say, “We can do more after we pray, but we cannot do anything until we pray.”
Samuel serves as a mediator for the people. He uses a lamb as the sacrifice to take away God’s wrath. God is already setting up the symbolism which shows the need to have a righteous mediator and a righteous sacrifice (Lev. 16-17; Jn. 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7).
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 608.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 608.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 608.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 608.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 608.
Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 85.
Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 108.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 609.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 609.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 609.
James is an elder at Dwell Community Church, where he teaches classes in theology, apologetics, and weekly Bible studies.
