Old Testament Lesson 21 – “God Will Honor Those Who Honor Him”

Lesson 21 (1 Sam 2,3,8)

1 Sam has 32 chapters

Lesson #21  God Will Honor Those Who Honor Him

1 Samuel 2:12–17, 22–25. The sons of Eli commit transgressions and are counseled by their father

1 Samuel 2:27–36; 3:12–14. A man of God warns Eli about the consequences of the wickedness in his family.

1 Samuel 3. The Lord calls Samuel, and Samuel responds.

1 Samuel 8. The Israelites want a king so they can be “like all the nations.” Samuel warns them about the dangers of such a choice.

Lesson 22 (1 Sam 9-11, 13, 15, 16, 17)

1 Samuel 9–11. Saul seeks guidance from Samuel (9:1–14, 18–24). The Lord reveals to Samuel that Saul is to be king (9:15–17). Samuel counsels Saul and anoints him as Israel’s first king (9:25–27; 10:1–8). Saul is spiritually reborn, and he prophesies (10:9–13). Samuel presents Saul to the people (10:17–27). Saul leads Israel to victory in a battle (11:1–11). He refuses to punish the men who had doubted his ability to lead the people (11:12–15).

1 Samuel 13:1–14. Saul offers a burnt offering without the proper authority.

1 Samuel 15. Saul is commanded to destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions, but he saves some of their animals for a sacrifice (15:1–9). The Lord rejects Saul as king, and Samuel tells Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice (15:10–35).

1 Samuel 16. The Lord chooses David to succeed Saul as king (16:1–13). The Holy Spirit departs from Saul, and an evil spirit takes possession of him (16:14–16; note that in the Joseph Smith Translation these verses show that the evil spirit was not from God). Saul chooses David to play the harp for him and to be his armor bearer (16:17–23).

1 Samuel 17. David slays Goliath in the strength of the Lord.

Lesson 23 (1, Sam 18, 20, 23, 24)

1 Samuel 18:1–16. Jonathan and David make a covenant of friendship (18:1–4). David is honored by the Israelites for his success in battle (18:5–7). Saul becomes jealous of David and tries to kill him (18:8–16; note that the Joseph Smith Translation of verse 10 indicates that the evil spirit that came upon Saul was not from God).

1. 1 Samuel 18:17–30; 19:1–18. David fights the Philistines in exchange for the right to marry Saul’s daughter, unaware that Saul is hoping David will die in battle (18:17–25). David triumphs over the Philistines and marries Saul’s daughter Michal (18:26–28). Jonathan tells David to hide and tries to convince Saul not to kill him (19:1–7). Saul fails in another attempt to kill David (19:9–10). Michal saves David from another of Saul’s attempts on his life (19:11–18).

1 Samuel 20. Jonathan and David renew their covenant of friendship and peace. When Saul again tries to kill David, Jonathan warns David.

1 Samuel 23–24. David continues to fight the Philistines and flee Saul. David finds Saul and spares his life.

Lesson 24 (2 Sam 11, 12 )

(2 Sam has 24 chapters)

2 Samuel 11. David commits adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah (11:1–5). David fails in his attempt to hide his sin (11:6–13). He arranges the death of Uriah (11:14–17). David marries Bathsheba, and they have a son (11:26–27).

2 Samuel 12:1–23. The prophet Nathan teaches of the severity of David’s sins by telling David a parable (12:1–6). David is told that he will be punished because of his sins (12:7–14; note that in the Joseph Smith Translation of verse 13, Nathan states, “The Lord hath not put away thy sin that thou shalt not die”). The first son of David and Bathsheba dies in infancy (12:15–23).

Psalm 51. A repentant David seeks forgiveness.

Levirate Family (question from last week)

Deut 25:5-6 ⁵ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.

⁶ And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.

Levirate Marriage

By Talmudic times the practise of levirate marriage was deemed objectionable (Bek. 13a), and was followed as a matter of duty only. To marry a brother's widow for her beauty was regarded by Abba Saul as equivalent to incest (Yeb. 39b). Bar Ḳappara recommends ḥaliẓah (Yeb. 109a). A difference of opinion appears among the later authorities, Alfasi, Maimonides, and the Spanish school generally upholding the custom, while R. Tam and theNorthern school prefer ḥaliẓah (Shulḥan 'Aruk, Eben ha-'Ezer, 165). The marriage was not necessary if the brother left a child by another marriage, even if such a child were on the point of death (l.c. 157). A change of religion on the part of the surviving brother does not affect the obligation of the levirate, or its alternative, the ḥaliẓah (Isaac b. Sheshet, Responsa, i. 2), yet the whole question has been profoundly affected by the change from polygamy to monogamy due to the taḳḳanah of Gershom ben Judah (see Marriage).

 

Halizah

ḤaliẒah Scene in Holland, Early Eighteenth Century.(From a Dutch translation of Leo di Modena's "Riti," Amsterdam, 1725.)

On the day set for the ḥaliẓah, immediately after the morning service, when all the, people are still in the synagogue, the three judges and their two assistants, who also act as witnesses, repair to the appointed place. The three judges sit on one bench, the two assistants on a bench placed beside it; the "yabam" (brother-in-law) and the yebamah stand between them. Before the ceremony is commenced a thorough public examination is made of the case. The relationship of the parties must be clearly established and their maturity ascertained. If he or she is a minor, a deaf-mute, a mute, or an idiot, or if his foot is crooked or turned to one side, the ḥaliẓah can not be performed. The court must also know whether she is left-handed or whether he is left-footed, and must be convinced that more than ninety-one days have passed since the death of her husband (see Divorce; Levirate). To establish these matters it is not necessary to have legally eligible witnesses. Even those who are otherwise disqualified from testifying may become witnesses. Both the yabam and the yebamah must be made aware of the fact that by this ceremony the widow becomes free to marry whomever she may desire.

Various reasons have been offered for the ceremony of loosening the shoe. From the incident related in the Book of Ruth (iv. 7, 8), which certainly refers to this ancient custom, it would seem that the loosening of the shoe was a symbol for a transfer of rights, and had no stigma attached to it. Some of the later rabbis (Jehiel of Paris, for instance) say that the removal of the shoe symbolized the entrance into a state of mourning. From the time when the yabam actually refused to marry his brother's widow and thus perpetuate his name in Israel, his brother was considered dead, and the yebamah, by drawing off his shoe, thus declared to him that from that time on he was a mourner ("Perush Seder Ḥaliẓah," 82; comp. Weill, "La Femme Juive," part iv., ch. v., Paris, 1874).

 

Back to Lesson 21!

 

1 Samuel 2-3, 8

The Child Samuel hearkens to the Lord’s Voice
http://www.ldsces.org/inst_manuals/ot-in-1/images/24-00.gif

Hannah’s hymn
1 Sam 2:1-11
Hannah’s hymn was probably added later by scribes. In verse 12 it mentions that the Lord will give strength to “his king.” Given Israel would not have a king for many decades to come, it is probable that this hymn was written during the reign of Saul, David or even later. The hymn also has a masculine form to its writing, very different from the hymns sung by Miriam or Deborah. Anciently, many would have the scribes of the tabernacle/temple write a hymn for them to celebrate an event. It is possible that Hannah’s hymn was commissioned by her, but then later updated to include the blessings to the king of Israel.

 

(NKJV puts in form of song) 2 And Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
My horn^[a] is exalted in the Lord.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

² “No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.

³ “Talk no more so very proudly;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the Lord is the God of knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed.

⁴ “The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
⁵ Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
And she who has many children has become feeble.

⁶ “The Lord kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
⁷ The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and lifts up.
⁸ He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.

“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He has set the world upon them.
⁹ He will guard the feet of His saints,
But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.
“For by strength no man shall prevail.
¹⁰ The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces;
From heaven He will thunder against them.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to His king,
And exalt the horn of His anointed.”

Sons of Eli/Sons of Belial
1 Sam 2:12-36
“Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord. “ Here we see an interesting play on words. The term “Eli” means “God” singular, or could mean “My God.” Eli the priest held the name of the Almighty. But his sons, who should not only have physically been sons of Eli, but spiritually should have been sons of El/God, were known as “sons of Belial.” Belial means “without worth” or “worthless”. Belial was one of the four crown princes of hell. So, instead of following God, they sought after the devil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belial).

^{KJV 12} Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.

NKJV¹² Now the sons of Eli were corrupt;^[b] they did not know the Lord. ¹³ And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. ¹⁴ Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. ¹⁵ Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, “Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw.”

 

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(12) Sons of.—The word Belial is printed here and 1Samuel 1:16, as though Belial were the name of some pagan deity, but it simply signifies “worthlessness.” It is a common term in these records of Samuel, being used some nine or ten times. It is rarely found in the other historical books. “Sons of Belial” signifies, then, merely “sons of worthlessness,” worthless, good-for-nothing men. The Speaker’s Commentary ingeniously accounts for the use of Belial in the English Version here, and in other places in the Old Testament, by referring to the contrast drawn by St. Paul between Christ and Belial, as if Belial were the name of an idol. or the personification of evil (2Corinthians 6:15).

(13) The priest’s custom.—That is to say, the custom or practice introduced under these robber-priests, who were not content with the modest share of the offerings assigned to them by the Law of Moses. (SeeLeviticus 7:31; Leviticus 7:35; Deuteronomy 18:3.)

Benson Commentary 1 Samuel 2:14-15. All that the flesh-hook brought up, &c. — This was a new custom, which they had profanely introduced. For, not content with the breast and right shoulder, allowed them by God, they took also part of the offerers’ share; besides which, they snatched their part before it was heaved and waved, contrary to Leviticus 7:34. Also before they burnt the fat — Which entirely belonged to God with the other parts that were to be burned with it. The priest’s servant came, &c. — This was a high and profane contempt of God, and an additional injury; for they took such parts as they liked best while it was raw, and before that which belonged to God had been offered to him.

 

As sons of the high priest, their responsibility would include offering the various sacrifices in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. The Law of Moses clearly established which portion of the sacrifice went to the priests, and which part was solely the Lord’s. However, the sons of Eli used their position for extortion. Those who wished to worship the Lord were forced to give up the finer pieces of the sacrifice for the priests to eat, including the fat (all of which was to go to the Lord).

Imagine attending Church and the bishop were to force you to give a portion of your tithes for his livelihood. Imagine if you had to pay him extra to partake of the Sacrament, be baptized, or receive a temple recommend. This is what the sons of Eli were doing.

Such wickedness in high places often forces people away from good works, and can lead people to worshiping elsewhere. Why go to Shiloh and the Tabernacle to worship, when one can just as easily sacrifice directly to the Lord at a wilderness altar (as Lehi would later do)? Why follow evil men? It was easier to worship Baal or another god, rather than follow a corrupted worship of Jehovah.

Sadly, Eli knew his sons were desecrating the tabernacle. Yet did little about it. To make matters worse, they introduced pagan rites into the tabernacle. Just as Baal worship included sexual rites with harlots, so too “they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation” (2:22)

The whole passage says...

KJV²² Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

²³ And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.

²⁴ Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord's people to transgress.

²⁵ If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against theLord, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them.

In the days of Moses, these priests would have been slain for “offering up strange incense” to the Lord (Exodus 30:9).

Prophet of Doom
A prophet arrives and tells Eli that his sons would die in one day for their sins, and that Eli’s house would be left vacant. Another priest would be selected to take the place of Eli and his sons. Some surmise this is Samuel, but it is not completely clear from the text whether Samuel was a Levite or not. In the scripture, his father Elkanah is noted as both a Levite (1 Chron. 6:3-15) and also an Ephraimite/Ephrathite (1 Sam 1). It is possible that he was a Levite that served among the tribe of Ephraim.

KJV ¹⁸ But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

¹⁹ Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

²⁰ And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home.

²¹ And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.

 

Samuel’s Calling
1 Sam 3
There “was no open vision” in Israel. Due to their sins, Israel had lost the ability of having visions from God. There had not been a worthy Judge in Israel in decades.

KJV 3 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

² And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid 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 to sleep;

 

Revelation was almost dead, except for the occasional traveling prophet, such as the one who warned Eli. But these never proclaimed visions nor saw the Lord, as prophets of old had.

Samuel grew up in Eli’s house, arriving shortly after being weaned. He was very circumspect, and would have spent his days studying the word of God in preparation for his life as a priest in the Tabernacle. Finally, at age 13 he would have arrived at the age of maturity. It would have been at this time when the Lord called him.

^{KJV 4} That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

⁵ And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

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

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

⁸ And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

¹⁰ And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

¹¹ And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.

¹² In that day I will perform against Eli all things which 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 for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

¹⁴ And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

Imagine, of the many thousands of Israelites, including the high priest Eli and his sons, none else heard the voice of God but a 13 year old boy. Of course we can see the similarities in the 14 year old Joseph Smith, surrounded by men of religious knowledge, who had shut the heavens so that God’s voice could not be heard by them, either. Even today, Christians often miss out on the fullness of God’s word, because they are preoccupied by their worldliness or personal lifestyles. I would imagine that God calls out to each of us continually, but most of us are too distracted to hear.

KJV¹⁵ And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.

¹⁶ Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.

¹⁷ And he said, What is the thing that the Lordhath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.

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

²⁰ And all Israel from Dan even 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.

Israel had not had a prophet since Joshua. Among the Judges, there were few that spoke with God, and of those, even fewer who had much contact with God. Many of them were afraid (Gideon), rebellious (Samson), or rash (Jepthah). Only the prophetess Deborah seemed to be wholly in tune with the Lord. Now, Israel would have the last of the Judges and the first of the new prophets, Samuel. He would lead Israel out of bondage, and also be a mouthpiece for God.

The Fall of the House of Eli
1 Sam 4
The Philistines, a coastal Sea People originally from the islands near Greece, invaded Israel. They would be one of the strong warrior peoples in the area over the next several decades. After soundly defeating Israel in a battle, the Israelites felt they needed to return to battle with the ark of the covenant of God with them. Surely the ark’s power would allow them to destroy the Philistines.

The ark of the covenant sat inside the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle. Inside it were held Israel’s greatest treasures, including the stone tablets containing the 10 commandments, and Aaron’s budding rod. Upon the ark sat the mercy seat, where God would sit behind two golden cherubim in his holy house.

KJV “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.
6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.
7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.”

¹⁰ And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

Why would God allow this great disaster? 

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

In winning the second battle, the Philistines had stolen Israel’s God! Or at least that is how the Philistines and many Israelites viewed it. With the invasion, Eli’s sons were slain. Eli knew his sons would die, as it was prophesied to him before.

^KJV14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.

¹⁵ Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.

¹⁶ And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?

¹⁷ And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is 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 brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

Israel’s greatest artifact and holy shrine was gone.

One must consider the terminology in the event above.  In verse 8 “these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians” tells us that according to the Philistines, Israel had more than one God! It is because Israel did worship more than one God. At this time Israel worshiped both Elohim and Jehovah, the Son of El.

Philistines get more than they bargain for
1 Sam 5

The Philistines take the Ark to Dagon’s Temple
http://bibleencyclopedia.com/picturesjpeg/Philistines_take_ark_to_Dagon%27s_house_1186-96.jpg
Where else does one put the sacred treasures of another nation, but in the temple of your own god? The ark of the covenant was put in the temple of Dagon at Ashdod. Dagon was the god of agriculture, his name literally meaning, “grain.” He was a major member of the Philistine pantheon, and dates back to 2500 BC as a god of the Amorites. Samson destroyed a major temple of Dagon, and later King Saul’s head would be on display at another Dagon temple fortress. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagon)

They set the ark in front of the statue of Dagon, so the idol could behold his conquest and the defeated God of Israel. Yet in the morning, the Philistines found Dagon’s statue fallen down, prostrating before the ark. The following morning after setting the idol back up, they again found him prostrate, only this time his head and palms had been cut off. The God of Israel may be captive, but he was still stronger than Dagon.

KJV⁴ And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon 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.

But it didn’t stop there. All the people of Ashdod began suffering from “emerods” or boils all over their skin. They sent away the ark to the larger city of Gath, but the people there were also struck with boils. They too attempted to send away the ark to the city of Ekron, but the Philistines there refused to take it. The lords of the Philistines gathered and decided to return the ark to Israel.

The Philistines restore the ark
1 Sam 6

KJV6:1 And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines 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 wherewith we shall send it to his place.

³ And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.

⁴ Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, 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.

⁵ Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

The Ark is brought back to Israel, specifically to a city called Bethshemash

¹³ And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and 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 clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the Lord.

KJV ¹⁹ And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of theLord, 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.

NIV ¹⁹ But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy^[a] of them to death because they looked into the ark of theLord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them.

1. 1 Samuel 6:19 A few Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint 50,070

Cambridge Commentary fifty thousand and threescore and ten men] It is generally agreed that there is some mistake in the text here. (a) The anomalous order of the numerals in the Hebrew (70 men 50,000 men), and the absence of the conjunction and mark corruption, (b) The village of Beth-shemesh cannot possibly have contained such a number of inhabitants.

 

Samuel restores Israel
1 Sam 7
The ark was taken to the larger city of Kirjath-Jearim, where a priest was ordained to minister before it. At this time, Israel now had two very holy places: Kirjath-Jearim where the ark of the covenant now rested, and Shiloh where the Tabernacle still offered sacrifice to God.

“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.
Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only” (7:3-4).

Israel had long worshiped the Canaanite god Baal in his many aspects (Baalim is the plural form, “Lords”). Ashtaroth was Baal’s consort and wife, represented by fertility rituals in the Canaanite temples. Samuel was calling on Israel to live the 10 commandments, follow the law of Moses, and return to worshiping Jehovah as their only God. They were given a second chance at having God’s ark in their presence, but it would require their full commitment if they wished to force the Philistines out of their lands.

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.

Israel conquered the Philistines, pushing them back to their prior lands. A stone is raised at the place of the battle. The stone would have been both a memorial and also an altar for worshiping God: “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us“ (1 Sam 7:12). One of the greatest hymns written contains the phrase, “here I raise my Ebenezer” which goes to this verse in scripture (”Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”, by Robert Robinson), Ebenezer means “Stone of Help” (http://www.revneal.org/Writings/whatsan.htm)

The Lord would be described as the “rock of salvation” (2 Sam 22:47, Psalms 62:2-7, 89:26, etc). It is only after the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines that the stone is set up as a memorial. And they were rescued from their conquerors because they set aside their idols and gods, cleansed themselves, and focused their affections only on the Lord. It was with this faith and dedication that God became their stone of help, their rock of salvation, their Ebenezer. So too, in our lives, when we are struggling and in captivity to the world, we can put away our worldly things and gods, and return to the Stone of Help, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16 And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.
17 And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the Lord.”

Samuel was a circuit prophet, going to the three major Israelite cities to judge cases and to resolve problems. But he always returned to his own home, where he also judged Israel. Moreover, he built an altar to God, where he could worship, perform sacrifice, and ponder the things of the house of the Lord, for wilderness altars and pillars were personal temples (Genesis 28:22). For us, we have temples established with altars to perform modern rites. Our home can also be as the temple, if we build a quiet place in it that can allow us to meditate and focus on our worship of the Lord.

 

Israel forsakes their King
1 Sam 8
In order to continue the tradition of Judges, the elderly Samuel set apart his sons as judges. However, as with the sons of Eli, they quickly fell into wickedness. They sought bribes and power that was not befitting a Judge of Israel.

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

² Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.

³ And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

The elders of Israel, knowing the struggles they had previously because of apostate priests and judges, went to Samuel to ask for a king. With judges, the Israelites were constantly in flux. There often was little unity among the tribes, and often there were long spaces of time between judges. The people did not have continuity, often leading to apostasy and invasion.

With a king, they reasoned they could maintain a standing army, become a truly united people like they were in the days of Moses (who was more like a king than a judge). They could defend their borders, build mightier cities, and be strong in the eyes of the neighboring nations.

Samuel was not pleased, as he felt they rejected him.

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

⁷ And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

But the Lord told him to give them a king, for they had rejected God, not Samuel. God had been their king, and would always be their king if they would have him. Instead, as in the days of Moses, Israel wanted an intermediary between them and God. God allowed it, but it brought about some undesired effects: such as many constricting rules in the Law of Moses. Instead of judging themselves and being free, the people would be yoked to an earthly king. They would have massive taxation, standing armies that would draft their sons to war, and regulations that would limit their freedoms.

But the Lord would not force himself upon the people. Their faith was not sufficient for them to live with such freedom. In being free from a central government, they ended up choosing to follow other gods and lifestyles that led them away from Jehovah. In their apostasy, they lost his blessings of protection, and they became ripe for invasion and chastisement at the hands of their enemies.

KJV¹⁰ And Samuel told all the words of the Lordunto the people that asked of him a king.

¹¹ And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.

¹² And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

¹³ And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

¹⁴ And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even 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.

¹⁶ And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.

¹⁷ He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.

¹⁸ And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.

History has shown, and John Adams noted that only a righteous people can live free (such as under the US Constitution). When people have moved away from righteous living, they seek for others to take care of their problems for them. They wish to be lavished in their idleness. They leave their responsibilities for others. Jesus would later warn of the vineyard, whose watch tower was not manned nor guarded day and night. Eventually the enemy came in, with no warning sounded to those below.

Choosing a king would be the first step in Israel’s unity, but also the first in their apostasy from the truth.

KJV¹⁹ Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; 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.

²¹ And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.

²² And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

King Mosiah II encouraged his people to do the opposite, going from kings to judges. He noted that if one could always have a righteous king, it was a good thing. However, evil kings, such as King Noah, had caused much suffering to occur.

“13 if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you....For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!
18 Yea, remember king Noah, his wickedness and his abominations, and also the wickedness and abominations of his people. Behold what great destruction did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities they were brought into bondage.
19 And were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now.
20 But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.
21 And behold, now I say unto you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood” (Mosiah 29:13-21).

Note that King Noah lured his people into sin and then captivity under the Lamanites. It was the King Jehovah that rescued them from the Lamanites, once the Nephites repented and turned their focus and worship over to Christ. So would it be with Israel. They would occasionally have a righteous king, but many of the kings would lead them astray and into captivity, where only God as warrior king could rescue them.

Bibliography
Belial: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belial
Dagon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagon
What’s an Ebenezer? http://www.revneal.org/Writings/whatsan.htm
Lyrics to the tune “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”, by Robert Robinson: http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/hymns/c04.html
http://www.defordmusic.com/comethoufountomyfather.htm