Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New International Version (NIV).
1 Samuel 4 (The Ark of the Covenant)
Summary: The Philistines were decimating the Israelites (v.2), and the Israelites attributed their losses to the absence of the Ark of the Covenant (v.3). This belief alarmed the Philistines, who feared God’s power, famously known for defeating the Egyptians centuries earlier (v.8). Despite this, the Philistines intensified their efforts, ultimately defeating the Israelites (v.10), seizing the Ark (v.11), and killing Eli’s two sons (v.11). Upon hearing the devastating news, Eli suffered a fatal injury, possibly a stroke, leading to his death (v.18). Phinehas’ wife, upon hearing of these tragedies, went into premature labor (v.19), resulting in her death (v.20).
(4:1) And Samuel’s word came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek.
“The Israelites went out to fight.” This was an offensive war by the Israelites. However, they were presumably fighting the Philistines because the Philistines were making the Israelites their slaves (v.9). Furthermore, the LXX states that the Philistines had actually attacked first. The longer reading states, “It happened at that time that the Philistines mustered to fight Israel and Israel went out.”[1] Regardless of the ethics of this war, God didn’t support the Israelites in this war.
The Philistines are mentioned 150 times in 1 and 2 Samuel. The name “Palestine” comes from the Philistines who ruggedly fought for this land.[2]
“Ebenezer” was “modern Izbet Sarteh,” which is two miles east of Aphek.[3]
“Aphek” was ten miles east of Joppa[4] and 20 miles north of Ekron. It was the “northernmost of the five cities of the Philistines.”[5]
(4:2) The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.
The Philistines were slaying the Israelites by the thousands.
(4:3) When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the LORD bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”
“Why did the LORD bring defeat on us today before the Philistines?” The Israelite leaders viewed a military defeat from the Philistines, as the Lord defeating them. But instead of seeking God’s will, they decided to “take” (NASB) the Ark themselves—almost as if it was a magic artifact that could win battles at their whim. They may have been thinking of Joshua’s victories over the Canaanites by using the Ark (Josh. 6). Yet Youngblood writes, “If God willed defeat for his people, a thousand arks would not bring success.”[6]
(4:4) So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
“Hophni and Phinehas.” Here is good foreshadowing: Hophni and Phineas were carrying the ark! This should signal the reader to the fact that this is a bad idea.
(4:5) When the ark of the LORD’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.
The people were shouting with excitement, but they were following the lead of two hypocritical priests—not God.
(4:6-7) Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”
When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before.”
The Philistines are not making theologically accurate statements here. They were holding to the superstitious views of the ancient Near East—that a local deity would win battles for a local tribe.
(4:8) “We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.”
Even four centuries after the Exodus, the Philistines were still talking about the miracles God had performed in Egypt during the Exodus.
(4:9) “Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”
The Philistines were clearly wicked people. They had enslaved the Israelites before (Judg. 13:1). However, Israel wasn’t following God’s will or God’s way, so they were under an even more severe judgment.
The Philistines decisively win
(4:10-11) So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
This was a complete disaster: 30,000 soldiers died, the Philistines stole the Ark, and Hophni and Phineas died. Since Eli’s two sons were carrying the Ark (v.4), it would make sense that they would be killed as it was captured. Were Hophni and Phineas hiding behind the Ark as a magic talisman? Did they panic at the last moment, realizing the gravity of their error? The text doesn’t say, but we can imagine their gruesome fate.
The news reaches Eli
(4:12) That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust on his head.
“A Benjamite ran from the battle.” This was a 34 mile run from Aphek to Shiloh.[7]
“His clothes torn and dust on his head.” The tearing of clothes could be from the recent battle. However, we agree with Baldwin[8] and Youngblood[9] that this refers to the man mourning over the drastic defeat (cf. Josh. 7:6).
(4:13-15) When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry. 14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”
The man hurried over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes had failed so that he could not see.
Originally, Eli was sitting by the entrance to the Tabernacle (1 Sam. 1:9). Now he is sitting by the side of the road. He may have realized that he was a ghost of his former self. He is 98 years old (v.15), obese (v.18), blind (v.15; cf. 1 Kings 14:4), and “trembling” (NASB) in fear (cf. Judg. 7:3).
(4:16-17) He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”
Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
17 The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
The Benjamite man tells Eli all of the bad news. The climax of the bad news wasn’t the death of Eli’s sons, but rather, the capture of the Ark.
(4:18) When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led Israel forty years.
“When he mentioned the ark of God.” Eli doesn’t react with shock regarding the death of his sons. God had already predicted this, and Eli knew it was coming (1 Sam. 3:18). Instead, his shock and paralysis come from hearing about the capture of the ark.
“He was heavy.” It’s quite likely that Eli was getting fat off of the meat sacrifices that his sons were immorally taking at the Tent of Meeting (1 Sam. 2:16). Consequently, the text is alluding to the fact that God was judging Israel for what Hophni and Phineas had done.
Bergen argues that this event parallels the destruction of the pagan idol, Dagon, in the subsequent chapter. He writes, “The Lord would soon bring an end to an unseeing Philistine abomination by causing an image of Dagon to fall and its neck to break, but first he would bring about the same fate to a blind Hebrew abomination. The parallel between the events of the present section and those of the next chapter are striking and deliberate.”[10] In other words, God judged both the Israelites and the Philistines for the ways that they were falsely worshipping him.
The news reaches Phineas’ wife
(4:19-22) His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention. 21 She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The Glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The Glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
The tragedy and grief cause Phineas’ wife to have a slightly premature birth, which leads to her death (v.20). The birth of her son brought her no consolation.
“Ichabod” (ʾi kābôd) literally means “no glory”[11] or “nothing of glory.”[12] Youngblood writes, “The term ‘glory’ represents the Presence of God dwelling—škn—in the tabernacle (Ps 26:8; cf. also Exod 25:8; 29:44-46), giving rise to the later theological term šeḵînāh sometimes called the ‘Shek(h)inah Glory.’”[13]
Concluding insights
God used an evil Pagan nation (the Philistines) to fulfill his prediction of ruining Eli’s dynasty as a priest. God can use anyone to carry out his will.
The Jewish people interpreted their failure in battle as divine judgment. However, they came to the wrong conclusion. Rather than drawing near to God in repentance and prayer, they treated the Ark as a magic talisman to win the war. We shouldn’t treat God’s provisions (e.g. the Ark of the Covenant) like magical objects. God needs to be behind his provision; otherwise, the power source is unplugged.
We don’t even know if the Israelites started this war or not. The text simply doesn’t say. They could’ve been fighting an offensive war that was completely outside of God’s will in the first place.
1 Samuel 5 (The Ark in Philistia)
Summary: After the Philistines take the Ark to their temple and place it beside their god Dagon, the statue mysteriously falls and breaks the following day (v.3). This repeated occurrence demonstrates God’s intervention, standing in sharp contrast to the Philistines’ belief that possessing the Ark would bring them an advantage. This is similar to how the Nazis sought power from the Ark in Indiana Jones (1981). However, God proves that true strength and power come from Him alone, not from the Ark. In response to their defiance, God sends a plague upon the Philistines until they decide to transfer the Ark to another city (v.8). They attempt to pass it from city to city, akin to a hot potato, until they realize they cannot retain it.
The ark in Ashdod
(5:1) After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
“Ashdod” was the Philistines headquarters and capital city.[14] Ashdod was about 19 miles south of Ebenezer.
(5:2) Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.
Dagon is a Canaanite name.[15] This may have been the chief god of their pantheon. Samson gave his life to destroy one of Dagon’s temples (Judg. 16:23-30).
(5:3) When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place.
“Rose early the next day.” The Israelites would give their first act of worship in the early morning (Ex. 29:39, 41; 30:7; Lev. 6:12, 20; 9:17; Num. 28:4, 23).
“Fallen on his face on the ground before the ark.” Dagon was supposed to be their sovereign god, but they needed to give him a hand because he’d fallen over. What kind of god needs our help? Moreover, Dagon was positioned prostrate in front of the ark. It would’ve looked like he was worshipping God!
In the ancient Near East, most people believed in local deities who were confined to their land. By dominating Dagon in Philistine country, God was showing that he is truly transcendent of every place and every people group. In this way, God had “proven his superiority to the regional supreme deity.”[16]
(5:4) But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.
In the ancient world, warriors would cut off the head (1 Sam. 29:4) and hands (Judg. 8:6) of their enemies to show their triumph. For instance, the Philistines later show their triumph over Israel by decapitating Saul and displaying his severed head publicly (1 Chron. 10:10). It’s no wonder that God broke off the head and hands of Dagon.
(5:5) That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.
This object-lesson was not lost on the priests of Dagon. They didn’t turn to worship God, but they superstitiously refused to enter Dagon’s temple again.
(5:6) The LORD’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors.
Dagon lost his hands (v.4), but God’s “hand” was still working powerfully.
What are these “tumors”? The Hebrew term “tumors” (‘ŏpālîm) literally means “swellings.”[17] The Septuagint translated this term as “groin,” hence these were rendered “tumors in the groin” (see NIV note). The Septuagint adds the words, “And rats appeared in their land, and death and destruction were throughout the city.”[18] Rats are mentioned later in the text, when the Philistines return the ark (1 Sam. 6:4), so this gives more clues as to what the plague might’ve been. Youngblood,[19] Bergen,[20] Tsumura,[21] and Baldwin[22] believe that this was the bubonic plague, which kills roughly 50% of those who contract it. Apparently, Josephus claimed that the disease was dysentery, but few commentators have followed him in this speculation.
(5:7) When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.”
They realized that the ark was bringing a plague on their city. They begin playing “hot potato” with the Ark, passing it from one city to another…
The ark in Gath
(5:8) So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”
They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.
9 But after they had moved it, the LORD’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.
Gath was twelve miles southeast of Ashdod.[23] It’s very likely that the people of Gath would’ve heard the rumors of what happened when the Ark came to Ashdod. So, they immediately spun into a “great panic” when God started to bring judgment on Gath.
The ark in Ekron
(5:10) So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.”
Ekron is only six miles north of Gath.[24] They must’ve heard the history of the Ark, and they immediately wanted to get rid of it.
(5:11) So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it.
As superstitious people, the Philistines seem to personify the Ark as a magic instrument. All the leaders of the Philistines decided to take the ark and “return to sender.” They don’t specifically state that they are going to send it back to Israel—merely that it should “go back to its own place.”
(5:12) Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.
This left the men bleeding with puss-filled tumors all over their bodies.
Concluding insights
Both the Philistines and the Israelites made the same error: they thought they could control God’s power through this material device. Youngblood writes, “The lesson of chapters 4 and 5 is clear: Neither Israelites nor Philistines—not even Dagon himself—can control or resist the will of the sovereign Lord, whose Presence, though enthroned between the cherubim surmounting the ark of the covenant, is not limited by that location and therefore cannot be manipulated by the whim of whoever happens to be in possession of it at any particular time.”[25]
This chapter is similar to the story from Watchman Nee’s Sit, Walk, Stand, where the local deity was thrown down with a terrible rainstorm. We should have confidence in the fact that God is more powerful than demonic powers, religions, or anything else.
The people switch from saying “the gods” in chapter 4 to “Israel’s God” in chapter 5. The people learned about the reality of God from this event.
1 Samuel 6 (The Philistines Return the Ark)
Summary: The Philistines, unable to halt the plague, resolved to make a golden offering to God and return the Ark to the Israelites. They placed the Ark on a cart pulled by two cows, allowing the cows to freely lead the Ark away from the Philistines (v.8). The cows returned the Ark directly to Israel (v.12). As a consequence of their irreverence, God struck down 70 men from Israel who looked into the Ark (v.19).
(6:1-2) When the ark of the LORD had been in Philistine territory seven months, 2 the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”
“Seven months.” This political crisis lasted for over half of a year! While the Philistines wanted to use the Ark as a military weapon, they finally realized that the Ark wasn’t a magic talisman. The sunk cost was high, but the price of the painful, swelling tumors on the bodies of the people was far higher.
These “priests and diviners” were pagan prophets. So, their words should be read with discernment.
(6:3-5) They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.”
4 The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”
They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. 5 Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land.
Why did they create an offering in the form of the plague itself? This was wrong. They were breaking God’s law regarding making images (Ex. 20:4; Deut. 5:8), specifically an unclean animal like a rat! (Lev. 11:29) Moreover, by moving the Ark, they must’ve thought that Yahweh was a territorial god who could be removed. Youngblood writes, “Perhaps the Philistines intended the models to function in the realm of sympathetic magic also, so that by sending them out of their land the genuine articles would depart as well.”[26] Bergen writes, “This advice apparently represents a syncretistic blend of pagan imitative magic and perverted Torah ritual.”[27]
Regardless, the Philistines recognized that “Israel’s god” was behind this judgment, and the Ark was not a magic weapon in their hands. So, while they weren’t theologically perfect, they were getting the message.
(6:6) “Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?”
While Pharaoh hardened his heart and God further hardened it (see Exodus 4:21), the Philistines made a choice to repent before their judgment became worse.
(6:7) “Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.”
“Milch cows” are “cows that have just given birth” (NLT). Youngblood writes, “They hoped that the cows would take the ark there, reasoning that if cows new to the yoke would desert their newborn calves—even temporarily—to pull a cart all the way to Beth Shemesh, that would be a supernatural sign that the divine owner of the ark had sent the plague against them.”[28] Baldwin adds, “Since the cows were unused to pulling a cart, and had calves dependent on them, all their instincts would be to turn back.”[29]
(6:8-9) “Take the ark of the LORD and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, but keep watching it. 9 If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the LORD has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”
“The LORD” or “by chance.” The Philistines still weren’t sure if this outbreak was the result of divine intervention or of mere chance. This was their way of differentiating between the two.
(6:10-12) So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. 11 They placed the ark of the LORD on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. 12 Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.
“Lowing” means “mooing” (NET). This implies that they were “mooing” for their newborn calves. They wanted to go back, but they were guided and compelled by God to go where he wanted them to go.
The return of the ark
(6:13) Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight.
The people might’ve been thinking about how they could devise a strategic plan to rescue the Ark. After all, it had been gone for seven months (v.1). Maybe they had given up hope altogether. Imagine their surprise and excitement to see the Ark coming home on its own, and with a chest full of gold alongside it!
(6:14-15) The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the LORD, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.
They sacrificed the cows with the wood they brought with them. The text never states what they did with the gold images.
(6:16) The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.
The Philistine leaders must’ve personally followed the Ark to see if it would make it to Israel. In their minds, this confirmed the test of their priests and diviners (vv.8-9).
(6:17-18) These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the LORD—one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18 And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
They placed the ark on a large stone in Joshua’s field.
(6:19) But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the LORD. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the LORD had dealt them.
Only the Levitical priests could see the outside of the Ark (Num. 4:5-6). But no one was permitted to look within the Ark. It’s no wonder as to why God brought judgment on the people for trying to peer into the Ark (Consider watching the final scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark for a fictional depiction of this).
(1 Sam. 6:19) How many were killed? 70 or 50,070? 70 men were killed. The 50,070 number is definitely a transmission error. Archer writes, “The alphabetic system of numerical notation needed only a few dots above or below to multiply by one thousand; thus the letter nun with two dots above it would signify 50,000.”[30] Josephus states that only 70 were killed (Antiquities 6.1.4). Therefore, we can see that it would be easy to introduce a scribal error here.
(6:20-21) And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?” 21 Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to your town.”
The people of Beth Shemesh were understandably frightened by this, and they asked the people of Kiriath Jearim to take the Ark. This detail shows that the Ark has a rightful place, and that isn’t in one of the small towns in Israel. This could foreshadow the fact that the Ark belongs in the Tabernacle in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5).
Concluding insights
We shouldn’t try to manipulate God, but learn how to go his direction.
God doesn’t play favorites. Both the Philistines and the Israelites were judged for trying to manipulate God.
God is capable of bringing about his desired outcomes. He achieved this by executing judgment on the Philistines, compelling them to willingly surrender the ark, and supernaturally guiding the cows back to Beth Shemesh.
1 Samuel 7 (Samuel Steps Forward as Israel’s Judge)
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.[31] Baal was considered to be the “god of fertility and the storm.” He “was believed to be the son of Dagon, god of grain.”[32] 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).”[33]
(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.[34]
(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”[35] or “a symbol of the washing away of communal guilt.”[36] After all, it is combined with “fasting,” and it is in the context of national repentance.
The Philistines attack
(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).
The Philistines are defeated
(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.[37] 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.”[38]
(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.[39]
(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.[40] 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.
Concluding insights
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).
[1] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 73.
[2] 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), 594.
[3] 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), 594.
[4] 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), 594.
[5] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 73.
[6] 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), 595.
[7] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 76.
[8] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 76.
[9] 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), 598.
[10] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 94.
[11] 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), 598-599.
[12] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 94.
[13] 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), 599.
[14] 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), 600.
[15] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 79.
[16] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 98.
[17] David Tsumura, The First Book of Samuel, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007), 208.
[18] Cited in Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 80.
[19] 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), 601.
[20] Bergen states that these were not traditional tumors or “hemorrhoids” (KJV). Rather, they were “buboes… caused by a rodent-borne disease (6:4).” Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 98.
[21] David Tsumura, The First Book of Samuel, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007), 208.
[22] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 80.
[23] 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), 601.
[24] 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), 601.
[25] 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), 601.
[26] 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), 604.
[27] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 100.
[28] 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), 604.
[29] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 82.
[30] Gleason Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 387.
[31] 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.
[32] 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.
[33] 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.
[34] 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.
[35] 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.
[36] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 85.
[37] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 108.
[38] 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.
[39] 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.
[40] 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.