Israel’s First King
An EasyEnglish Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of 1 Samuel
Helen Pocock
Words in boxes are from the Bible.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
This commentary has been through Advanced Theological Checking.
The books of 1 and 2 Samuel used to be one book. The writer wrote the book in the *Hebrew language. Many years later, men translated the Bible into the Greek language (the language of the *New Testament). These men divided this book into two parts. The name of the book comes from the first important person in this book. He was Samuel the *prophet. But Samuel did not write the book. He died before the end of it.
We do not know who wrote the book. The author lived after King Solomon had died in about 930 BC (930 years Before Christ). After Solomon died, the country of *Israel divided into two countries, *Israel and *Judah. The country of *Judah included the *tribes of *Judah and Benjamin (see 1 Kings 12:1-24). In 1 and 2 Samuel the author often refers to *Judah as a country.
In those days, the kings and leaders employed writers. They wrote about the events in their country. The *prophets also wrote accounts of events. 2 Samuel 1:18; 1 Kings 11:41; 14:19, 29; 1 Chronicles 27:24; 29:29 all refer to these writers and their books. The writer of 1 and 2 Samuel probably got most of his information from these accounts.
The book of 1 Samuel records a major change from the time of the judges to *Israel’s first king. The judges had led the *Israelites for about 350 years after the death of Joshua. During this time the *Israelites called their leaders ‘judges’. Samuel was the last of the judges. He was also a *prophet and a priest. Samuel *anointed Saul, the first king of *Israel. But Saul did not obey God. So, God chose another king, David, who would obey him. 1 Samuel ends with the death of Saul. The book of 2 Samuel records the life of David as king.
v1 There was a man whose name was Elkanah. He lived in the town of Ramathaim. This town was in the hills in the country of Ephraim. Elkanah was the son of Jeroham. Jeroham was the son of Elihu. Elihu was the son of Tohu. Tohu was the son of Zuph. Zuph came from the *tribe of Ephraim. v2 Elkanah had 2 wives. The name of one wife was Hannah. And the name of the other wife was Peninnah. Peninnah had children but Hannah did not have any children.
The town of Ramathaim also had the name Ramathaim-zophim or Ramah. It was about 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the main town in the country of *Israel. There were many towns in the Bible. We do not know where every town was. This is because some of them now have a different name. Also, enemies destroyed many towns. The book of 1 Samuel describes events that happened about 3000 years ago. Many things have changed since then.
There is a list of Elkanah’s family in verse 1. This probably means that he was quite an important man. He had two wives. In the ancient world, many men had more than one wife. A man wanted children, especially a son, to continue his family name. So, if his wife could not have children, he sometimes had a second wife. A woman who could not have children felt shame. Other people said that she was a failure. Genesis 2:24 shows that God wanted men to have only one wife. When a man had more than one wife, usually there was trouble between his wives.
v3 Every year, Elkanah left Ramathaim and went to the town of Shiloh. He went there to *worship. He gave *sacrifices to the most powerful *Lord. Hophni and Phinehas were the priests to the *Lord at Shiloh. Eli was their father. He was the chief priest. v4 Elkanah gave his *sacrifices to God. Then he gave a share of the meat to Peninnah and her sons and daughters. v5 But Elkanah always gave a double share of the meat to Hannah. Elkanah loved Hannah. But God had prevented her from having children.
v6 Peninnah would annoy and upset Hannah on purpose. She did this because God had not given Hannah any children. v7 This happened every year when they went to the house of the *Lord in Shiloh. Peninnah would upset Hannah until she cried. Then Hannah would not eat anything. v8 Elkanah asked Hannah, ‘Why are you crying and not eating? Why are you sad?’ He said, ‘I am better to you than ten sons’.
*Israelite men had to go and give *sacrifices to God at three particular times a year (Exodus 23:14-17; Deuteronomy 12:5-7). They went to ‘the house of the *Lord’. This was a building or *temple in Shiloh. The *Israelites met God there and offered *sacrifices to him. Shiloh was about 24 kilometres (15 miles) east of Ramah.
‘The all-powerful *Lord’. This is the first time that the Bible calls God by this name. It means that God is the ruler of everything that he made. The *Lord made the world and all the people. He also made the *angels and the stars.
Elkanah and his family *worshipped and gave their *sacrifices to God. The priests burned part of the animal. This was how they gave that part of the animal to God. Then the priests could eat some meat from some of the *offerings. Afterwards the people could eat the rest of the meat. This shows that God wanted this to be a happy time for the people. Peninnah was proud that she had many children. She *worshipped God. Then she was unkind and cruel to Hannah. Peninnah did this every year and made Hannah very sad. God does not want people to behave like this.
Elkanah loved Hannah although she could not have a son for him. ‘I am better to you than ten sons’. This meant that Elkanah loved Hannah very much. But he did not understand how sad she felt. A woman feels pain in her heart if she cannot have children. Elkanah’s love was not enough. Hannah was desperate for a son.
Some women in the *Old Testament could not have children. They believed that God had prevented it. In Deuteronomy 7:12-14, God told the *Israelites to obey his laws. God said that they must obey him. Then they would have children.
v9 One day they were at Shiloh. They had finished eating and drinking. Hannah got up. Eli the priest was next to the house of the *Lord. Eli sat on a chair by the doorway of the *temple. v10 Hannah was very sad. She cried and prayed to the *Lord. v11 She made a promise to God. She prayed, ‘You are the most powerful *Lord. See how sad I am. I am your servant. Remember me and do not forget me. If you give me a son, I will give him back to you for all of his life. No one will ever cut his hair off’.
v12 Hannah kept praying to the *Lord. Eli watched her mouth moving. v13 Hannah was praying in her spirit. Her lips moved but Eli could not hear her voice. He thought that she had drunk too much wine. v14 He said to her, ‘Stop drinking so much. Throw away your wine’. v15 Hannah said to Eli, ‘No, I have not been drinking wine or strong drink. I have trouble deep in my heart. I told the *Lord all about my problems. v16 Please do not think that I am a wicked woman. I have been praying here because I am suffering. And I am very sad’.
v17 Eli answered Hannah and said, ‘You can go and have peace. May the God of *Israel give you what you have asked him for’. v18 Hannah said, ‘May I always please you’. Then Hannah went away and ate something. She was not sad now.
Hannah was desperate when she prayed. But she did not pray in a selfish way. She wanted a son so that she could give him to God.
‘No one will ever cut his hair off’. This is a mark of the Nazirite promise (Numbers 6:1-21). The person promised to give all his life to God for a definite time, maybe months or years. Then he lived separate from ordinary life. He let his hair grow long. This showed that he had made the Nazirite promise. Hannah asked God for a son. She made this promise on his behalf. It was very unusual for someone to be a Nazirite for all of his life.
Hannah prayed in a humble way as a servant to God. She felt that God had forgotten her. But she knew that God was all-powerful. God was the only person who could help her. And she knew that. Hannah did not pray aloud. But God heard her as she prayed in her spirit. In those days, people did not say silent prayers. They prayed aloud. (This happens in many countries today.) Eli the priest watched Hannah. He thought that she had drunk too much wine. Many *Israelites did not know that God was holy. The sons of Eli were priests. But in 1 Samuel 2-3, we see that they were wicked. Eli may have seen people who behaved badly in the *temple. Eli spoke to Hannah. Then he realised that she was a good woman. She trusted God. So Eli was kind to her. In the *Old Testament, the priest spoke on behalf of God. Eli gave Hannah peace from God. Then he prayed that God would answer her prayer. We do not know whether Hannah had told Eli her request.
‘May I always please you’. Hannah said this to show respect to Eli and to God. Now Hannah ate and was not sad. She trusted God to answer her prayer.
v19 Elkanah and his family got up early the next morning. They *worshipped God. Then they went home to Ramah. Elkanah had sex with his wife Hannah. God remembered her. v20 Hannah discovered that she was expecting a baby. She gave birth to a son. She called him Samuel. She said, ‘His name is Samuel because I asked the *Lord for him’.
‘God remembered her’ means that God answered her prayer. It does not mean that he had forgotten her. Sometimes we have troubles for a long time. We think that God has forgotten us. But, in Isaiah 49:15, God says, ‘I will not forget you’. In the *Hebrew language the name Samuel sounds like the words ‘God has heard’. God heard and answered Hannah’s prayer. That is why she chose this name.
v21 Every year Elkanah went to Shiloh to give *sacrifices. He kept the promise that he had made to God. His family went too. v22 This time Hannah did not go. She said, ‘I will not go until the boy is old enough to eat proper food. When he is old enough I will take him to the house of the *Lord at Shiloh. I will give him to the *Lord and he will live there for ever’. v23 Elkanah said to Hannah, ‘You must do what you think is right. Stay here until the boy is able to eat proper food. May the *Lord help you do this’. So, Hannah stayed at home and looked after her son.
v24 When Samuel was old enough to eat proper food Hannah took him to Shiloh. She took a male cow that was three years old. She also took a large bag of flour and a leather bag full of wine. Samuel was still young. v25 They killed the male cow for the *sacrifice. Then Hannah brought Samuel to Eli. v26 Hannah spoke to Eli. ‘Master, I am the woman that you saw standing here. I was praying to the *Lord. v27 I prayed for this child and the *Lord answered me. The *Lord gave me what I asked him for. v28 Now I give this child back to the *Lord. He will belong to the *Lord all of his life’. And Samuel *worshipped the *Lord there.
We do not know what promise Elkanah made to God. But he kept his promise. Hannah did not return to the house of the *Lord in Shiloh until she took Samuel there. A woman fed her baby with milk from her breast for about three years. The baby depended on her completely during this time. Samuel could eat proper food when he was old enough. Then the priests would be able to look after him. Hannah stayed at home with Samuel until this time. Elkanah knew that this was wise. Samuel was still young when Hannah took him to Shiloh. She kept her promise to God. She did not try to delay it for a long time. The male cow was for a *sacrifice to God. The bag of flour was about 22 litres. Hannah may have made bread from the flour. Then she gave the bread to God. Leviticus 1-7 describes the *sacrifices and gifts that people had to give to God. They carried wine in leather bags. They did not have bottles in those days. Jesus referred to this in Matthew 9:17. They made the leather bag from the stomach of a sheep. Many people went to the house of the *Lord. Eli may not have remembered Hannah. So, she explained why she was giving her young son to God.
v1 Hannah prayed and said,
‘I am very happy when I think about the *Lord.
The *Lord has made me very strong.
I can speak against my enemies.
I am very glad because you, *Lord, have saved me.
v2 No one else is holy like the *Lord.
There is no other God except you.
There is no rock like our God.
v3 Do not continue your loud boast.
Do not speak proud words.
The *Lord is a God who knows everything.
And he judges what people do.
v4 The bows of strong soldiers break.
But weak people become strong.
v5 The people who had plenty of food now have to work to get food.
But the people who were hungry are not hungry any more.
The woman who could not have any children now has seven.
But the woman who had many children is now very weak.
v6 The *Lord sends death and he makes people alive again.
He sends people to the grave and he raises them up again.
v7 The *Lord makes some people poor and he makes other people rich.
He makes some people humble and he makes other people great.
v8 The *Lord raises up the poor people from the dust.
He lifts up the people from the rubbish pile who need help.
He lets poor people be friends with princes.
And he puts poor people in places of honour.
The foundations of the earth belong to the *Lord.
He built the world on them.
v9 He protects the people who are loyal to him.
But wicked people will be silent in the darkness.
Men will not be successful just because they are strong.
v10 The *Lord will destroy his enemies.
When God is against them, it will sound like a noisy storm in heaven.
The *Lord will judge all the earth.
He will give power to his king.
He will *anoint a king and make him strong’.
v11 Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But Samuel stayed in Shiloh. He served God with Eli the priest.
Hannah prayed a prayer that was full of praises to God. It is like a poem. Hannah may have made it up herself. Or it might be a prayer that already existed. It starts with personal praise. Then it shows that God rules the whole world. Many parts of this prayer are similar to Mary’s prayer. Mary prayed when she was expecting the baby Jesus (Luke 1:46-55).
Hannah was very happy to have a son. But God, not her son, made her most happy (verse 1). Hannah felt shame when she had no children. God saved her from this shame. She could now speak against Peninnah who had been unkind for many years. God gave Hannah courage and he made her strong. Hannah tells how special God is (verse 2). There is no one else like God. The Bible often uses picture language to describe God. A ‘rock’ means that God is strong and firm. A rock is a strong base for a house. This shows that people can depend on God.
‘Loud boast’ means to speak in a proud way so that everyone can hear (verse 3). This is how Peninnah spoke to Hannah. But God sees everything. He often changes situations. He helps the people who cannot help themselves (verses 4-5). ‘The woman who could not have any children now has seven’ (verse 5). This phrase means that God completely answered Hannah’s prayer. ‘Seven’ can also mean ‘many’. In verse 21, we read that Hannah had 5 more children.
‘The rubbish pile’ (verse 8) was the place where people threw their rubbish. It was outside the city or town. It was a dusty place and had a bad smell. Very poor people did not own anything. So, they went to the rubbish pile to look for food and clothes.
‘The foundations of the earth’. The people thought that God made the physical earth in this way. A foundation is the solid base for a building. This sentence is also picture language. It means that God makes everything firm. And he controls all things. Because God can control the earth, he can also protect his people (verses 9-10). ‘Silent in the darkness’ refers to death. In the end, God destroys his enemies. The people who trust God will succeed.
At this time, *Israel did not have a king. So the part of Hannah’s prayer at the end of verse 10 is a *prophecy. The *Israelites realised that this referred to a future king. They knew that it was the custom to *anoint kings (Judges 9:15). The *Israelites expected God to give them an ideal king. Samuel *anointed Saul as the first king of *Israel. Later Samuel *anointed David as king. This verse refers first to King David. It also refers to Jesus. The *Hebrew word for *anoint is ‘Messiah’. Jesus was the ideal king, the ‘Messiah’, that God promised in the *Old Testament.
Although Samuel was only a young boy, his parents left him with Eli the priest. Samuel helped Eli and did the housework in the *temple. This is how he served God.
v12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men. They did not know God.
v13 People brought *sacrifices to Shiloh. And this is how these priests behaved. First, they boiled the meat in a pot. Then a servant of the priest came to the pot. He had a fork that had 3 points. v14 He pushed the fork into the pot or pan. Whatever came out on the fork belonged to the priest. They did this to all the *Israelites when they came to Shiloh. v15 Often, the servant of the priest came to the people before they had burned the fat on the *sacrifice. The servant said, ‘Give the priest some meat to bake. He will not accept boiled meat from you; he will only accept raw meat’. v16 Sometimes, the person said, ‘You must burn the fat first. Then you can take what you want’. The servant would reply, ‘No. Give me the meat now or I will seize it from you’.
v17 The *Lord saw what the young men did. They did not show respect for the *sacrifices that people gave to the *Lord. The *Lord thought that their *sin was very bad.
The priests served God. This was their job. They did not have any land that they could farm. The ordinary people had to give God one tenth of everything that they had. The Bible calls this a ‘tithe’. God gave most of this food to the priests and *Levites (Numbers 18:21-28). They could also eat certain parts of the *sacrifices (Leviticus 7:28-36). The sons of Eli were priests. But they were wicked men. They did not do what God commanded. They did not understand God or care about him. They were selfish and took what they wanted to eat. They even used force. They did not respect the *sacrifices. They did not respect the people or give honour to God. Eli’s sons did not know God. But God knew them and he was not happy with them.
v18 But Samuel served the *Lord. He was a young boy. He wore a *linen *ephod. v19 Every year Samuel’s mother made him a little coat. She took it to him when she went to Shiloh. She and her husband went there every year to give the *sacrifices. v20 Then Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife. He said, ‘Hannah prayed for a son and then gave him back to the *Lord. May the *Lord give you and Hannah children to take the place of Samuel’. Then they went to their own home. v21 The *Lord was kind to Hannah. She had three more sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the house of the *Lord.
v22 Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything that his sons did to all the *Israelites. Women served at the entrance of the house of the *Lord. Eli’s sons had sex with them. v23 Eli said to his sons, ‘Why do you do these evil things? People have told me what you do. v24 No, my sons. The *Lord’s people are spreading a bad report about you. v25 If you do something wicked to another person, God can help you. But if you act in a wicked way towards the *Lord, no one can help you’. Eli’s sons did not listen to him because the *Lord planned to kill them.
v26 The boy Samuel continued to grow bigger. And he continued to please the *Lord and people.
The priests wore special clothes when they served God. An ‘*ephod’ was like a coat. Samuel wore a simple *ephod. ‘*Linen’ is a material like cotton. It is a very good quality material. The chief priest had a *linen *ephod (Exodus 28:6). Hannah did not forget her son. She cared for him although he lived in Shiloh. Every year she made him a new coat with the best quality material. Samuel always had something to wear, as he grew bigger. Hannah gave her son to God. Then God blessed Hannah with more than she had asked for. God gave her five more children.
These verses contrast Hannah’s son and Eli’s sons. Samuel learned all about the work that Eli did at the house of the *Lord. Samuel started serving God when he was very young. He continued to do this all his life. Eli probably trained his sons as priests when they were young. They continued to be priests when they were older. But they behaved as wicked men. They did not know God (verse 12). So, they did not do the things that pleased God. They did not keep the law. They did not honour their father (Exodus 20:12).
God was pleased with Samuel. He was not pleased with Eli’s sons. God wanted good priests not wicked priests. God is holy. He wants his people to be holy too (Leviticus 11:44-45). In verse 25, Eli warned his sons that God would deal with them. They had not obeyed God, so God punished them.
v27 A man of God came and spoke to Eli. This is what he said. ‘The *Lord says, “A long time ago your family *ancestors lived in the country of Egypt. They were slaves to the king of Egypt. I clearly showed myself to your *ancestor Aaron. v28 I chose him and his family from all of the *tribes in *Israel. I chose them to be priests. They go up to my *altar and burn incense. They can wear the special *ephod. I also let them eat part of the *sacrifices and *burnt offerings that the *Israelites give. v29 I commanded my people to give these *sacrifices and *offerings to me. Why do you want them for yourself? Eli, why, do you give more honour to your sons than to me? You eat all the best parts of the *offerings that the *Israelites give to me. You have become fat”.
v30 Because of what you have done, the *Lord God of *Israel says this to you. “I promised that your family, and your *ancestor’s family, would serve me as priests for ever”. But the *Lord says, “This will not happen now. If people give me honour, I will give them honour. But if people think that I am worth nothing then I will give them no honour. v31 The time will come soon when you will die. Also, I will kill the young men in your family. No one in your family will ever grow old.
v32 You will see trouble in the house of the *Lord. Although I will do good things for the *Israelites, there will never be an old man in your family. v33 I will not completely cut off your family from serving at my *altar. However, you will cry and be sad. All your family will die when they are young. v34 Hophni and Phinehas, your two sons, will die on the same day. That will be the proof that I have spoken the truth.
v35 I will choose a priest who will be loyal to me. He will do everything that I want him to do. I will make his family continue. They will always serve the one that I *anoint. v36 Everyone in your family who continues to live will bow down to this priest. They will appeal to him for food and money. ‘Please let me help the priests so I can have some food to eat’, they will say”.’
‘Man of God’ is another name for a *prophet. A *prophet hears God and speaks for him. We do not know the name of this *prophet. However, he came with a very important message about future events.
First, God reminded Eli that God chose Aaron and his family as priests. ‘*ancestors’ are the members of someone’s family who lived a long time ago, even hundreds of years ago. Then God spoke about the work that the priests did. And he spoke about the food that he provided for them. The ‘altar’ was like a wooden table. It had a metal cover all over it. The priests offered the *sacrifices to God on the altar. The priests had to burn some of the *sacrifices. These are the ‘*burnt offerings’. Incense is a substance that the priests burned. Its smoke smelled sweet. The ‘special *ephod’ is probably the *ephod that the high priest wore. There is more detail about it in Exodus, chapters 28-29.
Eli allowed his sons to behave in the wrong way as priests. In verses 13-16, they were not satisfied with the pieces of meat that God allowed them to have (Leviticus 7:28-36). Verse 22 says that they had wrong sex. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 says that a father should discipline his son. If his son refused, the leaders of the town should judge that son. Then the people of the town should kill the son. God wanted evil removed from among the *Israelites. But Eli was greedy too and he became fat.
God chose Aaron’s family to be priests for ever. But they had to obey God and give him honour. Here, God warned Eli. God gave Eli this last opportunity to confess his *sins. He wanted Eli to change his behaviour. Eli and his sons did not obey God, so God punished them. Their punishment was severe. God wanted to remove all wicked priests from their family for ever.
The words from the man of God came true. Hophni and Phinehas both died on the same day. Eli died on that day too (1 Samuel 4). King Saul killed many of the priests in Eli’s family in chapter 22. Then King Solomon removed a priest called Abiathar in 1 Kings 2:26-27, 35. Zadok was the priest instead of him.
‘You will see trouble in the house of the *Lord’ (verse 32). The first trouble happened in chapter 4.
God never changed his decision about Eli’s family. But God did good things for all the other *Israelites. Verse 36 is like part of Hannah’s prayer in verse 5. Eli and his sons were fat with all their food, but their family would be hungry in the end.
The ‘priest who will be loyal’ (verse 35) refers to Samuel and to Zadok. ‘My *anointed one’ refers to the same person as in 2:10. If one person fails to obey God, God will call someone else. God will always complete his purposes in the end.
v1 The boy Samuel served the *Lord. Eli the priest led him. In those days, it was rare for the *Lord to speak directly to people. Also, he did not give many *visions.
v2 Eli now had bad eye-sight and he was nearly blind. One night, he was asleep in his usual place. v3 Samuel was asleep in bed in the house of the *Lord. The *ark was there too. It was not yet dawn and the lamp was still burning. v4 Then the *Lord called Samuel. Samuel said, ‘Here I am’. v5 He ran to Eli and said, ‘You called me. Here I am’. But Eli said, ‘I did not call you. Go back to bed’. So Samuel went back to bed. v6 Again the *Lord said, ‘Samuel’. Samuel went to Eli and said, ‘You called me. Here I am’. Eli answered, ‘My son, I did not call you. Go back to bed’.
v7 Samuel did not know the *Lord yet. The *Lord had not spoken directly to him. v8 Then the *Lord called Samuel for the third time. Samuel got up, went to Eli and said, ‘You called me. Here I am’. Then Eli realised that the *Lord was calling the boy. v9 So Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go back to bed. If he calls you again, you must say, “Speak, *Lord. I am your servant and I am listening”.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his bed.
This chapter describes the first time that God spoke to Samuel. This is the start of his work as a *prophet of God. In the days of Moses and Joshua, the *Lord often spoke to the leaders of the *Israelites. But after the days of Joshua, the people did not always *worship the *Lord with their spirit. Instead, they often *worshipped foreign *gods. Even the priests were wicked, so God did not speak to them. A vision is like a dream but the person is awake. It is one way that God speaks to people.
Samuel had grown. He was a young boy now, not a little child. Samuel probably did more work in the house of the *Lord because Eli could not see very well. The ‘ark’ was a wooden box that had gold all over the outside and inside of it. It contained the ten commandments (laws) that the *Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20 and 25:10-22). Another name for the ark is ‘the ark of the covenant’. The ‘covenant’ is the agreement that God made with Abraham. God said that he would bless Abraham and his family for ever (Genesis 12:1-3 and 15:1-21). The ark was holy. It was in the house of the *Lord on behalf of God. God separated the ark from the people. The people could not go near the ark because of their *sin (Leviticus 16).
The lamp was also in the house of the *Lord (Exodus 25:31-40). It needed oil to burn. The priest had to light it every evening. Samuel slept in the house of the *Lord. He had to make sure that the lamp did not go out until the morning (Leviticus 24:1-4).
Samuel served in the house of the *Lord. But this was the first time that the *Lord spoke to him. Samuel heard the *Lord’s voice but he thought it was Eli. It was rare for the *Lord to speak directly to people in those days. We do not know whether Eli had ever heard the *Lord’s voice. But he taught Samuel the proper way to reply to the *Lord.
v10 The *Lord came and stood there. He called Samuel as he had done before. He said, ‘Samuel, Samuel’. Samuel said, ‘I am your servant and I am listening’.
v11 This is what the *Lord said to Samuel. ‘I am going to do something among the *Israelite people. It will shock everyone who hears about it. v12 I will do everything to Eli and his family that I have said. I will start at the beginning and go on to the end. v13 I told Eli that I would punish his family for ever. Eli knew that his sons were wicked. He knew that they did wicked things against me. But he did not stop them. v14 So I made a very serious decision. I said to Eli’s family, “I will never forgive you even if you give *sacrifices and *offerings. You will always be guilty”.’
v15 Samuel lay down until the morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the *Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli about the *vision. v16 But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son’. Samuel answered, ‘Here I am’. v17 Eli asked, ‘What did the *Lord say to you? You must tell me. Do not keep it a secret or God will punish you. You must tell me everything that he said to you’. v18 So Samuel told Eli everything. He did not keep any of it a secret. Then Eli said, ‘He is the *Lord. He will do what is right’.
v19 As Samuel grew up, the *Lord was with him. The *Lord made sure that all of Samuel’s messages from him came true. v20 All the people who lived in *Israel knew that Samuel was a true *prophet from the *Lord. They knew this from the north of the country to the south. v21 The *Lord continued to appear at Shiloh. He showed himself to Samuel and spoke to him.
Samuel obeyed Eli. Samuel heard the *Lord and saw him too. The *Lord spoke to the boy Samuel who gave the message to the priest. It was a very serious message for a young boy to give to an old priest. In chapter 2, God had warned Eli about what he was going to do. But Eli did not act on God’s warning. Eli did not confess his *sin and obey God. So God could not forgive him. Verse 14 is a very serious verse. ‘I will never forgive you’. All through the Bible, God forgives people. In the *New Testament, Jesus died on the cross. Now he forgives everyone who confesses his or her wicked ways. But God said that he would never forgive Eli and his family. They would always be guilty, even when they died. God punished them.
Samuel was afraid to tell Eli but he did not hide from him. Eli gave a strong warning to Samuel so that he told the truth. The *Lord is a judge. He decides what is right and wrong. He is holy and fair. Eli had *sinned. He accepted the *Lord’s judgement without complaining.
Everyone in the country of *Israel knew about Samuel. People recognised him as a true *prophet from the *Lord. Everything that Samuel said came true. In Deuteronomy 18:21-22, this is the test for a true *prophet. Verse 1 said that it was rare for the *Lord to speak directly to people.Now the *Lord knew that Samuel would obey him. So the *Lord ‘showed himself’ to Samuel. He showed Samuel what he was like. So, Samuel knew God more and understood him better.
v1 When Samuel spoke, all the *Israelites listened to him.
Now the *Israelites went out to fight against the *Philistine nation. The *Israelites had their camp at a place called Ebenezer. The *Philistines camped at the town of Aphek. v2 The *Philistines went out to have a battle with the *Israelites. As the battle spread, the *Philistines defeated the *Israelites. The *Philistines killed about 4000 *Israelites in the battle. v3 The *Israelite soldiers went back to their camp. The leaders of *Israel asked, ‘Why did the *Lord let the *Philistines defeat us today? Let us bring the *ark of the covenant here from Shiloh. We will take it into battle with us. Then God will save us from our enemies’.
v4 So the people sent men to Shiloh and they brought back the *ark of the covenant. The most powerful *Lord appears between the cherubim (*angels) on the *ark. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the *ark of the covenant of God. v5 The men brought the *ark of the covenant of the *Lord into the camp. The *Israelites gave a great shout of joy that made the ground shake. v6 The *Philistines heard all the shouting. They asked, ‘Why is all this shouting happening in the *Israelite camp?’
Then the *Philistines found out that the *ark of the Lord had come into the *Israelite camp. v7 They were afraid. They said, ‘A *god has come into the camp. We are in trouble. Nothing like this has happened before. v8 This will be terrible for us. No one can save us from these powerful *gods. They sent terrible troubles on the Egyptians and killed them in the desert. v9 Have courage, *Philistines. Be strong men. In the past, the *Israelites were our slaves. Now you must fight like men or we will become their slaves’.
v10 So the *Philistines fought hard and defeated them. The *Israelites ran back to their own tents. This was a great defeat for them. The *Philistines killed 30 000 *Israelite soldiers. v11 The *Philistines stole the *ark of God. Also, Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s two sons, died.
The *Philistines were *Israel’s main enemy at this time. They lived in 5 towns near the Mediterranean Sea. The *Philistines trained their army well. They wanted to defeat the nations who lived round them. They were more skilled than these nations, especially in the way that they used iron. The *Philistines had many *gods but their main *god was Dagon. The country that we now call Palestine gets its name from the *Philistines.
The town of Aphek was only about 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the west of Shiloh. The *Israelites were afraid that the *Philistines would attack Shiloh. The *ark of God was in Shiloh. Ebenezer was probably 3 kilometres (2 miles) to the east of Aphek. The *Israelites had not trained their army very much. So it was quite easy for the *Philistines to defeat them. The *Lord allowed the *Philistines to defeat them in the first battle. The leaders of *Israel knew that the *Lord let it happen. But they did not understand why. In the past, God gave them success when they fought their enemies. But God gave the *Israelites success only when they obeyed him. The leaders had forgotten that.
The *Israelites knew that God sometimes appeared to the priests. He appeared between the cherubim on the top of the *ark. We do not know what the ‘cherubim’ looked like. Bible teachers believe that cherubim are like *angels. Exodus 25:17-22 says that they had two wings. The cherubim were gold and were on the gold lid of the *ark. The *Israelites knew that they would win the battle if God was with them. This had happened in the past (Numbers 10:33-36; Joshua 3:11-14; 6:6-20).
The *Philistines believed that their *gods lived in the *idols. So they thought that the God of *Israel lived in the *ark (verse 7). The *Philistines knew what God had done in the time of Moses, about 350 years ago. They were afraid of his power (verse 8). Then the *Philistines remembered that they had beaten the *Israelites. This happened in the book of Judges. In those days, only soldiers fought in battles. Soldiers did not fight ordinary people. When soldiers won a battle, they could rule the defeated nation. The *Philistines did not want to become slaves of the *Israelites.
The two wicked priests, Hophni and Phinehas, went to look after the *ark. The *Israelites in the camp were happy when they saw the *ark. They expected the *Lord to give them success. But people cannot make God do what they want. They did not win the battle. Verses 10-11 describe the terrible things that happened.
v12 That day a man from the *tribe of Benjamin ran from the battle to Shiloh. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head. He did that to show how sad he was. v13 Eli was by the side of the road when the man arrived in Shiloh. Eli was sitting on his chair waiting for news. He was worried about the *ark of God. The man of Benjamin came into the town. He told the people what had happened. All the people cried aloud.
v14 Eli heard the people crying. He asked, ‘What is all this noise about?’ The man quickly went over to tell Eli. v15 Eli was now 98 years old and he was blind. v16 The man of Benjamin said, ‘I have come from the battle. I ran here from the battle today’. Eli asked, ‘What happened, my son?’
v17 The man who brought the news said, ‘The *Israelites ran away from the *Philistines. The *Philistines killed many of the *Israelite soldiers. Both your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead. The *Philistines took the *ark of God’.
v18 Eli was sitting next to the gate. When the man mentioned the *ark of God, Eli fell back off his chair. Eli broke his neck and died when he fell. This happened because he was old and fat. He had led the people of *Israel for 40 years.
The man who brought the message ran at least 32 kilometres (20 miles) to Shiloh. The battle was in the flat valley but Shiloh was in the mountains. So most of the way he ran up hills. ‘He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head’. *Israelite people behaved in this way when they were very, very sad. Eli was waiting for news from the battle. It was dangerous to take the *ark into the battle. God had not told them to do it. Eli was worried about the *ark of God. Everyone knew that the man of Benjamin had bad news. But Eli was blind so he could not see the man. But he heard the people crying.
Eli served God as a priest all his adult life. He knew God although his sons did not. In verse 16 Eli asked, ‘What happened, my son?’ The man was not his real son. An old man sometimes speaks this way to a young man. All the news in verse 17 was very bad. Hophni and Phinehas died on the same day. The *prophecy from God in 2:27-36 had come true. But when Eli heard about the *ark he fell and died. This shows how much he cared about the *ark. He was fat because he ate the best pieces of meat with his wicked sons (2:29).
Eli led the people of *Israel for 40 years. The word ‘led’ means ‘judged’. When people had big arguments, Eli acted as a judge. He used God’s law to decide who was right or wrong. After Joshua’s time, the *Israelites called their leaders ‘judges’. So, Eli was a leader and not just a priest. Eli and Samuel were the last two judges before *Israel had a king.
v19 Phinehas had a wife. She was expecting a baby. It was nearly time for the baby to be born. She heard that *Philistines had taken away the *ark of God. She also heard that Phinehas and Eli were dead. This news made her start to give birth to her baby. But she had a very difficult time. v20 In fact she was dying. Some women helped her to give birth. Just before she died, they said, ‘Do not be afraid. You have had a son’. However, she did not answer or give them attention.
v21 She named the boy Ichabod. She said, ‘The *glory has left *Israel’. She said this because the *Philistines took the *ark of God. Also because Eli and her husband were dead. v22 She said, ‘The *glory has left *Israel because the *Philistines took the *ark of God’.
The wife of Phinehas had a shock at the bad news. She was very sad that the *Philistines stole the *ark. The birth of a son is good news. She should have been happy. But she thought more about the *ark of God than about her son. She would not talk to the women who helped her. She believed that God had gone from *Israel too. So she called her son ‘Ichabod’. His name means ‘no *glory’. The *glory of God shows that God is present. *Glory is the power and greatness of God. The wife of Phinehas died after her baby was born. Another person in Eli’s family had now died when they were young. The Bible does not tell us anything about Ichabod’s life.
The *Philistines probably ruined Shiloh after they won the battle. Also, they probably destroyed the house of the *Lord. The *ark of God never went back to Shiloh. So Shiloh was no longer an important place where people *worshipped God.
v1 When the *Philistines stole the *ark of God they took it from Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. v2 They carried it into the *temple of their *god. The name of their *god was Dagon. They put the *ark next to the *idol of Dagon. v3 The next morning the people of Ashdod got up early and went to their *temple. They saw that Dagon had fallen down in front of the *ark of the Lord. He lay with his face touching the ground. So, they picked up Dagon and put him back in his place. v4 They got up early the next morning and went to the *temple of Dagon. Again, they found that Dagon had fallen down in front of the *ark of the Lord. He lay with his face touching the ground. His head and his hands had broken off. They were lying in the *temple doorway. Only his body was not broken. v5 Dagon’s priests and other people still go to the *temple at Ashdod. But since this happened no one will step on the doorway of Dagon’s *temple.
The *Philistines stole the *ark. They believed that they were stealing the God of *Israel too. They were very happy to have the *ark. But by the end of the chapter, they wanted to return it. They discovered that the God of *Israel is different from other *gods. He is very powerful. He does not live in the *ark.
Ashdod is about 48 kilometres (30 miles) south of where they had their battle. Every time the *Philistines won a battle, they stole the figures of the *gods of that nation. They put them in Dagon’s *temple. This showed that Dagon was more powerful than the other *gods. The Bible calls these figures ‘*idols’. The *temple was a building. People went to the *temple to praise Dagon. The *Philistines took the *ark of the Lord and put it in Dagon’s *temple. In the morning, Dagon was in front of the *ark, not next to it. He had fallen down in front of the *ark of the Lord. He lay with his face touching the ground (verses 4 and 5). Sometimes people do this in front of a king. This is how they give him honour. They show that the king is more powerful than they are. (People often *worshipped God in this way too.)
The *Philistines put Dagon back in his place. The figure of Dagon was probably on a high table. This made him look powerful and important. The next day he was lying in front of the *ark again. This was not an accident as it happened twice. But this time Dagon was broken. In those days, when men won a battle, they often cut off their enemies’ heads and hands. The *Philistines won the battle with the *Israelites. But God showed the *Philistines that he is more powerful than Dagon. Philippians 2:10-11 says that one day everyone will bend down to Jesus. They will admit that he is the most important God. Everyone will give honour to Jesus.
v6 The *Lord punished the people of Ashdod and their neighbours. They were very frightened. God made them suffer with a disease that gave them *tumours. v7 The men from Ashdod saw what was happening. They said, ‘The *ark of God must not stay here with us. The God of *Israel is punishing us and punishing Dagon our *god’. v8 So they called the *Philistine kings together. They asked the kings, ‘What should we do with the *ark of the God of *Israel?’
The kings answered, ‘Take the *ark of the God of *Israel to Gath’. So the men moved it to the *Philistine town of Gath.
v9 After they had moved the *ark to Gath, God punished the people in Gath. He sent great terror to them. Old and young people suffered with disease and *tumours. v10 So the people sent the *ark of God to the *Philistine town of Ekron.
When the *ark of God came into Ekron the people in the town shouted. They said, ‘They have brought the *ark of the God of *Israel to us. It will kill us. It will kill the people who live here’. v11 So they called the *Philistine kings together. The people from Ekron said to them, ‘Send away the *ark of the God of *Israel. Send it back to where it should be. If you do not do this, it will kill us. And it will kill all our people’. All the people in the town had terror because God was punishing them. v12 Many people died and the rest of the people had *tumours. So, the people of the town of Ekron cried aloud to heaven.
God punished the people everywhere that the *ark of God went. A ‘*tumour’ is a type of spot or lump. It grows very big in your body or under your skin. We do not know what disease the *Philistines had. We do not know where they had the *tumours. In 6:4-5, it says that there were also rats. A rat is an animal like a big mouse. Rats eat the food that people store. Rats spread diseases. In 4:6-8 the *Philistines remembered what the God of *Israel did in the time of Moses. Now God was punishing them. Everyone was frightened. The people in Ekron were so frightened that they prayed to God in heaven instead of to their own *gods.
v1 The *Philistines had the *ark of the Lord in their country for 7 months. v2 Then they called for their priests and men who work magic. The *Philistines asked them, ‘What shall we do with the *ark of the Lord? Tell us how to send it back to its home’.
v3 The priests answered, ‘Send the *ark of God back to *Israel. However, you must not send it back without an *offering. You must send an *offering to God because you are guilty. Then you will get well. You will learn why God punished you’.
v4 The *Philistines asked, ‘What *offering should we sent to God?’
The priests and men who work magic replied, ‘You should send 5 models of *tumours and 5 models of *rats. Make them from gold. You should make 5 models of each because you have 5 rulers. The disease has affected your rulers as well as your people. v5 Make models of the *tumours and the *rats that are destroying your country. And give honour to the God of *Israel. Maybe then he will stop punishing you and your *gods. v6 Do not be like the people from the country of Egypt and Pharaoh their king. They would not change their decision and obey God. God punished them greatly until they let the *Israelites leave Egypt.
v7 You must make a new cart. Get two cows that have just given birth to baby cows. You must use cows that no one has ever tied to a cart before. Tie them to the cart. Then take their baby cows away from them. v8 Put the *ark of the Lord on the cart. Put the gold models in a box. These are your *offerings to God because you are guilty. Put the box next to the *ark on the cart. Then send the cart away. v9 But keep watching the cart. The *ark came from *Israel. The cart may go to the town of Beth Shemesh in *Israel. If so, this shows that the *Lord sent this great disease. If the cart does not go there, then the *Lord has not punished us. We shall know that our disease happened by chance’.
The *Philistines now knew that the *ark belonged to the God of *Israel (verse 2). They stole the *ark but they did not steal the God of *Israel. God had caused them trouble. Now they wanted to send the *ark back to *Israel. But they needed to do it in the proper way. They wanted to stop any more trouble. They did not know how to do this. So, they asked their priests and men who work magic. These were the experts of their religion.
Verses 3-6 answer the question ‘What shall we do with the *ark?’ First, the *Philistines had to confess that they were guilty. God’s punishment was killing their people. They wanted to send the *ark back. But they did not know how to stop God’s punishment. They made models of the *tumours and the *rats. They sent them to God and confessed that they were guilty. They agreed that the God of *Israel was more powerful than their *god. Perhaps the *Philistines believed that the real *tumours and *rats would go away with the models. The *Philistines had 5 main towns (see verse 17). Each town had a ruler. The *ark went to only 3 towns, but all the *Philistines were guilty. So they made models for each town.
The priests and men of magic knew that the God of *Israel was powerful. They remembered how he had punished the people of Egypt. When they did not obey him, God punished them more. The *Philistines were afraid and wanted to honour God.
Verses 7-9 explain how the *Philistines sent the *ark back home. They did not want someone to take the *ark directly to *Israel. Instead, they wanted God to direct it. They were afraid of God. But they were not certain that their troubles came from him. So they wanted to find out. When a cow gives birth, she does not want to leave her baby cow. So, if the cows went away, God sent them. The town of Beth Shemesh was the *Israelite town that was nearest to the *Philistines.
v10 So the *Philistines did this. They took two cows that had just given birth. They tied them to a cart. They took away their baby cows and put the baby cows in a building. v11 They put the *ark of God on the cart. Then they put the box next to the *ark. The box contained the gold models of the *rats and the *tumours. v12 The cows went straight towards Beth Shemesh. They kept on the road and did not turn to the right or the left. All the way, they made a lot of noise. The *Philistine rulers followed them all the way to the edge of Beth Shemesh.
v13 The people of Beth Shemesh were in the valley harvesting their wheat. They looked and saw the *ark of the Lord. They were very happy. v14-15 The cows pulled the cart into a field. The field belonged to Joshua who lived in Beth Shemesh. The cows stopped next to a large rock. The *Levites took the *ark of the Lord off the cart. They put the *ark on the large rock. They also put the box, which contained the gold models, on the rock. The people from Beth Shemesh cut up the wooden cart and made a fire with it. Then they killed the cows. They burnt them on the fire as an *offering to the *Lord. That day they offered whole cows as *burnt offerings. They gave *sacrifices to the *Lord. v16 When the 5 *Philistine rulers saw this, they returned to Ekron.
v17 The *Philistines were guilty. So they sent the gold models of the *tumours as a gift to the *Lord. They sent one for each of their 5 towns. The names of these towns are Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. v18 The *Philistines also sent 5 gold models of *rats. They made one model for each of the 5 towns and the 5 rulers. Each town had walls round it to protect it. Each town included the country villages round it. The large rock that the *Israelites put the *ark on is still there. It is in the field that belongs to Joshua from Beth Shemesh.
v19 But some of the men from Beth Shemesh looked inside the *ark. Therefore, God killed 70 of them. The people were very sad because God punished so many men. v20 The men of Beth Shemesh said, ‘When God is present, people can not remain in his company. God is a holy God. Where can we send the *ark to from here?’
v21 So they sent people to Kiriath Jearim with a message. They said, ‘The *Philistines have returned the *ark of the Lord. Come and get the *ark from us. Take it to your town’.
v1 So men came from Kiriath Jearim to fetch the *ark of the Lord. They took it to the house that belonged to Abinadab. His house was on a hill. Eleazar was his son. They *consecrated Eleazar so that he could guard the *ark of the Lord.
The cows pulled the cart straight back to *Israel. So the *Philistines knew that God had punished them. The cows made a loud noise all the way, because they wanted to return to their baby cows. Cows that have not pulled a cart before can not pull it straight. So God made them go straight to *Israel. The *Philistine rulers followed the cart. They saw that it went right to Beth Shemesh. The *ark and their gifts to God arrived in *Israel. The *Philistine rulers watched the *Israelites give their *sacrifice. Then they went back to give this news to the *Philistines.
The wheat harvest was in the months of May and June. Many people in the town helped with the harvest. They saw the *ark of the Lord arrive. They stopped working. Everyone joined in the *sacrifices and they praised God. A ‘Levite’ is a man from the *tribe of Levi. In Deuteronomy 10:8-9 God says that Levites should carry the *ark of God. Levites helped in the house of the *Lord but they were not priests. Many Levites lived in Beth Shemesh.
The men from Beth Shemesh learned about God. God was as dangerous to the *Israelites as he was to the *Philistines. God was ‘dangerous’ because he is holy. Everyone has to obey him and give him honour. To touch the *ark was like touching God. People who *sin cannot touch anything holy. However, some *Israelites wanted to see inside the *ark. Numbers 4:20 says that no one can look at the holy things in the *ark. If they did, they would die. The men who looked in the *ark did not obey God. They died because God killed them. God was teaching the *Israelites about the true nature of *sin. Everyone became afraid of God. They wanted to send the *ark away. God had punished the Philistines. Perhaps the *Israelites were afraid that God would punish them too.
Kiriath Jearim was about 24 kilometres (15 miles) from Beth Shemesh. The men from Beth Shemesh were too afraid to take the *ark there. Instead, they sent a message to the men from Kiriath Jearim. We do not know anything about Abinadab or Eleazar. We do not know why the *ark went to their house. But they knew that they had to guard it in the proper way.
v2 The *ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim for long time. For 20 years the *Israelites were sad. They wanted to follow the *Lord again. v3 Then Samuel said to all the *Israelites, ‘If you follow the *Lord, you must do it with all your spirit. You must remove all your foreign *gods and *idols of Ashtoreth. You must give your lives completely to the *Lord. You must serve only him. Then he will save you from the *Philistines’. v4 So the *Israelites removed all their *idols of the *gods Baal and Ashtoreth. They served only the *Lord.
v5 Then Samuel said, ‘Meet together at the town of Mizpah. I will pray to the *Lord for you’. v6 So they all met at Mizpah. They got water from the ground and poured it out in front of the *Lord. They did not eat that day. They prayed to the *Lord and confessed, ‘We have *sinned against the *Lord’. Samuel ruled the *Israelites at Mizpah.
The *ark stayed at Abinadab’s house until king David took it to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). The *Israelites were sad because the *Philistines had killed so many *Israelites. God had also killed some *Israelites (6:19). A long time ago, God helped them to win their battles. Verse 3 shows the reason why he did not help them now. The *Israelites did not obey the law. The law said that they must *worship only the God of *Israel (Exodus 20:3). Instead, they also *worshipped foreign *gods and *idols. God blessed the *Israelites when they obeyed him. He punished them when they did not obey him. Leviticus 26 explains this.
The *Israelites *worshipped the *gods Baal and Ashtoreth. These were the 2 main *gods in the country of Canaan. Canaan was the land that God had given to the *Israelites (Genesis 17:8; Joshua 14:1). We now call this country *Israel. But the *Israelites had not defeated all the Canaanite people. This is what they believed about their *gods. Baal was a male *god. He was the son of the *Philistine *god Dagon. He was the *god of *thunder and rain. He made the ground able to produce plenty of food. Ashtoreth was the goddess (female *god) of love and war and fertility. ‘Fertility’ means that people and animals have many babies. It also means that crops produce a big harvest. One way that people *worshipped these *gods was by wrong acts of sex. This was against the law of the *Lord of *Israel.
The *Israelites wanted to follow the *Lord again. Samuel told them to remove all their *idols. They had to stop their wrong behaviour. They must not follow other *gods. Samuel said that they had to follow the *Lord with all their spirit. The *Israelites had to love and trust the *Lord. They should not follow him just because they wanted success. They had to change their lives completely. So, they obeyed Samuel and changed their lives. They proved that they really wanted to follow the *Lord. The word in the Bible for this change of spirit and of life is ‘repentance’.
They could not meet together at Shiloh because the *Philistines had ruined the town. Mizpah is about 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of Shiloh. ‘They got water from the ground and poured it out in front of the *Lord’ (verse 6). ‘In front of the *Lord’ probably means in front of the *altar where they gave *sacrifices. This may be a picture way to show that God forgave them. We wash things clean with water. God ‘washed away’ their *sins when they confessed them to him. They did not eat that day because they were very sad about their *sin. Samuel was a priest because he came from the *tribe of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:33-38). Samuel was also a *prophet because God spoke to him (chapter 3; 4:1). This day he also became the leader of the *Israelites. In verse 6, ‘ruled’ also means ‘judged’ (see notes on 4:18). So, Samuel led the people as the judges did in the book of Judges. He was their last leader before God gave them a king.
v7 The *Philistines heard that the *Israelites were meeting at Mizpah. So the *Philistines rulers went there to attack them. When the *Israelites heard about this, they were afraid of the *Philistines. v8 The *Israelites said to Samuel, ‘Pray to the *Lord our God for us and do not stop. Ask him to save us from the *Philistines’. v9 So Samuel gave a lamb (young sheep) as a whole *burnt offering to the *Lord. He prayed to the *Lord. Samuel asked him to help the *Israelites. The *Lord answered his prayer.
v10 While Samuel gave the *burnt offering to the *Lord, the *Philistines moved nearer. They were ready to attack *Israel. But the *Lord made loud *thunder come from heaven against the *Philistines. He confused and frightened them. They started to run away. v11 The *Israelite men came out from Mizpah. They chased after the *Philistines to a place below Beth Car. And they killed them along the way.
v12 After this Samuel took a stone and put it up between Mizpah and Shen. He called the stone Ebenezer. He said, ‘The *Lord has helped us all this way’. v13 So the *Israelites defeated the *Philistines. The *Philistines did not attack the land of *Israel again.
The *Lord was against the *Philistines all the time that Samuel was alive. v14 Earlier, the *Philistines had seized towns from the *Israelites. But the *Israelites won them back. These towns were from Ekron to Gath. Also there was peace between the *Israelites and the Amorite people.
v15 Samuel continued to be the ruler of the *Israelites all his life. v16 Every year he went to the towns of Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah. He ruled the people in those places. v17 But Samuel always went back to his home at Ramah. He ruled the *Israelites. And he built an *altar to the *Lord at Ramah.
The *Philistines probably thought that the *Israelites were planning to attack them. So the *Philistines sent their army to Mizpah. The *Israelites were afraid because the *Philistines had beaten them in the past. Also, the *Israelites had not trained their soldiers to fight like a proper army. But this time they trusted the *Lord. They knew that only he could save them. The *Lord answered Samuel’s prayer as he gave the *burnt offering. In these times, people thought that their *gods ruled the weather. But the *Lord rules the weather. Thunder is the noise that comes with a storm and lightning. Dagon was the *god of thunder. So the *Philistines were very afraid when they heard the loud thunder. They were confused so they ran away. It was easy for the *Israelite men to fight and kill the *Philistines.
Ebenezer means ‘stone of help’ or ‘stone of the helper’. Samuel put up this stone to honour the *Lord. It also reminded the *Israelites that the *Lord helped them in the battle. Now that the *Israelites followed the *Lord with all their spirit, they were successful in their battles. The *Lord was against the *Philistines. They had seized many towns in *Israel. The *Lord helped the *Israelites to get them back. Verse 13 probably means that the *Philistines did not attack *Israel again for a long time. The Amorite people lived in Canaan. They lived in the hills on both sides of the river Jordan. Sometimes they joined the *Philistines to fight with them. Now the *Israelites and Amorites probably made a peace contract.
Samuel ruled the *Israelites from his home town of Ramah. But each year he went on a 50-mile journey to 3 other important towns. He helped as a judge in their legal arguments.
A big change happened in the nation of *Israel. This chapter tells us how it started.
The nation of *Israel began with Abraham and Sarah and their only son Isaac (Genesis chapters 12, 15-18, 21-22). Abraham’s grandson Jacob went to live in the country of Egypt. He took 70 children and grandchildren with him (Genesis 46). 430 years later (Exodus 12:40) all the *Israelites left Egypt. In Numbers 1:1-50 they counted all the men over 20 years old. There were more than 600 000. Most of the men probably had a wife and children. So there may have been more than 2 000 000 *Israelites. God did what he had promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:1-6.
The *Israelites left Egypt. God chose Moses as their leader. When Moses died, God chose Joshua as their leader. Then Joshua died. God gave them ‘judges’ as their leaders. But during all this time, God was their king. He ruled them. God knew that the *Israelites would ask for a king one day. So, God told them what their king should be like (Deuteronomy 17:14-20).
Gideon was one of the judges. The *Israelites wanted him, his son and his grandson to rule over them like a king. But Gideon said that God would rule over them (Judges 8:22-23). Now the *Israelites asked again for a king.
v1 When Samuel was old he appointed his sons as leaders in *Israel. v2 His first son was Joel and his second son was Abijah. They were leaders in the town of Beersheba. v3 But Samuel’s sons did not live a good life like Samuel. They tried to get money in ways that were not honest. They accepted money in secret to make wrong judgements.
v4 So the leaders of *Israel met together and went to Samuel at Ramah. v5 They said to Samuel, ‘You are old. Your sons do not live a good life as you do. Give us a king who will rule over us. The other nations have a king. We want one too’.
v6 Samuel was not pleased that the leaders asked for a king. So he prayed to the *Lord. v7 The *Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to everything that the people say to you. They have not refused to have you as their leader. Instead, they have refused to have me as their king. v8 Today they are doing what they have always done. I brought them out of the country of Egypt. But they left me and *worshipped other *gods. Now they are doing the same to you. v9 Listen to the people but warn them. Tell them what their kings will do to them’.
At least 20 years had passed since the battle at Mizpah in chapter 7. The *Israelites were happy with Samuel as their leader. But he was about 65-70 years old now. They did not know who would lead them in the future. Samuel still led the *Israelites from Ramah. But his sons led the people who lived in the south of the land. The town of Beersheba is about 112 kilometres (70 miles) south of Ramah. Joel and Abijah were not good leaders. They wanted to get money rather than make fair decisions. They did not help the people. The *Jewish law did not allow leaders to accept money for wrong judgements (Deuteronomy 16:18-20). Eli the priest had 2 sons who lived a bad life. The result was that the nation of *Israel became wicked. Now Samuel had 2 sons who lived a bad life. Perhaps the leaders were worried that their nation would become wicked again.
The leaders asked Samuel for a king. They said that they wanted to be like the other nations. But the real reason is in verse 20. They wanted a man to rule them instead of God. God ruled them but they could not see him. They wanted a leader that everyone could see. They should have asked for a good leader who trusted God. The *Israelites had left God many times in the past. God had chosen them and saved them from their enemies. They were happy for a while. Then they left God and *worshipped other *gods.
The *Israelites liked Samuel. But they wanted to replace him with a king. They did not really refuse Samuel as their leader. Instead, they refused God as their king. Samuel knew this and he was not pleased. Samuel did the right thing when he prayed to the *Lord. God told Samuel to warn the people. Perhaps they would change their decision if they heard all the bad things about kings.
v10 Samuel spoke to the people who asked him for a king. He told them what the *Lord had said. v11 Samuel said, ‘The king will rule over you. And this is what he will do. He will take your sons and make them into his soldiers. They will serve with his horses and *chariots. They will run in front of his *chariots. v12 The king will make some of your sons lead thousands of soldiers. Other sons will lead groups of 50 soldiers. The king will make some of your sons plough his ground. Then they will have to harvest his crops. Other sons will have to make *weapons for war and equipment for the *chariots. v13 The king will take your daughters. They will make perfume. They will also cook and bake for him. v14 The king will take your best fields. He will take the best land where you grow grapes and olives. He will give all these to his officers. v15 Then he will take a tenth part of all your grain and grapes. He will give this to his officers and servants. v16 He will take your male and female servants. He will take your best cows and *donkeys. He will use them for his own work. v17 He will take a tenth part of the total number of your sheep. And he will make you into his slaves too. v18 When all this happens you will cry out to the *Lord. But the *Lord will not answer you then’.
v19 But the people would not listen to Samuel. They said, ‘No. We want a king to rule us. v20 We want to be like all the other nations with a king to rule us. He will lead us when we go to war. He will fight our battles’.
v21 Samuel listened to all that the people said. Then he went and told the *Lord. v22 The *Lord said, ‘You must listen to them. You must give them a king’.
Then Samuel told the people of *Israel, ‘Go back to your own towns’.
Verse 20 tells us the real reason why the *Israelites wanted a king. They wanted a king to fight against their enemies. They wanted a king to lead them to war. But God led them when they went to war. They always won their battles when they trusted God. A human king can not promise that he will always win wars. But the *Israelites often forgot God because they could not see him.
Samuel warned them what a human king would do to them. He saw what the kings of other nations did. A *chariot is like a cart. One or two horses pulled it along. The army used *chariots when they went to war. Three or four men stood in the *chariot. One man controlled the horses. The other men fought with swords, arrows or other *weapons. Many times Samuel said ‘he will take’ and ‘he will make’. A king would take a lot for himself and his friends and servants. He would take all the best things. He would take people and animals. He would take crops and land. The people would have pay taxes to him. This would be hard for them. Sometimes they could only grow enough food to feed themselves. The people of *Israel already had to give a tenth part of their animals and crops to the priests (Deuteronomy 14:22-29).
Samuel knew that the king would demand all these things. This would make the people unhappy. Samuel warned them of the disadvantages. But the people could only think of the advantages. They would not change their decision. This was not the best for them. But God gave them what they asked for. However, in the future, God would not help them when they complained. They would get what they deserved. In verse 22, the *Lord said to Samuel ‘You must give them a king’. This does not mean that Samuel chose the king. God chose the king. Then the people went home to wait for their king.
Perfume (verse 13) is a liquid that smells nice. People put it on their bodies so that they smell pleasant.
Grapes (verse 14) are fruit that people make into wine.
Olives (verse 14) are fruit that contain oil. People press them hard to get the oil out.
v1 Kish was an important man from the *tribe of Benjamin. Kish was the son of Abiel. Abiel was the son of Zeror. Zeror was the son of Becorath. Becorath was the son of Aphiah. Aphiah came from the *tribe of Benjamin. v2 Kish had a son whose name was Saul. He was a good and handsome young man. No other *Israelite was as good as Saul. He was much taller than all the other people.
We do not know how long the people had to wait for their king. God chose Saul to be king. Saul was much taller than other men. He would look good when he led an army to war. This is what the *Israelites wanted. So, this is what God gave them. These verses describe Saul and his family. ‘An important man’ means that Kish had a lot of wealth and power. We do not know how much Saul loved and obeyed God at this time.
v3 Kish owned a lot of *donkeys. One day the *donkeys wandered away. No one could find them. Kish said to Saul, ‘Go and look for the *donkeys. Take one of the servants with you when you go’. v4 So Saul and the servant went to the hills in the country of Ephraim. They also went to Shalisha and the area near that place. But they did not find the *donkeys there. Then they went to the district of Shaalim. The *donkeys were not there. The people from the *tribe of Benjamin owned a large area of land. So, Saul and the servant went and searched all through this land. They still did not find the *donkeys.
v5 They reached the area of Zuph. Saul said to his servant, ‘Let us go back home now. My father was worried about the *donkeys. But he will start to worry about us if we do not go back now’.
v6 The servant replied, ‘There is a man of God in this town. People respect him because everything that he says comes true. We should go there now. Perhaps he will tell us where to find the *donkeys’.
v7 Saul said to his servant, ‘If we go to visit this man we must give him a present. But we do not have a present. We do not even have any food. What can we give him?’
v8 The servant answered, ‘I have a small piece of silver. I will give it to the man of God. Then he will tell us which way we should go’. v9 (Sometimes a man from *Israel wanted to ask God something. This is what he said to other people. ‘Come with me. We shall go to the seer’. We now call this man a *prophet. But in the past, the *Israelites called him a ‘seer’.)
v10 Saul said to his servant, ‘That is good. Let us visit this man of God’. So, they went to the town where he was.
v11 They went up the hill to the town. Some young women came out of the town to get some water. Saul and his servant said, ‘Is the seer here?’
v12 They said, ‘Yes, he is here. He is just ahead of you. You must hurry. He came to the town today because the people have a *sacrifice. They will *sacrifice at the place of *worship. v13 When you go into the town you will find the seer. He is going to the place of *worship. The people will not start to eat until he comes. The seer has to bless the *sacrifice first. Then the guests will eat. You will be able to find the seer if you go now’.
The *donkeys that Kish owned were valuable. They may have wandered away as they looked for fresh grass. Saul and his servant spent 3 days looking for the *donkeys (verse 20). We do not know the exact places where Saul went. Many of those areas have different names now. Many Bible teachers think that ‘this town’ (verse 6) refers to Ramah. It was Samuel’s home town. He probably had been away to rule in other towns. Then he came home for the *sacrifice. Chapter 7:15-17 explains this. Saul’s servant knew about Samuel. But Saul did not know about Samuel. Saul wanted to go home. But his servant wanted to ask the man of God for help first. His servant trusted the man of God because his words came true (3:19).
‘Seer’ is a different name for a *prophet. It means ‘someone who can see’. ‘See’ means to understand. The *prophets understood what God said. And they spoke God’s word to the people. Sometimes God told them about the future. Sometimes he answered people’s questions. When people went to a *prophet, they gave him a gift. This is how the *prophets earned their wages. People had not invented coins yet. So, they paid with gold and silver or food. Sometimes they paid with objects that they made.
In those days, people built towns on hills. They fetched water from the valley below the town. The young women did this job.
The *Philistines had destroyed the house of the *Lord at Shiloh. The *ark was at Abinadab’s house. The *Israelites did not have a central place where they *worshipped the *Lord. So Samuel had built an *altar to the *Lord at Ramah. The *altar was outside the town, but on a hill near to it. They called this the ‘high place’. In the *Old Testament we often read that people offered *sacrifices on the top of a hill. The false religions also had ‘high places’. But people went there to *worship *idols. The *sacrifice in verse 12 was probably the same as in 1:3-4. It was an *offering to say ‘thank-you’ to the *Lord. Samuel was the *Israelite leader. He was also a priest. People would not eat the meal until Samuel blessed the *sacrifice.
v14 Saul and the servant went up to the town. As they went into the town, Samuel came towards them. He was going to the place of *worship. v15 God had spoken to Samuel the previous day. God said, v16 ‘Tomorrow I will send a man to you. He comes from the land of Benjamin. He will arrive at about this time of day. *Anoint him as the leader over my people of *Israel. He will save my people from the *Philistines. I have seen the way that my people suffered. I heard them cry out for help’.
v17 Samuel saw Saul. God said to Samuel, ‘Here is the man I told you about. He will rule my people’.
v18 Samuel was near the entrance gate of the town. Saul approached him and said, ‘Please tell me where the seer’s house is’.
v19 Samuel said, ‘I am the seer. You must go ahead of me to the place of *worship. I want both of you to eat with me today. Tomorrow morning I will answer all your questions. Then you can go home. v20 Do not worry about the *donkeys that you lost three days ago. Someone has found them. Do you know what all the people of *Israel want? They want you and your father’s family’.
v21 Saul answered, ‘I belong to the *tribe of Benjamin. It is the smallest *tribe in the nation of *Israel. And my family group is the least important group in the *tribe of Benjamin. Why have you said all this to me?’
v22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant into a hall. He made them sit in the most important place. Samuel had invited about 30 men to the meal. v23 Samuel spoke to the cook. He said, ‘Please bring me the piece of meat that I gave you. I told you to keep it separate’.
v24 So the cook took the leg of meat and put it down in front of Saul. Samuel said to Saul, ‘I kept this piece of meat for you. Eat it because this is a special occasion. When I first invited the guests, I kept this piece of meat for you’. So, Saul ate with Samuel that day.
v25 They left the place of *worship and went into the town. Samuel took Saul on to the roof of his house. They talked together on the roof. v26 They got up at dawn the next day. Saul was on the roof of the house. Samuel called up to him. He said, ‘Get up and get ready to leave. I will send you on your journey’. Saul got ready to leave. Saul and Samuel went out into the street. v27 They walked down to the edge of the town. Samuel said, ‘Tell your servant to go on ahead of us. But you must stay, as I have a message from God for you’.
God told Samuel about Saul. He told Samuel the day before Saul came to the town. God planned that they would meet. Saul and his servant arrived at the town at just the right time. They met Samuel.
God saw how the *Philistines kept attacking the *Israelites. He knew that the *Israelites were not happy. So he chose Saul as their leader. ‘Anoint’ means to put oil on a person. This shows that God has chosen them to do a special job. He makes them able to do that job. In the *Old Testament, they *anointed the house of the *Lord and the priests. This showed that they were holy (Exodus 30:22-33). They also *anointed the kings. God told Samuel that Saul would ‘lead’ and ‘rule’ God’s people. ‘Lead’ means to govern and be their leader. ‘Rule’ means to control the people. Saul would also save them from their enemies. God did not say that Saul was their king. God was still their king.
Saul went to Samuel to ask about the *donkeys. Samuel knew about the *donkeys before Saul asked him. Saul knew that the people had asked Samuel for a king. Samuel said to Saul, ‘They want you and your father’s family’ (verse 20). Samuel meant that Saul would be the king. Saul probably understood what Samuel said. But Saul was surprised. After this, Samuel dealt with Saul as a man who deserves honour. He made Saul sit in the most important place. Then he gave him the special piece of meat. The priest usually ate this meat (Leviticus 7:34). The ‘hall’ was probably a small building at the place of *worship.
The *Israelites built houses with flat roofs. They often slept on the roof in the summer. Sometimes they built a small room on the roof. Their guests slept in this room. The stairs up to the roof were on the outside of the house. Saul stayed at Samuel’s house that night. Samuel did not explain anything to Saul until the morning (verse 19). Then he spoke to Saul in private.
v1 Then Samuel took a jar of oil and poured the oil over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul. He said, ‘The *Lord has *anointed you as the leader of the people that he owns. v2 After you leave me today you will meet two men. They will be near Rachel’s grave at Zelzah. This is in the country that belongs to the *tribe of Benjamin. The men will say, “Someone has found the *donkeys that you have been looking for. Your father has stopped thinking about his *donkeys. Now he is worried about you. He keeps asking, ‘What shall I do about my son?’ ”
v3 Then you will go on from there until you reach the big tree at Tabor. Three men will meet you there. They are going to the town of Bethel to *worship God. One man will carry three young goats. Another man will have three loaves of bread. The other man will have a leather bag full of wine. v4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread. You must accept the bread. v5 Then you must go to the place of *worship at the town of Gibeah. There is a *Philistine camp there. When you arrive, you will meet a group of *prophets. They will come down from the place of *worship. They will be playing music on their instruments: *harps, tambourines, flutes and lyres. And they will be *prophesying. v6 The Spirit of the *Lord will take control of you. You will *prophesy too. You will become a different person. v7 When all these things happen, do whatever you need to do. God is with you.
v8 Go ahead of me to the town of Gilgal. I will certainly come down to you there and give *burnt sacrifices and friendship *offerings. You must wait for 7 days. Then I will come and tell you what to do’.
Samuel *anointed Saul in private first. He told Saul that God had *anointed him as leader. Men did not choose Saul, God chose him. In verses 17-25, all the *Israelites saw that God chose Saul. Then in 11:1-15 the *Israelites gave honour to Saul in public. The phrase ‘the people that he (God) owns’ (verse 1) refers to the people of *Israel. These people belonged to God. God was their king. The people did not belong to Saul. Saul was a leader under God’s rule. Samuel kissed Saul. This showed respect for him as ruler.
Saul was probably very surprised by what Samuel said to him. He needed evidence to prove that Samuel’s words were true. So, Samuel told him about three things that would happen on his way home. This would show him that God had especially chosen him. We do not know where Zelzah (verse 2) and Tabor (verse 3) were. And we do not know whether they were towns or just an area of land. Rachel was Jacob’s wife. She died when she gave birth to their son Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-20). The *tribe of Benjamin are the people who came from the family of Benjamin.
The first event showed that Samuel’s words about the *donkeys were true. Saul did not have to think about the *donkeys any more. The second event showed that he was a very important person. The three men had food for the priest. But they gave some of it to Saul instead.
The third event happened at Samuel’s home town. The *Philistines kept attacking the land of *Israel. They had a camp at Gibeah. But in 9:16 God said that the king would save his people from the *Philistines. The group of *prophets (verse 5) was different to single *prophets. The single *prophets listened to what God said and told people God’s words. The groups of *prophets usually lived together near places of *worship. They ‘*prophesied’ when the Spirit of *God took control of them. This means that they played instruments and they sang. They shouted and danced with great excitement. They may have looked as if they were out of control. Harps and lyres are instruments with strings. Tambourines make a sound when you shake them. Flutes are instruments that you blow into.
v9 Saul left Samuel and went on his journey. As Saul left, God gave him a new character. And everything happened just as Samuel had said that it would. v10 They arrived at Gibeah and a group of *prophets met them. The Spirit of God took control of Saul. He *prophesied with the *prophets. v11 There were some people who had known Saul for a long time. They saw him *prophesying. They said, ‘What has happened to the son of Kish? Has Saul really become a *prophet?’
v12 A man who lived there asked, ‘Who is the leader of these *prophets?’ Now there is this famous phrase ‘Has Saul really become a *prophet?’ This is when it started. v13 When Saul stopped *prophesying he went up to the place of *worship.
v14 Saul’s uncle asked Saul and his servant, ‘Where have you been?’ Saul said, ‘We were looking for the *donkeys. We could not find them so we went and visited Samuel’.
v15 Saul’s uncle said, ‘What did Samuel say to you’.
v16 Saul said, ‘He told us that someone had found the *donkeys’. But Saul did not tell his uncle that Samuel had *anointed him as king.
These events showed Saul that Samuel’s words were true. Everything happened just as he said it would. This proved that God was with Saul. Saul could not change himself but the Spirit of *God changed him. Then he had to do what God told him.
The groups of *prophets had had to learn to *prophesy. So people were surprised when Saul started to *prophesy. They knew that no one had trained him. He had not behaved like this before. In verse 10, the ‘Spirit of God’ means the Holy Spirit. The phrase ‘he *prophesied’ means that Saul behaved like a *prophet. It does not mean that he became a real *prophet. The same thing happened to Saul in 19:24. But it did not affect the way that he behaved afterwards. The Holy Spirit only changed Saul’s outer behaviour. The Holy Spirit did not enter Saul in the way that he entered people in *New Testament times.
Many people did not like the groups of *prophets. The *prophets behaved in strange ways. Perhaps people thought that a bad thing had happened to Saul. Perhaps they did not want him to join with the *prophets. In verse 12 the question ‘Who is the leader of these *prophets?’ was an insult. It meant ‘We do not know their leader so these *prophets are not important’. The people had no respect for the *prophets. And the people had no respect for Saul when he behaved like the *prophets.
In Acts 2, some people insulted the disciples (people who followed Jesus) when the Holy Spirit came. The people thought that the disciples had drunk too much wine. 1 Corinthians 2:14 refers to a person who does not have the Holy Spirit. This person cannot understand what the Holy Spirit does.
Saul’s uncle did not know that Kish had lost his *donkeys. Saul told his uncle only part of what Samuel had said to him. Saul kept everything else a secret.
v17 Samuel sent a message to all the people of *Israel. He told them to meet with the *Lord at Mizpah. v18 He said to them, ‘This is a message from the *Lord, the God of *Israel. The *Lord says, “I led you *Israelites out from the country of Egypt. I saved you from Egypt’s control. And from the control of other nations that gave you trouble”. v19 The *Lord saves you from all your troubles and difficult situations. Now you have refused to accept the *Lord your God. You said, “No. We want a king to rule us”. So, come and stand in front of God. Stand together in your *tribes and as families’.
v20 Each *tribe went forward. God chose the *tribe of Benjamin. v21 Each family group from the *tribe of Benjamin went forward. And God chose the family group of Matri. Then God chose Saul, son of Kish, from the family of Matri. They looked for Saul but no one could find him. v22 So they asked the *Lord, ‘Has Saul come here yet?’ And the *Lord said, ‘Yes, but he is hiding among the luggage’.
v23 So they ran to Saul and brought him out. When Saul stood with the people, you could see his head above everyone else’s head. v24 Samuel said to all the people, ‘Here is the man that God has chosen. There is no one else among the people as good as he is’. Then the people shouted, ‘May the king live for a long time’.
v25 Samuel explained to the people all the duties and rights of a king. He wrote them in a book. He put the book in the holy place. Then Samuel told the people to go to their own homes. v26 Saul went to his home at Gibeah. A group of brave men went with him. The men went with Saul because God gave them the desire. v27 There were some other men who caused trouble. They said, ‘We do not think that this man can save us’. They did not approve of Saul. They did not bring him any gifts. But Saul said nothing.
In chapter 8 the *Israelites went to Samuel and asked him for a king. God said that he would give them a king. So Samuel sent the people home. Now Samuel called the people together again and gave them their king. We do not know whether there was a short or a long time between these two meetings.
First, Samuel reminded the *Israelites that they refused the *Lord as their king. Samuel did not declare Saul as their king. Instead, the people saw that God chose Saul. We do not know how this happened. In the *Old Testament, the priests used the Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30). We do not know what these were. However, they were a definite way that God told the priest his decision. They involved a choice. This contrasts with the messages of the *prophets which could be true or false. Each *tribe had thousands of people. Probably the leader of each *tribe went forward. In verse 19, ‘stand in front of God’ may mean that they stood in front of an *altar at Mizpah. Each family group had hundreds of people in it. God was able to choose Saul even when Saul was not there.
Saul knew that God had chosen him but Saul hid. Perhaps he was afraid and did not want to be king. But when the people saw their king, they were very happy. They thought that Saul would be a good king. The *Israelites had never had a king before. So Samuel had to explain about the king. The king was not to be like the kings of the nations round *Israel. A king had duties. God expected him to do particular things. He had to lead the people the proper way. The king also had rights. He could tell the people to do things for him. God also had rules for a king. He gave these rules to Moses in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. The ‘holy place’ (verse 25) was the place of *worship. It may have been a building. When Samuel finished all this, the people went home.
God was kind to Saul. He gave Saul a group of brave men to help him. They stayed with him at Gibeah. But a few people did not like Saul. They wanted to make trouble. They refused the man that God chose. This often happens, even now, when God chooses someone for a job. Saul behaved the right way. He said nothing.
v1 Nahash was an *Ammonite. He went with his army to seize the town of Jabesh in the country of Gilead. They surrounded Jabesh. The people from Jabesh said, ‘Make a contract with us and we will accept you as our ruler’. v2 Nahash said, ‘I will make a contract with you. But I will pull out the right eye of every person in your town. Then you will have shame among the people of *Israel’. v3 The rulers of Jabesh said to him, ‘Wait for 7 days. We will send a message to all the people in *Israel. We will ask them to rescue us. If no-one comes to rescue us, we will let you be our ruler’.
An ‘Ammonite’ was a person from the *tribe or country of Ammon. The Ammonites had attacked *Israel in the past (read Judges 3:13; 11:4-32). When an army attacked a town, the soldiers often killed all the people in that town. The people who came from Jabesh could not fight and win against the Ammonites. They wanted to give in and let Nahash rule them. But if Nahash pulled out their right eyes, they would not be able to fight very well. In those days, many men fought with bows and arrows. They needed two eyes so that they could aim their arrows straight. The people from Jabesh did not want to have this shame. So they asked the *Israelites to help them. Nahash probably thought that his army was strong enough to fight the *Israelites.
v4 The men took the message to the town of Gibeah. Saul lived in this town. When they told the people the news, the people started to cry aloud. v5 Saul had been in his field. Now he was coming home with his *oxen. He heard the people crying. He said, ‘What has happened? Why are the people crying?’ They told Saul what the men from Jabesh had said. v6 When Saul heard the news the Spirit of God took control of him in a powerful way. Saul became very angry. v7 He killed two of his *oxen. He cut them into pieces. He gave the pieces to the men from Jabesh. He told the men to take the pieces to all the towns that were in *Israel. The men said, ‘Everyone must follow Saul and Samuel into battle. Someone will cut up your *oxen like this if you do not follow’. The people were afraid of the *Lord. So all the men came together as one group. v8 They met together with Saul at the town of Bezek. There were 300 000 men from the country of *Israel. There were 30 000 men from the country of *Judah.
v9 Saul spoke to the men who had brought the news from Jabesh. He told them to go back to Jabesh and tell the people this message. ‘Someone will rescue you. It will happen tomorrow before midday’. So, the men went and told the message. All the people in Jabesh were very happy. v10 The men of Jabesh went and spoke to Nahash. They said, ‘Tomorrow we will come out to you. Then you can do anything that you want with us’.
v11 The next day Saul divided his soldiers into three groups. At dawn, they attacked the *Ammonite army. The *Israelite soldiers killed and defeated them by midday. Some of the *Ammonite soldiers escaped and scattered. Each man ran off by himself.
Saul was the king of *Israel now but he still worked in his fields. Saul was angry when he heard about the *Ammonite attack on Jabesh. The Spirit of God gave him power to rescue the town and the people. The Spirit of God gives power to people for the special job that God gives them. Without this power, they cannot do the job. *Israel did not have an army. Saul required every man in *Israel to fight. He warned them to frighten them. But the people were not afraid of Saul. They were afraid of the *Lord. Saul was a strong leader because God gave him the power. The men came from many different towns but they were a united group. They met at Bezek. Bezek was about 16 kilometres (10 miles) away from Jabesh.
In verse 8, a ‘thousand’ is the name for a large group of men. The group has a maximum of 1000 men, but there may be fewer men. So there were 300 large groups of men from *Israel and 30 groups from *Judah. This verse shows that the writer of 1 Samuel wrote it after the days of king Solomon. *Israel was one country during the rule of Saul, David and Solomon. When Solomon died, *Israel divided into *Judah and *Israel (1 Kings 12).
The people in Jabesh heard that Saul and his army would rescue them. They were very happy now. In verse 10, ‘we will come out to you’ has two meanings. Nahash thought that the people from Jabesh would give in to him. But the people meant that they would go and fight him. The *Ammonites were not ready for the attack. ‘The next day’ (verse 11) meant after sunset. The *Israelite day ended at sunset. Their new day started in the evening (Genesis 1:3). The *Israelites defeated the *Ammonites. Only a few of the *Ammonite soldiers escaped.
v12 The people of *Israel said, ‘Some men said, “We do not think that this man can save us”. Where are those men? Bring them to us and we will kill them’.
v13 Saul said, ‘No. The *Lord rescued the people of *Israel today. You must not kill these men’.
v14 Samuel said, ‘We will all go to the town of Gilgal. Then we will declare again that Saul is our king’. v15 So everyone went to Gilgal. They went to the holy place. They declared that Saul was king. They gave peace *offerings to the *Lord. Saul and all the *Israelites had a special party because they were happy.
In 10:27, some men did not think that Saul could save the *Israelites. At Jabesh, Saul proved that he could. This proved that he was a good leader. In verse 13, Saul was not proud. He knew that God had rescued the people. Saul was wise. He did not punish those who opposed his authority. Instead, Samuel had a special meeting. Everyone declared that Saul was king. This time no-one opposed him. The *Israelites were happy with God and happy with Saul. The Bible sometimes calls the ‘peace *offering’ (verse 15) the ‘fellowship’ or ‘friendship’ *offering. The people gave *offerings to the *Lord. Then they ate part of the *offerings together. You can read about this *offering in Leviticus 3 and 7:11-21. This was probably the same *offering as in 1 Samuel chapters 1 and 9.
People declared Saul as king on three different occasions. This way, Samuel helped the people to accept Saul as king. First, Samuel *anointed him with oil in 10:1. This was a private time with just Saul and Samuel. The second time was a public event. God chose Saul from all of the *Israelites (10:17-25). But some people opposed Saul. The third time was in 11:14-15. This time all the *Israelites went to the holy place. Everyone knew then that God gave Saul the power to be their king.
v1 Samuel said to all the *Israelites, ‘I have done everything that you wanted me to do. I have given you a king to rule you. v2 Now you have a king to lead you. I am old and my hair is grey. My sons are here with you. I have been your leader from the days when I was young until now. v3 Here I am. I have not done any wrong things. If I have, you must accuse me to the *Lord and his *anointed king. I did not steal anyone’s *ox or *donkey. I did not hurt anyone because I had not been honest. I saw the wrong things that people did. But I never accepted money to pretend that I did not see them. However, if I have done any of these things, I will give you what I have taken’.
v4 The *Israelites answered, ‘You have always been honest. You have not hurt any of us. You have not taken anything from anyone’.
v5 Samuel said to the *Israelites, ‘The *Lord is a witness of what you have said today. The *Lord’s *anointed king is also a witness of this: You said that I am innocent’.
They replied, ‘He is a witness’.
All the *Israelites now accepted Saul as their king. Samuel had led them for a long time. He had been a good leader. Samuel had even given them the king that they wanted. Samuel was honest. He was fair. The people could trust him. He did not take anything from them. All the *Israelites agreed with this. In chapter 8, Samuel had warned them that a king would take a lot from them. Perhaps Samuel wanted the king to hear how he should lead the people. God had chosen Samuel to lead the *Israelites. Samuel led the *Israelites in the way that God wanted. Then God chose and *anointed Saul as king. Now Samuel wanted Saul to lead the *Israelites in God’s way. Samuel was still the priest. The people could still trust Samuel to lead them as a good priest.
In verse 5, the people said ‘He is a witness’. ‘He’ could refer to the *Lord or to the king as the witness.
v6 Then Samuel said to all the people, ‘The *Lord chose Moses and Aaron. The *Lord brought all the *Israelites out from the country of Egypt. v7 You must stand up now because I will judge you. I will remind you about all the good things that God did. God did these things for you and for your families who lived many years ago. v8 Jacob and his family went to the country of Egypt. About four centuries later the people from the family of Jacob (the *Israelites) asked the *Lord to help them. The *Lord sent Moses and Aaron. They brought the *Israelites, your family, out from the country of Egypt. They brought them into this place.
v9 But the *Israelites forgot the *Lord their God. Sisera led an army from the town of Hazor. He fought against the *Israelites. The *Philistines and the king of Moab also fought against the *Israelites. The *Lord allowed these enemies to win. They made the *Israelites become their slaves. v10 Then the *Israelites called out to the *Lord. They said, “We have *sinned. We left the *Lord and served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Save us from our enemies and we will serve you”. v11 So the *Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel. The *Lord saved you from all your enemies. Then you lived in safety.
v12 But then you saw that Nahash, who was the king of the *Ammonites, was coming to attack you. So you said to me, “No. We want a king to rule us”. However, the *Lord your God was your king. v13 Now here is the king that you chose. He is the one that you asked for. The *Lord has made him your king. v14 You should fear the *Lord and serve him. You must obey the *Lord. You must not oppose his commands. You and the king who rules you must follow the *Lord. v15 You might not obey the *Lord. You might oppose his commands. If you do, he will oppose you. He will do to you what he did to the *Israelites in the past’.
You can read about Jacob in the *Old Testament book of Genesis. His birth is in chapter 25. He went to Egypt in chapter 46. The account of Moses and Aaron is in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. The book of Joshua describes how the *Israelites came into the land where they now lived. The events in verses 9-11 are in the book of Judges. The *Israelites asked for a king in 1 Samuel 8. But the account of the attack by Nahash is not until chapter 11. In the past, Nahash had probably attacked other countries that were near *Israel. Perhaps the *Israelites thought that Nahash would attack them in the future.
In these verses, Samuel spoke as a *prophet. The *Israelites knew a lot about what had happened to them in the past. In verses 6-11, Samuel reminded them again. God had given them all that they needed. He had rescued them from all their enemies. Samuel reminded them that God had chosen leaders for them. These leaders led them in the battles. The *Israelites had success and won their battles. Then Samuel reminded the *Israelites that they had often stopped *worshipping God. Instead, they *worshipped *idols. So God let their enemies defeat them.
The *Israelites’ main *sin is in verse 9, ‘they forgot the *Lord their God’. God wanted the *Israelites to *worship only him. He was their king. When they *worshipped the *Lord, their life was good. When they *worshipped other *gods, their enemies won the battles. But when the *Israelites started to *worship the *Lord again, the *Lord helped them.
In verses 12-15, Samuel reminds the *Israelites that they refused the *Lord as their king. Instead, they wanted a man as their king. But the *Lord was still their king. The *Israelites had to obey the *Lord. Their king had to obey the *Lord. In verse 15, Samuel warns the *Israelites not to oppose the *Lord. When they did this in the past, the *Lord punished them. If they do it in the future, the *Lord will punish them again.
v16 Now stand still. See the great thing that the *Lord will to do. v17 It is time for the wheat harvest now. I will pray. The *Lord will send *thunder and rain. Then you will know that you did an evil thing against the *Lord. You asked for a king.
v18 Samuel prayed to the *Lord. That day the *Lord sent *thunder and rain. All the people were afraid of the *Lord and of Samuel. v19 All the people said to Samuel, ‘We are your servants. Pray to the *Lord your God for us. Do not let us die. We have *sinned many times in the past. Now we have *sinned because we asked for a king’.
v20 Samuel said, ‘Do not be afraid. It is true that you have *sinned. But do not turn away from the *Lord. Serve the *Lord with all of your spirit. v21 Do not *worship *idols. They cannot help you. They cannot save you. They have no use. v22 The *Lord does not change his decisions. He decided to make you his own people. He will not leave you. v23 As for me, I will not stop praying for you. I will *sin against the *Lord if I stop. I will teach you the good and the right things to do. v24 You must give the *Lord honour. You must serve him with all your spirit. Remember the wonderful things that he did for you. v25 But if you continue to *sin against God he will remove you and your king’.
The wheat harvest is in the dry season. There is no rain or *thunder in this season. (In 7:10-11 God sent *thunder to frighten the *Philistines.) The *Israelites were very frightened when God sent the rain and *thunder in the dry season. The storm was the way that God spoke to the *Israelites. They realised that they had *sinned. They were afraid that God would kill them. But Samuel knew that God loved the *Israelites. God chose them as his special people. The *Israelites were afraid of God. But Samuel did not want them to turn away from God because of their fear. The people could not change what they had done. But Samuel encouraged them to live the right way in the future. The *Lord had been very kind to them in the past. He would be kind to them in the future, if they obeyed him. But if they did not obey the *Lord, he would remove them. The *Lord wanted his people to serve and *worship only him.
One of Samuel’s duties as a priest was to pray to God. Samuel knew that this was very important. He said that he would *sin against God if he did not pray for the *Israelites. He also had to teach the people the right way to behave. Samuel had done both these things while he led the people. Samuel obeyed God. And he had to continue this work.
v1 Saul was 30 years old when he became king. He was the king of *Israel for 42 years. v2 Saul chose 3000 men from *Israel. 2000 men stayed with him at Michmash. This place was in the mountains of Bethel. 1000 men stayed with his son Jonathan. They stayed in the town of Gibeah. Gibeah was in the land that belonged to the *tribe of Benjamin. Saul sent the rest of the men home. v3 Some of the *Philistine army camped at Geba. Jonathan attacked them. The rest of the *Philistines heard about it. Saul said, ‘All the *Israelites must hear about this’. So Saul sent men out to every place in the land of *Israel. They had to blow trumpets to call the men to war. v4 All the people in *Israel heard the news. They heard that Saul had attacked the *Philistines. They heard that the *Philistines hated the *Israelites now. So the people came to Saul at Gilgal.
Verse 1 in the old *Hebrew texts says, ‘Saul was years old when he became king’. The person who wrote it left out Saul’s age. We do not know how old Saul was but many Bible teachers think that he was between 30 and 40 years old.
The *Israelites came from 12 different *tribes. They did not have an army. When people had attacked them in the past, all the men left their work. Then they went to fight. For example, this happened in chapter 11. Saul decided to train and pay a proper army. He chose the men that he wanted. He sent the rest of the men home. Jonathan was Saul’s oldest son (14:49).
Geba was about 6 kilometres (4 miles) north of Gibeah. Michmash was only 3 kilometres (2 miles) north of Geba. Small groups of *Philistine soldiers camped in many places in the land of *Israel. They watched the *Israelites. Later the *Philistines attacked the *Israelites. But the *Philistines could gather their main army quickly if the *Israelites attacked them. Jonathan attacked the small camp of *Philistines at Geba. The *Philistines were angry. This started a major battle. The *Israelites now needed more men to fight in this battle. A trumpet was an instrument that they blew into. In the *Old Testament the *Israelites gathered when they heard the trumpet. This was how news travelled quickly round the country. This time the trumpet called people together for war. Saul was at Gilgal where the *Israelites had made him king in 1 Samuel 11:14-15. Gilgal was about 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Geba.
v5 The *Philistines gathered to fight the *Israelites. The *Philistines had 3000 *chariots and 6000 men who rode in the *chariots. They had many thousands of soldiers. There were so many soldiers that no-one could count them. The *Philistines camped at the town of Michmash which was east of Beth Aven. v6 The *Israelites saw the *Philistine army. The *Israelites knew that they were in a difficult situation. Some of them went and hid in caves and bushes. They also hid among the rocks, in holes in the ground and in wells. v7 Some of the *Israelites even crossed to the other side of the river Jordan. They went into the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul stayed at Gilgal. All the people with him were so afraid that they trembled. v8 Samuel had told Saul to wait for him. Saul waited for 7 days as Samuel had told him. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal. The men with Saul began to leave him. v9 So Saul said, ‘Bring the *burnt offering and the friendship *offerings to me’. Saul offered the *burnt offering to God. v10 Samuel arrived just as he finished. Saul went to greet Samuel.
v11 Samuel asked, ‘What have you done?’
Saul replied, ‘The soldiers were leaving me. You said you would be here at a particular time. But you did not arrive at that time. The *Philistines were gathering at Michmash. v12 I thought that they would come and attack me at Gilgal. But I had not asked God to help me. So I thought that I ought to offer the *burnt offering’.
v13 Samuel said, ‘You have behaved in a foolish way. You have not obeyed the command of the *Lord your God. You should have obeyed the *Lord. Then the *Lord would have let you and your family rule over the *Israelites for ever. v14 But this will not happen because you did not obey the *Lord. Instead, the *Lord will find the kind of man that he wants. The *Lord will make this man the ruler of his people, the *Israelites’.
Saul and his army left Michmash and went to Gilgal. So the main *Philistine army came to Michmash. The *Philistines had many *chariots. The *Philistine army was so large that no one could count all the soldiers. The *Israelite soldiers saw this and became very frightened. Some of them hid. Some ran more than 24 kilometres (15 miles) to the river Jordan. They did not want the *Philistines to kill them. In 1 Samuel 10:8, Samuel had told Saul to go to Gilgal and wait for him. Samuel said, ‘I will certainly come down to you there and give *burnt sacrifices and friendship *offerings. You must wait for 7 days. Then I will come and tell you what to do’.
Before a battle the priest gave *sacrifices to God and prayed. He listened to God. And he told the people what God had said. God told them how to fight. He told them how to win the battle. The *Israelites trusted God to help them. Saul waited for 7 days but Samuel did not arrive. Perhaps Samuel was testing Saul to see if Saul would trust God. Saul became frightened. He could have asked God to help. Only the priest should offer the *burnt offering. Saul saw that his soldiers were leaving. So he went against Samuel’s instruction. Saul did not trust God’s word that Samuel the *prophet had spoken. Saul did not obey God. Instead, Saul did what he thought was right. This is *sin. Saul *sinned in this way several times while he was king.
Verses 11-12 show that Saul had been afraid of the situation. That is why he acted. In verse 13 ‘foolish’ means guilty of wrong behaviour. In 1 Samuel 15:22 Samuel said that it is better to obey God than to *sacrifice to him. The *Israelites wanted a king to lead them. They wanted to be like other nations. They wanted a king to fight their battles. God gave them what they wanted. But King Saul did not trust God. Usually the present king’s son became the next king. And this continued for many years. The king’s son learned how to be king by watching his father. God did not want another king like Saul. God wanted his special people, the *Israelites, to have a good king. In chapter 16, we read how God chose the next king.
v15 Samuel left Gilgal. He went to the town of Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were with him. There were 600 men.
v16 Saul, his son Jonathan and the men who were with them were in the town of Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. The *Philistines camped at Michmash. v17 They sent out three groups of men to make attacks. One group went towards Ophrah in the land of Shual. v18 The second group went towards the town of Beth Horon. The third group went to the border of the land. There they could see across the Valley of Zeboim towards the desert.
v19 There were no *blacksmiths in the land of *Israel. The *Philistines had said, ‘If the *Israelites have *blacksmiths they will be able to make swords or *spears’. v20 The *Israelites used ploughs, hoes, axes and sickles on their farm land. These tools got blunt. So they had to take them to the *Philistines’ *blacksmiths who made them sharp again. v21 The *Israelites had to pay 8 grams of silver to have each plough and hoe made sharp again. They paid 4 grams of silver for each axe, sickle and *ox-goad.
v22 When the battle started only Saul and Jonathan had a sword and *spear. The other soldiers did not have any swords or *spears.
Saul’s army was very small now. Saul and Jonathan joined together so that all the *Israelites fought as one army. But the *Philistine army divided into 3 groups. This was a common way for an army to attack. Each group went in a different direction. Ophrah was in the north. Beth Horon was in the west. The valley of Zeboim was in the south east. But the Bible does not say how far they went.
Saul became king more than 3000 years ago. At that time, people were learning how to make tools from iron. People used to make tools from wood and stone. Then they learned how to make metal called *bronze. But iron was better because it was much stronger. And iron tools stayed sharp for a long time. A ‘*blacksmith’ was a man who made iron tools. He also made blunt tools sharp again.
The tools in verses 20-21 were farm tools. A farmer used a hoe to get weeds out of the ground. A sickle was like a large curved knife. A farmer used it to cut down his grain. An *ox-goad was a long stick with a sharp metal point. The *ox pulled a plough. If the *ox stopped, the farmer pushed the goad into the *ox’s bottom. That made the *ox start to walk again. The *Philistines were skilled at making iron tools. They sold the tools to the people who lived near them, including the *Israelites. But the *Philistines did not teach anyone how to become *blacksmiths. Therefore, everyone had to go to the *Philistines when their tools became blunt. The *Philistines charged a very high price to make the tools sharp again. No one had invented money yet, so people paid with pieces of silver.
The *Philistines controlled the *Israelites in this way. The *Philistines knew that the *Israelites could not make swords or spears. A spear is like a large arrow that a soldier throws. Only Saul and Jonathan had a sword and spear. The other soldiers probably had bows and arrows. The *Philistines had a very large army. They had swords, spears and *chariots. And