1 Samuel 7-9
We continue with 1 Samuel today. Remember from yesterday, the ark was returned to Israel from the uncircumcised Philistines, because God gave them emerods, in their privates.
Today we get:
- Sammy the judge
- The request for a king
- The finding of Saul
1 Samuel 7
1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
So, why they didn't just take the ark back to the tentbernacle in Shiloh, is never told. Instead they put it in Abinadab's house. This city was in the area of Judah, and it's understood that Abinadab was a levite in the city. Otherwise he would probably be smitten with emerods, for being the caretaker.
2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
After this one guy held the ark for 20 years, the people finally realized they wanted to follow God again. So Samuel tells them to put away their fake gods and start serving the real God again. When they do, He will deliver them from the Philistines.
4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.
It's about time, they routinely turned their back on Him.
Then Sam gathers all the men in Mizpeh. And they praised God there.
7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
They should be more afraid of their God, who sends plagues, and can steer kine, than of people who worship a fish god.
So Sam offered a lamb as a sacrifice to God, when the Philistines came close.
10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
PRAISE GOD!
Then the people chased after them and killed them all the way to Bethcar.
Sam set up a monument, and called it Ebenezer.
13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
Then the people took back the land that the Philistines had earlier taken from them.
For the rest of his life, Samuel was a judge. He made a circuit around the country, doing his job.
16 And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.
17 And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.
1 Samuel 8
1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
I'm sure they were great boys. The eldest was Joel, the next was Abiah.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
Well, apparently, they were like Eli's sons. Why does it seem Godly men have bad sons. How can you expect someone to be a good leader, if they can't even lead their own house?
The leaders then came to Samuel begging for him to appoint a king.
So Sam prays to God, about whether to do appoint one or not.
7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
See, Samuel didn't want to appoint a king because that would (in his eyes) diminish his role as the chief judge of the people. Appointing a king would make him NOT the most powerful man.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
God said, they wanted to serve another man instead of Samuel, just like they want to serve other gods than Him.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
So Samuel calls the people and tells them that God says, if you still want a king, this is what you are gonna get.
11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
He'll take your sons.
13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
He'll take your daughters.
14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
He'll take your land.
15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
He'll tax you. A whopping 10% tax.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
When you grow tired of all this, God won't listen, because, sometimes getting what you want is worse than not getting it, and you probably need to learn a lesson.
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
But still, the people wanted a king. They wanted a figure head. Someone they could rally behind. They wanted a person with more power than a judge. They wanted/needed RULE. (They weren't ready for democracy; some people need a tyrant).
Then Samuel told God they wanted a king anyway, and sent the people back home.
1 Samuel 9
Kish, of Benjamin, had a son named Saul.
2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
Saul was tall.
Kish had lost his donkeys, so he sent Saul and a servant to go find them.
After several days of not finding the lost asses, Saul said to the servant that they should go back home, because he was sure his father was thinking that he lost his son.
The servant said;
6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.
Saul said they couldn't go, because they didn't have a gift for him. Between them they had a fourth of a shekel of silver, and thought that'd be good enough to talk to Samuel.
9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)
Um, thanks for the history lesson, inside the history lesson.
So they went to go find Samuel.
14 And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.
So Samuel was looking for them. See, he was/is a seer.
15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.
Why didn't they start out verse one with God talking to Samuel. Why now was that little tidbit in verses 15 and 16 thrown in there?
17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.
Why does it seem all leaders are tall? Of the 42 Presidents of the United States, 27 of them were over 5'9".
18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.
19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.
Apparently Samuel's fame wasn't that great, if the tallest guy around didn't know who he was.
20 And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?
Wow, Saul didn't even have to tell him about the lost asses.
21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?
It seems Saul didn't really want the job. Or was confused as to why Samuel would talk to him like that.
Samuel asks Saul to stay for dinner. He does. He asks him to stay the night, he does. Then Saul goes to leave, and Samuel says to send the servant ahead.
27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on), but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.
And thus ends today's reading.
So what have we learned?
1. Godly men routinely have two boys who are bad, Judah, Aaron, Eli and now Samuel.
2. The ark probably stayed with Abinidab for about 50-70 years. It was just 20 years before the people remembered they had a real God.
3. If Saul can't control his own asses, how will he look out for all the rest of the people?
YIC
V