3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only.
5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the LORD.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Twenty years after the ark was moved to Kiriah Jearim, Samuel began his public ministry. During those twenty years, Israel had a change of heart and began to turn to the Lord. Samuel addressed the people of Israel and challenged them to prove their loyalty to the Lord by abandoning their idols and foreign gods. They needed to rid themselves of false gods and commit wholeheartedly to the Lord and then they could expect the blessings of a right relationship with God which included deliverance from the hand of the Philistines. Israel responded rightly by getting rid of the Baals and Ashtaroths (male and female Canaanite deities) and served the Lord only.
Samuel gathered the people at Mizpah to pray for them. The people gathered and drew water and poured it out before the Lord. This was evidently a symbolic gesture that they sought the Lord’s forgiveness and favour more than life-giving water. They fasted and confessed their sin against the Lord. When the Philistines heard about their gathering, they marched up against Israel. The people were afraid and they urged Samuel to keep interceding for them with God that He might save them from the Philistines. Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to God. God answered him with a thundering sound that threw the Philistines into confusion and defeated them. Samuel commemorated the victory by erecting a stone monument called Ebenezer which means “the stone of [God’s] help. This ended the Philistine occupation of Israel. God’s show of force also brought peace between Israel and the Amorites, another Canaanite remnant in the area.
Samuel continued to judge Isreal for the rest of his life. He moved in a circuit with a circumference of about 50 miles between the cities of Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and his hometown of Ramah.
For twenty years the people of Israel moved towards God yet they still clung to their false gods. Samuel had to urge them to put away their false gods and focus on God wholeheartedly. What do you have in your life that is holding you back from wholeheartedly following the Lord?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
The Transfiguration: Matthew 17-18