God’s Prophet and Judge
Study: 1 Samuel 7: 3 – 11, 15 – 17
Background: 1 Samuel 7
Devotional: 1 Corinthians 15:50–58
Lesson 11 November 14, 2026
Key Verse
Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to the Lord, and serve Him alone; and He will save you from the hand of the Philistines”.
1 Samuel 7:3
INTRODUCTION
Our Study Lesson is in reality a lesson in leadership showing us a model of what leadership is to do. In this Study Samuel is called on by God to help return Israel to the Lord for Israel had fallen away from God. They had walked away from God and it was now time for them to return to God, and Samuel acting as prophet priest, and judge leads them through the three proper steps that exists and must be followed in a return to God.
The three simple steps for returning to God are quite simple and easy to understand but the problem for us is that even though we see the steps it is hard for us to take them because of the stubbornness and pride in our hearts.
These steps has not changed over the years and so we need to pay close attention to these steps if we also need to return to the Lord God Almighty today
We will note the steps now. In our Lesson Study the steps are listed as follows:
- Repentance. This is always the first step and it has three aspects of genuine repentance for it is to be noted that there is the sorrow of the world, which is not the same at all as godly sorrow.
Genuine repentance therefore as our Study Lesson teaches us involves mourning for sin and seeking after the Lord;
Then the next thing it involves is putting away in our life any rivals to God in our life;
And then of course it requires committing yourself to serving God alone.
In all this the Lesson stresses the importance of prayer, and joining other believers in prayer to God, while at the same time freely confessing your sins against the Lord and trusting in God for His deliverance.
- Notice therefore the stress on prayer and asking for prayer from other believers and freely confessing your sin against the Lord.
- Then you can expect growth in your relationship with God for when you return to God you won’t suddenly have everything in place so that you are considering yourself to have reached Heaven. There is a process of growth in the Christian life and sometimes it’s a long step and a difficult one, for it involves daily meeting pain and suffering knowing fully well that it’s a rewarding process when you are growing in the Lord.
- Notice however that when you return to the Lord with all your heart there is a need for you demonstrating in action all that has happened to you. When you gather before God, this calls for sacrifices for as a child of God you have been called by Him to offer spiritual sacrifices, and then you show the fruits of your revival, for when difficulties come you have to know that when you fear you call on God for help and guidance.
This Study Lesson will immediately therefore pose the question, How is your relationship to God?
Are you making progress, are growing, or have you gone backwards in your Christian walk?
Are you then missing out on God’s daily love and guidance and His peace and assurance?
This is therefore a very important Lesson for leadership as well as for the people of God who have been given spiritual gifts so that they can offer spiritual sacrifices to God and involve themselves in a meaningful way in building up the body of Christ.
Our Text therefore focuses on the life of one of the most interesting persons in Scripture, namely, the prophet Samuel. His life and work is a model for all those who want to be in leadership, particularly in God’s economy.
A prophet by definition is one who speaks for God; in the present and as to the future. We see this in the lives of most of those who were called prophets in the land of Israel. On the other hand the term ‘Judge’ is almost a technical term in the Bible, since those so designated did not operate in the normal judicial sense with which we are familiar.
Samuel was both a ‘judge’ and a prophet and this combination puts him in a unique place among those considered judges and prophets, in Israel.
The circumstances of Samuel’s conception, his childhood, adolescence and the times in which he lived all combined in the making of God’s ‘prophet and judge’.
But when we note this about Samuels call, his appointment and his life, we know that Scripture teaches that you are called by God and so you are specially commissioned by God for the task He has engaged you in.
Samuel’s mother, Hannah was unable to have children and we are specifically told : the Lord had closed her womb. (1 Samuel 1:5).
We can see the significance of this situation as it puts her in the company of Sarah, Rachel, Rebekah, women who were ‘barren’ but bore remarkable men of God.
As soon as he was weaned his mother took him to the tabernacle in Shiloh and left him in the care of the then priest, Eli. This growing up in the tabernacle was not the most pleasant experience for a young boy for he was surrounded by men who were not fully committed to God and some were men of Belial. So we do not complain about our tough life in the past for when you are called by God, you know that God loves you and that God has a purpose for you and he will keep you through all the difficulties you face.
Samuel’s childhood was spent at the tabernacle and God gave him his first message at the tabernacle when he was still a child!
Samuel was a life-long ‘Nazirite’, (Numbers 6).
Samuel lived at the end of that dark period in Israel’s history known as the ‘times of the Judges’ (amphictyony) and his tenure served as a transition to the monarchy.
The death of Joshua marked the end of an era and the succeeding years till the coming to authority of the prophet Samuel, a period of about three hundred and thirty years defines what is known as the period of the Judges. It was a time characterized by cycles of sin, judgment from God and then relief.
Typical of the times, there was national sin, usually idolatry, then judgment from God, in the form of oppression by various Canaanite nations.
The people in turn would cry out to God for help in their suffering and He would mercifully send a deliverer or judge to liberate them from their enemies in keeping with His covenant.
The people would be immediately grateful but as soon as that ‘deliverer’ passed from the scene, there would be a rapid relapse into apostasy, each cycle more degenerate than the previous. The people quickly reverted to the worship of Baal, they participated in the most degrading forms of Canaanite idolatry and ignored the Covenant with their God, (Lev. 26; Deut. 28; Judges 23, 24). Thus, the cycle would start all over again, decline, oppression, supplication and deliverance.
At that time in Israel, a “judge” was almost never a person who passed judgment on certain cases, or who acted in the most common sense of the word. They might have exercised some judicial function, but their primary task was to be a military leader.
Judges were primarily “deliverers” from the oppression of Israel’s enemies. They sometimes acted independently, as did Samson, who was a kind of “Lone Ranger judge”.
Some of the judges led the military forces of one or more tribes against their foes. These judges did not lead the military forces of the entire nation, but only certain segments. As a rule, they did not have any administrative function, as say a king. God raised these judges up spontaneously, because of Israel’s oppression by their enemies. There was no succession and no dynasty. Usually, the Israelites were free from oppression as long as the judge lived.
By any measure Samuel was qualified to be both judge and prophet and clearly God’s hand was on his life from conception. Unlike other ‘judges’, Samuel appears to have served as ‘judge’ to all twelve tribes.
So we can understand that for Samuel, a totally dedicated Nazarite, following the stipulations of the Covenant would guarantee that God would remain the source of deliverance for Israel. For him obedience to God was the key to the survival of the nation.
Samuel loved God and obeyed Him without question. He never took advantage of his authority for his first loyalty was to God and he knew that God was just and impartial in His judgments. Obedience to God and respect for people were the cardinal principles behind the life of Samuel.
Near the end of his life Samuel could stand on his record:
“Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to close my eyes with it? I will return it to you.” 1 Samuel 12:3
There are few leaders whose reputation can survive any close scrutiny. Let all leaders therefore be careful about how they live,, what they do and the example that they set for others.
They must live by and teach without hesitation or compromise the truths of God
The Philistines, a war-like and militarily strong nation were the oppressors of Israel at the time of Samuel.
Prior to our Text the Israelites had suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Philistines and the Ark of the Covenant was captured from the Israelite settlement at Ebenezer and moved to the temple of Dagon in the Philistine city of Ashdod (1 Samuel 4:11; 5:2).
However, and to put it mildly, things did not go well for the people of Ashdod after the Ark’s arrival (5:3–6)! The citizens of Gath part of the Philistine pentapolis fared no better when the Ark was transferred to their city, about twelve miles east of Ashdod (5:7–8). Neither did the citizens of Ekron, about eleven miles due north of Gath (5:8–12).
These three relocations occurred over a period of seven months. It took that long before the Philistines realized that the Ark was far from being a good-luck charm (1 Samuel 6:1–2). Therefore, with great fear and trepidation, the Philistines sent the Ark to the Israelite settlement at Bethshemesh, about eight miles due east of Ekron (6:3–18).
A new cart, carrying the Ark came into the town of Beth-shemesh where some people with either misguided or evil curiosity lifted the lid to look in and many died for their presumption.
The Ark housed the tablets of the Law and may have also housed other items (Exodus 40:20; Deuteronomy 10:5; Hebrews 9:4). But what they saw wasn’t the point.
Rather, the offense was their imposition on God’s holiness. God had assigned holiness to the ark when He specified its location to be in “the holy place.” The Holy Place had highly restrictive entrance requirements (Leviticus 16:1–2; Hebrews 9:1–5). In contrast, the residents of the town treated the Ark like a tourist attraction.
The resulting tragedy prompted the residents of Bethshemesh to ask the people of Kirjathjearim, about eight miles away, to accept the Ark. It remained at Kirjathjearim (approximately seven miles west of Jerusalem) for twenty years (1 Samuel 7:2a). 20 years passed before the nation’s grief sets the stage for Samuel’s call to wholehearted return to God.
During this time, the Israelites repented, turning their hearts back to the Lord (7:2b) and this brings us to our Study Text.
The repentance of Israel and the grief and the mourning as they sought the Lord over the 20 year period shows that Israel went through a long spiritual and political pressure and stress rather than experiencing instant renewal.
Sounds like us and our experience, doesn’t it!
Maybe Israel had been grieving because of the loss of Shiloh for the domination of the nation by the Philistines after the victory and the death of Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas likely meant that the Philistines had destroyed Shiloh and there was disordered worship and awareness in the people that they were estranged from the Lord.
THE TEXT
1. And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the Lord and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they consecrated his son Eleazar to watch over the ark of the Lord. 2. From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel mourned after the Lord.
The Ark of the Lord had come back to the land of Israel from the land of the Philistines but remained in a house at Kirjath-jearim and not put in the Tabernacle at Shiloh, for it is very likely that Shiloh had been destroyed by the Philistines given that the tabernacle represented the centre of political and spiritual power in the land of Israel.
Many of the cities of Israel were ruined, the army was defeated, the Philistines were dominating them and the people looked around and realized in their hearts that they were not right with God. So they lamented.
It was over twenty years of this life and now Samuel appears. He was last mentioned in 1 Samuel 4:1 and it seems Samuel was quietly ministering to the people during this period and building a reputation. So that as our Text begins the people would be approaching Samuel for direction.
3. … returning to the Lord with all your heart . (Deut. 4:29) … Samuel’s first response to the people’s approach showed what he considered to be the nation’s priority. He was obviously very aware they were in a covenant with Yahweh and repentance would trigger God’s deliverance.
The action of ‘returning to the Lord’ indicates repentance (a change of mind) had happened in the hearts of the people, though twenty years seems long for the appropriate action to follow.
We should note however that “mourning” or “lamenting” does not involve full turning to God for 2 Corinthians 7:10 points out to us that there’s a distinction between the sorrow of the world and godly sorrow. Godly sorrow produces repentance. This repentance requires a longing that will become exclusive obedience.
The nation had begun to recognize Samuel as a prophet (1 Samuel 3:20–21). Prophets spoke in the name of God, interpreting dreams, visions, and oracles. The New Testament refers to him as “Samuel the prophet” (Acts 13:20). In our text, he emerges as an authoritative spiritual leader for all Israel.
This is not the first time the people have needed to turn their hearts away from idols and back to the Lord (Judges 2:10–13). Nor will it be the last time (2 Chronicles 19:4).
… foreign gods and the Ashtaroth … the change of allegiance must be directed away from strange gods in general and from Ashtaroth in particular. The latter goes by various designations.
“Ashtaroth” is the plural form of the name; “Ashtoreth” is the singular form. The plural form likely refers to the multitude of idols that honor her. The Septuagint, the ancient Greek version of the Old Testament, refers to her as “Astarte” (Judges 2:10–15, Lesson 6).
It is noted by Baldwin, “ Ashtaroth was worshipped over a wide area as the goddess of fertility, love and war, and plaques of naked female figures from the bronze and Iron Age in Palestine are numerous. The ‘Baals’ were the corresponding male deities”
According to the scholar Youngblood, “ Baal, god of fertility and the storm, was believed to be the son of Dagon, god of grain. Ashtoreth, goddess of love and fertility, vied for supremacy with Asherah, more mother- goddess and consort of El.. the association of Baal, Asherah, and Ashtoreth with fertility, particularly as expressed in depraved sexual ritual at Canaanite shrines, made them especially abominable in the Lord’s eyes”.
… serve Him alone … Samuel knew well the people were involved in idolatry and there would be no reconciliation with Yahweh or deliverance from Philistine oppression in the face of their idolatry.
Earlier the patriarch Jacob called on those of his day to put away their foreign gods, (Genesis 35).
Joshua made the same appeal when Israel came into the land, (Joshua 24).
Idolatry was an enduring problem for Israel and only the seventy-year exile in Babylon rendered a cure.
There is a warning here for believers. Idolatry in our day is subtle and appear in many forms and Christians should be wary of our attachments, attractions and desires …. and covetousness, which is idolatry: Colossians 3:5.
Believers are therefore exhorted to subdue their own desires,
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, fornication, uncleanness, (inordinate passion, affection),evil desires, and covetousness which is idolatry;
For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience
The Old Testament markedly intertwines service and worship (1 Kings 9:6; 16:31; Jeremiah 13:10).
To prepare for resolute service and unadulterated worship, the people’s hearts must return to the Lord (Isaiah 29:13, quoted in Matthew 15:8; Mark 7:6).
Right hearts require the active pursuit of holiness. God will restore Israel’s sanctity if they confess their wrongdoing, turn from sin, seek forgiveness, and commit to steadfast obedience.
… He will save you from the hand of the Philistines.” (Deut. 4:29). … the threat posed by the Philistines is the catalyst for the Israelites’ crisis of faith. The Book of 1 Samuel describes several such conflicts
(1 Samuel 4:1–11; 13:3–7, 16–22; 14:1–23; 17:1–53).
To be in the hand of someone or something means to be under their power (Jeremiah 18:6; etc.). God will be the Israelites’ protector and deliverer when they live in a covenant relationship with Him.
4…. removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth … the people needed to repent and from Samuel’s words it appears that the inward turning had already begun and so Samuel could call on them to show the outward sign of repentance.
Note that the inward turning of the heart is more important than the outward manifestation of the ‘turning’ called for by Samuel. Thus, they had to ‘return with all their heart’.
But this inward repentance is something that no one can really see and so logically if they were really turning to God, they had to do something that God wanted that could prove the turning. Samuel called for confirming action we read here!
Israel was told previously that God was a jealous God, and so it was not acceptable that they would add the worship of other gods to the worship of Jehovah. This behavior meant that they were really rejecting Jehovah.
The promise was that if they prepared their heart for the Lord and served the Lord only, putting away the foreign gods, He would deliver them from the hands of the Philistines.
Another instance of revival and the cycle that so typified that period.
… Baals … Baalim is a plural form of Baal, the Canaanite god of storms and fertility. Ashtaroth is supposedly one of Baal’s consorts. These fictitious gods were the “lords” or “masters” of the ancient Near Eastern cultures that populated the region. These ancient populations sought help from these false gods for agricultural abundance, fertility, and success in war.
Samuel’s call to put away these pagan gods is significant. It represents a deliberate return to wholehearted trust in God by the children of Israel for protection, provision, and prosperity. The decision the Israelites face is one of either-or, not both-and; God will not tolerate any rival deities.
What standards or established practices are you called to oppose? In what way is God calling you to be countercultural?
5. … “Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
Mizpah … in response to the people’s return to the Lord, Samuel calls for a large-scale gathering at Mizpeh, located just a few miles north of his home in Ramah (1 Samuel 1:19; 7:17; 8:4).
There are multiple towns named “Mizpah” (also spelled “Mizpeh”), but this specific one is situated in the mountainous territory inherited by the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:26), south-central Palestine.
The name Mizpeh means “place of watching,” indicating that its location provides a good view of the surrounding countryside. During the period of the kings, it will become Judah’s northernmost border fortress (1 Kings 15:22; 2 Chronicles 16:6).
It was an important meeting place. The nation had met there when war was declared on Benjamin (Judges 20), and later when Saul was elected king (1 Samuel 10:17).
… I will pray to the Lord for you… intersession – a duty we have to one another to pray; this command is all over the New Testament.
The type of prayer Samuel intends to offer is intercession. Intercessors mediate between two parties; in this case, Samuel arbitrates between the Lord and all the people of Israel. Samuel serves the people by helping to reconcile their fractured relationship with God. To pray for (intercede for) others is one of the most important functions of Old Testament prophets (1 Kings 13:1–6; Amos 7:1–6).
Samuel is later recognized, along with Moses, as one of Israel’s greatest intercessors.
Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people… Jeremiah 15:1; (Psalm 99:6;).
- … drew water and poured it … symbolized the people’s feeling of total inability to make an effective resistance against their enemy (Ps. 62:8; et al.). The precise meaning and significance of this ‘water pouring’ practice is not known. The water here can be considered as representative of repentance or it could be that they were pouring their hearts to God and tears from their eyes just as they poured out water. Others however think bring out ‘the water’ meant they were denying themselves liquids that go along with the fast from food for that was a symbol that God’s favour was more important than eating or drinking.
- They were totally helpless and with no other recourse.
The Psalmist wrote: I remember these things and pour out my soul within me. (Psalm 42:4)
…. We have sinned against the Lord… first step in making right for the people of God – repentance!
The Israelites began a series of actions, obeying Samuel’s instructions. First, the people gathered at Mizpeh, the first gathering of its kind in more than two hundred years (Judges 20:1). The assembly signified a reconnection of Israel as a whole, rather than as fragmented tribal entities.
Second, they used water as a symbol of their repentance and cleansing before the Lord. In the ancient Near East, idol worshipers often poured out water as an offering to care for their gods. But this example is different. Rather than giving God something He needs, the people offered Him something essential to sustain their lives. In this, their offering connects to their fasting. It is an act of penitence and proof of sincerity.
Some scholars connect the pouring out of water to ancient customs of requesting rain and a fertile growing season. In this context, it could signify their rejection of local pagan gods in favor of trusting the Lord as their provider. In either case, water is a precious commodity in an arid climate and, therefore, a costly sacrifice.
Third and fourth, the people fasted and confessed their sins. Fasting involves abstaining from food or drink to focus on spiritual matters. The time usually devoted to preparing and consuming physical sustenance is instead dedicated to prayer and worship. These actions contribute to the overall cleansing process. The people have already “put away” their false gods (1 Samuel 7:4, above). They intend to purify themselves before the Lord.
Note that confession has to be personal and it has to be meant from the heart. It can also have a national element when there is a strong sense of corporate sin. The people of Israel confessed their sins, and fasted and said plainly that they had sinned against the Lord. This was not an ‘If we have sinned, or made mistakes, we are sorry’ confession. This was the kind of confession that David did when confronted over his sin in 2 Samuel 12:13.
… Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah … describes the first time Samuel played the role of judge for the children of Israel. A form of the Hebrew word translated as judged is found throughout the book of Judges to depict leaders and their actions (Judges 2:16; 4:4; 10:2; etc.). This is the first time that the word is applied to Samuel. He has been described as a priest (1 Samuel 2:18) and a prophet (3:20), and now he is a judge (7:15).
Samuel now judged Israel, meaning that he was the last judge; as a civil judge hearing cases and making decisions. He taught the people the statutes and commandments of God, so he was the teacher and judge par excellence. He was also to be a military judge like Gideon, Barak and the others.
Verse 7. … the sons of Israel had gathered at Mizpah… we see this situation often in the book of Judges when God is about to deliver His people from their oppressors.
He will gather the Israelites army at a particular location and the enemy sees this as an opportunity to strike a crippling blow!
… they were afraid of the Philistines. … they were under the heel of the Philistines the last twenty years and were rightly afraid!
Here the Israelites gather for a revival meeting and their enemies are coming to attack.
The children of Israel found themselves in a vulnerable position. Their gathering at Mizpeh is highly visible to their long-standing enemy. Word of an Israelite assembly reached the lords of the Philistines, a group that likely included the leaders of the five key Philistine cities listed in Joshua 13:3.
It was common in the ancient Near East for religious gatherings to precede battles, allowing leaders to request favor from their deities. Because Israel has assembled on a day unaffiliated with a known holiday or festival, the gathering alarmed the Philistines. They assumed the gathering was a precursor to war and, therefore, launch a direct assault against Israel.
Verse 8. So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines!”
… “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us… this was a ‘no holds barred’ plea; a desperation call!
When the situation and circumstances so require, we need to bawl-out to God!
When Peter was going down in the Sea of Galilee; he said :Lord save me! (Matt. 14:30).
In response to their fear, the children of Israel turned to their leader. They fervently asked Samuel to intercede on their behalf, hoping his prayers will initiate their deliverance.
Since the Israelites’ gathering is not for battle, they were wholly unprepared. Rather than feeling strong and fortified, the people were weak from fasting and repentance. This time, they appropriately placed their faith in God to save them.
Note that the meeting at Mizpah brought trouble on Israel. When we go to God, Satan will bring even more trouble on us to make us become distressed. One writer advises: “We may be in God’s way and yet meet with distress; nay, when sinners begin to repent and reform, they must expect that Satan will muster all his forces against them and set his instruments to work to the utmost to oppose and discourage them”.
Verse 9. 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.
… Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel… Samuel was not holding back either!
This is the tone we often hear in our Friday evening prayer sessions!
… a nursing lamb … the suckling, young lamb he sacrificed for the people represented the nation as it had recently begun to experience new life spiritual because of its repentance.
…burnt offering … was an offering of dedication, but it also served to make atonement for the people’s sins (24:25; Lev. 1:4; Job 1:5; 42:8).
Samuel responds by making a burnt offering to cleanse the people of their guilt and to mediate their prayers as a pleasing aroma to the Lord (Leviticus 1:13). The phrase sucking lamb means “lamb of milk” in Hebrew, indicating that the lamb is still quite young. A lamb could be sacrificed after it was at least seven days old (Exodus 22:30; Leviticus 22:27). The offering is entirely consumed by fire, leaving no part for Samuel or the people to consume.
Some might identify Samuel’s role in making an offering as that of a priest. Samuel’s role in this sense is informal. Priests had to be from the tribe of Levi (1 Kings 12:31; etc.), but Samuel was from the tribe of Ephraim (1 Samuel 1:1). Nevertheless, Samuel offered sacrifices and prayers on behalf of the people as priests did (1 Samuel 2:18).
Verse 10.. … the Lord thundered with a great [d]thunder … God’s deliverance was apparently entirely supernatural probably to impress the people with His ability to save them in their hopeless condition and to strengthen their faith in Him.
Baal was supposedly the god of storms, but Yahweh humiliated him here (1 Kings 17-18 Elijah vs. priests of Baal).
Concurrent with Samuel’s burnt offering and the Philistines’ advance against Israel, the Lord responded. We do not know whether God spoke in an audible voice that sounded like thunder, or if He sent a powerful weather system at just the right moment.
Writers of the Old Testament often describe the voice of God as sounding like thunder,
(2 Samuel 22:14; Job 37:4–5; Psalm 29:3; etc.).
Years before this event, Samuel’s mother, Hannah, had prayed for the Lord to “thunder upon” His adversaries (1 Samuel 2:10). Now, as her son is a leader of the people, his cries for deliverance bring her hopes to fruition.
The Lord demonstrated His power in a way that the Philistines might have expected but had never seen from Baal, the false god of storms. However, this great thunder alarmed the Philistines and threw them into a panic (the meaning of the word discomfited). The Lord stirred up fear among the Israelites’ enemy.
Verse 11. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.
In the last recorded battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, the Israelites fled after the capture of the Ark (1 Samuel 4:10). On this occasion, however, the men of Israel chased down the army of the Philistines.
Israel’s fighting men began pursuit in Mizpeh, where they had gathered with Samuel (1 Samuel 7:6,). This is the only mention of Bethcar in Scripture, and its exact location is unknown; however, some commentators believe it is situated west of Mizpeh. The term under suggests that the destruction of the Philistines takes place at a lower elevation than that of Bethcar.
Verse 12. Then Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it [e]Ebenezer, saying, “[f]So far the Lord has helped us.”
13. So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14. The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel [g]recovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
Following the destruction of the Philistines, Samuel erected a stone called Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12). His declaration, “So far the Lord has helped us.” ,” brought closure to a twenty-year-long defeat
(4:1–3).
This would be a memorial that they were helpless and God proved He could help in any kind of need. The monument showed that victory was achieved through the supernatural work of God.
The enemy fled and Israel pursued them, recapturing many of the towns previously taken over by the Philistines. They only appeared to hold their main towns. They restored all the towns previously captured from Ekron to Gath.
The Philistines did make attempts to recover, but as long as Samuel lived they could not succeed against Israel.
Verse 15. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
The Israelites achieved such a victory that the Philistines ceased invasions, (1 Samuel 7:13). The end of conflict brought relief for other groups in neighboring territories and established peace in the land (7:14).
The conclusion of this narrative section summarizes Samuel’s faithful service. He was already recognized as a prophet of Israel (1 Samuel 3:20). This section identifies him as a leader similar to Eli and other judges of Israel (Judges 3:10; 4:4; 10:2; 1 Samuel 4:18; etc.).
Judges served as leaders of Israel prior to the institution of the monarchy. As noted, they held various roles, including those of political leaders, administrators of justice, and military leaders. Samuel, as a transitional figure, has often been called “the last of the judges, and the first of the prophets”
(Acts 3:24; 13:20).
Instead of specifying a particular time frame, this verse emphasizes Samuel’s complete devotion; he served Israel and God, all the days of his life.
Believers are called to service and there is no retirement!
Verse 16. And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.
Samuel leadership differed from that of his predecessors. Instead of remaining in one location and requiring the people to come to him as Eli did in Shiloh, Samuel travelled. His influence was not confined to a single city or site. His circuit, which started from his home in Ramah and extended to three other cities, spanned approximately thirty miles. The towns of Bethel and Mizpeh are likely located north of Ramah in Ephraim. There is more than one town named Gilgal in the Old Testament. The one mentioned here is probably located in the Jordan River valley near Jericho.
Samuel assembled the people at Mizpeh and turned them to follow the Lord and led the nation in the great victory at Ebenezer. He thus established himself in the field as a Judge as well as a prophet.
He laboured as a judge all the days of his life, even it seemed during the reign of Saul. He exercised authority and even when Saul refused to kill Agag, he judged him and killed Agag himself right in front of Saul.
He worked hard as a circuit judge, teaching the people their duty to God and to their fellows.
Verse 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.
Although Samuel travelled, he made his home in Ramah, the place of his birth (1 Samuel 1:19). With Eli’s passing and the Ark’s new residence in Kirjathjearim (4:18; 7:2), Samuel had no reason to relocate to Shiloh. This suggests that Shiloh was destroyed in war (4:12; Psalm 78:60). So, Samuel established a new place of worship near his home.
He obviously was operating under divine direction as he was fully in touch with God. The fact he built an altar illustrates his response to God’s grace and commitment to Yahweh”.
Note that the knowledge and commitment to God meant Samuel administered justice, which was so necessary in the turbulent and corrupt days in Israel, where before him, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
CONCLUSION
Under Samuel’s leadership, the people of Israel demonstrated honest repentance and renewal. They identified themselves with the Lord, and He responded with swift provision. The story that began with defeat and despair, culminating with the capture of the ark of the covenant, concludes with recommitment.
The Israelites’ humble request for intercession indicates that their reconciliation with the Lord was genuine.
Hearts and lives attuned to the Lord and purified from unrighteousness are poised to see God’s deliverance. But righteous living requires sacrifice. God still asks His people to reject the idols that culture offers. God still wants our whole hearts. Are you living in right relationship with both the Lord and the community of faith? Do you humbly ask for assistance when danger arises?
He was a judge of integrity and never took advantage of his authority. He was such a judge because his first loyalty was to God, whether or not the people or the king liked him.
So let us remind ourselves of the salient themes in this Chapter which is pointed out by one writer:
- Sacred objects cannot replace the Holy God. The heart is safely housed, but Israel’s restoration comes through return to the Lord, not possession of the Ark.
- Genuine repentance is wholehearted and concrete. Israel mourns, removes its idols,, prepares the heart confesses sin, and serves the Lord alone.
- Idolatry is covenant treachery. The Baals and Ashtoreths compete with the exclusive worship owed to the Lord who redeemed Israel and bound the nation to Himself under the Mosaic covenant.
- Confession must name sin before God. Israel says plainly, “We have sinned against the LORD”, refusing excuses andaccepting God’s verdict.
- God uses faithful intercession. Samuel cries out for Israel, and the Lord answers; prayer expresses dependence rather than control.
- Approach to the Holy God requires His Appointed Sacrifice. The burnt offering belongs to Israel’s covenant order and makes atonement in that appointed ceremonial setting. By whole- Bible synthesis, the sacrificial order anticipates the final and sufficient sacrifice of Christ; some wills particular lamb is not explicitly identified as an individual type.
- The Lord alone wins the decisive victory. God thunders and confuses the Philistines before Israel pursues them.
- Remember Grace Should Produce Humility. Ebenezer confesses that every step of Israel’s recovery has come through the Lord’s help.
- The Lord Grants Israel Covenant Deliverance after Repentance. The deliverance restored territory, and peace occur within the stated blessings and disciplines of Israel’s Mosaic covenant setting.
- Faithful Leadership Requires Lifelong Service. Samuel combines prophetic truth, intercession, judgment, travel, administration, and work over many years.