1 So the people of Kiriath-jearim came for the ark of the LORD and took it to Abinadab’s house on the hill. v They consecrated his son Eleazar to take care of it.
Victory at Mizpah
2 Time went by until twenty years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel longed for the LORD. 3 Samuel told them, “If you w are returning to the LORD x with all your heart, y get rid of the foreign gods z and the Ashtoreths that are among you, dedicate yourselves to the LORD, and worship only him. a Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths b and only worshiped the LORD.
5 Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, c and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.” d 6 When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the LORD’S presence. e They fasted that day, f and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” g And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.
7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. 8 The Israelites said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, so that he will save us from the Philistines.”
9 Then Samuel took a young lamb h and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him. i 10 Samuel was offering the burnt offering as the Philistines approached to fight against Israel. The LORD thundered loudly j against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they were defeated by Israel. k 11 Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines striking them down all the way to a place below Beth-car.
12 Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright l between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, “The LORD has helped us to this point.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued m and did not invade Israel’s territory again. n The LORD’S hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life. 14 The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Samuel judged Israel throughout his life. o 16 Every year he would go on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah and would judge Israel at all these locations. 17 Then he would return to Ramah p because his home was there, he judged Israel there, and he built an altar to the LORD there.
6:19–7:1. Tragedy strikes, however, when God puts seventy persons to death for looking into the ark (6:19). According to the law of Moses, the sacred articles of the tabernacle are to be treated with great reverence. Not even the Levites can look at the holy things without risking death (cf. Nm 4:20). Since the ark is the most sacred object and since it is closely associated with the presence of God, access to it is very restricted. Even the high priest himself cannot look into the ark without endangering his life, a reminder that being in the presence of God requires ritual purity.
7:2–6. Approximately twenty years elapse before the Israelites gain any lasting relief from Philistine oppression (7:2). Finally, Samuel senses that a genuine repentance is under way, so he challenges the people to rid themselves of their “foreign gods” (7:3–4). Throughout the period of the judges, many Israelites have worshiped these deities. Baal was the Canaanite god of rain and agriculture and, ironically, was sometimes described as the son of Dagon. The Ashtoreths were female deities such as Astarte (the Babylonian Ishtar), goddess of fertility, love, and war. As in Jdg 10:16, the Israelites stop worshiping these gods and return to being loyal to the Lord. Samuel gathers “all Israel” at Mizpah, about seven and a half miles north of Jerusalem, and promises to pray for them (7:5). As they fast and confess their sin, they pour out water before the Lord (7:6), perhaps symbolic of their earnestness and wholehearted commitment to God.
7:7–12. Believing that the Israelites have gathered at Mizpah for military reasons, the Philistines march up to attack them (7:7). In light of their repentant attitude, the people of Israel beg Samuel to pray for them, which he does; he also sacrifices a burnt offering (7:8–9). True to his covenant promise, the Lord intervenes on behalf of his beleaguered people and thunders against the Philistines (7:10). Apparently the Lord sends a storm similar to the ones that routed the Amorites (Jos 10:11–12) and bogged down the chariots of Sisera (Jdg 5:20–21). Thunder, hail, and heavy rain cause panic among the Philistines and send them fleeing to the west and south (7:11). Recognizing that it is the Lord’s victory, Samuel sets up a stone as a monument and calls it Ebenezer, which means “Stone of Help” (7:12).
7:13–17. After this victory, the Israelites gain the upper hand over the Philistines and at least temporarily put an end to Philistine oppression (7:13–14). During this time of peace, Samuel travels to many towns in the tribe of Benjamin, serving as a judge and spiritual leader (7:15–16). Since Samuel ministers as a priest and prophet, he builds an altar to the Lord in his hometown of Ramah (7:17).