Long Live the King
First Samuel 10: 17-27

Long live the king DIG: In publicly anointing Sha’ul, how does Samuel implicitly judge Isra’el and reward their protest (10:17-19, see 8:19-20)? Why the elimination process, when Samuel already knew Sha’ul was God’s elect? In what sense was there “no one like Sha’ul?” How do the Israelites respond to their new king? Why this mixed reaction? How did Sha’ul receive the praises of the people?

REFLECT: Describe a time when people were surprised at how God was working in your life. Were you equally surprised by the grace of ADONAI? What major “calamity” in your past has the LORD delivered you from? How has the memory of that event shaped your relationship with YHVH now? How so? Why not? When you think of reigning with Messiah for eternity, how does that make you feel?

In His anger, God gave Sha’ul to Isra’el; but in His mercy, he gave us His Son, Yeshua.

Samuel, who had sent the people to their homes (8:22), now assembles them once again at Miztpah, the very place where he had interceded (7:5), and close to where he had set up the stone of the Helper (7:12). Where Samuel’s prophetic leadership had been most clearly vindicated, he was to inaugurate the new era that the people had demanded.²³⁹ However, He had returned not merely to remember the prior repentance (to see link click Bn – Repentance and Recommitment at Mizpah), but in the hopes that a new repentance would occur. Therefore, while the public coronation would normally call for polite and formal behavior, with bland speeches and cheery affirmations, Samuel took the occasion to rebuke the nation for its unbelief in demanding a king in place of ADONAI.

Isra’el’s unbelief rebuked (10:17-19a): Samuel called the people of Isra’el to ADONAI at Mitzpah, shortly after Samuel’s private coronation of Sha’ul as Isra’el’s first king. In the past He said to them, “Here is what ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, says: I brought Isra’el up out of Egypt. I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. But, speaking as God’s mouthpiece, he declared: Today you have rejected your God, who Himself saves you from all your disasters and distress. You have said to Him, ‘No! Set a king over us!’

Isra’el’s king revealed (10:19b-24a): Then, after reminding them of their foolish insistence on having a king like all the other nations, Samuel demonstrated God’s selection of Sha’ul by a process of elimination.²⁴⁰ So now, present yourselves before ADONAI by your tribes and clans.” God Himself guided the decision by means of the Urim and Thummim (see Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). So Samuel had all the tribes come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken (Hebrew: lakad) (10:19b-20). Therefore, the king would come from that tribe. Next, Samuel had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by families, and the family of the Matri was taken. Finally Sha’ul the son of Kish was taken.

But when they looked for him, he couldn’t be found. They asked ADONAI, “Where is he?” ADONAI answered through Samuel, “There he is, hiding out of fear, in among the baggage.” Evidently, he didn’t want to be king. This first official act on Sha’ul’s part suggests that there was trouble ahead. He was a reluctant ruler who followed his emotions instead of building his faith. Anxious to hail their new king, the people ran and brought him from there, and when he stood among the people he was head-and-shoulders taller than anyone around.²⁴¹ Samuel did what he could to salvage the embarrassing situation, and said to all the people, “Do you see the man ADONAI has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people” (10:21-24a)? He presented Sha’ul as God’s chosen king and highlighted Sha’ul admirable physical characteristics. Sha’ul had no opportunity to protest. By popular demand a king had been chosen, but if Isra’el thought he would solve all their problems by leading them to conquests, they were quite wrong.²⁴²

Ironically, the word taken (Hebrew: lakad) is normally translated to capture or seize. Ha’Shem gave them their king, but it ended up being part of His judgment against the nation. After being captured and taken to Babylon (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), Zedekiah would be the last human king of Isra’el (see Jeremiah Fy – A Warning to Zedekiah). God’s ultimate answer to their foolish decision is recorded in Hosea 13:9-11, “It is your destruction, Isra’el, although your help is in Me. So now, where is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are your judges, of whom you said: Give me a king and leaders’? I gave you a king in my anger; and in my fury I took him away.”²⁴³

Isra’el’s king confirmed (10:24b and 26-27): Then all the people shouted, “Long live the king” (10:24b)! As Richard Phillips recounts in his commentary in 1 Samuel, with those words, Isra’el welcomed her new king, Sha’ul the son of Kish. But had the people consulted God’s Word, they would have known that however long Sha’ul might reign, his dynasty could not endure. For as Isra’el’s patriarch Jacob had prophesied, the royal scepter was destined for the tribe of Judah. The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet until He comes to whom [obedience] it belongs; and it is He whom the [Gentile nations] will obey (49:10).

First Samuel will tell the story of how the kingship passes from Sha’ul to David, and from the tribe of Benjamin to Judah. Isra’el’s kings were types of the true King over God’s Kingdom, His own Son, Yeshua Messiah, who was born of the line of David from the tribe of Judah. In Sha’ul’s case, we see more of a foil of Messiah: as a tainted king, he serves more to contrast with Yeshua than to typify the reign of God’s Son.

First, whatever we may think of Sha’ul’s hiding among the baggage, Yeshua also hid his royal calling from the people of Isra’el. Mark records that when Yeshua performed miracles of healing, he instructed the people: Do not tell anyone about His divine power (Mark 7:36). The reason for Messiah’s “messianic secret” was not His fear or reluctance, but that He had already been rejected by the Great Sanhedrin, and the fact that He had come to die for our sins and only later to return in royal glory and power.

A second contrast in Samuel’s praise of Sha’ul that there is none like him among all the people (10:24a). This was true outwardly of Sha’ul, but it is true inwardly of Messiah’s character and being. In this respect, Sha’ul shows us Yeshua, by what was missing in Sha’ul’s life. Our Lord alone is utterly pure and without sin (John 18:38). The book of Hebrews hails Him as greater than the angels, greater than Moshe, greater than Joshua, and greater than the high priest Aaron. For this reason Scripture says that God has crowned Messiah with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under His feet (Hebrews 2:7-8, quoting Psalm 8:5-6). There is truly none like Yeshua among all the people. Hebrews 7:26 describes Him as holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens, and He is worthy to reign over God’s people as King for all eternity.

Furthermore, we noted that Sha’uls public coronation was preceded by Samuel’s rebuke of Isra’el’s unbelief. In demanding a worldly king, the Israelites had sown the seeds of their own captivity and bondage in Babylon. Yeshua, however, came to deliver us from bondage, and to deliver God’s remedy for sin. His blood sacrifice fully satisfies all of YHVH’s wrath against our sin. The apostle John testified to this when he said: For you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth (Revelation 5:9-10). The Bible declares Yeshua’s kingship as a reign of grace over sin, so that all who belong to His Kingdom are those who have come to Him for cleansing, forgiveness, and redemption.

Finally, Sha’ul’s public coronation brought division to Isra’el. As the new king went home to Gibeah, he was accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched; part of the believing remnant of that day. Yet, there were others, some worthless rebels (the same expression is translated wicked men in 2:12) who despised him and brought him no gift, rejecting his authority, saying: How can this man save us from our enemies (10:26-27)? Likewise, the coming of Messiah has divided the world. Some, their hearts touched by the Gospel of God’s grace, have reacted to Yeshua’s cross to be cleansed of their sins and to live as His disciples. But many others despise the Lord and withhold both their praise and their faith. Like Sha’ul, Messiah held his peace during His lifetime. But when He returns in glory (see Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah), with His mighty angels in flaming fire (2 Thess 1:7-8), Yeshua will judge the nations (Matthew 25:31-33), and inflict eternal destruction on those who oppose His reign (2 Thess 1:8-9).

When Sha’ul was presented to Isra’el, the people cried out “Long live the king!” What shall we say to the Lord Yeshua when He returns? Seeing Him who exceeds all others, who died for our sins on the cross, and who reigns now forever . . . we can surely echo the Israelites’ words with much greater hope. In His anger, God gave Sha’ul to Isra’el; but in His mercy, he has given us His Son, Yeshua Messiah. If our hearts are opened by YHVH to see Yeshua in the glory of His grace, we can one day cast our crowns before the throne (see Revelation Cd – And There Before Me was a Throne in Heaven), each of us gladly yielding our hearts, and crying out to Yeshua, “Long live the King!” His reign will never fail and never end, and those who bow to His throne will reign forever and ever with Him in glory (Revelation 22:5).²⁴⁴

The Torah reaffirmed (10:25): The wisest thing Samuel did that day was to link his kingship to the Torah. After the people’s acclamation of Sha’ul as their king, Samuel reminded the people of the rulings governing the conduct of their kings, probably based on what Moses had already written (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Dh – The King).²⁴⁵ He wrote it on a scroll and set it down before ADONAI at the Tabernacle at Nov (see the Life of David Av – David at Nov). After that, he sent all the people away, everyone to his own home. Sha’ul too went home to Gibeah, because at this point, Isra’el had no capital for him to go to.

At this point in our Bible, at the break between First Samuel 10 and 11, there is a sudden transition from Sha’ul to a new character, Nahash the Ammonite, and to a new location, Jabesh-Gilead, to the east of Jordan. In the Qumran manuscript 4QSam^a, however, the extra paragraph does provide a helpful introduction to the Ammonite war (see Bz – The Ammonite War), and Josephus reveals that it was part of text he used (Josephus, Antiquates 6.5.1). It appears to have been omitted from the LXX and MT. It explains that Nahash had been oppressing the tribes of Reuben and Gad, putting out the right eyes of all the men they captured, but that seven thousand had taken refuge in the city of Jabesh-Gilead. The last words of First Samuel 10:27 are transformed by a slight change in the Hebrew to the meaning “About a month later,” as in the LXX and Josephus, thus giving the indication of the passing of time between the two incidents. However, the text does not add anything substantial to the meaning of the bible. The manuscript reads:

Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been severely oppressing the tribes of Reuben and Gad by gouging out the right eye of each of them, and allowing no deliverer. No Israelites were across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But seven thousand men had escaped from the Ammonites and entered into Jabesh-Gilead.²⁴⁶

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that You always know the perfect timing for everything! Sometimes I get anxious when something happens, or I think that You need my help; but it is always wisest to trust You in all situations. Praise You, my great and wise heavenly Father. Words cannot express my admiration of how wise You are, and Your love and ability to see the future and plan for how to have all the right pieces in place to help me – exactly when I need your help. You are never late! I bow in awe of Your love and gracious help when I have a problem or trial. Thank You for choosing to live within those who love You. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23).

Praise You for making those who trust and who love You to be Your children. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God.  (John 1:12). Thank You for never leaving me, but for being right there and ready to help when I call out to You. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5c). I praise and worship You for being such a wonderful heavenly Father. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Samuel Anoints Sha’ul
First Samuel 9:26 to 10:16

Samuel anoints Sha’ul DIG: After Sha’ul’s anointing, what three signs assured him that ADONAI truly had chosen him? What three lessons about God’s care should Sha’ul have learned from the signs? What about Sha’ul’s coronation did he have in common with David and Solomon? Why the private coronation, when there would be a public coronation later? In what sense did God change Sha’ul into a different person?

REFLECT: Sha’ul was tall and handsome – he looked like a leader. Have you ever been tempted to follow or partner with someone because he or she looked good? If so, when? How did that turn out? If some seer were reading all that was in your heart and telling you where your lost items were, would you have responded as Sha’ul did? Why or why not? In what sense did God change you into a different person?

Then Samuel took a flask of oil he had prepared,
and poured it on Sha’ul’s head, setting him apart for service.

Samuel anoints Sha’ul (9:26 to 10:1): After the feast at the high place (9:22-24), having returned to the city and spent the night on Samuel’s cool of the rooftop (to see link click Bw – Samuel meets Sha’ul), both Sha’ul and Samuel got up early. About daybreak, Samuel called out to Sha’ul on the roof, “Get up, so I can send you on your way.” When Sha’ul got up, he and Samuel went outside Ramah together because Samuel needed to talk to Sha’ul in private. As they were going down, at the edge of the city, Samuel said to Sha’ul, “Tell your servant to go on ahead of us” – and the servant did so. In that way, the servant would not witness the private coronation of the king; it was only to be between Sha’ul and Samuel. But you stay here awhile, so that I can give you a message from ADONAI (9:26-27).

The time had not yet come for a public coronation of Isra’el’s first king, and from Sha’ul’s perspective it was probably merciful that he should be given some time to adjust to the sudden reality that he had been chosen by YHVH. Then Samuel took a flask of oil he had prepared, and poured it on Sha’ul’s head, setting him apart for service. He kissed him and said, “ADONAI has anointed you as the prince (Hebrew: nagid) over His people” (9:17 and 10:1). The word “king” is deliberately avoided because YHVH is Isra’el’s King.²²⁹ This was his private coronation; but his public coronation would come soon (see By – Long Live the King). Both David (Second Samuel 2:4 and Second Samuel 5:3) and Solomon also had double coronations (First Kings 1:28 and First Chronicles 29:21). But for Sha’ul, from that moment on, he was the leader of God’s people; however, only Samuel and Sha’ul knew about it. How would young Sha’ul be sure that ADONAI really chose him? Samuel gave Sha’ul three signs, or prophecies, that he would encounter as he made his way home.²³⁰

The first sign (10:2): After you leave me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s Tomb, in the territory of Benjamin at Tzeltzah. They will tell you that the donkeys you were searching for have been found (news that Sha’ul had already heard from Samuel), and that your father has stopped thinking about the donkeys and is worried about you, asking: What am I to do about my son? Apparently those men knew who Sha’ul was, and that he had been away from home seeking his father’s donkeys. This should have been a good experience for him, for it should have assured Sha’ul that ADONAI could solve his problems. But one of Sha’ul’s greatest failures as a leader was his inability to take his hands off situations and let God work. In modern language, Sha’ul was a “control freak.” Yet, while Sha’ul and his servant were dining with Samuel, God was at work saving the lost donkeys.²³¹

The second sign (10:3-4): Then you will go on from there, and you will come to the Oak of Tavor. Three men will meet you there on their way up to God at Bethel. This signified a return to the LORD. Abraham did it (Genesis 12:8 and 13:1-4), and so did Jacob (Genesis 28:18-19 and 35:1-15). In spite of the nation’s unbelief, there were still devoted people in the Land who honored ADONAI and sought His face. One of them will be carrying three baby goats (for a sacrifice), another three loaves of bread (for a grain offering) and the third a skin of wine (for a drink offering). They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, one for Sha’ul and one for his servant, which you are to accept from them. God was trying to show the young king that not only could He solve his problems, but that He could also supply his needs. As the first king of Isra’el, he would have to raise up an army and provide food and equipment the men needed; thus, he would have to depend on YHVH.²³²

The third sign (10:5-7): After that, you will come to Gibeah, meaning the hill of God, where the Philistines are garrisoned. On arrival at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by lutes, tambourines, flutes and lyres; and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of ADONAI will fall on you; you will prophesy with them and be turned into a different person (see Samuel and the prophets below)! This did not mean that Sha’ul had a personal relationship with YHVH, but refers to a different attitude and outlook. The young king would hopefully now think and act like a leader who served the LORD and obeyed His will. Therefore, God was trying to show Sha’ul that not only could He solve his problems and supply his needs, but that He would empower Sha’ul with the power he needed for service. When these signs come over you, just do whatever you feel like doing, because God is with you (10:5-7). Even after the three signs, Sha’ul was to simply go about his normal routine until his public coronation.²³³

Then Samuel told Sha’ul, after your public coronation, “You are to go down ahead of me to Gilgal, the place where Joshua had renewed Isra’el’s covenant with God (see the commentary on Joshua Ct – The Renewal of the Covenant), and wait there seven days, until I come and tell you what to do.” Since it was situated in a valley, a thousand feet below sea-level, the traveler would literally have to go down to get there. Once Sha’ul was there, Samuel would come down to offer Sha’ul burnt offerings and present sacrifices as peace offerings (see the commentary on Leviticus Ak – The Peace Offerings, at Peace with God), which were presumably intended to thank God for the victory Sha’ul would have won over the Philistines. But he was warned, “You must wait there seven days, until I come to you and tell you what to do” (after a year of thinking about it, see what happened in Cc – Samuel Rebukes Sha’ul). As it happened, as soon as Sha’ul had turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed Sha’ul’s heart; and all those signs took place that day (10:8-9). All three signs were fulfilled, but only Sha’ul among the prophets is recorded in the Bible.

Sha’ul among the prophets (10:10-12): Isra’el’s elders had demanded a worldly king, and God sent Sha’ul as His answer. Sha’ul was the anointed one and king for unbelieving Isra’el, and would bring relief from the heavy Philistine hand. To that end, Ha’Shem sent the Ruach Ha’Kodesh to equip Sha’ul for the task ahead.²³⁴ For the first time in his life, the Spirit enabled Sha’ul to have a personal experience with the LORD and to express it in praise and worship. Had Sha’ul continued to nurture this walk with ADONAI, his life would have been much different. There is no evidence that Sha’ul was a wicked person, but he was a secular person, not a spiritual person. When they arrived at Gibeah (10:5), right there in front of him was a group of prophets, the Spirit of God fell on him and he prophesied along with them. The people of Gibeah, who evidently knew Sha’ul, were not impressed.²³⁵ When people from his own home town saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What’s happened to Kish’s son? Is Sha’ul a prophet, too?” They saw an obvious change in him. Then, someone in the crowd answered, “Must prophets’ fathers be special?” So it became a proverbial expression – “Is Sha’ul also among the prophets?” Not that Sha’ul had become a prophet, but that the Spirit of God, coming on Sha’ul in power, authenticated him as Isra’el’s next king. ²³⁶ But did Sha’ul’s changed heart result in a new zeal to serve God and obey His Word? The answer was “No!”

Sha’ul’s return home (10:13-16): So, when Sha’ul had finished prophesying, he returned home and went back to work on the farm as though nothing remarkable had happened. He knew he was to say nothing about the anointing, so he didn’t mention anything about it to his family. Apparently the news about his prophetic experiences hadn’t reached as far as Gibeah. Sha’ul’s uncle, doubtless seeking information, said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” Sha’ul answered: To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they hadn’t been found, we went to Samuel. It appears that the news of Sha’ul’s feasting with Samuel had already spread and needed to be explained.²³⁷ “Tell me, please,” said Sha’ul’s uncle, “what Samuel said to you.” He obviously felt that the meeting with Samuel had a lot more to do than just with lost donkeys. However, Sha’ul answered his uncle, saying, “He told us that the donkeys had been found,” which was true, but said nothing to him about the matter of his being made king. One more task awaited Sha’ul, and that was to meet Samuel at Gilgal and have his public coronation. This would be a test to see if Sha’ul was truly devoted to ADONAI and willing to obey Him. Unfortunately, he failed.²³⁸

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being such a wonderful Father! You are always watching over me to bless me and never to harm me. You do test me sometimes, so that You can bless and reward me when I pass the test. For no one can lay any other foundation than what is already laid – which is Yeshua the Messiah.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear. For the Day will show it, because it is to be revealed by fire; and the fire itself will test each one’s work – what sort it is.  If anyone’s work built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward (First Corinthians 3:11-14)!

How reassuring to know that never do you temp anyone to fall. Temptations come thru someone’s own desires and also thru Satan who tempts, so that someone will fall and miss your blessing. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” – for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He himself tempts no one.  But each one is tempted when he is dragged away and enticed by his own desire. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is full grown, it brings forth death (James 1:13-15).

You are always so kind and loving to me. Even when You discipline me, You do it for my best, to bring me joy as I turn away from sin and seek to draw closer to You in obedience. My son, do not take lightly the discipline of Adonai or lose heart when you are corrected by Him, because Adonai disciplines the one He loves . . . Now all discipline seems painful at the moment – not joyful. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:5-6a, 11). Messiah’s goal is to train His children thru discipline that His children may produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness. You are the supreme joy of my life and I delight in loving, praising and serving You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Samuel Meets Sha’ul
First Samuel 9: 15-25

Samuel meets Sha’ul DIG: Why did Sha’ul balk at Samuel’s desire to anoint him king? What does this say about the way he viewed himself? In what ways did Samuel honor Sha’ul at the feast? How might Sha’ul have become a great king? What are some of the indications we see in this story as to why he ended up going astray? Ultimately, did Sha’ul choose to choose the path to ruin?

REFLECT: Which habit is strongest in your life: the habit of obedience or the habit of indulgence? What area of obedience could you strengthen this week? What gifts has God given you? How are you using those gifts to obey Him more fully? How are you demonstrating faith that God will use those gifts to achieve His purposes? Like King Sha’ul, you have choices, how will you use them? 

The people would get their king, but it ended up being part of His judgment against the nation.

So it was that the people had demanded a king, and ADONAI had agreed to their demands (to see link click Bq – Give Us a King: ADONAI’s answer to Samuel). The young man YHVH would select for the job was named Sha’ul. He was young, strong and tall, standing head and shoulders above everyone else in Isra’el. From the world’s perspective, Sha’ul had the perfect background and ideal qualifications for a king. But the world’s perspective is not God’s perspective. Sha’ul may have appeared kingly on the outside, but as we will see, his heart was not turned toward the LORD, which was the primary qualification for Isra’el’s king. His life would ultimately demonstrate a failing common in politics even today: doing what is expedient while always looking out for one’s own self-interests.²¹⁷

God’s revelation to Samuel (9:15-17): God’s purpose in Sha’ul’s donkey chase (see Bu – Sha’ul and the Lost Donkeys) becomes clear as soon as we get Samuel’s perspective. Now the day before Sha’ul arrived, ADONAI had given Samuel a revelation, literally uncovered the ear of, as if whispering in Samuel’s ear: Tomorrow at about this time I will send you an obscure Benjaminite, emphasizing God’s sovereignty in the matter. You are to anoint him with olive oil as the prince (Hebrew: nagid) over My people Isra’el (9:15-16a). It symbolized the coming of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. The word “king” is deliberately avoided because YHVH is Isra’el’s King.²¹⁸ It is interesting that the LORD didn’t identify Sha’ul as Isra’el’s king. In any case, we can be assured that God had not changed His approach based on the demand of the elders. Ha’Shem was still raising up a man of His own choosing to lead His people in troubled times. Even though Sha’ul would be made king by popular demand, he would still be raised up as God’s choice, as had been true of the judges.

He will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. This shows that the Philistines had regained their dominance over Isra’el after being defeated a few years earlier (see Be – The Ark in the Land of the Philistines). I have seen My people’s situation, and their cry of distress has reached me” (9:16b). In language strongly reminiscent of the Exodus, the LORD had looked upon the people of Isra’el (Exodus 2:23), whose cry had reached Him (Exodus 3:9). The new leader would have the potential of delivering Isra’el from the Philistines, although some troublemakers doubted that Sha’ul would be able to drive them out.²¹⁹

When Samuel saw Sha’ul, ADONAI said to him, “This is the man I told you about, the one who is going to govern (Hebrew: ya’tzor) My people’ (9:17). The word ya’tzor is almost always used in a negative way, meaning imprisonment or hindrance. In other words, God determined to use Sha’ul’s career as a means of punishing the nation. As he governed Isra’el, his policies and behavior would hinder the welfare of the nation and act as a sort of a barrier separating Isra’el from God’s best for them.²²⁰ Ha’Shem gave them their king all right, but it ended up being part of His judgment against the nation. As they were sitting in Babylon (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), Zedekiah would be the last human king of Isra’el (see Jeremiah Fy – A Warning to Zedekiah). God’s ultimate answer to their foolish decision is recorded in Hosea 13:9-11, “It is your destruction, Isra’el, although your help is in Me. So now, where is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are your judges, of whom you said: Give me a king and leaders’? I gave you a king in My anger; and in My fury I took him away.”²²¹

Samuel meets Sha’ul (9:18-21): Sha’ul approached Samuel in the gateway and said: Please tell me where the seer’s house is. He didn’t know who Samuel was. So Samuel answered Sha’ul, “I’m the seer (9:18-19a). Samuel, the seer, “caught sight” of Sha’ul, and raised him up to govern because YHVH had seen the distress of His people. This is the man, God said to Samuel (9:17), in a scene that would be replayed with only modest variations a few years later, this time in 16:12 with David as the subject (anoint him, for he is the one). The string of parallels can be extended to Isaiah 42:1-4 (Here is My servant) and John 19:5 (Here is the man), John 19:14 (Here is your king), all of which refer to Yeshua as “the Messiah,” the “Anointed One,” who neither disappoints nor fails and whose Kingdom has no end.²²²

Sha’ul knew nothing of God’s message, nor did he know who Samuel was. But Samuel knew Sha’ul, and he responded to the young man’s greeting with an invitation to come to the high place to partake in the sacrificial meal and spend the night. Go up ahead of me to the high place, because you are going to eat with me today. In the morning, I will let you go and I will tell you everything that is in your heart (9:19b). Samuel the seer authenticated his prophetic role by revealing Sha’ul’s innermost thoughts and relieved Samuel’s mind by informing him that his father’s donkeys had been found.²²³ As for your donkeys that got lost three days ago, don’t worry about them; they’ve been found. Now, who is it that all Isra’el desires? The desirable thing that all Isra’el wanted was the kingship, and Sha’ul was destined to receive it. Therefore, the answer was: Isn’t it you, and all your father’s household” (9:20)?²²⁴

Puzzled, Sha’ul replied: I’m only a man from Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Isra’el (see the commentary on Judges Cd – War Against the Tribe of Benjamin); and my family is the least important of all the families in the tribe of Benjamin! Why are you saying such a thing to me (9:21)? Like Gideon before him (Judges 6:15), he felt unworthy of the honor, whatever it was, and not a little scared (10:22) by the sudden new development in his life. It may also have been considered good manners to play down one’s social standing, especially in the presence of God’s prophet or messenger, but in Sha’ul’s case there seems to have been a modesty that was combined with a shy temperament.²²⁵

Sha’ul at the feast (9:22-24): Sha’ul was surprised to be seated at the place of honor, with choice cuts of meat set aside in advance for his coming. Sha’ul and his servant were ushered into the feast where they would eat, and had them sit in the place reserved for the most important of the invited guests, who numbered about thirty persons. Samuel instructed the cook, “Serve the portion of meat I gave you and told you to set it aside.” The cook took the right thigh, normally reserved for the priest (Exodus 29:27; Leviticus 7:32-34), and served it to Sha’ul, who thought of himself as the least, was treated as the greatest. This was a visual picture that Sha’ul was the one destined to be the first king of Isra’el.

Sha’ul must have also been confused that not only was he expected, but he was also treated as though he were a priest. Samuel said: Here, this is what has been kept for you! Eat, because it was kept especially for you for this occasion. I have invited guests, but they would have to wait to eat until Sha’ul started eating (9:22-24a). Sha’ul did not yet know that he was ADONAI’s choice for Isra’el’s first king, and so, as the LORD’s anointed, he was entitled to special privileges, including the portion of meat normally eaten by a priest. It was a “special time,” indeed, a time for celebration – unlike a future “set time” (13: 8 and 11), when Sha’ul’s impatience and disobedience would start his downfall (see Ck – God rejects Sha’ul).²²⁶

That same day, after coming down from the high place to the city, he spoke with Sha’ul on the roof of his house (9:24b-25). There, they had a long talk in which Samuel rehearsed for Sha’ul all the events that led up to this historic meeting. Sha’ul didn’t understand everything that was happening to him, but all would be explained to him the next day (see Bx – Samuel anoints Sha’ul).²²⁷

If we make a habit of obeying ADONAI, it will be easier to obey Him when we face stressful situations. Sha’ul was concerned with outward appearances and took great care to say and do “the right things.” He worried about having a suitable gift for the seer when he couldn’t find his father’s donkeys. He was concerned about the protocol of dealing with God’s prophet, but not so concerned about the obedience that came with it. Samuel, in contrast, had made it an overriding habit to obey the LORD’s voice. He had learned that lesson as a boy in the Tabernacle, and he had continued to practice it the rest of his life. Later, when YHVH commanded him to anoint David as king (see the commentary on the Life of David Ah – Samuel Anoints David), he obeyed in spite of the fact that he was risking his life in the process. Samuel obeyed God in difficult circumstances because it was his habit – a habit that he developed on a daily basis. We make something a habit by doing it frequently over an extended period of time. For example, physical exercise can become a habit if we do it each day for several months. Obedience to God’s Word can also become a habit simply by the routine of obeying it on a daily basis.²²⁸

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being omniscient, knowing all, omnipresent, being everywhere, and omnipotent, all-powerful. Your magnificent qualities mean that when You guide me, You are always guiding me to what is best. You see the future so you know how to lead me in Your godly ways. Sometimes a path may appear to look like it might be easier than what You have said in Your Word, or something that You have warned me not to do from Your Spirit, but the world can be deceiving. Lord, help me to always follow You and say no to the world. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You (Psalms 89:14). I know I can trust You with total confidence; the more I obey You, the more I am blessed. To the One Who sits at Your right hand. Amen

Sha’ul and the Lost Donkeys
First Samuel 9: 1-14

Sha’ul and the lost donkeys DIG: What are some of the traits we see in Sha’ul from this early picture of his life? What characteristics did Sha’ul possess that made him a good choice for king in the people’s eyes? How did these differ from God’s standards of what made a good king? In what ways does Sha’ul show us that he was not a spiritual leader? What distinguished the “man of God?”

REFLECT: If some seer were reading all that was in your heart and telling you where your lost items were, would you have reacted as Sha’ul did? Why or why not? What insight did Samuel give you into Yeshua’s prophetic ability to know what was in the heart of man. What difference was Sha’ul’s search for the lost donkeys, and Messiah’s compassion in seeking to save the lost sheep, coin, son?

While Sha’ul was physically impressive, he was not a spiritual leader.

The first thing we learn about Sha’ul is his genealogy: There was a Benjamite, whose name was Kish the son of Avi’el, the son of Tz’ror, the son of B’khorat, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite. He was a mighty man of power and brave as well (9:1). This was not a distinguished family tree – none of these names hold any distinction in the Bible – although Sha’ul’s father possessed a degree of prominence and wealth. Moreover, Benjamin was the smallest of Isra’el’s tribes, being the last of Jacob’s twelve sons. However, from a political standpoint, Benjamin was not a bad choice to provide a king, since a member of that tribe could mediate between the powerful tribes of Judah to the south and Ephraim to the north.

Kish had a son named Sha’ul. The name Sha’ul means asked for. This corresponds to the elders’ request for a king. Sha’ul was, in fact, exactly what Isra’el had asked for, the kind of man admired according to worldly standards. The world admires someone who looks and acts like a leader, and Sha’ul was young and handsome. Indeed, among the people of Isra’el there was no one better-looking than he. The word translated handsome is simply the word good (Hebrew: tov). The point is that Sha’ul made a very good impression. The people would have voted him “Mr. Isra’el” if there had been a contest. Moreover, in a world that values physical stature, Sha’ul was something of a giant: he stood head and shoulders above anyone else in Isra’el (9:2). The fact that Sha’ul is the only Israelite identified in the Bible for his great height – physical stature always being a mark of Isra’el’s enemies (Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 1:28, 2:10, 9:2, First Samuel 17:4) – strengthens the impression that Sha’ul is precisely the kind of king who would be chosen by all the nations.²⁰⁶. However, another Sha’ul, also a Benjamite, though physically unimpressive (Second Corinthians 10:10), possessed the internal, spiritual qualities that would make him one of the greatest men who ever lived.²⁰⁷

The story begins with a common event in that agricultural world. Now some of the donkeys belonging to Sha’ul’s father Kish got lost. Kish said to his son Sha’ul, “Please take one of the servants with you, go out, and look for the donkeys.” He went through the hills of Ephraim and the territory of Shalishah, but they didn’t find them. Then they went through the territory of Sha‘alim, but they weren’t there. They went through the territory of Benjamin but didn’t find them there either (9:3-4). Sha’ul and his servant took a circular tour, returning close to Ramah, though neither Samuel or the city are named here. Sha’ul’s home was in Gibeah, which was only five miles from Ramah, and yet he didn’t even know what all of Isra’el knew (3:20), that a man of God named Samuel lived in Ramah. Sha’ul’s complete ignorance of Isra’el’s chief prophet and judge is confirmed later when he meets Samuel and asks: Please tell me where the seer’s house is (9:18), only to learn that the person he was looking for was standing right in front of him. Sha’ul’s spiritual blindness would play a significant role in events to come, especially as he misjudges the motives of his godly son Jonathan and sees faithful David as a threat.²⁰⁸

How could Sha’ul live so close to Isra’el’s spiritual leader and not know about him is a bit of a mystery, but suggests that Sha’ul simply lived and farmed with his family at Gibeah and minded his own business. Apparently, he didn’t attend the annual feasts (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Eh – Three Times a Year Celebrate a Festival to Me) and wasn’t greatly concerned about spiritual matters. Like many people today, he wasn’t against “religion,” but he didn’t make knowing ADONAI a vital part of his life.²⁰⁹

Finally, we observe that while Sha’ul was supposedly in charge, it was actually his servant who led while Sha’ul was following. It was the servant, not Sha’ul, who insisted that they inquire of God’s prophet. Sha’ul said to his servant, “Come, let’s go back; otherwise my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” But his servant, who saw Ramah in the distance, replied, “Here now, there’s a man of God in this city, a man who is highly respected as a judge and a prophet. Everything he says comes true. Let’s go to him; maybe he can tell us something about where we should go to find the donkeys” (9:5-6). It’s a good thing the servant knew about Samuel and that Sha’ul listened to his advice! Later, when he became king, Sha’ul would frequently be influenced by the counsel of others rather than making up his own mind.

We recognize Sha’ul, do we not? Sha’ul is among us today as the executive who runs the company into the ground while demanding a lavish bonus, or the politician who masters the art of public speaking but never really tells the truth. The Sha’ul’s of the world have little competence for the actual job at hand, but only the carefully cultivated impression of superiority. The Sha’ul’s have few convictions but many ambitions. They are led by the winds of changing fashion. This was the kind of king the Israelites demanded, and in a corrupt world like ours, Sha’ul is the kind of man who often comes to fame and power.

While Sha’ul was physically impressive, he was not a spiritual leader. This is the major point made throughout Chapters 9 and 10. His spiritual aptitude was tainted by his inability to find his father’s lost donkeys. Most of Isra’el’s famous leaders had been shepherds – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses – so Sha’ul’s incompetence at tracking down even such large animals (who eventually found their own way home) is not flattering, to say the least. One of the most important qualifications of a spiritual leader is faithfulness in watching over God’s flock (First Peter 5:2-3), but Sha’ul gave up and wanted to go home.²¹⁰

Sha’ul said to his servant, “If we go to the man, what can we bring him? We’ve used up all the bread in our packs, and there’s nothing for us to give the man of God – what do we have left?” In those days, it was common to offer a gift to a prophet if one were asking for guidance. The gift expressed gratitude and thankfulness for the service of the man of God. In this we see that Sha’ul was concerned with outward appearances and doing the socially correct thing, but not so concerned with doing what was right in God’s eyes. He was careful to obey social etiquette in offering a gift, but later, would not be so careful to obey what the prophet commanded him.²¹¹ But, the servant just “happened” to have a silver quarter-shekel [one-tenth of an ounce] in his hand. He said: I will give it to the man of God to tell us which way to go.” (In Isra’el, before Samuel was written, when someone went to consult God, he would say, “Come, let’s go to the seer,” or one who has eyes to see what is hidden from ordinary people, both in the present – like the lost donkeys – and in the future, because a person now called a prophet used to be called a seer.) Sha’ul said to his servant, “Good, come on, let’s go” (9:7-10a). It is noticeable that Sha’ul didn’t even provide his own gift for Samuel though he was a wealthy man, but instead, relied on his servant’s generosity. Even from his earliest appearances, we find Sha’ul was not a strong leader; he followed the leadership of his servant.

It was evening when the two men arrived at the gates of Ramah. So they went to the city where the man of God was. As they were going up a hill to the town, they met some girls coming down to draw water, and asked them, “Is the seer here” (9:10b-11)? The girls gave them a long, detailed answer. Possibly prompted by the Spirit of God, they said: He’s here, he’s right ahead of you. Hurry now, he just came into the city today, because the people are sacrificing today at the high place. Find him as soon as you enter the city, before he goes up to the high place to eat; because the people won’t eat the sacrificial meal until he comes and blesses the sacrifice. Afterwards, the ones invited will eat. So go on up, you should find him about this time (9:12-13). Sha’ul’s haste here led to success; but later would lead to disaster when he didn’t wait for the prophet (see Ck – God Rejects Sha’ul).

High places were open-air-sanctuaries, sometimes with shrines or other buildings (9:22), where worship was conducted. The LORD was occasionally worshipped there (First Kings 3:2 and 4-5), but their habitual use for idolatry and other pagan practices (First Kings 12:31-32) brought them under divine judgement (First Kings 13:1-2). The kings of the divided monarchy were often judged by whether they had destroyed the high places (Second Kings 12:1-3, 14:1-4, 18:1-4, 23:4-15). The association of high places with idolatry had contributed to the divine rejection of Shiloh and the capture of the Ark (Psalm 78:58-61).²¹²

The time of Sha’ul’s arrival at Ramah was providential, for Samuel appeared just as Sha’ul and his servant entered the city. They went up to Ramah; and as they entered it, there was Samuel coming toward them on his way up to the high place where he would offer a sacrifice to YHVH (9:14). Since the Ark of the covenant was at the house of Abinadab (see Bl – The Ark at Abinadab’s House), and the Tabernacle was moved to Nov (see the commentary on the Life of David Av – David at Nov), the people brought their sacrifices to a shrine at Ramah that was dedicated to ADONAI and located on a hill near the city.

As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, the final point made in the opening section of Chapter 9 is God’s providential control over the small affairs of our lives, according to His sovereign will. Yes, Sha’ul was chasing donkeys, yet, it was the LORD’s sovereignty that directed the paths of both Sha’ul and Samuel that was completely unexpected by both men. It is obvious from the text that YHVH had ordained every detail of this journey, even having Sha’ul and his servant arrive at the town gates at precisely the moment Samuel walked through them (9:14). Here, we are reminded of ADONAI’s utter sovereignty over even the smallest details of life that do not conflict with our free will. It is an antimony, two things that seem to be mutually exclusive, but both are true. We can ask God to explain all of this when we get to heaven.

The LORD had promised to provide Isra’el a king like the other nations, and by His appointed time and means that promise would be fulfilled. Furthermore, this event would work toward God’s own sovereign plan for His people, foreknown and ordained from all eternity past.²¹³ ADONAI used some wandering donkeys to lead Sha’ul to Samuel in order to anoint him as king. Each step along the way could be viewed as a simple coincidence, but there are no coincidences in God’s eyes.²¹⁴ Therefore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (see the commentary on Romans Cl – Our Bodies and Redemption). In this respect, Sha’ul’s selection as Isra’el’s king reminds us of ADONAI’s provision for His Son, Yeshua, to reign as the Savior of His people. Whereas the religious leaders in Jerusalem thought they were merely betraying some rebellious rabbi in handing Yeshua over to the Romans, Peter declared to the Jews (see the commentary on Acts Al – The Ruach Ha’Kodesh Comes at Shavu’ot) that Yeshua, whom they had him arrested in accordance with God’s predetermined plan and foreknowledge had Him nailed up on a stake and killed by men not bound by the Torah (Acts 2:23).²¹⁵

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being such a terrific Father! There is nothing in You that anyone could ever want to be changed for You are perfect in love (First John 4:8c), and perfect in holiness. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes all around and within. They do not rest day or night, chanting, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh of Hosts, who was and who is and who is to come!” (Revelation 4:8). My heart is filled with overwhelming joy and peace for how wonderful You are! You ransomed people of every tribe, language and nation, from sin’s clutches of death by the blood of the Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua. And they are singing a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. For You were slain, and by Your blood You redeemed for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 5:9).

Ransomed is great, but it gets even better because You have promised to live within those who love You. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). It is so fantastic that Messiah Yeshua promises to prepare a future eternal home in heaven for those who love Him. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be  (John 14:1-3). Words cannot express the praise that wells up in my heart for Your mercy and grace, a Father who ransoms me, prepares an eternal home in heaven for me to live in. I delight in following and praising You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His Resurrection. Amen

The Anointing of King Sha’ul
First Samuel 9:1 to 10:27

The focus now shifts from Samuel to Sha’ul; God’s choice for Isra’el’s king. He was from the tribe of Benjamin, which had almost been exterminated because of their rebellion against the Torah (see the commentary on Judges, to see link click Cd – War Against the Tribe of Benjamin). Jacob compared Benjamin to a ravening wolf (see Genesis Lo – Benjamin is a Ravenous Wolf, He Devours the Prey and Divides the Plunder), who didn’t think twice about killing others (see Genesis Ie – The Slaughter at Shechem by Simeon and Levi). Benjamin’s territory lay between Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south; so, Sha’ul’s tribe was next to the royal tribe of Judah. Even though Sha’ul described himself as belonging to the smallest tribe of Isra’el, and his clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin (9:21), he belonged to a powerful and wealthy family that owned much land, animals, and servants.

Physically, Sha’ul was tall, good-looking, and strong, the kind of king the people would admire. Even Samuel, with all his spiritual discernment, got carried away when he saw him. The people ran and brought Sha’ul from Mitzpah, and when he stood among them he was head and shoulders taller than anyone around. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man ADONAI has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” Then all the people shouted, “Long live the king” (10:23-25)! Samuel’s weakness for admiring physical qualities even showed up when he went to anoint David (16:1-7). Sha’ul was obedient to his father and concerned about his father’s feelings, and he was tireless in wanting to obey his father’s will. To invest all the time and energy looking for the lost donkeys suggests that he wasn’t a quitter (9:1-14). In addition, there was a certain amount of modesty in him (9:21 and 10:14-16), but there was no indication of spiritual life.²⁰⁵

The People’s Refusal to Listen
First Samuel 8: 19-22

The people’s refusal to listen DIG: Why did the Israelites want a king? Why were they unsatisfied with judges? What part did Samuel’s sons play in Isra’el’s desire for a king? What part was played by their envy of the surrounding nations? How would the monarchy change the lives of the Israelites? What were they gaining? What were they losing?

REFLECT: Why did the LORD allow Isra’el to have a king, even though He knew it would bring suffering to them? How does ADONAI take our own sins and sovereignly use them as part of His perfect will? Are you content to live as God directs, or do you tend to want things your own way? What areas of your life might the Lord want you to submit to Him?

ADONAI is sovereign, but people are still responsible for their actions.

In spite of ADONAI’s warnings (to see link click Br – Samuel’s Warnings), the people insisted that God give them a king. They were the victim of their own unbelieving folly, and their cries for relief went unanswered. Pleasing the LORD wasn’t the thing uppermost in their minds; what they wanted was guaranteed protection against their enemies. They wanted someone to judge them and fight their battles, someone they could see and follow. They found it too demanding to trust an invisible God and obey His wonderful mitzvot. In spite of all YHVH had done for Isra’el from the call of Abraham to the conquest of the Promised Land, they turned their back on Almighty God and chose to have a frail man to rule over them.²⁰⁰

The people refused to listen to what Samuel told them, and they said: No! We want a king over us, so that we can be like all the nations, with our king to judge us, lead us and fight our battles (8:19-20). As we have seen repeatedly, there were aspects of the LORD’s role in the nation of Isra’el. However, the people were indeed rejecting ADONAI by demanding to have a mortal lead and defend them. The more people depend on human government, the less they depend on YHVH.²⁰¹ Samuel heard everything the people said and repeated them for ADONAI to hear. ADONAI said to Samuel, “Do what they ask, and set up a king for them.” So Samuel told the men of Isra’el, “Each of you, return to his city” with the understanding that the request would be granted in due time (8:21-22).

It is important to distinguish three aspects of the will of ADONAI. God’s sovereign will is what He decrees to come to pass. It includes all things and is irresistible and absolute. In Him, we were chosen, having been predestined according to His plan that works everything in conformity with the purpose of His will (Ephesians 1:11). We do not regard this as fatalism, for God is involved and concerned, and we are responsible for our actions. ADONAI’s perfect will is what He advocates and prefers. This aspect of God’s will includes His moral desires as revealed in His Word (see the commentary on Exodus Dh – ADONAI and the Torah). Finally, His permissive will refers to what YHVH permits even when it is not in conformity with His perfect will. Ha’Shem may permit sin, though it is not in keeping with what He prefers. At this time God has granted certain powers to Satan as the god of this World (2 Corinthians 4:4) until the Lord returns (Isaiah 63:1-6) with the title deed to the earth (see the commentary on Revelation Cf – You Are Worthy to Take the Scroll) at the beginning of His Messianic Kingdom (see Isaiah Jt – Isra’el in the Messianic Kingdom).²⁰²

Was it ADONAI’s will for Isra’el to have a king? The answer is “yes!” Prophecies dating back to Moses indicate that this was God’s plan (Genesis 49:10; Number 24:17; Deuteronomy 17:14-20). The fact that the monarchy was actually instituted indicates that it was part of God’s sovereign will – His decree. But was it God’s will that they acquire a king in the manner in which they were doing it? No. The people were rejecting the kingship of YHVH (First Samuel 8:7) and were motivated by a desire to be like all the nations (8:20). Nevertheless, ADONAI allowed this to take place, because it was within His permissive will of the nation.

Ironically, Ha’Shem gave them their king, but it ended up being part of His judgment against the nation. As they were sitting in the Babylonian captivity (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), Zedekiah would be the last human king of Isra’el (see Jeremiah Fy – A Warning to Zedekiah). God’s ultimate answer to their foolish decision is recorded in Hosea 13:9-11, “It is your destruction, Isra’el, although your help is in Me. So now, where is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are your judges, of whom you said: Give me a king and leaders’? I gave you a king in my anger; and in my fury I took him away.”²⁰³ There is application for us today. When believers are in God’s permissive will, but disobedient, then they alone are responsible for their actions. YHVH is sovereign, yes, but people are still responsible for our actions. With respect to sin and evil, the LORD wills to permit it (Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23), but not to effect it, for He is not the author of evil (James 1:13).²⁰⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being such a wonderful Father! People often choose to listen to the world, rather than to go to You for advice; but You are wise and always give the best to those who love You. Your advice is far better than what anyone else says. When Isra’el begged You for a king, You gave them what they wanted, but Sha’ul turned out to be an evil king. It would have been so much better if the people had trusted You as their King, then the problem would seem small. When problems seem big, it is such a comfort to realize that You are always bigger, wiser and stronger! David was an excellent example of a man with problems, which many could have been thought of as “Big problems.” Sha’ul was out to kill him, but David trusted strongly in You, so he saw “small problems” and a “Big God! David cried out: Answer me when I call to You, my righteous God! You set me free when I am in distress. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer (Psalms 4:1).

You have the victory all worked out, if only Your people would put their trust in You rather in the world. ADONAI, how many are my foes! Many are rising up against me! Many are saying to my soul: “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah But You, ADONAI, are a shield around me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I cry out to ADONAI with my voice, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah I lie down and sleep. I awake – for ADONAI sustains me (Psalms 3:1-5). Dear Father, I love You and seek to follow David’s example and run to You with my problems for You are almighty, loving and wise! In Messiah’s holy Name and power of His Resurrection. Amen

Samuel’s Warnings
First Samuel 8: 10-18

Samuel’s warnings DIG: If you had heard these warnings, what would you have done? Why? What was wrong with their willful intent to have a king? What were the kings of other nations like, Pharaoh in Egypt, or Jethro in Midian, for example? How could they forget so soon how God had led them into battle? Why did God relent and give them a king?

REFLECT: When are you inclined to want or do something just to be “like everyone else?” How do you prevent sin from blinding you to your choices? If someone rejects your believing witness, is that person necessarily rejecting YHVH? Have you ever gone through a period of rebellion? What persuades you to submit to God’s will in your life?

When all this happened, it was too late to complain,
for the people had reaped the consequences of their own fleshly desires.

Samuel reported everything ADONAI had said to the people asking Him for a king (8:10). What follows is an extraordinarily accurate picture of the ordinary results of human lordship. Even though the LORD sanctioned the monarchy, He gave advance warning of the price Isra’el would pay for asking Him for a king. If the rulings below were to be realized, the average Israelite would soon be little more than the private property at the disposal of the monarch king. Samuel describes human kingship, not just at its worst, but in its very nature, featuring two verbs take (six times) and serve or servant (five times).¹⁹⁷

He said: Here is the kind of rulings your king will make:

He will draft your sons and assign them to take care of his chariots, be his horsemen and be bodyguards running ahead of his chariots (8:11).

He will appoint them to serve him as officers in charge of a thousand or of fifty, plowing his fields, gathering his harvest, and making his weapons and the equipment for his chariots (8:12).

He will take your daughters and have them be perfume-makers, cooks and bakers (8:13).

He will take your fields, vineyards and olive groves – the very best of them! – and hand them over to his servants (8:14).

He will take the ten-percent tax of your crops and vineyards and give it to his officers and servants, in addition to the approximately 23 percent they were already paying (8:15).

He will take your male and female servants, your best young men and your donkeys, and make them work for him (8:16).

He will take the ten-percent tax of your flocks, and you will become his servants (8:17).
All of these warnings came true, word for word.

This was Samuel’s message then, and it is still true today. If the Israelites did not want divine rule, but the kind of leaders who rule all the nations, then they would experience the usual life of mankind: slavery to oppressive masters. Like today, those who want national government to provide all their needs must be ready to sign away their rights as free people. If the government is to solve all our problems, then the government must be obeyed in all things and most of what we have must be given to it. But, as much as a king may accomplish for the nation, it is certain that he will take more than he gives. He will take and you will serve: such is the despotism whenever sinful men are set in the place of God in our lives. This principle is even more true when it comes to our yielding to sin, the great slave master of our world. Yeshua said: Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34). We think we will dabble in sin while retaining control over our passions, but it’s not true. Sin takes and we serve, until finally sin destroys us in God’s holy judgment.¹⁹⁸

As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, undoubtedly, the people of Isra’el wanted to have their cake and eat it, too. They were willing to observe God’s “religion” only if they had a secular government; they wanted a private faith, not public reliance. Likewise, the trappings of “religion” are permitted by secular governments today, enlisting God’s endorsement of the sovereign rule of mankind, so long as God agrees not to have any say in our affairs. But God doesn’t agree with such an arrangement. He told the Israelite elders that if they wanted a human king, they would have to rely on him without His help. Samuel warned them that as much as they wanted a king now, in the future they would live to regret it. In the day, you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen, but ADONAI will not answer you” (8:18). In other words, there would be no return to the cycle of judges.

Tragically, this scenario played itself out within two generations, as Isra’el experienced the very oppression that Samuel had predicted under David’s son and successor, King Solomon. Solomon spent seven years building the LORD’s Temple (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon, to see link click Bb – Inside Solomon’s Temple), but he took thirteen years building an even more spectacular palace for himself (First Kings 7:1). To accomplish that feat, Solomon pressed much of Isra’el into forced labor (see the Life of Solomon Az – Materials and Labor for the Temple). Solomon took and the people served, and when Solomon died the elders appealed to his son Rehoboam for leniency. They pleaded: Your father made our yoke heavy. Now, therefore, lighten our hard service . . . and we will serve you (First Kings 12:4). Rehoboam responded as any king would, refusing to begin his reign with a sign of weakness. Therefore, he boasted: My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs. Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions (First Kings 12:10-11 NLT)!¹⁹⁹ When all this happened, it was too late to complain, for the people had reaped the consequences of their own fleshly desires.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your steadfast and wise love! You are such a perfect Father! You delight in blessing Your children. When You give warnings it is always for our own good. You want to bless us by following paths that lead to joy and peace, and You know all things, You direct us in paths to bring us the greatest joy. I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10c)! Your love is so great that You willingly gave Your own Son to bear our sin. He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things (Romans 8:32)? You can see the future. So when You warn me through Your Word, and Your Spirit, it is out of love to protect me from what is going to hurt me in the future. Your steadfast love is both a love in the past when Messiah Yeshua paid sin’s ransom, and it is also a love looking forward to the future when Your children are in heaven and You will reward us with our obedience. For no one can lay any other foundation than what is already laid – which is Yeshua the Messiah.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear. For the Day will show it, because it is to be revealed by fire; and the fire itself will test each one’s work – what sort it is.  If anyone’s work built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward (1 Cor 3:11-14). Thank You for guiding and warning me so that I can find the best paths to life’s peace and eternal joy. In Messiah’s holy Name and power of His Resurrection. Amen

Give Us a King!
First Samuel 8: 1-9

Give us a king DIG: How should we understand the elders’ demand? Why were they not satisfied with Judges? What part did Samuel’s sons play in Isra’el’s desire for a king? What part was played by their envy of the surrounding nations? Why was Samuel disappointed by the elders’ request for a king? How would a monarchy change the lives of the Israelites? What were they gaining? What were they losing?

REFLECT: In your opinion, why did Samuel repeat the same mistake ‘Eli had made by appointing his disobedient sons to leadership? What can we learn from their mistakes? How did Samuel respond to the elders’ request for a king? How do you respond in similar situations? Are you content to live as God directs, or do you tend to want things your own way? What areas of your life might God want you to submit to Him?

Now give us a king to judge us like all the nations.

Samuel’s sons (8:1-3): When Samuel grew old, probably somewhere between 65 and 70 years old, he appointed his sons as judges over Isra’el. His firstborn was named Joel, meaning ADONAI is God, while his second son was named Abijah, meaning ADONAI is my father. They were judges at Beersheba, in the southern part of the country, so that Samuel would judge from Ramah in the northern part of the country (8:1-2). This delegation was an unusual thing to do. For approximately 350 years, ADONAI Himself had selected people to serve as His judges, and they did not choose their successors. We will discover, however, that Samuel’s weak spot was indulging his own sons – a failing he shared with ‘Eli (to see link click At – ‘Eli’s Ineffective Rebuke of His Sons), with similar results.

So Samuel’s sons had godly names, given by a godly father, but they did not follow his godly ways. His sons did not follow his way of life, nor imitate the righteousness of their father (8:3a). This is an interesting statement. One would expect that Samuel’s sons did not walk in the LORD’s ways, rather than Samuel’ ways. It might possibly suggest that Samuel, like ‘Eli, had failed to fully instruct his sons in the ways of the LORD. It is important to live a life that demonstrates godliness to one’s children, but that lifestyle must also be accompanied with clear instruction in God’s Word. An example without instruction will lead the children to imitate the parent, but we are called to imitate Messiah (Romans 8:29).

They became morally corrupt and were greedy for money (8:3b). While judges were to be incorruptible (Exodus 23:8 and Deuteronomy 16:19), and Samuel himself could claim that he was blameless in that regard (12:3-5), his two sons were more interested in lining their own pockets than in maintaining justice. Because of their geographical distance from Samuel (Beersheba is about fifty-seven miles south-southwest of Ramah), it absolved him from any direct complicity in their evil deeds. Ironically, this was the third set of brothers from the tribe of Levi that failed to live up to their calling as priests. The first set was Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron (see the commentary on Leviticus Bh – The Death of Nadab and Abihu), the second set was Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of ‘Eli (see Ar – ‘Eli’s Wicked Sons), and the third set was Joel and Abijah, the sons of Samuel. This points to the fact that the priesthood of Isra’el cannot save the nation. It is only through the priesthood of Yeshua Messiah that Isra’el can be saved (see the commentary on Hebrews Au – The Superiority of the Messiah to the Levitical Priesthood).¹⁸⁴

Although, unlike ‘Eli, while Samuel was faithful to ADONAI, his two sons perverted justice by taking bribes (8:3c). Their actions repudiated their names. ‘Eli’s sons were members of the priesthood, while Samuel’s sons were judges, or political leaders. While it is true that Samuel’s sons were in the southern part of the nation, while Samuel ministered in the north, and perhaps he was away from home too much on his circuit ministry to other cities (7:16). However, since the elders knew about the bribes his sons took, surely their father must have also known.¹⁸⁶

The elders’ request for a king (8:4-6a): All the elders of Isra’el were unanimous, as a result of the attack by Nahash, king of the Ammonites (12:12), they gathered themselves together, approached Samuel in Ramah and said to him, “Look, you have grown old, and your sons are not following your ways” (8:4-5a). They were afraid, and instead of relying on God to defend them as Hezekiah had done (see the commentary on Isaiah Gu – Hezekiah Spread the Letter Before the LORD), they decided that a king would be better to lead the Israelites into battle. Samuel experienced what Moses, the prophets, and even Yeshua experienced. “We do not want this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14).¹⁸⁷

How should we understand the elders’ demand? In his commentary on 1 Samuel, Bill Arnold describes it as sinful in its motives, since their request represented a rebellion against the rule of ADONAI; selfish in its timing, since they demanded God’s provision at the time of their own choosing; and cowardly in its spirit, since they sought a system that would remove the need for faith in YHVH.¹⁸⁸ The alternative to their demand was a true seeking after God, including their willingness to walk in his ways. But as before, it seemed easier to seek a new gimmick, a new device, rather than the repentance needed to be restored to the Lord.¹⁸⁹

The elders’ request for a king (8:4-6a): All the elders of Isra’el were unanimous, they gathered themselves together, approached Samuel in Ramah and said to him, “Look, you have grown old, and your sons are not following your ways” (8:4-5a). Because of Samuel’s age, and because they wanted nothing to do with his rebellious sons, the elders in their collective human wisdom decided that a king would best suit their needs. Samuel experienced what Moses, the prophets, and even Yeshua experienced. “We do not want this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14).¹⁹⁰

Now give us a king to judge us like all the other nations. Samuel was not pleased to hear them say: Give us a king to judge us (8:5b-6a). When the elders said that, they were forgetting that Isra’el’s strength was to be unlike all the other nations. The Israelites were God’s covenant people (see Deuteronomy Ah – Treaty of the Great King), and He was their King. The Sh’khinah glory dwelt in their midst and the Torah was their wisdom. But the elders were concerned about national security and protection from the enemies around them. The Philistines were still a powerful nation, and the Ammonites were also a threat (12:12). Isra’el had no standing army and no king to lead it. The elders forgot that it was the LORD who was Isra’el’s King and who gave her army the victories.¹⁹¹

How should we understand the elders’ demand? In his commentary on 1 Samuel, Bill Arnold describes it as sinful in its motives, since their request represented a rebellion against the rule of ADONAI; selfish in its timing, since they demanded God’s provision at the time of their own choosing; and cowardly in its spirit, since they sought a system that would remove the need for faith in YHVH.¹⁹² The alternative to their demand was a true seeking after God, including their willingness to walk in his ways. But as before, it seemed easier to seek a new gimmick, a new device, rather than the repentance needed to be restored to the Lord.¹⁹³

ADONAI’s answer to Samuel (8:6b-9): Samuel was disappointed, at least in part, because he felt the people were rejecting him. He had spent his whole life serving God’s people, first as a boy in the Tabernacle, and then later as the nation’s judge and God’s prophet. He may also have sensed the greater danger behind the request for a king; the people wanted a human leader they could see rather than YHVH whom they could not see.

Nevertheless, Samuel prayed to ADONAI (8:6b). Once again, we get a glimpse into the godly character of this man. When the people and circumstances went against him, he did not lash out or retaliate, but turned to God for help. Samuel demonstrated the attitude God desires in all His children: trust in Him to fight our battles and to guide us.¹⁹⁴

And ADONAI told him, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected as their King, but Me. As they have done from the day I brought them out of Egypt until today, by abandoning Me and serving other gods” (8:7-8). It wasn’t Isra’el’s request for a king that was their greatest sin because God had already promised them one (see Deuteronomy Dh – The King), it was their insisting that Ha’Shem give them a king immediately. The LORD had a king in mind for them, David son of Jesse, but the time wasn’t right for him to appear. So, YHVH gave them their request by appointing Sha’ul to be their king, and He used Sha’ul to discipline the nation and prepare them for David, the man of His choice. The fact that Sha’ul was from the tribe of Benjamin and not from Judah is evidence enough that he was never expected to establish a dynasty in Isra’el. So in My anger I gave you a king, and in My wrath I took him away (Hosea 13:11).¹⁹⁵

So do what they say, but give them a sober warning so that they cannot claim ignorance, telling them of the judgment of the king who will reign over them (8:9). This is a sobering principle: be careful what you ask for because you may get it! ADONAI will eventually give us the things we continually clamor for, even if those things prove harmful to us. He doesn’t do this out of a vindictive spirit, for He will warn us and attempt to steer us in a course that will bring blessing and godly character. However, if we persist in demanding our own way, we run the terrible risk that the Lord will grant us we what we stubbornly demanded.¹⁹⁶

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You for being such a wonderful Father to care so wisely and tenderly for me. You give me all that I need! Time seems to fly by while eternity will last forever! It is so much wiser to ask You to guide me and to give me what You know is best for me, than to beg You to give me what might not be good for me. Others may have things that may look nice for a short time, but You can always be trusted to give what is wisest for all eternity. The things of this world will only break, perish and fade away; but a relationship of love with You will last forever! It is absolutely fantastic that You have chosen to indwell me with Your love. And in return, I love You and want to please You so much. You give such a wonderful gift to those who have a loving relationship with You. You will bring me to Your heavenly home for all eternity! Praise you that in Your heavenly home, there will be no crying, dying, sadness nor pain. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4). Thank you for being such a wonderful heavenly Father who always cares for me and gives me what is best for me! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and Power of His Resurrection. Amen

The Rise of Sha’ul
First Samuel 8:1 to 12:25

Many of the nations surrounding Isra’el considered their kings to be gods, whether by divine adoption or through self-deification (Isaiah 14:4 and 13-14; Ezeki’el 28:2, 6, and 9). In Isra’el such a claim was unthinkable since the king possessed neither deity nor absolute authority (Second Kings 5:7), but the temptation and danger was always present. To be sure, Isra’el’s king was to exercise “political and military power, but he stood under the authority and judgment of Ha’Shem. Finally, discussion of monarchy among God’s people must take into account the will of ADONAI.

It was not God’s will for Isra’el to have a king in the way they were asking for it. Still, God’s resulting principle, what His “permissive will” came to be, was to direct Samuel to anoint Sha’ul as king out of the tribe of Benjamin. Three important distinctions need to be observed. First, God relented and agreed to give the people a king only because they had changed. This can also be seen in the book of Jonah. Ha’Shem had threatened destruction on the Ninevites, but when God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented with compassion and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened because they had changed (Jonah 3:10). Secondly, God performed the very act that the people wanted; but, while their motive was wrong and in that act they became guilty, God’s motive was right and in the very same act He did not assume any of the guilt. Thirdly, ADONAI was grieved over their apostasy (8:7), but their act of defiance resulted in His divine love. In spite of their wanting a king despite already having a King, YHVH delivered them several times (First Samuel 9:16, 10:9 and 24, 11:13). Thus, the people’s desire for a king did not surprise God, for Sha’ul had been a part of God’s plan from the very beginning, and He used the rebellion of the people to praise Him (Psalm 76:10).

Clearly Chapters 8 to 12 constitute a literary unit, for they are immediately preceded by the story of the last judge (to see link click Bn – Repentance and recommitment at Mitzpah: All the Days of Samuel), and immediately followed by the beginning of the rise of the monarchy (see Bq – Give Us a King). The divisions of the whole unit alternates between negative and positive attitudes toward the monarchy: 8:1-22 (negative), 9:1 to 10:16 (positive), 10:17-27 (negative), 11:1-11 (positive), and 11:12 to 12:25 (negative).¹⁸¹

The Request for a King
First Samuel 8: 1-22

Probably twenty or twenty-five years elapsed between the events recorded in Chapter 7 and those in Chapter 8. Samuel was now an old man, about to walk off the pages of the Bible, and a new generation had emerged in Isra’el with new leaders and new ideas. Life goes on, and circumstances change, but God’s people must have the wisdom to adapt to new challenges without abandoning old convictions. Like other great leaders, Samuel in his old age faced some painful situations and had to make some difficult decisions. Unfortunately, he left the scene convinced that he had been rejected by the very people he had served so faithfully. Samuel had obeyed ADONAI, but he was a man with a broken heart.

God had chosen Moshe to lead the nation of Isra’el and Joshua to succeed him (see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Fu – The Tent of Meeting), but Joshua wasn’t commanded to lay hands on any successor.¹⁸² Ha’Shem then raised up judges to lead, and the people tried to make at least one of them king. Gideon, however, rejected this offer, reminding them of the privilege of having the LORD as their only king when he said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. ADONAI will rule over you” (Judges 8:23). As a result, unfortunately, during the period of the judges, the people followed the idols of the land (see the commentary on Judges As – Cycles of Disobedience and Deliverance). In those days there was no king in Isra’el; everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25, see 17:6,18:1, and 19:1). It seems that the Kingship of the invisible God strained the people’s faith, so through Samuel, YHVH provided a human king, by which He ultimately established His sovereign rule over His people.

Today, the congregations of God often suffer from a crisis of leadership, especially during times of transition. Like the Israelites of old, believers must learn that ADONAI has appointed the means of governing His people and He provides the leaders to do His will. In addition, relying on the Lord’s provision may inspire us to take biblical qualifications more seriously and devote more effort and energy to prayer.¹⁸³

The eight speeches in Chapter Eight constitute a remarkable chiasm in which the second element in each pair reverses the roles of the speaker and recipient:

A The people to Samuel (8:5)

B Samuel to ADONAI (8:6)

C ADONAI to Samuel (8:7-9)

D Samuel to the people (8:10-18)

D The people to Samuel (8:19-20)

C Samuel to ADONAI (8:21)

B ADONAI to Samuel (8:22a)

A Samuel to the people (8:22b)

Repentance and Recommitment at Mitzpah
First Samuel 7: 2-17

Repentance and recommitment at Mitzpah DIG: In what ways had the people of Isra’el become unfaithful to the LORD? What things needed to be purified in their lives? How did YHVH bring Isra’el to repentance? What was involved in their repentance? How did God demonstrate His faithfulness to Isra’el in this story? What did He require the Israelites to do? How did Samuel exercise his roles as both a judge and prophet of Isra’el? What were some of the ways in which he remained faithful to his dual calling?

REFLECT: How is today’s Church in danger of mixing false doctrine with worldly entertainment and fixated with secular concepts of success rather than sticking closely to the Word of God? Are there areas in your life in which you need to confess and repent? Spend time asking the Lord to show you anything that is not pleasing to Him. What “Ebenezers” do you have to remind you of God’s faithfulness? What kind of memorials can you set up as future reminders? Who can you help this week?

So the people of Isra’el got rid of their images of Ba’al and Ashtoreth, and served ADONAI alone.

From the day that the Ark arrived at the house of Abinadab in Kiriath-Jearim (to see link click Bl – The Ark at Abinadab’s House) twenty years elapsed. All that time the Philistines maintained their domination over God’s people. Isra’el was reduced to virtual serfdom, forbidden by the Philistines to employ blacksmiths, lest the Israelite plowshares be beaten into swords, while their enemy maintained forts deep in Israelite territory (13:19 to 14:5).¹⁶⁶

During the period of the judges, the people of Isra’el had fallen into a cycle of sin and repentance (see Judges At – Twelve Cycles). They would turn away from obedience to YHVH, and He would permit an enemy to oppress them. After a period of suffering, the people would cry out to God for help, and He would raise up a leader to serve as judge and deliverer. Under the spiritual misconduct of ‘Eli, the nation had again turned to the pagan practices of the world around them, and YHVH had removed His hand of blessing.¹⁶⁷

Isra’el mourned (7:2-4): Many wonder where Samuel was when all these events took place. He probably would have been present at Shiloh when the news of Isra’el’s defeat came and ‘Eli the high priest had died (see Bc – The death of ‘Eli), and perhaps returned to his home in Ramah when Shiloh was destroyed (see Ae – The Tabernacle at Shiloh). During those long years of oppression, Samuel must have prayed and urged Isra’el to repent and return to the LORD. So when all the people of Isra’el mourned and sought after ADONAI (7:2), it seems that he waited for just the right time before calling a national convention. The apostle Paul says that godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation (Second Corinthians 7:10).¹⁶⁸

Rather than remaining satisfied with a fleeting remorse, Samuel sought to lead Isra’el in true repentance so as to restore the people to the LORD. Therefore, Samuel addressed all the people of Isra’el; he said: If you are returning to ADONAI with all your heart, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths that you have with you, and dedicate your hearts to ADONAI (7:3a). The people of Isra’el had added many elements of pagan religion into their worship practices, and YHVH used numerous judges to purify His people. Isra’el had not utterly abandoned the Torah or stopped worshipping the LORD, but they had adulterated their worship with other Canaanite practices.¹⁶⁹ The Canaanite way of life was totally opposed to everything Isra’el should have stood for as the people of God, and therefore repentance, if it was to be credible, had to totally reject that foreign worship.

Putting away their false gods was only the beginning of their return to ADONAI; the Israelites had to prepare their hearts for the LORD. Samuel declared: If you will serve only Him, He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines (7:3b). This was in keeping with the first commandment: You shall have no other gods in addition to Me (Exodus 20:3).

An idol is a substitute for God – anything that we trust and serve in place of the Lord. The Israelites gave themselves to idols of wood, stone, and metal, but believers today have more subtle and attractive gods: houses and lands, wealth, automobiles, boats, position, recognition, ambition, and even other people. Anything in our lives that takes the place of God and commands the sacrifice and devotion that belong only to Him is an idol and must be cast out. Idols in the heart are far more dangerous than idols in the Temple (Ezeki’el 8-9).¹⁷⁰

So the people of Isra’el got rid of their images of Ba’al and Ashtoreth, and served ADONAI alone (7:4). Ba’al was the male pagan god of fertility, and was believed to be the son of Dagon (see Bf – The Ark at Ashdod); Ashtoreth was the female goddess of fertility. The association of Ba’al and Ashtoreth expressed the depraved sexual ritual at the Canaanite shrines, making them especially abominable in the eyes of Ha’Shem. They were represented in pagan temples by statues. The Israelites had probably incorporated both the idols and the wicked practices into their worship of YHVH. God does not permit His people to create their own syncretistic religion, selecting at a whim this idea or practice from the world’s abundance of false gods, even if some worldly practices seem “culturally relevant.”¹⁷¹

Samuel gathered the people (7:5-6): Then Samuel said: Gather all Isra’el to Mitzpah, which was in Benjamite territory some seven miles north of Jerusalem. The phrase “all Isra’el” did not necessarily include every single Israelite living in the Land, but probably consisted of the representatives from all the tribal territories. This was a common place of assembly for Isra’el. In the time of the Judges the elders of the tribes gathered there to decide Benjamin’s fate following the murder of a Levite’s concubine (Judges 19:1-20:1 and 3; 21:1, 5 and 8). Later, Sha’ul was presented to Isra’el as king at Mitzpah (First Samuel 10:17). It was even the capital of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Second Kings 25:23 and 25).¹⁷² Samuel then added: And I will intercede and pray for you to ADONAI (7:5). Serving in his priestly capacity, Samuel was appointed to represent the people to God, and God to the people. Note the contrast here with the prior situation at Shiloh: it was the absence of godly priests, ‘Eli’s son’s being rejected for their wickedness (see Ar – ‘Eli’s Wicked Sons), that Isra’el had been disciplined by ADONAI. Now there was a true and godly priest, and the people were restored to God’s favor.

Once the people had gathered at Mitzpah, they responded in two specific actions designed to express their repentance and recommitment before the LORD. First, they drew water and poured it out before ADONAI. It seems as though they were denying themselves water as a symbolic confession that God’s favor was more important to them than life-sustaining water. This was a symbol of their pouring out before YHVH the depths of their surrender to Him. As Yeshua said: I tell you the truth, unless one is born of water and the Ruach, one cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 7:37). Secondly, there was public fasting, the purpose of which was to express special humiliation and grief for sin (Second Samuel 12:21; First Kings 21:27; Dani’el 10:2-3). For several days, the Israelites came before Ha’Shem declaring their eager readiness to repent and receive His renewing grace. There can be little doubt of the sincerity, fervor, and grief poured out in their words of confession. On that day they fasted and confessed, “We have sinned against ADONAI.”¹⁷³

And Samuel began serving as judge over the people of Isra’el at Mitzpah, the successor to ‘Eli (7:6). The name Mitzpah means watchtower and it was a vantage point for military purposes. For the first time, Samuel’s activity as judge is mentioned, though he was primarily the prophet of the LORD (3:20), and His word had authority all over Isra’el (4:1). Notice of Samuel’s judgeship is immediately followed by a report of Philistine attack. We are thus reminded that the function of a “judge” during this dark period was more executive than judicial. The word judge often paralleled “ruler” or “prince” (Exodus 2:14), and one of the most common roles of the judge was to repel invaders (Judges 2:16 and 18).¹⁷⁴

The Philistines make war (7:7-8): When the Philistines heard that the people of Isra’el had gathered together at Mitzpah, the lords of the Philistines’ feared Samuel was leading Isra’el to rebel against their rule, so they moved up to take the initiative and attack them. It was a testing moment for the Israelites, who had been defeated so decisively in the previous battle (see Bb – The Philistines Captured the Ark). The circumstances, however, could not have been more different. Instead of the brash, misplaced confidence in the Ark of the covenant (4:3) or any other material object, there was genuine (if timid) faith in the power of their God to save them from their enemies.¹⁷⁵ From a human perspective, the Israelites had good reason to fear. The Philistines were a powerful and wealthy nation, possessing five major fortified cities, each with a well-trained standing army. The people of Isra’el said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to ADONAI our God for us, that He may save us from the power of the Philistines.” The LORD would indeed defend Isra’el, but He wanted His people to approach Him in prayer and obedience.¹⁷⁶

ADONAI fights the battle (7:9-14): Samuel took a baby lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to ADONAI (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God). He cried out to ADONAI for Isra’el, and ADONAI answered him (7:9). God is faithful. God is attentive. It is the character of God to respond to the genuine need of faithful people. For everyone who asks will receive (Matthew 7:8a). It is the Lord’s character to respond faithfully to the genuine need of His faithful people. Isra’el’s great prayers (Psalm 107) are structured as a relation of the people crying out to Him, and He answering. This relation is disrupted whenever Isra’el believes that she is self-sufficient; or when Isra’el believes that prayer is futile; or when Isra’el concludes that YHVH is not attentive, does not care, or will not act. For us, prayer is a scandal in our modern world and surely violates our “enlightened reason.” We may be sure, however, that such a daring prayer was also an affront to the “realists” who took the Philistine threat seriously. Prayer must have seemed silly to them when the mighty Philistines were approaching. Nevertheless, Samuel’s prayer was not mere piety, but an act of real courage in the midst of real danger.¹⁷⁷

As Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines advanced to attack Isra’el. So, the offering was made just in time, and would bring about God’s special intervention. Although the approaching Philistines threatened to interrupt the worship, and the temptation to stop the sacrifice and defend the city, faith held out and ADONAI thundered violently over the Philistines, throwing them into such confusion that they were struck down before Isra’el. Intimated by the thunder-storm that broke their battle lines, the Philistines fled downhill towards their own territory. The men of Isra’el rushed out from Mitzpah, pursuing the Philistines and attacking them all the way to Beth Kar (7:10-11). The enemy was decisively defeated.

Then Samuel took a stone, placed it between Mitzpah and Shen, and gave it the name Ebenezer [the stone of the Helper], for Psalm 115;9-11 declares that God is Isra’el’s help and shield (7:12a). This Ebenezer was certainly not the Ebenezer of 4:1 and 5:1, since the latter is too far to the northwest for Mitzpah to be used as a benchmark for this location. Previously, Joshua had instructed the people to build a pile of stones beside the Jordan River to remind them of the LORD’s miracle in parting the river for them to cross over on dry ground (see the commentary on Joshua Au – The First Stones at the Jordan). Samuel was now continuing the practice by setting up a monument to commemorate their great victory that Ha’Shem had won for His people. It is important to be reminded frequently of all God has done for us, lest we forget and begin to distrust His faithfulness. This is the reason Yeshua Messiah instituted the Lord’s Supper (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kj – Breaking the Middle Matzah).

Samuel set up the stone, explaining, “Thus far has ADONAI helped us” (7:12b). This does not mean, “Well, God has helped us thus far – let’s hope that He’ll continue to do so.” On the contrary, it means that YHVH had been faithful to Isra’el throughout the past, and the people could depend on His continued help in the future. Samuel was teaching the Israelites they could fully trust in the faithfulness of the LORD. The stone memorial would serve as a constant reminder of that fact.¹⁷⁸

Thus, the Philistines were humiliated, so that after forty years of supremacy they no longer invaded Isra’el’s territory; and the hand of ADONAI was against the Philistines as long as Samuel lived. The LORD gave Isra’el the victory over the Philistines, suspending their threat for the immediate future during Samuel’s lifetime; however, they did resume their subjugation during the kingship of Sha’ul. The cities between ‘Ekron and Gath which the Philistines had captured from Isra’el were restored to her, and Isra’el rescued the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Isra’el and the Amorites (7:13-14). The name Amorites is used loosely to cover the whole Canaanite population, who regarded the Israelites as less of a threat to them than the Philistines, and so they stopped their aggression against Isra’el, resulting in peace between the two nations.¹⁷⁹

All the days of Samuel (7:15-17): Samuel continued in office as judge of Isra’el as long as he lived. The whole section ends with a summary of Samuel’s ministry. He did not expect people to come to him at Ramah, but he would travel annually in a circuit that included Bethel, Gilgal and Mitzpah, all on the border between Benjamin and Ephraim, to the south of Shiloh, about 50 miles in circumference; judging Isra’el in all those places. These were the cities where the schools of the prophets (First Samuel 19:19-24; Second Kings 2:3, 4:38 and 6:1) were located. So this indicated that Samuel was the founder of the schools of the prophets. But he would always return to Ramah, because that’s where his home was, and he would judge Isra’el there too. He also built an altar there to ADONAI, Ramah was a place of sacrifice between the time of Shiloh and Jerusalem. Thus, the Ruach summarizes Samuel’s era: Isra’el was secure and stable both externally and internally under Samuel’s judgeship. Traveling on the circuit gave the people confidence and trust in God and in Samuel’s leadership. Despite all of this, the people of Isra’el would soon senselessly request a king, rather than a new judge, despite Samuel’s opposition (see Bq – Give Us a King!).¹⁸⁰

Dear heavenly Father, Praise You for being perfect in Your character. How amazing that when there is repentance from sin, you listen and forgive! The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you – not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9). Repentance is not merely the acknowledgement of sin, but real heartfelt sorrow and grief. True repentance is when someone is grieved over how their sin hurt God. Repentance sees the sin from God’s point of view and desires to turn from that sin and go in a different direction (Second Corinthians 7:9-11). David is an excellent example of true repentance that leads to God’s forgiveness and restoration. Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your mercy. According to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. . .Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalms 51:1-2, 11) Praise You heavenly Father for being such a loving God to accept true repentance and forgive! In Your Holy Name and the power of Yeshua’s resurrection. Amen

The Last Judge
First Samuel 7:2 to 12:25

The last chapters of the book of Judges, with their refrain: there was no king in Isra’el (Judges 18:1, 19:1, and 21:25), prepare the way for new developments in Isra’el’s leadership. The judges had been military as well as judicial leaders, effective in an emergency (though Samson did not fulfill his early promise), but limited by their geographical boundaries and by the nature of their office, for they did not appoint their successor. At a time of uncertainty due to external pressure from aggressors, Isra’el felt the need of a leader who would unite the tribes, have an effective standing army, and be a match for those who led their enemies to victory. It is hardly surprising that there were differences of opinion in Isra’el if it was proper to ask for a king when ADONAI was their King, and Samuel would bear the brunt of the conflict in his future capacity as judge, priest, and prophet, after the style of Moses.¹⁶⁵

The Ark at Abinadab’s House
First Samuel 7:1

The Ark at Abinadab’s house DIG: Why wasn’t the Ark taken to Shiloh? Who were the Gibeonites? How was the Ark the smell of death to Beth-Shemesh, and the fragrance of life and joy to the faithful household of Abinadab? How did he and his son observe the mitzvot of the Ark? What didn’t they do with the Ark?

REFLECT: How do you treat the things of God in your life? What have you done with the things that God has entrusted to you? Have you grown weary of it, has it become a burden to you, or have you been faithful? How does Yeshua answer the question: How can we stand in the presence of such a holy God?

The Ark remained in the custody of Abinadab and his family for about 100 years.

The people of Kiriath-Jerarim provide a third example (to see link click Bk – The Ark at Beth-Shemesh for the other two) of how can we stand in the presence of such a holy God, namely, by faith. So the men of Kiriath-Jearim came and brought back the Ark of God. No doubt the Ark was taken there rather than to Shiloh, because the latter was destroyed by the Philistines (see Ae – The Tabernacle at Shiloh). They took it to the home of Abinadab on the hill and appointed his son Eleazar to guard the ark of God (7:1). It was noteworthy that Kiriath-Jearim was a Gibeonite city (Josh 9:17). The Gibeonites were Gentiles who tricked Joshua into permitting them to live who were assigned as woodcutters and water-bearers for the Tabernacle (Joshua 9:21-22). Thus, God shows that His true people are those who respond to Him in faith. Though they had not been born into the covenant, those Gibeonites trusted God’s Word; acting according to Scripture, they were anxious to have the Ark in their midst.¹⁶²

Trusting in the grace of the LORD, and humbly adhering to His Word, Abinadab and his descendants had the privilege of housing God’s Ark for about 100 years until David carried it back as one of the acts of his kingship (see the commentary on the Life of David Cr – The Ark Brought to Yerushalayim).¹⁶³ Apparently they did everything they could to observe God’s mitzvot for the Ark. But they also refused to do more than God’s Word permitted. Therefore, Kiriath-Jearim was not advertised as the new national shrine, replacing Shiloh, which the Philistines had destroyed. The traditional feasts were not celebrated there and the sacrifices were not offered, there being no proper Levitical priesthood. Therefore, just as the Gospel is, according to Paul, the smell of death to those who do not believe, but the fragrance of life for those of faith (Second Corinthians 2:15-16); in like manner, the Ark was the aroma of death to those irreverent at Beth-Shemesh, and the perfume of life and joy to the faithful household of Abinadab.

Who is able to stand in the presence of such a holy God? As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, we have considered three great questions answered in the chapter: How can we escape God’s holy wrath? How can we understand God’s holy ways? And how can we live in the presence of this holy God? All three of these questions can be wrapped up in the last of them, asked by the Israelites to whom the Ark was returned, and answered by the example of the faithful Abinadab, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God” (First Samuel 6:20)? To stand in God’s holy presence is to be cleansed from sin and freed from God’s holy wrath. To believe this message of salvation is to understand the very heart of God’s will for us. Interestingly enough, the answer to this question is provided by the very construction of the Ark of the Covenant, so that if the Philistines had reflected on its unique design, they might have understood God’s will and salvation far better than they did.

The Ark was a chest of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold. It measured three feet, nine inches long, two feet, three inches wide, and three feet high, with an ornamental gold border around it (Exodus 25:10-11, 37:1-2). Inside the Ark was the Ten Commandments (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bk – The Ten Words) given to Moses by YHVH. Atop the Ark were golden statues of two holy cherubim, angels who served as God’s attendants and signified His holy Presence. Looking down, the cherubim saw the Ten Words, His holy commandments for mankind, which we have all broken (Isaiah 64:5; Romans 3:23). This is our problem, and the source of Ha’Shem’s wrath against us. But there was one more feature of the Ark, a golden cover, known as the Mercy Seat (see the commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace), upon which the blood of the sacrificial bulls and goats was sprinkled (see the commentary on Leviticus Cu – The Blood of the Bull and Goat), so that the holy God no longer saw His broken commandments but the atoning blood of the sacrifice that He Himself ordained.

In Romans 3:25a, which says of Yeshua Messiah, the true Lamb, that God publicly displayed as a propitiation (Greek: hilasterion, meaning the turning aside of God’s wrath) in His blood through faith. This happens to be the same word used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the TaNaKh), for the Mercy Seat, the cover on which the sacrificial blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement turn God’s wrath from our sin (see the commentary on Leviticus Ef – Yom Kippur). With the Ten Commandments and the Mercy Seat, the Ark was designed to express ADONAI’s absolute holiness that burns against all sin and His marvelous grace that provides a way for sinners to draw near to YHVH through the blood of His Son, Yeshua Messiah.

Granted, the Philistines could not have understood this by merely examining the Ark. But it could have gotten them thinking in the right direction. They would have immediately realized that Isra’el’s relationship with their God was completely different from the pagan idolatry that they were used to. By seeking further, they might have put away their pagan schemes and sought to learn more about Isra’el God and His mercy seat that covers the sins of those who come in faith. The fact that the Ark found its home among Gibeonites proves that anyone – even a Philistine – who trusts in the atoning blood may stand in God’s holy presence. We have the benefit of God’s completed revelation from Genesis to Revelation. This means not only that we can understand the LORD’s will simply by reading God’s Word, but also that the story of redemption is now complete in the life and death of Yeshua Messiah. The Ark played its role for a time, declaring ADONAI’s holiness and mercy, but now, John writes: grace and truth came through Yeshua Messiah (John 1:17).

How does Yeshua answer the question that looms over every human: How can we stand in the presence of such a holy God? He answers: The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). The book of Hebrews tells us that Yeshua came as a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make propitiation (Greek: hilaskomai) for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:17). Yeshua came to cleanse us from our sins and robe us in the garments of His own righteousness, that we might stand unafraid in the presence of YHVH and with great joy. Once and for all . . . He offered up Himself (Hebrews 7:27), and consequently, He is able to completely save those who draw near to God through Him (7:25a).¹⁶⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your great love that allows entrance into Your holy heaven to all who have a living faith that trusts and follows you. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3). How awesome it is that Abraham received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, making Abraham the Father of all who have faith in ADONAI. Is this blessing then only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? For we say, “trust was credited to Abraham as righteousness.”  In what state then was it credited? While circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised!  And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the trust he had while he was uncircumcised, so he might be the father of all who are trusting while uncircumcised – that righteousness might be credited to them as well.  Also he is the father of the circumcised, to those not only circumcised but also walking in the footsteps of the trust of our father Abraham before his circumcision (Romans 4:9-12).

Praise You for accepting into Your family all who have faith in You, Gentile and Jew (Ephesians 2:14). What great trust Ruth had to leave her homeland and to trust You as her God. Caleb also showed amazing faith in You as he encouraged the Israelites to follow Your Word and conquer the land. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said: We should definitely go up and capture the land, for we can certainly do it (Numbers 13:30)! What a great joy to have faith in such a wonderful heavenly Father! Your children delight in pleasing You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Ark at Beth-Shemesh
First Samuel 6: 10-21

The Ark at Beit-Shemesh DIG: Why did Ha’Shem bring judgment against the people of Beth Shemesh? What does this reveal to us about whom He requires to be obedient to His Word? How can the loss of the Ark and the judgment against the people of Beth-Shemesh be traced back to ‘Eli’s failure as high priest? What does this teach us about the wide-ranging effects of sin?

REFLECT: When have you treated God with too much familiarity? How do you maintain proper respect for His holiness? Do you use “signs” to determine if ADONAI is for or against a plan of yours? What signs? How do you know if they are from God? What effect is your life having on people around you? Are you leading others toward godliness or toward sinfulness? Who can you help?

The presence of the holy Ark was very dangerous, for the Philistines and for Isra’el as well.

The Philistines had made all the preparations for sending the Ark back to the Israelites (to see link click Bj – The Ark Leaving Philistia). They took two milk-cows, harnessed them to the cart and confined their calves to the shed. Then they put the Ark on the cart, along with the box containing the gold rats and the models of their tumors. And sure enough, without veering to the right or to the left, the cows went straight down the road to Beth-Shemesh, their nursing calves left behind, mooing as they went. YHVH was on the way home! It was an Exodus! The LORD returned in glory, having yet again defeated an oppressive enemy of Isra’el. This was the coming glory that Dagon could not defeat. During the whole ordeal God said nothing, decreed nothing, asserted nothing, and required nothing. He operated in total silence. There is no doubt, however, either for Isra’el or for the Philistines, that the sovereign will of ADONAI dominates the story.¹⁵⁷ The leaders of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-Shemesh (6:10-12). We can scarcely imagine the relief of the Philistines as Ha’Shem’s holy Ark finally departed from their hands.

The LORD’s accommodation to the way that the Philistines’ handled the situation (5:8-9) should not encourage us to rely on superstitious approaches to discerning God’s will. Subjective signs that we think up are no way to understand God’s will (see the commentary on Judges Ba – The Sign of the Fleece). Instead, they invite us to act upon our own hunches and sometimes provide an opportunity for Satan to deceive us. Rather, we should remember the testimony of Peter, who witnessed several clear divine revelations, including the audible speaking of God’s voice. Yet, Peter tells us that we have something more sure, the prophetic Word, that is the Bible, to which you will do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place (Second Peter 1:19a). If we want ADONAI’s revelation, the place to find it is in the holy Scriptures, which YHVH has given to us as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

Apparently, God’s purposes with the Philistines were finished, at least for the time being. We should not suppose that the five models of golden tumors and the five golden mice atoned for their sins; nevertheless, the LORD had sufficiently humbled them and made His point. The Philistines returned home, only too glad to get rid of the dangerous Object of their destruction. How easy it is for us to do likewise when God disciplines us (see the commentary on Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children) and we are glad to avoid the pain, thinking little of what He wanted to teach us. The Philistines were like the wicked men that Job observed, who complained: God, depart from us! We don’t desire the knowledge of your ways (Job 21:14). How much better to treasure God’s Word and to humble ourselves in trusting obedience to all that He has revealed!¹⁵⁸

So, God’s holy Ark returned to Isra’el after seven months in Philistine hands. The Philistines had wanted only to escape Ha’Shem’s wrath and discern enough of God’s will to think that they could escape His judgment. Now, as the Ark returns to Isra’el, we ask ourselves: How can we stand in the presence of such a holy God? As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, the first answer is that God’s people are to receive God’s presence with joy. We see such joy modeled by the people of Beth-Shemesh who were harvesting their wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the Ark, they rejoiced to see it (6:13)! The Philistines only may have wanted to get rid of so holy a God, but the LORD’s people knew of His mighty grace. Nehemiah said that the joy of ADONAI is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Believers are strongest when we are rejoicing in the Lord, and God is never more fully praised by us than when we most rejoice in Him.

Secondly, God’s people are to dwell in reverence. It turned out that Beth-Shemesh was a Levitical city (see the commentary on Numbers Gj – Levitical Cities), in which the clan of Kohath lived (see Numbers At – The Clan of Kohath), the clan assigned to care for the Ark of the covenant when the children of Isra’el were on the move in the wilderness (Numbers 4:4-12). The cart entered the field of Joshua and stood there by a large stone. It was not surprising, then, for them to immediately arrange a sacrifice. Then the Levites removed the Ark of ADONAI and the box that was beside it, which contained the gold objects, and put them on the large stone. They cut up the wood of the cart and offered up the cows as a Burnt Offering to the LORD (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God). What was surprising, however, was their failure to observe the mitzvah that only bulls were to be offered (Leviticus 1:3 and 5). Upon seeing this, the five leaders of the Philistines returned that day to Ekron (6:14-16).

After the return of the Ark, the narrative moves quickly to its conclusion. A summary statement is made to indicate that all the Philistines had submitted to YHVH. The gold tumors which the Philistines sent back as a guilt offering for ADONAI were one each for Ashdod, Gath, Ashkelon, Gat and Ekron; and the gold mice also corresponded to the number of all the cities of the Philistines that belonged to the five leaders – fortified cities and country villages. [The large stone] is a witness to this day of the great mourning [which resulted from] putting the ark of ADONAI on it in the field of Joshua the Beit-Shemesh (6:17-18).

But that was followed by an even more fatal offense. Trouble, instead of blessing, came to them because the Ark of God was not given due reverence. Remarkably, the Levites had allowed ADONAI’s holy Ark to become a tourist attraction. What a sight it must have been to the eyes of country-folk: a large shining golden box, adorned with such finely crafted cherubim that YHVH had employed craftsmen specifically anointed by the Ruach (Exodus 30-35). How natural it would have been for crowds to gather to see the Ark of the covenant, now in Beth-Shemesh for the first time! But what seems natural to us is sometimes irreverence to God.¹⁵⁹

Indeed, when the Ark was ready to be transported, Aaron went in with his sons, took down the inner veil of the Tabernacle (see the commentary on Exodus Fq – The Inner Veil of the Sanctuary: That is Christ, His Body), and covered the Ark of the covenant with it. Then they placed a yellow-orange covering of fine leather (Exodus 26:14), and on top of that spread an all-blue cloth. Then they inserted the carrying-poles. This would guard the holy Ark from the gaze of human eyes. No one was to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die (Numbers 4:20). Therefore, ADONAI killed 70 people of Beth-Shemesh for looking at the Ark. Then the people mourned because ADONAI had struck them with such a terrible slaughter (6:19). Those people somehow lacked the proper attitude toward YHVH, not honoring and reverencing the Holy One. As it was one of the darkest times of the history of ancient Isra’el, it was no surprise to find the spiritual condition of the Israelites at such a low ebb. Now the time was ripe for Samuel’s new ministry (see Bm – The Last Judge). ADONAI had not forgotten His people even in the darkest time.¹⁶⁰

The example of Beth-Shemesh reminds us that we do now show reverence for YHVH by treating Him according to our own wisdom or sentiments, but only by obeying the mitzvot of His Word. How much blatantly carnal worship is offered up to God today, designed to appeal to the flesh with no reference to biblical principles (and often in direct violation of Scripture), and how greatly such irreverence must account for the lack of true spiritual blessing experienced by the flock! Just as the Kohathite priests’ incredible ignorance in handling the Ark revealed the spiritual decline of that generation, so does the lack of reverence for ADONAI in worship signal a spiritual decline among us today.

The people of Beth-Shemesh further showed their spiritual poverty by responding to God’s wrath not unlike the Philistines when they cried out: Who can stand before ADONAI, this holy God? To whom can we send it, to get it away from us?” Then, just as the Philistines of Ashdod had palmed off the Ark first to Gath (see Bg – The Ark at Gath), and then to Ekron (see Bh – The Ark at Ekron), the people of Beth-Shemesh sent messengers to the people living in Kiriath-Jearim with this message, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of ADONAI. Come down and bring it back up with you” (6:20-221). This shows the ultimate result when God’s people drift from God’s Word. When this happens, the Church then takes on the attitude of the world and ultimately rejects YHVH in unbelief.¹⁶¹

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being such a fair and righteous God. You so graciously call out to all to come to You. Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29). You so kindly reveal the truth about how great You are when people look at the magnificence of Your creation and realize how incredibly designed it is every tiny detail of each animal, plant, human and planet. Thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation (Romans 5:17, Ephesians 2:8-9)! Praise You that all who hear and believe (John 5:24) are sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha-Kodesh.  He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise (Ephesians 1:13-14)! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and Power of His Resurrection. Amen

The Ark Leaving Philistia
First Samuel 6: 1-9

The Ark leaving Philistia DIG: Why did the priests and soothsayers suggest a Guilt Offering? Why did that offering consist of imitation mice and tumors made of gold? Why five of each? What lesson was drawn from the plagues that God sent upon Egypt? Why do you think they built a new cart and unyoked cows to transport the Ark? How were the Philistines to be assured that the God of the Israelites had intentionally brought the plague on them and not by chance?

REFLECT: When was the last time you felt God was angry with you? At such times, do you feel like nothing – not even good behavior or Guilt Offerings – will please Him? What finally turns the tide of His anger? When do you test God? When have you treated God with too much familiarity? How do you maintain proper respect for His holiness? Do you use “signs” to determine if ADONAI is for or against a plan of yours? What signs? How do you know if they are from God?

The Philistines’ instinct in offering costly materials was right,
but their estimation of the cost of forgiveness was simply too low!

The Ark of ADONAI was in the country of the Philistines for seven months (6:1). During that time the people of at least three Philistine cities were thrown into chaos (to see link click Be – The Ark in the Land of the Philistines). Capturing their enemies’ most sacred object was something to be proud of, so at first there was opposition to simply giving up the Ark. But now it clearly had to be sent away. The five Philistine lords, representing five cities, summoned their own priests and soothsayers (who knew so much about the history of Isra’el) and asked them, “What are we to do with the Ark of ADONAI? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs” (6:2). There were so many unnecessary deaths. How I wish that those who live in Gaza today would also see the history of Isra’el and avoid so many deaths. However, they decided to send the Ark back to Isra’el, and the way they did it was extremely revealing.

After what had happened to their god Dagon, to themselves, and to their land, it had created a fear of making things worse by not observing what they believed to be the right protocol. The priests answered: If you do send off the Ark of the God of Isra’el, don’t send it back empty, but return it to Him with some sort of Guilt Offering. This is the offering for one who stole something from its rightful owner (see Leviticus Am – The Guilt Offering: Evidence of Repentance). So, the Philistines were viewed as being thieves who stole the Ark of the covenant from its rightful owner, Isra’el. The expected result was, “Then you will be cured from the plague (5:6), and you will learn why He has not stopped oppressing you” (6:3). The Philistines’ approach revealed both insight and ignorance with respect to Ha’Shem’s holy wrath. What insight they had come from the schooling they had received. They realized they had offended a holy God. Yet, even with that insight, their desperate attempts to rid themselves of the wrath of the LORD ultimately exposed their great ignorance of YHVH and His ways.

Therefore, the Philistine lords asked the priests and soothsayers, “What kind of guilt offering should we send him?” They replied: Five models of golden tumors. The bubonic plague (5:6) produces painful swelling and affects the lymph nodes, which are enlarged and produce visible swelling that can become the size of eggs. So, the golden models of tumors were the size of five golden eggs. This was based on the pagan custom of appeasing the gods. Secondly, the Philistine priests recommended that five golden mice be sent because that’s how many lords the Philistines had, and you and your leaders all had the same illness (6:4). Just like the Egyptians (Exodus 12:35-36), the Philistines recognized the power of the God of Isra’el and gave gold to the Israelites when they left.¹⁴⁹

So make models of your tumors (the actual plague) and models of your mice (how it was spread) that are infesting your land, and show respect to the God of Isra’el. Maybe He will stop oppressing you, your gods and your land (6:5). They had some superficial knowledge about YHVH, but they did not actually know YHVH. That was true of both the Philistines and ‘Eli and his sons! Both did not believe, only paying lip service to Him, but their heart really wasn’t in it. This is why it is so important to know the One true God.¹⁵⁰

How are we to understand this offering? The priests realized that any payment to God for sin must be costly. The Philistines were paying a high price for what they had done to offend the LORD, and it was obvious that they could only satisfy God’s wrath by making a costly sacrifice. Moreover, the punishment needed to correspond in some way to the punishment they were receiving. Since God’s judgment involved diseased mice and produced tumors on their flesh, they thought to offer ADONAI what 6:18 assures us was a great many golden mice – each not only for the five major cities, but also for each of their fortified towns and country villages – that would memorialize and pay for the dreadful judgment that God had inflicted on them.

What the Philistines should have done was to consult an Israelite priest! A true priest would have told them the proper Guilt Offering, “Bring to the LORD as His compensation, a ram from the flock, one without defect” (Leviticus 5:15b). The prophet Isaiah would have gone further and informed them that the ram looked forward to the coming of the Savior whom YHVH would send. He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5-6). Finally, in the B’rit Chadashah we learn that this Savior is the Son of God, Yeshua Messiah, of whom John declared: Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!¹⁵¹

The priests asked their lords, “Why then do you harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? Evidently, there was some initial support for opposing the proposed Guilt Offering. The opposition of Pharaoh to the release of the Israelite slaves was evidently well known beyond the borders of Isra’el, as was the fact that he gained nothing by it but extra plagues on his people. The priests continued: When the Israelite God had severely dealt with them, didn’t the Egyptians let the people go (6:6)? In the end Pharaoh had to give in, so the Philistines would be wise to delay no longer.¹⁵² The five Philistine lords, having suffered the plague of God, needed to immediately release the Ark of the covenant to go back to its place. They prepared themselves by taking seven steps.

First, take a new cart. Second, and two milk-cows that have never been under a yoke. Third, harness the cows to the cart. Fourth, put their calves back in the shed. Fifth, then take the Ark of ADONAI and lay it on the cart. Sixth, put the gold objects in a box next to the Ark you are sending back as a Guilt Offering. And seventh, then send it away to go off by itself, but watch to see if it goes up the road to Beth-Shemesh, a Levitical city about fifteen miles west of Jerusalem in the Sorek Valley (Joshua 21:16). If it does, the God of the Israelites is responsible for this great tragedy; if not, we will know that it is not His oppression which has been over us, but that what has been happening to us has been only by chance (6:7-9).

Thus, an experiment was set up to test whether or not ADONAI had been responsible for the plagues, for they might have happened quite by chance. Every effort was to be made to do the reverent thing: the cart was to be new and the cows unyoked. Since the cows had never pulled a cart, and had nursing calves dependent on them, all their instructions would be to turn back. If that happened, it would be “proof” that the God of the Israelites wasn’t in control and the Philistines had nothing to fear. But if, contrary to natural instincts, the cows pressed ahead with the precious load, that would show that He had been responsible.¹⁵³

The Philistines were practicing an approach to discerning God’s will that is sometimes used by God’s people. A famous example is Gideon, who responded to the command of ADONAI by seeking a supernatural confirmation (see the commentary on Judges Ba – The Sign of the Fleece). Just like the Philistines, Gideon was asking ADONAI to confirm His involvement by making things happen contrary to nature. Gideon laid his fleece on the ground and asked the LORD to make it wet with dew while the ground was dry. When that happened, Gideon then asked for the ground to be wet and the fleece dry. However, his “laying out a fleece” is not an example we should follow, but a sign of Gideon’s weak faith.¹⁵⁴

The planning of the Philistines was indeed careful and cunning. They set very long odds to prove that the God of the Israelites was not superior to their god Dagan. The same odds that the LORD (and Elijah) faced at Mount Carmel (see the commentary on Elijah and Elisha Aq – Elijah and the Prophets of Ba’al). Yes, the Philistines were frightened, but they were determined to show that ADONAI was a powerless god. Their strategy was to prevent Ha’Shem from demonstrating His sovereignty. Everything was ready. There is dramatic suspense. Waiting to see in their scheme would work; waiting to see if God, represented by the Ark, would leave; waiting to see if He could make a move to freedom.¹⁵⁵

The Philistines’ instinct in offering costly materials was right, but their estimation of the cost of forgiveness was simply too low! Our sin causes infinite offense to God’s holy justice, and thus we can only be forgiven and cleansed by an infinitely valuable sacrifice. Peter says that we gain forgiveness not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Messiah (First Peter 1:18-19). God Himself has sent the Sacrifice that fully satisfies His every claim of His holiness, and by which we can escape His wrath against our sins. Only by relying on the blood of Messiah can we receive forgiveness, not by something we have earned, but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Messiah alone.¹⁵⁶

Dear heavenly Father, all praise, glory and honor go to you! You could have wiped out the Philistines with one word when they captured Your Ark, but instead You wisely made Your Name great by afflicting them with tumors. You gave definite proof that You are greater than the Philistine gods. You are so wise in all You do. You show that You are God by Your creation. When people take time to look at how special and perfect all creation is, it clearly points to you, a mighty and wise God. What can be known about God is plain to them – for God has shown it to them.  His invisible attributes – His eternal power and His divine nature – have been clearly seen ever since the creation of the world, being understood through the things that have been made. So people are without excuse (Romans 1:19b-20).

You are a God of love, and You are also to be feared, for you are Holy, Holy, Holy! You are so far above mankind in Your purity and holiness. No one should try to claim Your mercy and grace and then think that they can’t ignore You by living for themselves. They need to realize that God gives His kindness to draw people to Himself. God asks: Do you belittle the riches of [My] kindness and tolerance and patience- not realizing that [My] kindness leads you to repentance (Rom 2:5)? It is utter foolishness to trust in one’s own deeds. You so graciously sent Messiah to die as the Sacrifice Lamb (Jn 1:29) for all who would love (Jn 14:23) and follow Messiah as their Lord and Savior (Rom 10:9-11). It cost You so much pain and shame (Heb 12:2) to take man’s penalty of death for their sin. Thank You for Your love as our sacrifice. Having You as our heavenly Father is such a wonderful privilege! Your children love to obey and worship You, and rejoice to give You praise! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen!

The Ark on the Move
First Samuel 6:1 to 7:1

ADONAI could have withdrawn Himself from His people, but instead, He graciously allowed the Ark to be taken about ten miles to Kiriath-Jearim where it remained in the home of Abinadab. The men of the city dedicated Abinadab’s son Eleazar to guard the Ark. This was undoubtedly a Levitical family, for after what had happened to the men of Beth-Shemesh (to see link click Bk – The Ark at Beit-Shemesh), the men of Kiriath-Jearim weren’t likely to take any more chances. The Ark had been in the home of Abinadab twenty years when Samuel called an assembly of the people to turn from their sins and seek the LORD (see Bm – The Last Judge). The Ark of the covenant represented the Presence of ADONAI with His people and the rule of YHVH over His people. Ha’Shem had every right to abandon His sinful people, but He graciously remained with them, though not in the Tabernacle that He had commanded them to build. It was a difficult time for the Jews for they were not a united people, nor were they even a godly people. In those days Isra’el had no king and everyone did as they saw fit (Judges 21:25). Isra’el thought that their problems would be solved if they had a king like the other nations, but they would discover that having a king their own way would lead them into greater problems. God still gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him. What the Ark was to Isra’el, Yeshua Messiah is to God’s people today; and when He is first place in our lives, He will bless us and work on our behalf. You must worship Messiah as Lord of your life, is the way Peter explained it (1 Pet 3:15a). When Messiah is the Lord of your life, you can walk through each day, confident of His Presence and His help.¹⁴⁹

The Ark at ‘Ekron
First Samuel 5: 10-12

The ark at ‘Ekron DIG: Why did the Philistines keep playing “hot potato” with the Ark and keep passing it around? What took them so long to send it back to Isra’el? Why is God so heavy handed? Who is at fault for the suffering and deaths of the Philistines? The Philistines? The Israelites? ADONAI?

REFLECT: What scheme did the Philistine wise men use to test ADONAI? What was the outcome of their test? What do the events regarding the Ark teach us about what it means to call God holy? How does YHVH display His holiness today? Is the LORD sending you something that you want to get rid of?

The Philistines finally decide enough was enough, and sent the dreaded object of their destruction back to the Israelites.

Next they sent the Ark of God to ‘Ekron, six miles north of Gath, the closest major Philistine city to Isra’el’s border. But when the Ark of God arrived in ‘Ekron the people shouted, “Now they’ve brought the Ark of the God of Isra’el to us, to kill us and our people” (5:10)! The news of the deaths at Gath had not escaped their ears (5:6). The cry of the people there was an admission that ADONAI was the source of their troubles. It was curious that the Philistines knew of Ha’Shem’s power to strike the Egyptians (4:8), yet they believed themselves stronger than Egypt. The severity of the plagues grew increasingly worse, similar to those of the Egyptians, which corresponds to the Philistines’ failure to humble themselves before YHVH.¹⁴⁴

So for a second time (5:8a), they summoned all the lords of the Philistines and said: Send the Ark of the God of Isra’el away! There was no appeal to Dagon. The Philistine god was clearly helpless and irrelevant in the face of YHVH, the God of the Exodus. At that time the Ark symbolized ADONAI’s power, even recognized by the Philistines. The strategy of the Philistines in moving the Ark from city to city is not unlike the desperate negotiations to see where to dump nuclear waste. It is exceedingly dangerous. Everyone agrees about that, and everyone believers it should be dumped somewhere far away. The Philistines agreed that YHVH was exceedingly dangerous, and the Ark should be placed somewhere far away.¹⁴⁵

They drew the only possible conclusion: Let it go back to its own place, so that it won’t kill us and our people! – because death and panic pervaded the whole city; God’s hand was very heavy there. The Philistines, who seemed for an instant to prevail (to see link click Bb – The Philistines Captured the Ark), were defeated. The people who didn’t die (5:6) were struck with the tumors; and the city’s cries for help went up to heaven (5:11-12). The cries of the city of Shiloh (4:13) echoed the cries heard in Egypt. And there was a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor will ever be again (Exodus 11:6). It may well be that the cries in Egypt were so loud that there would never be cries like that again, but the Philistines came in a close second. They were also defeated, humiliated, and placed in jeopardy by the power of ADONAI, who was once again free and on the move symbolically in the Ark. The early Church confessed that the power of death could not hold Yeshua (Acts 2:24). Already here in First Samuel, the Spirit of God tells us that the power of Dagon and the Philistines was no match for the God of Isra’el. ADONAI was on the loose: free, sovereign and about to do something new,¹⁴⁶ as we shall see in the next chapter.

God’s message for the Philistine world. By casting down Dagon (see Bf – The Ark at Ashdod) and striking the Philistines with His wrath, YHVH delivered a message not only to His own people but also to the Philistine world. As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on First Samuel, first, God proved that he is a living God. The Philistines thought of their gods as objects – idols that they worshiped to gain an edge in the problems of life, but still objects. Isra’el had fallen into this kind of thinking when it put its confidence in the Ark, while forgetting God Himself. But ADONAI is not a thing to be manipulated and controlled, an object to be put on the shelf and taken down at our whim. He is still today what he was in Bible times: But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King (Jeremiah 10:10). When you think you have Him defeated, then He is active; when you think you have Him captive, He knocks down your god. He is God who cannot be restrained, unlimited, absolute, eternal – the living God. For this reason, we must always be thinking about God, before whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28, quoting Job 12:10).

Second, the LORD taught that He is the only true God. God is jealous of His exclusive status: I am ADONAI your God . . . You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:2-3). YHVH is not satisfied if we make a little room for Him on the shelf beside our other gods. He demands exclusive sovereignty in our lives. He will not share His reign with idols, but ruthlessly humiliates them and strikes those who serve them. On the national level, if we make a god of government, then God will send corrupt and incompetent leaders. If we make a god of the economy, God is able to make the stock market plunge. If we use science to violate His commandments, then God will make our technology a curse to our lives. God demands that all things be submitted to His sovereign rule. I am God, and there is no other, He declares: I am God, there is none like Me (Isaiah 46:9). Likewise, on the personal level, God calls for us to submit all things to His service. He is not willing to share His sovereignty in our hearts with false gods such as fame, pleasure, or wealth.

Third, the living and true God proved that He is powerful and mighty. How swiftly and surely the Philistines were crushed when the heavy hand of God struck them, just as YHVH struck Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the time of Moses. There is no chance of withstanding the judgment of Ha’Shem, either now or in the future. The chances of sexual liberty producing happiness are nonexistent. For that reason, the odds of everything in the world (First John 2:15-16) prevailing indefinitely are exactly zero. ADONAI will strike down every rebel power with His infinite might.

History has born this reality over and over again. The French Revolution raised its fist against God, but didn’t produce brotherliness, but tyranny. Nineteenth-century German humanism did not produce a secular heaven, but the hell of Nazism. Atheistic communism did not produce a workers’ paradise but a slaves’ poorhouse. Likewise, secular-humanistic, postmodern America will not achieve its promised dreams of pleasure and prosperity, but only a legacy of societal ruin and lost opportunity. God lives. God demands our worship. And God is all-powerful to frustrate the plans of rebel mankind.

Finally, God reveals himself as a saving God. The Philistines might well have reflected on what ADONAI was doing to the enemies of His people. How faithful this God was to allow Himself, via the Ark, to fall into the hands of His enemies, that He might better save Isra’el. Reflecting on God’s covenant-keeping grace, the Philistines should have rejected Dagon and every other false god in order to embrace the true God in faith.

The message God delivered to the Philistines is the message we need to give to our world today. We must insist that God is not on the shelf, that He is very much involved in events and affairs, in accordance with the principles taught in His Word. He is a living God, and we must believe in Him. Moreover, we must insist that He is a jealous God, warning of grave danger for all who trust in other gods. We must show people from both Scripture and God’s providential dealings in history how foolish and futile it is to rebel against the true and living God, and how severe His holy judgment is against His enemies.

But we should also tell the world that the God we should all fear is also the merciful and saving God whom we can trust and adore. The incident of the Ark falling into enemy hands was only a preview of a greater work of salvation. God sent His own Son into this world to deliver His people. Yeshua surrendered to His enemies, but did not strike them with His heavy hand. Instead, He gave Himself to death on the cross. In this way, God struck the heaviest blow to the power and domination of sin, taking away its curse by cleansing our guilt with the precious blood of Messiah. The plague of sin that rightly should kill us, fell instead on Yeshua. Indeed, it was for Philistine sinners like us the Master died. While we were still sinners, Messiah died for us (Romans 5:8). Now, by trusting in Messiah, we are reconciled to live in the light of God’s love. And, remembering the Lord in obedient faith, we need never fear any Philistine ever again.¹⁴⁷

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You that though You are almighty and all-powerful, You are also kind and gracious by revealing Your power to people. You showed Your power to all the Philistine citizens by displaying Your power when You knocked down their god in front of Your holy Ark (First Samuel 5:4), and when You afflicted them with tumors. You have power greater than any other of this world’s so-called gods. You are the One and only True and living God (Jeremiah 10:10, Isaiah 40:25-31). Please give my family and friends a moment of “spiritual clarity” so that they can see their sin for what it is, so that they might see the need for you in their lives. Cast your burden on ADONAI, and He will sustain you (Psalm 55:22a). Praise You for being such a loving and all-powerful Heavenly Father! But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12)! May they be filled with Your eternal joy and peace as they keep their eyes on You. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Ark at Gath
First Samuel 5: 8-9

The ark at Gath DIG: How did God get the attention of the Philistines? Why did the Philistines keep playing “hot potato” with the Ark and keep passing it around? Why didn’t they send it back to Isra’el? Why is Ha’Shem so heavy handed?

REFLECT: How has God gotten your attention? How is the world today like the Philistines? How are you doing in this Philistine world? Why are believers defeated? What can we do about it? What does the apostle Paul have to say about this subject?

The episode of the Ark in Philistia speaks powerfully to God’s people, and to the Philistine world.

The council of the five Philistine cities conferred and agreed to send the Ark to Gath. Though each city had its own lord, those leaders cooperated in times of crisis. Gath was twelve miles east-southeast of Ashdod, in the Elah Valley which opened a route into the Judean hills.¹⁴² The most famous citizen of Gath was Goliath (see the commentary on the Life of David, to see link click Al – David Kills Goliath). They asked themselves, “What are we to do with the Ark of the God of Isra’el?” ADONAI had gotten their attention, just as He seeks ours today. They decided to have the Ark of the God of Isra’el carried to Gath (5:8a), thinking that perhaps there were simply local circumstances behind the apparent outbreak of divine wrath in Ashdod.

So they carried the Ark of the God of Isra’el to Gath (5:8b). But what Ashdod experienced, Gad experienced as well. After it arrived there, the hand of ADONAI (5:6) oppressed that city, bringing terrible devastation upon them. The people there recognized that Isra’el’s God was the cause of their calamity. Whereas Dagon’s hands were cut off (see Bf – The Ark at Ashdod), ADONAI’s hand was heavy upon Dagon’s people. It seems likely that YHVH afflicted the Philistines with bubonic plague, and many died. He struck the people of the city, great and small alike; tumors broke out on them (5:9). The word tumors speak generally of swelling and growths. This was a disease that frequented coastal regions, spread by mice and rats that came in on ships.

Why are believers defeated: The Israelites had been defeated at Ebenezer and the Ark taken captive (see Bb – The Philistines Capture the Ark). Therefore, the Ark narrative speaks powerfully to God’s people and to the Philistine world. What was the message to Isra’el and to the Church? As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on First Samuel, the point for us is to correctly understand the cause of our defeat in the world. The fall of Dagon before the Ark of God shows us that we don’t suffer defeat because our enemy is so strong; rather, the cause of our weakness and defeat is our estranged relationship with God.

We frequently hear that the congregations of God are failing because today’s society is too hostile to the Gospel. That we cannot expect educated people to seek truth from the Bible rather than from the “certified” results of science. That we cannot hope for people who are drunk on sensual pleasures to be interested in the Word of God – especially a message that does not conform to popular tastes and demands. That we cannot expect people to give their internet-short attention spans to serious Bible preaching. The Philistines of secularism, sensualism, and relativism are just too strong, and biblical teaching lacks sufficient appeal. It is on this view that so many believers and congregations of God have concluded that we must join the Philistines if we are to win them at all. So it seemed to Isra’el. The Philistines had better technology and organization, and even bigger and stronger men. Yet how easy it was for ADONAI to cast Dagon flat down on his face!

This shows us, by the way, that it’s not our job to cast down the Philistine gods. Our job is to honor the Lord in all things, refusing to join in the world’s idolatry (First John 2:15-17) and remaining faithful. As a result, believers are told to stand firm against all strategies of the devil (Eph 6:11). This is not to say that believers should not speak out against the devils lies. It simply means that the Church and her mission is not called to wage worldly warfare against our enemies. In His own time, in His own ways, we can be sure that God will humble the idols of the world. We are to remember the Lord, trusting in Him and spreading His Gospel.

Isra’el’s problem in the days of ‘Eli’s priesthood was that the people forgot about ADONAI (see At – ‘Eli’s Ineffective Rebuke of His Sons). ‘Eli’s sons could not possibly have committed their sins in the Tabernacle had they remembered YHVH. The Israelites were spiritually estranged from God and His Word; their relationship was a charade; and their lives were an affront to Ha’Shem’s purity. Forgetting the LORD, and drifting from Him (see the commentary on Hebrews Al – How Shall We Escape if We Ignore so Great a Salvation), made Isra’el easy prey for the Philistine army. And so it is with the Church today.

The same is true on a personal level. Consider, as one example, the struggle of men (and, increasingly, women as well) with the sin of pornography. Numerous surveys show a majority of men are practically addicted to it, mainly by means of internet websites. Surveys also show that men, believing men, and even Messianic rabbis and pastors, are addicted to pornography at rates similar to unbelievers. In response to cries of alarm, we are told that we must simply face the fact that the temptation is too strong, the pictures too accessible, and men’s hearts too deeply ingrained for us to expect any real change. What can an Israelite man do in the face of so mighty a Philistine giant?

The answer is that we can remember ADONAI. We can turn to God for His power. We can bathe our hearts and minds in the glory of God through His Word. We can gain a passion for the cause of the Gospel in a dying world, so that we no longer need fantasies in order to feel important. We can pray and ask our mighty, merciful God to cleanse us for our sins and make us holy. The reality is that a believing man who is walking close to the Lord, whose active faith is employed by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (see the commentary on Romans Ci – The Leading of the Ruach) through God’s Word and prayer, and who is participating in a supportive community with other believers is not easily overcome by seductive videos of naked women.

The truth is that believers must not continue in the sinful habits of the Philistine world; but also, we need not continue in the power of sin. Yes, the Philistine is stronger than we are, but not stronger than ADONAI! Paul reminds us: He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). This was Paul’s logic when he wrote to believers living in a world just as deprived as ours, with sinful pleasures just as accessible and culturally tolerated: You also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Messiah Yeshua. Therefore, don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions . . . For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under legalism but under grace (Romans 6:11-14). While total freedom from our sin nature must wait until we reach heaven, believers may live increasingly free from the dominion of sin because God is greater and more powerful than sin.¹⁴³

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You that You are not a God of only one city or of only one country. You are almighty and Sovereign over the whole world! No one can run away from Your all-seeing eye (Jonah 1:10-17). You see everywhere and You know all about everyone! You observe my journeying and my resting and You are familiar with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, ADONAI, You know all about it (Psalm 139:3-4). It is so wonderful that You are always with me. Where can I go from Your Ruach? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to heaven, You are there, and if I make my bed in She’ol, look, You are there too. If I take the wings of the dawn and settle on the other side of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say: “Surely darkness covers me, night keeps light at a distance from me,” even darkness is not dark for You, and night is as bright as day – darkness and light are alike. (Psalms 139:7-11). Thank you for providing Messiah Yeshua to be the sin offering for all who love and follow him as their Lord and Savior (John 1:29 and Second Corinthians 5:21). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and Power of His Resurrection. Amen

The Ark at Ashdod
First Samuel 5: 1-7

The Ark at Ashdod DIG: How do the Philistines take different forms at different times? How does secular philosophy and science battle against ADONAI and His Word? Why did the Philistines place the Ark in Dagon’s temple? Why did Dagon keep falling over? Why did he lose his head and his hands? Why did they send the Ark to Gath?

REFLECT: Who are the Philistines today? What can God do against the Philistines? What are some examples? What can you do against the Philistines? The hand of the LORD was against the Philistines of old. How is His hand against them today? How did the incident of Dagon prostrating before the Ark foreshadow the future (see Philippians 2)?

When the Philistines captured the Ark and arrogantly treated ADONAI as though He were just another god, they invited the judgment of God upon themselves.

Philistines today: The apostle Paul informs believers that the events of the TaNaKh happened to them as an example and were written down for our instruction (First Corinthians 10:11). This shows that the principles taught by this ancient episode are relevant for us today. Like Isra’el of old, the Church in the West is in a state of weakness, having apparently been routed in the battle for our generation. Anyone who doubts this reality need only look at the news today: our land is dominated by Philistine powers with scarcely a hint of genuine godly influence. There are a string of parallels between the situation in First Samuel Chapters 4 and 5, and the Church of today. It is God, and God’s case, apparently completely routed and almost, it seems, destroyed by the god of this world (Second Corinthians 4:4a). The picture is that the enemy is triumphant and rejoicing.

The Philistine enemy takes different forms at different times. At the forefront of the unbelieving army today are secular philosophy and science. The world has always regarded those who believe in Yeshua Messiah as foolishness (see the commentary on First Corinthians, to see link click An – The Foolishness of Worldly Wisdom). Today, however, believers are pictured as spouting “hate speech,” and dangerous to the public good.

If anything, the assault from science is even more intense. It is not taken for granted in secular media and public education that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, published 166 years ago at this writing, not only shook, but destroyed the biblical account of the world, thus freeing “enlightened minds” from the shackles of biblical truth. As a result, on the surface, we might very well come to the conclusion that the modern-day Philistines have been as successful as their ancient prototypes. Many believe that they have demolished the Church altogether. The secularization of our lives seems to be almost complete.

Secular society has advanced from godless rationalism to godless hedonism. Even the building blocks of human society – gender distinctions and the institution of marriage – are under ferocious assault. So thorough is the postmodern Philistine victory that a large portion of the Church has virtually given up even trying to influence the culture around it, and frankly admits to adopting worldly Philistine values such as pragmatism, relativism, and debauchery as being a normal part of everyday life. Our situation is similar to that of Isra’el under the heel of the Philistines. The twentieth and twentieth-first centuries have been for us a massive defeat not unlike the Israelite calamity at Ebenezer (see Bb – The Philistines Capture the Ark).¹³⁵

Yet it is not that the Philistines wanted to do away with God altogether. Their actions described here perfectly depict the attitude toward God today: When the Philistines had captured the Ark of God they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod, one of the five chief Philistine city-states (Joshua 13:3), three miles inland from the coast, and approximately thirty-three miles west of Jerusalem. Then the Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it to the temple of Dagon, their national god, where Sampson lost his life (Judges 16:23-30), and set it next to the idol (5:1-2). Ancient literature identifies this deity as a fish god, whose image had the lower body of a fish and the upper body of a man. Dagon seems to have been the leader of the Philistine pantheon and is noted to be the father of Ba’al. Placing the Ark in the temple of Dagon was supposed to be a sign of Dagon’s power and God’s inferiority – a visual representation that the god of the Philistines was victorious over the God of the Hebrews.¹³⁶ So, they did not destroy the Ark, but instead they put it in their own temple near their god.

Similarly, the Philistine world today doesn’t really want to eliminate God, but only to domesticate Him. We see this truth in the desire of unbelievers to be married in a church. Even more, we see it in the use of a Bible and the invocation of God’s name when public officials are sworn into office. When Harry Truman was sworn in as president, he kissed the bible. You don’t see that anymore! Not many actually believe in the Bible and its teaching is forbidden in public affairs, but if it can be taken off the shelf to lend a little “holiness” to our government, then that is fine. Our courts and legislative sessions open with prayers for God to bless America, so long as God does not try to tell anyone what to do. This is what the Philistines intended for the Ark: God could remain if He knew His place and stayed quiet.

God and the Philistines: Most of the observations about the Bible in the world today could be made at the end of First Samuel 4, when the surviving widow of ‘Eli’s house died with the word Ichabod, “the glory has departed,” on her lips. So, what does Chapter 5 have to say? We might put it this way: whereas Chapter 4 shows the weakness of a spiritually corrupt and fallen Church against the Philistine powers, Chapter 5 asks, “What can God do about the Philistines?” They are, after all, God’s enemies as well as His people’s, so what will God do to the Philistines? The answer is provided in dramatic fashion. Early the next morning, when the people of Ashdod got up, there was Dagon, struck down, flat on his face before the Ark of God. Undeterred, they took Dagon and set him in his place again (5:3).¹³⁷ The fact that they had to stand him up again should have told them that their god couldn’t even take care of himself, let alone any of them! But they didn’t learn anything, so shortly they would have to learn the lesson a second time.

The Philistines, however, failed to deal with the power of YHVH. The battle was not between Isra’el and the Philistines; but between Isra’el’s God and the gods of the Philistines. They had not adequately understood Ha’Shem’s first two commandments (Exodus 20:3-6). They did not understand that a god like Dagon, who was made out of wood, had no real power and was no match for ADONAI. As a result, even the capture of the Ark, the precious symbol that it was, could not stop the LORD’s actual power.

But on the second day, the drama intensified. Dagon had been propped up again, as all idols must be (see the commentary on Isaiah Ig – Bel Bows Down, Nebo Stoops Low and They Go Off Together to Captivity). Nevertheless, they found Dagon face down before the Ark. Early the following morning, when they got up, Dagon had again fallen down with his face to the ground before the Ark of ADONAI. The fake god, who had been propped up, had been knocked down by the real God. But this time, the head of Dagon and both hands lay there, severed, on the threshold; all that was left of Dagon was his disfigured torso. Then they should have known that the God of Isra’el was the only powerful God, they had no excuse (see Romans Al – The Evidence Against the Pagan Gentile). This is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and those entering his temple never walk on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod (5:4-5). Over time a superstition developed among the Philistines that the threshold of the temple was cursed because the head and hands of Dagon had fallen on it. For that reason, they would leap over it (Zephaniah 1:9). The presumed power of Dagon, which seemed so real after the routing of the Israelites at Ebenezer, was exposed for what it was, so much wind and waste (Isaiah 41:29). Yet YHVH, who was presumed defeated, acted so powerfully as to dominate even their foreign temples. Ironically, God had, in fact, captured that alien temple of Dagon so that it then, in effect, belonged to Him.¹³⁸

In the ancient world, severed heads (see the commentary on the Life of David Al – David Kills Goliath) and severed hands (Judges 8:6) were battlefield trophies that assisted the victor in establishing the correct body count. ADONAI had defeated Dagon in his own temple, a premonition of things to come. At the temple of Dagon in Gaza, the power of God – symbolized by the hair on Samson’s head and the strength of his hands – had defeated the Philistines and their god (see the commentary on Judges By – The Death of Samson).

The hand of the LORD: With the reference to Dagon’s hands being rendered helpless, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh introduces a major motif of the hand of the LORD. This motif is so common within the Ark narratives (4:1b-7:1) that it is found eight times (4:8, 5:6, 7, 9, 11, and 6:3, 5, 9). The first reference came from the lips of the Philistines, who related the divine hand to the plagues of Egypt (4:8), and rightly so (Exodus 9:3). They did not take lightly the possibility that the fate of the Egyptians might happen to them also (6:6).¹³⁹

As if the downfall and fragility of Dagon had not yet been enough to demonstrate his impotence, and the superiority of ADONAI, the next event emphasized the point even more. The people of Ashdod recognized the terrifying plague that struck their city as the hand of the LORD.¹⁴⁰ He ravaged them, striking Ashdod and its surrounding area with tumors. When you put all the evidence together, it seems that YHVH sent infected mice (6:4) among the Philistines and spread a terrible plague (also see Isaiah Gw – Then the Angel of the LORD Put to Death a Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand Men in the Assyrian Camp). According to the covenant, God should have sent that affliction on the disobedient Jews (Deuteronomy 28:58-60). But in His grace, He punished the enemy. When the Philistines captured the Ark and arrogantly treated ADONAI as though He were just another god, they invited the judgment of God upon themselves.¹⁴¹ When the people of Ashdod came to understand what was happening, they couldn’t get rid of the Ark fast enough. They cried out: The Ark of the God of Isra’el can’t remain with us, because He is oppressing us and our god Dagon (5:6-7). By removing the Ark elsewhere, the Philistines believed that Ashdod would find healing. Consequently, they immediately sent the Ark to Gath (see Bg – The Ark at Gath), hoping a change of scenery would change the results.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your Awesome love and almighty power! Yes, You are a God of great love, and You are also the mighty Sovereign Ruler of the universe and more powerful than all the armies of the entire world (Revelation 19). You are a God to be both greatly loved and feared in a holy and reverent way. Your Word is so powerful that You win the battle by Your Word! Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The One riding on it is called Faithful and True, and He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and many royal crowns are on His head. He has a name written that no one knows except Himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is “the Word of God” (Revelation 19:11-13). We worship You our loving, powerful and Almighty Heavenly Father! In Messiah Yeshua’s Name and power of His resurrection. Amen