July 12,
2007
1 And the men of
Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the
house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of
the LORD.
The Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place were probably destroyed when the Philistines went in a destroyed Shiloh where the Ark of the Covenant and the Sanctuary were in residence. Remember the men of Israel came and got the Ark along with Eli’s sons Phineas and Hophni carried it out to battle where the Philistines captured it. So when the Philistines came and destroyed Shiloh the Tent of Meeting was most likely destroyed as well. Therefore the Ark upon its return to Israel was taken to Abinadab's house. We do not know if Abinadab was of the Priestly or Levite line let alone his son Eleazar. What ever, it was OK with the lord because no one is stricken dead, and it will stay in this location for twenty years.
In the
meantime Samuel is traveling around Israel teaching and preaching that the
people needed to first turn back to the Lord with their hearts and secondly
should do away with their false Gods.
Actually the Israelites had not turned from Jehovah God, but instead kept
their little gods and used them to bring the rain and fertility. These false gods were evil and outright
abominations before the Lord because He was the one responsible for it
all.
2 And it came to pass,
while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty
years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 3
And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return
unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth
from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and
he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4
Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served
the LORD only.
In order for Israel or for us to
get right with the Lord, we must first turn our hearts over to God, then get rid
of the sin in our life. It does no
good to try and get rid of the sin first because we cannot do it. Getting rid of sin has to come from God
for it to be successful, so we must have God in our life first.
5 And Samuel said,
Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. 6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and
poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have
sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
They came to
Mizpah and fasted before the Lord and poured out buckets of water before the
Lord. The idea of the water buckets
was to demonstrate their sorrow for turning from the Lord and the water
resembled tears. If they could
have, they would cry buckets of tears before the Lord.
In times
past Mizpah was where Jacob separated from his conniving father-in-law Laban
Genesis 31:49. It was also the
gathering place for a repentant Israel back in Judges 20:1 and now once again
Israel was returning to Mizpah to repent.
7 And when the
Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh,
the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of
Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8
And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD
our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt
offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and
the LORD heard him.
The
Philistines figured the Israelites to be in a weakened state while gathered in
Mizpah and saw an opportunity to wipe out all of Israel in one final blow. God did not see it that way, and the
Philistines were foolish to come after the Israelites especially after suffering
once already at the hands of the Jewish God. Samuel being also a priest prayed on
behalf of Jerusalem. The innocent
suckling lamb that had done nothing wrong bore the punishment of all of the
people by having it’s throat slit, it’s blood drained, it’s body cut and
quartered and burned entirely before the Lord. This little lamb was the sin offering
before the Lord.
10 And as Samuel was
offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against
Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the
Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the
Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.
Do we wonder how Israel will be saved when Syria, Iran, Hezbolla, AlQueda and Russia come up against Israel?
Israel
is still the apple of God’s eye, He’s brought Israel back together for the final
week of years to cause Israel to receive its savior, the Lord Jesus, and He is
not going to let Israel be destroyed even though it is in an apostate state of
being. During the sixth day war in
1967, God caused a great confusion among the enemies of Israel and Israel sent
them packing. The current Prime
Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert is an idiot, and all of the hard rhetoric from
Iran will prove that God is in control when the outbreak begins. The outbreak can happen any time. I am writing these studies ahead of time
and I am writing this lesson on July 2, 2007. I am giving you an “I told your
so” just in case anything should happen between now and when you receive this
lesson on July 12, 2007.
12 Then Samuel took a
stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer,
saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. 13 So the
Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and
the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel
were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did
Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between
Israel and the Amorites.
There is a
big difference between Sampson the Judge and Samuel the Judge. Samson in essence was wicked but God
used him despite his wickedness.
Samuel was a prayerful and holy man, who was able to accomplish a whole
lot more as a Judge and Priest of Israel because of his love of the
Lord.
15 And Samuel judged
Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went from year
to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all
those places. 17 And his return was to Ramah; for there
was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the
LORD.
Samuel tended his sheep as a good shepherd. Other judges would accomplish their purpose and then stop, or died in disgrace. Not Samuel. He will later anoint both Saul and David as King.
Samuel sacrificed regularly on the Altar he had at his home. There was no tent of meeting or holy of holies though the Ark of the Covenant was still in Kiriath Jearim at Abinadab's house. God knew Samuel’s heart and did not object. David will later correct that situation and Solomon will build the first temple.
Footnotes:
1 Samuel 7:6
Traditionally judge
1 Samuel 7:12
Ebenezer means stone of help.
Have a blessed day
Lee
A Watchman
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