Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

The men of Beth Shemesh were scared to keep the ark and they asked the men of Kiriath Jearim to come take it, and they did. Up the ark went and stayed there. It was there until David came to collect it almost fifty years after it came to Kiriath Jearim (1 Chronicles 13:6). Samuel never collected the ark to take it to the tabernacle, but Samuel wasn’t a priest. He was a prophet. He heard and then spoke out the words of the Lord, judging Israel. Different ministry.

Twenty years go by, and the people of Israel lament to the Lord. Why? Because they had spent twenty years running after idols and they were being ground down living out there in the weeds of the curse (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Samuel spoke to them and told them to return to the Lord with all their hearts. To put away their idols and sacred poles. To prepare their hearts and serve the Lord solely and completely. If they’ll do that, they’ll be delivered. That is the covenant he made with them. They did. They put it all away and turned back to the Lord.

Samuel got them all together at Mizpah. This is where Jacob and Laban piled up stones as a boundary between them (Genesis 31:48-49). This is also where Jephthah lived (Judges 11). They fasted and prayed and sought the Lord there. The Philistines heard of the gathering and assumed it was for battle, so they gathered themselves to fight. The Israelites were scared and begged Samuel to keep calling out to the Lord so that they would be saved. Samuel offered a young lamb as a sacrifice.

At the same time the offering was being made, the Philistines were charging out to war. “but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines, and confused them” (1 Samuel 7:10). The voice of the Lord is no small thing (Psalm 29:3-9). His voice is often called thunder (Job 37:4-5; Psalm 18:13; John 12:29). I wonder if the Lord was shouting, ‘Leave my kids alone!’ Whether it was weather or His voice, it was so powerful and it confused them so badly that they were defeated. They were OVERCOME (John 16:33). The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah all the way to below Beth Car (about 13km). What I think is awesome is that the Israelites had not gathered for war. The chances they had any weapons was VERY slim. The Lord thundered and confused the Philistines, but it doesn’t say He killed any of them. With thunder and yelling, running people, the Lord defeated the Philistines. No one died. This reminds me very much of the original promise to the Israelites (that they spurned through their turning away and disobedience) that the Lord would chase out the people of Canaan (Exodus 23:28).

Samuel set up a stone at the point they stopped and they named it Ebenezer. This place was first seen in 1 Samuel 4:1. It was the spot where the Philistines had captured the ark and defeated Israel. Here it was named (more proof the book of Samuel was written well after the events of the book). At the spot of their defeat in their own power, God gave them a great victory with HIS power. Ebenezer means ‘stone of help’. The Philistines were subdued, their power broken, and they never got as big as they were. They never came against Israel during the life of Samuel. Now some scholars believe that Samuel and Samson were contemporaries. That during the twenty years from the ark being returned up to this point was roughly the time period that Samson judged (Judges 15:20). It’s certainly possible. Samson was called to BEGIN the defeat of the Philistines (Judges 13:5). Samson destroyed the Philistine’s main temple (Judges 16:21-31), but when the ark was taken the Philistines took it to their temple (1 Samuel 5:1-12).  Samson’s account in the Word are highlights of his life. He never participated in group battles (like the Israelites defeat in 1 Samuel 4-5). It is quite possible there was some overlap between Samson and Samuel. I would think that by the time of Mizpah, Samson was already dead and Samuel took over as judge.

Samuel judged Israel from here to the end of his life. He’d been called at about twenty years old. Here he was about forty. For the next approximately forty-eight years he judged in a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah. He lived in Ramah, so he always ended up there. Ramah is the same town his parents lived in (1 Samuel 2:11), so he perhaps had a relationship with his family. When we catch up with Samuel again in 1 Samuel 8:1, he is ‘old’ – about eighty-eight. Twenty years after THAT he anointed David to be king, and he lived for a few years after that. He died around a hundred years old. So although he would live another twenty-five years, his strength was waning – perhaps the burden of leadership showing itself (not uncommon). When we rely on our strength to do things, it wears us down. In the New Covenant, we can rely on HIS strength in us and CAN live life differently, ending our course in full vigor and strength – aging, but not deteriorating.

“When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.” (1 Samuel 8:1)

Samuel was a man of God, but he seems to have learned his parenting from Eli – the man who raised him. Samuel was unable to pass onto his kids the value of a relationship with God – but God tells him later not to take it personally as God’s kids had been rebelling against him right from the start. This means that God DIDN’T hold it against Samuel. So he DID learn from Eli, but in the positive way. His sons had ALL they needed to be men of God. It was THEIR choice to turn away. In fact, no one ever criticises Samuel for his sons. They only criticise the sons. It was obviously not his fault and their own freewill choice to live as they did. Samuel installed them as judges in Beersheba, but they didn’t walk with God. They loved money and took bribes, perverting justice (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19). This gave the people the opportunity to demand a king. They didn’t want judges anymore. They wanted a king. Samuel took this news hard. It hurt his feelings. It was very personal for him. He resisted, but God talked to him.

God told him to give the people what they wanted. It wasn’t His best, but He met them where they were. He gave them what they wanted, but just like with when Moses gave them the Law and when God spoke to Abraham way back when (Genesis 15:13), God warned them what it was going to be like. But the Israelites felt it was a good trade. They wanted to be like the other nations. They felt a king would protect them (showing they were NOT fully trusting in God despite the vast evidence it was the ONLY successful way to go). This is in spite of Samuel leading them in peace for forty-seven years. This is in spite of all the nations around them leaving them alone for forty-seven years. But their fear of the nations (specifically Nahash, king of the Ammonites – 1 Samuel 12:2) was greater. The king would conscript their sons, take their daughters for servants, take a portion of their crops and land and livestock and money. They would suffer under kings and cry out to God. But nope. They wanted one. They were insisting. Samuel was sad, but God said to do it and Samuel was obedient.

Enter on the world stage Saul. He was about forty years old with a family at this time. He was a Benjamite (the smallest of the tribes due to being almost exterminated – Judges 20-21). He was taller by a full head than anyone else and handsome. Best looking guy around, in fact. And son of a powerful man. He had money and servants. He had everything going for him. But would he be a good king?

The Israelites were searching for a king to rule them. Saul, however, was searching for his father’s donkeys that had run away. As Vernon McGee put it, the asses were looking for a king and the king was looking for asses – God helped them find each other. I think that’s funny, and kind of true. Saul and his servant searched all over, but didn’t find them. Finally, in the land of Zuph, Saul was ready to give up and go home before his father started worrying about what happened to them. Remember, he might be an adult of 40yrs, but this was a time where people weren’t ruled by a king. We saw how they acted in Judges 20-21. It wasn’t always safe to go gadding about. The servant noticed they were near a city where Samuel was (presumably Rammah or one of the cities in his circuit). He suggested they go inquire of the prophet about the donkeys. Saul agreed.

They entered the town and asked directions. They were directed toward where a feast was going to be held. They came across an older guy and asked him about the prophet. It was Samuel himself. Now Samuel had been told by God the day before the king would arrive. He had given Samuel instructions and Samuel carried them out. He agreed that Saul was a very kingly looking guy. He told Saul not to worry about the donkeys. He also said all Israel was looking for Saul, but Saul waved him off – it appeared that Saul had self-esteem issues. Samuel took Saul and his servant to the feast. He put them both in a place of honour and gave Saul the choicest hunk of meat – which had been reserved for him in advance. This shows that when God spoke, Samuel acted in accordance with His words. When we hear from God and trust in Him, there should ALWAYS be corresponding action.

When the feast was over, they went back to the town and Samuel took Saul up to the roof of his house so they could talk in private. We aren’t told what they said, but maybe Samuel just wanted to get to know the future king. Samuel woke Saul the next day so that he could send Saul on his way. As they went, nearing the edge of the town, Samuel asked Saul to send his servant ahead of them. Samuel wanted to talk to Saul privately so that he could announce to Saul the word of the Lord.

Summary

Key Players: God, Samuel, Saul

Key Themes: Returning to God, Kingship

Key Verse(s): 1 Samuel 7:1-4, 10-12; 8:1-3, 6-7, 19-20; 9:5-6, 19-21, 27