1 Samuel 7

After twenty years of national sorrow, Israel turns back to the LORD with repentance, and Samuel leads them in putting away idols, confessing sin and praying. God answers with thunder and a rout of the Philistines. Samuel sets up the stone Ebenezer and judges Israel faithfully for the rest of his life.

1 Samuel 7:1

After the ark came back from Philistine territory, the men of Kiriath-jearim received it into Abinadab’s house on a hill. They set apart his son Eleazar to look after it. The ark was kept with care, and a family was set apart for that task.

BSA: consecrated (“set apart, dedicated”): Eleazar was given over to God for this task, not just hired to do a job.

1 Samuel 7:2

The ark stayed at Kiriath-jearim about twenty years. During that long stretch Israel’s sorrow grew and the whole nation began to look to the LORD again. Real turning to God often starts with a long season of grief and longing.

BSA: mourned (“wailed, lamented with sorrow”): Their grief over their condition was deep and open, not a passing regret. sought after (“turned to, inquired of, cried out to”): Their sorrow turned into reaching for God himself.

1 Samuel 7:3

Samuel tells Israel that returning must be wholehearted. Idols must go, the heart must be made ready, and the LORD alone must be served. Then God promises rescue from the Philistines. The chief problem was Israel’s heart, more than the enemy.

BSA: prepare (“set up, establish”): The heart is to be fixed firmly on the LORD, not left drifting. Him only (“alone, apart from all others”): God will not share Israel’s loyalty with other gods.

Hebrew: שָׁבִים (shavim, H7725) — “returning, turning back.” The Hebrew word for repentance is about turning around and walking back to God. It is a change of direction, not only a feeling.

See also: Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Joel 2:12-13.

1 Samuel 7:4

Israel obeyed. They removed the Baals and Ashtoreths, the male and female gods of the surrounding peoples, and served the LORD alone. Repentance showed itself in action. They gave up what had rivaled God.

BSA: put away (“turned aside, removed”): They actually removed the idols instead of just promising to.

1 Samuel 7:5

Samuel calls the whole nation to Mizpah, a hilltop north of Jerusalem, and promises to pray for them. Israel needed a place to meet God together, and an intercessor who stood between them and the LORD.

BSA: pray (“to intercede, make petition”): Samuel pleads for the people before God.

See also: 1 Samuel 12:23.

1 Samuel 7:6

At Mizpah they poured water out before the LORD, fasted and confessed their sin. Pouring out water seems to picture a heart emptied out before God. Their confession was plain: “We have sinned against the LORD.” Samuel also served there as judge.

BSA: poured it out (“shed, spilled”): The water, once poured, could not be gathered again, a sign of giving themselves up to God. confessed (“acknowledged, admitted”): They agreed with God about their sin instead of excusing it.

See also: Psalm 22:14; 1 John 1:9.

1 Samuel 7:7

The Philistines heard of the gathering and took it as a threat, so their rulers marched up. Israel, who had just turned to God, was suddenly afraid. Repentance does not remove trials. Often trouble comes right after a fresh start.

BSA: feared (“to be afraid, stand in awe”): Their fear was real and immediate, and it sent them to Samuel for prayer.

1 Samuel 7:8

In fear, the people ask Samuel not to stop praying. They know their strength lies in the LORD, not in weapons. They ask him to keep on crying out for them, trusting God to save.

BSA: crying out (“to cry out, to plead”): This is an urgent, loud appeal for help, not a quiet formal prayer.

1 Samuel 7:9

Samuel offers a young lamb as a whole burnt offering, burned entirely for God, and cries out for Israel. The LORD answers him. Sacrifice and prayer go together: the people come to God on the ground of an offering given up whole.

BSA: whole (“complete, entire”): The offering was fully consumed, a picture of total surrender to God. answered (“responded, gave an answer”): God really replied to the prayer; he was not silent.

Hebrew: כָּלִיל (kalil, H3632) — “whole, entire, complete.” This word describes an offering burned up completely, with nothing held back.

See also: Leviticus 1:1-9.

1 Samuel 7:10

While Samuel was still offering the sacrifice, the Philistines came close. The LORD thundered from heaven and threw them into confusion, so they fled. Israel did not win by its own power. The battle was settled by God before a single Israelite struck a blow.

BSA: thundered (“made a loud, rumbling sound, being violently angry”): God’s own voice from heaven fought against the enemy. confusion (“trouble, disruption”): The Philistines were thrown into panic and lost control of their ranks.

See also: Exodus 14:24; Psalm 18:13-14.

1 Samuel 7:11

With the enemy already scattered, Israel’s men came out of Mizpah and chased the Philistines, cutting them down as far as below Beth-car. Israel took part in the victory, but only after God had broken the enemy’s strength.

BSA: pursued (“chased, followed after”): Israel pressed on with the victory God had begun.

1 Samuel 7:12

Samuel sets up a stone between Mizpah and Shen and calls it Ebenezer, which means stone of help. His words, “Thus far the LORD has helped us,” look back with thanks and also forward with trust. A memorial stone helps God’s people remember.

BSA: Ebenezer (“a stone of help, a memorial to God’s aid”): The name itself preaches: the stone stands as a witness to God’s help. Thus far (“hitherto, until now”): God’s help so far is the basis for trusting him for what comes next.

Hebrew: אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר (eben ha-ezer, H68) — “stone of the help.” The name joins the words for stone and help, so every time the name was said it recalled what God had done.

See also: Joshua 4:6-7.

1 Samuel 7:13

The Philistines were brought low and stopped invading Israel’s land for as long as Samuel lived. The LORD’s hand was against them. When a nation or person turns to God, he can give lasting relief from what once oppressed them.

BSA: hand (“an open hand; strength, a side or share”): God’s active power, not mere chance, held the enemy back.

1 Samuel 7:14

Towns the Philistines had seized, from Ekron to Gath, came back to Israel along with the land around them. There was also peace with the Amorites, the older peoples of the land. God’s deliverance restored what had been lost.

BSA: restored (“given back, returned”): What had been taken away was returned, not just defended. peace (“shalom, completeness and wellness”): The peace was more than the lack of war; it was wholeness in the land.

Hebrew: שָׁלוֹם (shalom, H7965) — “peace, wholeness, well-being.” Shalom speaks of life made whole and sound, far beyond quiet between enemies.

1 Samuel 7:15

Samuel kept on judging Israel all his life. A judge here means one who leads, settles disputes and guides the people to follow God’s law. His faithfulness lasted from his youth to his old age.

BSA: judged (“to govern, vindicate, or punish”): His role covered leading, defending the wronged and correcting the guilty.

1 Samuel 7:16

Each year Samuel traveled a circuit through Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah, hearing cases in each place. He went to the people instead of waiting for them to come. This brought justice and God’s law close to ordinary Israelites.

BSA: circuit (“in a circuit, turning”): He made a regular round, so every region had its turn.

1 Samuel 7:17

Samuel then went home to Ramah, where he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD. Even at home he kept worship at the center. His public work for the nation grew out of a life given to God.

BSA: altar (“a place of sacrifice”): Samuel’s home base became a place where Israel could offer worship to the LORD.

See also: 1 Samuel 1:19.