A. Samuel as judge
1. (1 Sam 7:1-2) The Ark at Kiriath-Jearim
And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the LORD and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
The men of Kiriath-jearim: They were selected to look after the Ark and treated the sacred chest with respect and honor. Kiriath-jearim means "city of the woods". Abinadab's house located on a hill was probably an ideal location which allowed the Ark to be visible at some distance and also provided protection. If the Philistines wanted to re-take the Ark, the safest place for the Ark was on a high outpost.
Eleazar: It is most likely that this Abinadab was a Levite. The names Eleazar, Uzzah and Ahio all of the same family (see 2 Samuel 6:3) are Levitical titles. Eleazar was set apart for special duty, being a watchman over the Ark. (Note, nothing is said that Eleazar was consecrated as a priest to the Ark; simply that he was to keep the Ark.)
For it was twenty years: Twenty years was not the whole duration of the Ark's time in Kiriath-jearim but the length of time which passed before the Israelites began to revive from their sad state of religious decline. The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim until King David retrieves it (2 Samuel 6:2).
All the house of Israel lamented after the LORD: Finally, the Ark of the Covenant is back where it belongs, and now Israel can let go of its grief. Their cities were in ruins, their armies were defeated, thousands of their countrymen were killed in battle and there was constant threat of being attacked by the Philistines. Furthermore, they were not right with God, who could save them out of all their troubles if they just trusted in Him. Under the leadership of Samuel, Israel was able to abandon their idolatry and pagan worship, and once again seek the LORD.
2. (1 Sam 7:3-4) Samuel preaches repentance both inward and outward.
Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone.
Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel: Finally, Samuel is back! God raised up Samuel as a prophet and a judge in 1 Samuel 4:1. Then, strangely, Samuel is absent from the Ark of the Covenant ordeal. First Samuel 4:1 is the last place Samuel is mentioned, which is immediately preceding Israel's grand plan to use the Ark of the Covenant as a good luck charm to force God to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines in battle.
The strange gods: The "strange gods" phrase is the Hebrew word Baalim. This is the plural form of Baal. Ashtaroth is the plural form of Ashtoreth. The plural form of the words denote the numerous images of these deities of the different forms under which they were worshiped such as Baal-Berith, Baal-Peor and Baal-Zebub. Baal means lord and was the supreme male deity of the Phoenician and Cannanite nations and may also be associated with the Babylonian god Bel. Baal was worshiped as a god of the weather and of productive crops. Ashtoreth was the corresponding female deity and was worshiped as a god of love and sex. She was worshiped in Babylon under the name Ishtar as the goddess of battles and victories. Her symbol was a grove and frequently was represented as a wooden column or image resembling the sacred tree of the Assyrians. The worship of Ashtoreth was commonly done so in conjunction with the worship of Baal.
If you return to the LORD with all your heart: Samuel was calling the nation to repentance; the repentance had to be inward (with all your heart) and it had to be outward (put away the foreign gods). The inward repentance was more important than the outward, and it had to come first. The inward repentance is a hidden thing done in secret. No one can really "see" the heart of another. Yet, the inward was proven by the outward showing repentance. We can know if Israel did return to God with all their hearts by seeing if they did put away the foreign gods.
Serve Him alone: Israel did not feel as though they were rejecting the LORD when they worshiped other gods. Instead they felt they were only adding to their worship of the LORD. However, as the Lord Jesus tells us, it is not possible to serve two masters. "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24). Samuel was telling Israel they had to turn away from the worship of foreign gods and only serve the LORD God.
So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD: Compelled by the words of Samuel, Israel casts aside all her false gods and turns to the LORD God. What a glorious time it was in Israel's history. The Israelites had been worshiping Baal since the wilderness when they "joined themselves to Baal-Peor" (the god of Moab). "While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel" (Numbers 25:1-3).
2. (1 Sam 7:5-6) The nation repents at Mizpah
Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you." They gathered at Mizpah, 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 sons of Israel at Mizpah.
Gather all Israel at Mizpah: Mizpah means "the watchtower" in Hebrew, and was located in Benjamin about 5 miles from Jerusalem. Mizpah was a city which sat on a hill, overlooking the surrounding area. This was the place where Jacob separated from Laban ("Laban said, 'This heap is a witness between you and me this day.' Therefore it was named Galeed, and Mizpah, for he said, 'May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other'" Genesis 31:48-49.) This was also the location where Israel declared civil war against their brothers, the Benjaminites, after a Levite's concubine was murdered in Gibeah. ("Then all the sons from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and he congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah" (Judges 20:1).
I will pray to the LORD for you: Other instances Samuel's prayers are mentioned are in 1 Samuel 8:6, 1 Samuel 12:17-19, 1 Samuel 12:23 and 1 Samuel 15:11. Samuel is seen as a type of intercessor for the people of Israel. "Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called on His named; they called upon the LORD and He answered them" (Psalm 99:6). "Then the LORD said to me, 'Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!'" (Jeremiah 15:1).
Drew water and poured it out before the LORD: A symbolic act of pouring out water was a demonstration of having one's soul poured out before the LORD. It was an expression of emptiness and need. "Arise, cry aloud in the night at the beginning of the night watches; pour out you heart like water before the presence of the Lord; lift up your hands to Him for the life of your little ones who are faint because of hunger at the head of every street" (Lamentations 2:19).
And fasted on that day and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD.": As on the great day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:19), fasting was a token of humiliation and contrition for their sin. The Israelites also confessed their sins, which is a straightforward claim of responsibility and guilt. You do not have to come before a priest to confess your sin. When you are baptized, you are asking to be cleansed and reborn from your confessed sin. When you receive communion, you ask for the work of Jesus on the cross to take away your sin. Additionally, we need to confess directly to God by admitting to Him what we have done is sin. We need to ask for His forgiveness. Our sins are not forgiven based upon our confession. If forgiveness was based solely on our confession, we would be all doomed because it would be impossible to confess every sin we have ever committed. However, confession is vital to maintain our relationship with God. As God convicts us of sin, we must confess our sin and receive forgiveness. This will allow our relationship with God to continue to grow and deepen.
Samuel judged the sons of Israel: Samuel governed Israel, reformed all abuses against God, and enforced that all of God's laws should be observed and transgressions punished.
B. Samuel leads the nation to victory
1. (1 Sam 7:7) The Philistine threat
Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
When the Philistines heard: The Philistines should have been afraid when they heard that Israel had repented and turned back to God. When God is fighting for Israel, who can stand against them? However, it probably was too much for the the Philistines to understand after they were able to capture the Ark of the Covenant, the cherished icon of the Israelites. Like the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the Arabs hoped to catch the Israelites praying and open for an easy victory. However, when Israel turns to God, God goes to battle for them. "The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent" (Exodus 14:14). If only we could turn with a true repentant heart during every trying time, imagine the victories God could win for you! It worked for Joshua and the Israelites when God destroyed the walls of Jericho. "When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city" (Joshua 6:20).
The Philistines assumed the large gathering at Mizpah and the destruction of the Phoenician idols meant Israel was on the move to strike the Philistines. Wanting to get the upper hand, the Philistines decided to attack when the Israelites were not expecting it.
When the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid: Unfortunately, the Israelites did not have any more spiritual understanding than the Philistines. After having a long list of incredible miracles performed by God in their past, the Israelites should have had more confidence in the LORD. However, perhaps the recent past is still tainting their perception of God. After erroneously believing if they took the Ark of the Covenant into battle against the Philistines, God would have to fight for them. But their confidence and trust in God was false. After the stunning defeat and the loss of the Ark, Israel is still mourning the incredible defeat. Here, Israel has truly sought God, repenting and turning away from their false gods. They LORD will see a great victory; the LORD will fight this battle. Israel seemed to have more faith when they were trusting in the Ark than when they were humble and repentant before the LORD. But small faith in God is more powerful than the strongest faith in a lie.
2. (1 Sam 7:8-9) Samuel prays for the nation
Then the sons of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines." Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried to the LORD for Israel and the LORD answered him.
Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us: Finally, it seems Israel may be learning to trust the LORD. The fear on the part of the Israelites was very real--they were poorly armed and equipped for war. Assembled on the heights of the village of Mizpah, the Israelites would have been able to see the advancement of the Philistine army. It seemed there was little hope Israel could prevail. The last time they were in a similar situation, they hatched the brilliant plan to take the Ark of the Covenant into battle with them. "Let us bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies" (1 Samuel 4:3). Now they seem to be a bit wiser by asking Samuel " to cry out to the LORD our God for us." Instead of looking to the Ark for salvation, now they are looking to the LORD.
And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the LORD: It may seem odd for Samuel to take time during this critical period to make a sacrifice. But, Samuel knew he could only pray effectively in the presence of God's atoning sacrifice. A suckling lamb was a very young lamb still nursing from its mother; however, it had to be at least 8 days old (Leviticus 22:27). The young, innocent lamb had its throat cut, its blood poured out and its body burned up in a fire to the LORD. This seems like a cruel punishment for such a little animal. However, the young lamb was a symbolic representation of the punishment that should have come upon Samuel and Israel for their sins. By slaying the young animal, Israel and Samuel are able to express their gratitude for the lamb which takes away their punishment. When we trust in the Lamb of God, "who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), we are able to say the same thing, "Thank you Lord for taking away my deserved punishment and for placing it upon this innocent lamb."
And the LORD answered him: The way God probably answered Samuel was by accepting the sacrifice by sending fire from heaven to consume it. (A similar situation happens during the time of the prophet Elijah: "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up that water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, 'The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God'" (1 Kings 18:37-39).) The LORD answering Samuel was so noteworthy, it is mentioned in Psalm 99:6: "Moses and Aaron were among His priest, and Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called upon the LORD and He answered them."
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