The Israelites repent, serve God, and subdue the Philistines. 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. 2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, 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. 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. 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. 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 Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, 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. 15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, 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. LECTURE 460. Faith in Christ, as our Intercessor, Priest, Sacrifice, and King. What great chastisement has led to such repentance on the part of Israel, that they should all lament after the Lord, and should put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and serve the Lord only, and should pour out water before the Lord as a nation's tears, and should fast and say, "We have sinned against the Lord?" We know of nothing to account for so remarkable a change, but that God was pleased to touch their hearts, and to draw them near unto Himself. And so we have probably found it in our own experience, that there are times, when without any event occurring, by which we can account for it, our souls are affected deeply by the sense of our unworthiness, and we are inclined to weep, and pray, and fast, and to confess our many sins before God. On such occasions we may be sure that our spiritual enemies will be apt to come up against us, as the Philistines against the Israelites. And we must apply to our great Intercessor, as the Israelites did to Samuel, saying, "Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us." Christ is both our Intercessor and our Priest. He both will pray for us, and also has offered in our behalf a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice. But have we faith to believe in its sufficiency? Do we rely on the intercession of our Saviour? Do we pray as we ought heartily for ourselves? These are the great arts of our spiritual warfare. It is by means of these that our enemies will fly before our face. When we succeed, it is to these means that we must refer our past success, and our hope of succeeding for the future. "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us;" let this be the conviction of our hearts, let this be the language of our lips. And let us confidently hope, that He who hitherto has helped us, will help us still. And for this end let us submit ourselves to his guidance. Let Him who is our High Priest, and our Intercessor, and our Sacrifice, be also our Ruler and our King. As He vouchsafes to govern us, let us rejoice to submit ourselves to his government. Let us be thankful to be directed in every thing by Him. Lord, what wouldest Thou have us to do? Let us but know this, and we will do it with all our heart. Let us but know what is thy holy will and pleasure, and it shall be our will and pleasure to fulfil it. Judge us thus, by now governing our lives, and we shall not fear to have Thee for our Judge hereafter. Be thus our Ruler and Guide unto death, and we trust that Thou wilt give us, after death, the crown of eternal life. The Israelites desire to have a king. 1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Sa- Samuel said unto the men of muel, Hearken unto their voice, Israel, Go ye every man unto and make them a king. And his city. LECTURE 461. The danger of asking amiss in our prayers. The misconduct of Samuel's sons, though not so gross as that of the sons of Eli, would no doubt have been laid to their father's charge, if he like Eli had known of it without checking it. It happens not unfrequently, that men of eminent usefulness have sons very unlike themselves. This may probably arise, from their giving too much time to public affairs, and too little to the management of their own families. And it may have been with a view to obviate the scandal hence arising, that amongst the qualities required by our Lord in rulers of the Christian church, this is one, that they have their children in due subjection. See 1 Tim. 3. 4. Tit. 1. 6. This scandal, in the case of Samuel's sons, was merely the excuse pleaded, it was not the real reason, for the Israelites being anxious to have a king. They desired to have some object of homage upon the earth, instead of having to walk by faith in a King which was in heaven. As they were taken with the earthly gods of the nations round about them, and must needs like them have images as helps to their devotion, so they were enamoured with the state and pomp of earthly kings, and were bent upon having a king set over them, as the nations round about them had, to whose presence, power, and majesty, they thought that they should cheerfully submit. In vain did Samuel, as God bade him, solemnly protest to them, and tell them how apt their king would be to lord it over them, and how different would be the manner of his rule from that which had been enacted in their Law; he being as likely as they were to transgress the commandments of God. See Deut. 17. 14. "Nay; but we will have a king over us," was their answer. "That we also may be like all the nations," was their reason once more urged. "Ánd that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." As if God could not raise them up judges, to rule them, both in peace and war. As if God had not been used to go out before them, and fight their battles, more effectually than any arm of flesh! Truly they herein rejected not only Samuel, but also God. And yet God bids Samuel hearken to their voice. And thus it is written in the book of the prophet Hosea: "I gave thee a king in mine anger." Hos. 13. 11. A fearful instance of an unreasonable and unrighteous request, granted, not out of kindness, but out of wrath. A warning to us, not to choose when God has chosen for us, still less to triumph in our hearts, if we gain the forbidden object of our wishes. It may be God has given it us in anger. Oh fearful thought! enough to make us ask for nothing, except that He would give us what He pleases for our good! Or at least enough to make us add to every prayer we offer, and whatever benefit we ask for, "Thy will be done." Matth. 6. 10. Saul seeketh his father's asses; meeteth Samuel. 1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 3 And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. 4 And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. 5 And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us. 6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. 7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there 9 (Before time in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) 10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was. 11 And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? 12 And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place: 13 As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him. 14 And they went up into the city and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place. |