Story 76: Is'ra-el Demands A King; Saul Is Chosen ll

   The incidents leading up to Sam'u-el's discovery of the first king for Is'ra-el present a rather curious story, but are in perfect keeping with the customs and superstitions of those days. There was living in the tribe of Ben'ja-min a wealthy man by the name of Kish, who owned large herds of cattle and asses. According to the habit of Oriental shepherds in pastoral regions, Kish let his animals roam at large during the grazing season, and later sent men to search for them. He had a son to whom he assigned the responsible and honorable task of taking charge of his herds of cattle and asses. The son's name was Saul, and he was tall, handsome, and industrious.
   When it was time to gather in the roaming herds Saul and one of his servants left Gib'e-ah, a few miles north of Je-ru'sa-lem, and traveled northwest toward the mountains of E'phra-im in search of his father's herds. After searching for several days without success, Saul proposed to his servant that they return. Their supply of food had given out, and Saul did not wish his father to be alarmed by their long absence.
   Since they were not far from Ra'mah, which was the home of the prophet Sam'u-el, Saul's servant suggested that before giving up the search they should consult God. In the land of Ca'naan at the time it was a common thing for people to consult "seers" for help in finding things which had been lost or stolen, or for advice in private matters of importance. Sam'u-el had no doubt encouraged this practice in order to prevent his people from going to heathen magicians, and as a means of opening the way for his more important duties as a prophet of God.
   Saul hesitated to follow the suggestion of his servant, for he had no money to pay the customary fee for such advice. But when the servant told him of the small piece of money which he had, Saul agreed to go to the prophet's home.
   As we learnt in a previous chapter, Ra'mah was one of the centers of worship which Sam'u-el had provided after the abandonment of the tabernacle at Shi'loh. Preparations for a religious festival were in progress when Saul and his servant reached the town. Making inquiry of some young women, they were told that the prophet was expected to attend  the festival to be held that day.
   On the day before, as Sam'u-el was in prayer to God about the choice of a king, he was told that the LORD would bring him a man of the tribe of Ben'ja-min, and that he should make him the prince of Is'ra-el. When Saul and his servant drew near, the prophet had a Divine intuition that this was the man of whom the LORD had spoken. Never having met Sam'u-el, Saul asked if he could direct him to the seer of God.
   
  

Story 76: Is'ra-el Demands A King; Saul Is Chosen l

   When Sam'u-el was about sixty years old the weakness of increasing age led him to appoint his two sons to assist him in ruling over Is'ra-el. They were placed at Be'er-she'ba, in the southwestern part of the land, while Sam'u-el remained at the head of the nation and continued to serve in the cities of Ra'mah, Beth'el, Gil'gal, and Miz'peh. Sam'u-el had no idea of making the office of Judge a heritage of his own family, but was merely doing what seemed best at the time.
   In his earnest desire to have his two sons grow up to be godly men, Sam'u-el had given each of them a name which had a deep religious meaning; one he called Jo'el, which means "Je-ho'vah is God," in protest against the idolatry of the land; the other was called A-bi'ah, which means "Je-ho'vah is Father," as a proof of his faith in the close relationship of God with all His children. He had set before them the example of a godly life, and had faithfully taught them the principles and duties of True Religion. But sad to say, Sam'u-el's sons did not follow in their father's steps. They turnt aside into evil ways, took bribes, and scorned justice.
   The feebleness of Sam'u-el and the misconduct of his two sons gave rise to demand for a king. The elders of Is'ra-el came to him at Ra'mah, declaring that the people desired a king to rule over them as in other nations. This injured the feelings of Sam'u-el, for he thought that the people had rebelled against God's plan for the nation, and had scorned his authority as chief ruler. True to his usual custom, he carried the matter to the LORD in prayer. The LORD told him to yield to the wishes of the people, even though their demand had the appearance of rejecting God.
   While this request of Is'ra-el for a king seems to have been hasty, and not entirely free from wrong motives, it must be remembered that God had promised both A'bra-ham and Ja'cob that kings should come from their offspring. Ja'cob had declared in his prophetic blessing upon Ju'dah that the scepter should not depart from his tribe until Shi'loh came, and Ba'laam had prophesied that a scepter should rise out of Is'ra-el. In giving the Law to Mo'ses the LORD had made special provisions for the kingdom into which Is'ra-el should later be formed.
   Is'ra-el did wrong, therefore, in not waiting patiently for God's time, and in failing to ask Sam'u-el to inquire of the LORD whether or not the time had come when they might have a king. They had been chosen by the LORD as a holy nation, unlike the nations around them, and it was wrong for them to wish to imitate the heathen peoples of the world. If their demand had been based upon a desire for better government or a closer national unity for the accomplishment of God's will, then the change could have been made in keeping with the plan of God, and without any unhappy results. But, since the demand was in advance of God's time for setting up a kingdom in Is'ra-el, the early history of the kingdom was marked by unnecessary strife and turmoil.
   The LORD granted the request of Is'ra-el with the solemn warning that certain burdens for which they were not prepared would be laid upon them by the appointment of a king at this time, and that their self-imposed yoke would be more irksome than the one placed upon them by their Divine King.
   Sam'u-el told the people of the LORD'S decision, dismissed the elders, sent the people home, and gave careful thought to the necessary steps in selecting a king. Such was the reverence of the people for God, and so great was their confidence in his prophet, that the task of finding and appointing the right man to be their king was left entirely in the hands of Sam'u-el.

Story 75: Disasters Caused By The Abuse Of The Ark Of GOD lll

   The twenty years which followed these events are passed over in silence. It appears that the Phi-lis'tines continued to dominate Is'ra-el, and that the sanctuary at Shi'loh fell into ruins. Never again, however, do we hear of any attempts among the heathen nations to unite the He'brew religion with idolatry.
   Sam'u-el vanished from sight during this period of twenty years, but we may be sure that the following statement concerning his life was true: "And the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground; and he was established among the people from Dan to Be'er-she'ba to be the prophet of the LORD." He no doubt spent these years in causing a great spiritual revival throughout the land, for we read toward the close of the period, "And all the house of Is'ra-el lamented toward the LORD."
   It was the holy influence of Sam'u-el's character and the unassuming services rendered during that twenty years that led to permanent reforms in Is'ra-el, and finally broke the Phi-lis'tine oppression. Occupying a position of preeminence in the history of the He'brews for purity of life and for devotion to the welfare of his people, and standing above all others as an intercessor before God, he was a perpetual power for good.

Story 75: Disasters Caused By The Abuse Of The Ark Of GOD ll

   Just as the abuse of the Ark had proven a curse to the Is'ra-el-ites, so its presence among the Phi-lis'tines became the source of terrible calamities. When the people came into the temple to worship on the next morning they found the image of Da'gon lying on its face before the Ark. On the next morning a still worse thing happened, for they found that not only had Da'gon fallen again, but his head and hands, the emblems of his strength, were cut off. Neither priests nor people dared to cross the threshold of the temple. In addition to the mysterious disasters which befell their fish-god, the people of the city and surrounding coast-lands were afflicted with a plague of boils, which caused great suffering and death.
   Overwhelmed by their sufferings and by the clear supremacy of the God of Is'ra-el over their chief god, the people of Ash'dod hastily sent the Ark off to Gath, another chief city of the nation ten miles to the east. When the same affliction came upon the people of that city, they rushed the Ark off to Ek'ron, where the same punishments were repeated.
   The cry of the people against these disasters was so intense that the lords of the Phi-lis'tines gathered in council. It was then decided to send the Ark back to Is'ra-el with an offering of golden jewels; this was done in the hope of appeasing the anger of God against them. Under the instructions of the magicians of the land they prepared five golden emerods to represent the plague of boils, and five golden mice in token of the hordes of these pests which had infested the land. This was in keeping with the heathen custom of presenting to their gods offerings which expressed the mercy desired.
   A new cart drawn by two milch kine was used for the removal of the Ark. It was carried to Beth-she'mesh within the borders of Ben'ja-min, placed on a large stone in the field of a man named Josh'u-a, and there the cows were offered as a burnt sacrifice to the LORD.
   The people of Beth-she'mesh did not treat the Ark with proper reverence,-some of them even looking into it-so the LORD punished thousands of them with death. The Ark was then removed to Kir-jath-Je'a-rim, a much larger town in the territory of the tribe of Ju'dah on the road to Shi'loh. Here it was placed in the home of A-bin'a-dab, and his son E-le-a'zar was appointed to protect it from all irreverence. The Ark remained in the house of A-bin'a-dab for seventy years or more, and was later restored to the Tabernacle by David.

Story 75: Disasters Caused By The Abuse Of The Ark Of GOD l

   As noted in previous chapters, the Is'ra-el-ites at this time were under the dominion of the Phi-lis'tines who held the rich plains of the Med'i-ter-ra'ne-an in the south and southwest, and who made frequent raids upon the tribes which lived near them. It appears that Sam'u-el directed the people of Is'ra-el to make war upon these Phi-lis'tines in the latter days of E'li, and that the Is'ra-el-ites were badly defeated in a battle fought near A'phek, which was not far from Miz'pah in the territory of Ben'ja-min.
   The moral and spiritual state of Is'ra-el at the time was at a very low ebb. E'li's sons had neither confessed their guilt nor amended their ways, and the people had not turnt to God in penitence for idolatry or in prayer for help against their enemies. There was, however, a superstitious and idolatrous regard for the Ark at Shi'loh, and the Is'ra-el-ites were influenced by the customs of their heathen neighbors, who carried images of their gods into battle in the hope of victory, to have their elders bring the Ark of the Cov'e-nant to the battle-field.
   A great uproar and clamor was raised by the Is'ra-el-ites whenever the Ark was brought up to the line of battle, and the Phi-lis'tines were filled with terror when they learnt the reason for such rejoicing by their enemies. The Phi-lis'tines, however, determined to fight on with greater force and courage than they had shown at any time before.
   On the next day the Is'ra-el-ites resumed the battle in a rather lighthearted manner, and with superstitious reliance upon the presence of the Ark to bring them victory. They tried to throw off the yoke of the Phi-lis'tines without submitting to the yoke of God. They failed to offer repentance and obedience to the LORD whose presence among them was falsely represented by the misuse of the Ark, and therefore the LORD'S hand was against them. The defeat of the previous day was turnt into a rout, with the loss of thirty thousand soldiers. Hoph'ni and Phin'e-has, the two wicked sons of E'li, were slain, and the Ark of the Cov'e-nant was taken by the Phi-lis'tines.
   Is'ra-el had relied upon the presence of a symbol, while ignoring that God was represented by that symbol. They had trusted in the power of magic while the emblem of Divine power was abused in profane hands; they had pretended to be loyal to the Laws of God while their hearts were separated from Him by great sins.
   The aged High Priest E'li waited at the gates of Shi'loh for news of the result of the battle. His heart sank in despair when a Ben'ja-mite messenger told him of the shameful defeat of his people, and of the death of his two sons and of thirty thousand footmen. When he learnt that the Ark of God had been captured by the Phi-lis'tines, he suddenly fell over backwards, and his neck was broken by the fall. When the wife of Phin'e-has was told that her husband was dead, and that the Ark had been taken by Is'ra-el's enemies, she gave her new-born child the name of Ich'a-bod, which means, "the glory of the LORD has departed." Thus, according to the word of the LORD, the doom pronounced upon the house of E'li was carried out.
   The Phi-lis'tines carried the Ark to Ash'dod, which was one of the five noted cities of their nation, located about thirty-two miles north of Ga'za and one mile from the sea. It was placed in the temple of Da'gon, the fish-god of this heathen nation. Da'gon was represented by an image with a human body and a fish's tail.
  

Story 74: The High Priest E'li And The Boy Sam'u-el lV

   When Sam'u-el was about twelve years old he was sleeping in a room which adjoined that of the High Priest. Suddenly he heard a voice calling, "Sam'u-el, Sam'u-el." Thinking that E'li needed him for some service, he rushed into the next room and said, "Here I am, did you not call me?" E'li told Sam'u-el that he had not called him, and directed him to return to his own room. The same experience was repeated, and then took place for the third time. E'li then told Sam'u-el that the voice which had come to him must be that of the LORD, and that if he heard it again, he should say, "Speak, LORD, for thy servant heareth." Once more Sam'u-el heard the voice calling him by name, and this time he did as E'li had directed. The LORD then revealed to his young servant a message of doom which must be delivered at once to E'li.
   When Sam'u-el awoke from the dream he hesitated to bring E'li the message from God. But when E'li urged him to relate what the LORD had said, and solemnly charged him to keep back nothing, he told the aged priest of God's judgments against his house because of the wickedness of his sons.
   Even the confirmation of the doom previously announced to him by the unnamed messenger of God failed to stir E'li to any serious effort to prevent his sons from going on in their evil ways. Giving up all priestly and parental authority, he said, "It is the LORD, let him do what seemeth him good."
   As proved by future events, this incident was more significant in the life of Sam'u-el than in that of E'li. For the first time the LORD had revealed Himself to the lad who was afterwards to be known as "the prophet of the LORD." God opened the spiritual hearing to Sam'u-el, and whispered to him the secret of His own will and purposes. From that very moment the reality and personal contact of God with him became a constant experience; he kept his ears open for every utterance of the Divine voice, and was recognized by the people as a prophet of the LORD. He grew in favor with God and with man, and "the LORD was with him, and did let none of His words fall to the ground."
  

Story 74: The High Priest E'li And The Boy Sam'u-el lll

   In the birth of this son Han'nah gave to the world one of the greatest characters of Biblical history. Sam'u-el was destined to become the chief interest of God in leading Is'ra-el from a disordered group of twelve rival tribes into a strongly united nation. While silently pleading with the LORD, Han'nah had said in her heart, "If thou wilt give thine handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life." In her deep consecration she had promised that the most cherished gift of her heart would be returnt to the Divine; that God's gift to her would be her consecrated gift to God.
   For the first three years of Sam'u-el's life Han'nah watched over him tenderly, not even going up to Shi'loh for the annual feast days and sacrifices unto God.
   When Sam'u-el was about three years old, his father and mother prepared special offerings to be made unto the LORD, and carried the young child to the Tabernacle at Shi'loh. Han'nah told E'li that she was the woman who had come to the Temple years before to pray for a son, and acknowledged God's favor in giving her the child. Sam'u-el was then dedicated to the service of the LORD, and was left in the Tabernacle to be trained for his mission by ministering unto the LORD before E'li. Han'nah and her husband returnt to their home in Ra'mah, where unceasing prayer was made for their young son. Once a year, when Han'nah went up to Shi'loh for the sacrifices, she brought a little robe for her son.
   Through the days of his childhood and youth Sam'u-el was constantly engaged in the services of the LORD'S house. In E'li's declining years he became the personal assistant and companion of the aged priest. There grew between them a deep and abiding affection, and E'li looked upon the boy as if he were a beloved son, for his own sons had long since disgraced themselves by evil deeds.