When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took about four hundred and fifty years. After these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. - Acts 13:19-21
In our previous message, the Philistines defeated the Israelites in battle and took the Ark of the Covenant. They brought it back with them to Philistia and displayed it in various locations, starting with the temple of Dagon in Ashdod. God struck the Philistines with heavy afflictions in every city where the Ark was set up. They soon realized that they should return the Ark of the LORD to Israel… for their own good.
I. THE PHILISTINES RETURN THE ARK (1 Samuel 6:1-12)
The Ark of the Covenant had been in the land of Philistia for 7 months. Finally the Philistine leaders met with the priests and diviners to determine how to return it to Israel properly. They wanted to appease God’s wrath and end the curses that had befallen them. The priests advised the Philistines to include a guilt offering with the Ark. This offering should consist of 5 golden tumors and 5 golden mice - crafted to represent the plagues that God had stricken them with - 1 for each of the lords of the Philistines. The priests urged the Philistine rulers to humble themselves before the God of Israel and not to harden their hearts as the Egyptian Pharaoh had done almost 4 centuries earlier.
Following the priests’ instructions, the Philistines took and prepared a new cart with 2 milch cows that had never been yoked. They hitched the cows to the cart and took their young calves away from them so as not to be a distraction. Then they placed the Ark of the Covenant and a box containing the golden guilt offering on the cart. The priests told them to send the cart on its way without an escort to see where the cows went. If they took it to Beth-shemesh on the western edge of the tribal territory of Judah, then God had punished them. If not, the harsh afflictions that had ravished them were merely coincidental.
The Philistines loaded the cart and sent it away. Sure enough, the cows headed straight down the highway toward Beth-shemesh, neither turning aside to the right or left, lowing as they went. The Philistines followed the cart, watching closely as it came to the city limits of Beth-shemesh.
II. THE ISRAELITES RECEIVE THE ARK (1 Samuel 6:13-7:2)
The people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest when they saw the cart approaching. It came into and stopped in the field of a man named Joshua, where there was a large stone. The Levites were summoned to come and unload the cart. They placed the Ark of the Covenant and the box containing the guilt offering on the stone. Then the men split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. They were so thankful that the Ark had been returned to Israel. After seeing this, the Philistine lords who were looking on from a distance returned to their country.
Unfortunately, some of the men of Beth-shemesh looked into the Ark. This was an egregious act of irreverence toward the LORD and was strictly forbidden by the Law. Because they had profaned the Ark, God struck down 50,070 men of Beth-shemesh. The survivors mourned deeply over the slaughter and sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim asking them to come and take the Ark.
So some men from Kiriath-jearim came and took the Ark of the Covenant. They brought it to the home of Abinadab, whose house was on a hill. They consecrated his son Eleazar to keep the Ark. And thus, it remained at Kiriath-jearim (about 12 miles west of Jerusalem) for 20 years during the judgeship of Samuel.
Notice that God’s anger toward the Philistines also struck the Israelites in Beth-shemesh. Just because they were descendants of Jacob did not exempt them from the LORD’s judgment. By violating His commands and disrespecting His holiness, the people of Beth-shemesh foolishly provoked the LORD. It is bad enough when God’s enemies do it, but you’d think that His own people would know better. Yet, oftentimes, we act no differently than they do.
III. SAMUEL JUDGES ISRAEL (1 Samuel 7:3-17)
Once the Ark had been returned, Samuel urged the people of Israel to repent of their idolatry and remove their foreign gods from among them. He told them to worship the LORD alone, that He might deliver them from the oppression of the Philistines. The sons of Israel obeyed Samuel’s plea and they put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth.
The Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered in Mizpah. They came up to do battle with them, and the Israelites were very afraid. Samuel told the people of Israel to cry out to God for salvation and deliverance. He offered a burnt offering and prayed on behalf of his people. When the Philistines drew near to attack, the LORD caused a great thunder which utterly confused them. The men of Israel routed the Philistines, pursuing and killing them from Mizpah all the way to Beth-car.
Samuel set up a memorial and named it Ebenezer because the LORD had helped Israel during the battle. The Philistines did not come up against Israel anymore during the days of Samuel. In fact, much of the territory they had taken was eventually restored to Israel. There was peace between the Philistines and Israel once again. So Samuel made an annual circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, ministering in each of these places. Then he’d return to his hometown of Ramah, where he had built an altar to the LORD. Thus Samuel judged Israel for the remainder of his life.
When the people of Israel turned to the LORD and sought His strength prior to the battle, they were victorious. He fought on their behalf and struck the Philistines with thunderous disarray. This is in sharp contrast to their behavior in last week’s message, when they sought the LORD’s help only after their efforts were failing. This is an important distinction that we would be wise to consider.
CONCLUSION
Following their victory over the Philistines, the elders of the 12 tribes of Israel decided to unite themselves into a single nation. Rather than continuing as a confederation of distinct, independent tribes led locally by regional judges, they desired to become a united kingdom like those around them. Though God warned them of the dangers that this change would bring, the tribes insisted. Therefore, in the years that followed, according to the LORD’s guidance, Samuel searched for, found, and crowned Israel’s first king. A new era in Israel’s history had begun, as the time of the judges (which had persisted for some 350 years) gave way to that of the kings.
Samuel continued judging in Israel until his death, although his authority was superseded by that of King Saul in his latter years. Samuel bravely stood up to and openly rebuked King Saul when he disobeyed God. This caused a fracture in their relationship. In the wake of the king’s disobedience, Samuel anointed a young boy named David to someday take Saul’s place. However, Samuel died before David ever became king. Samuel also wrote extensively, preserving the history of Israel during the age of the judges.
And so we have come to the end of our series on “The Conquering and Independent Church”. We have read as the people of God experienced seasons of victory and success followed by seasons of persecution and defeat. From the triumphs of Joshua, Deborah, Gideon, Samson, and others to the oppression of the Canaanites, Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines, and more - back and forth they went. In much the same way, our lives cycle between highs and lows - from mountaintops to valleys and back again - a rollercoaster ride that repeats itself over and over. May we as God’s children, in all of these circumstances, whether they be good or bad, trust in the Lord Jesus, our Great Judge and Deliverer!
In our previous message, the Philistines defeated the Israelites in battle and took the Ark of the Covenant. They brought it back with them to Philistia and displayed it in various locations, starting with the temple of Dagon in Ashdod. God struck the Philistines with heavy afflictions in every city where the Ark was set up. They soon realized that they should return the Ark of the LORD to Israel… for their own good.
I. THE PHILISTINES RETURN THE ARK (1 Samuel 6:1-12)
The Ark of the Covenant had been in the land of Philistia for 7 months. Finally the Philistine leaders met with the priests and diviners to determine how to return it to Israel properly. They wanted to appease God’s wrath and end the curses that had befallen them. The priests advised the Philistines to include a guilt offering with the Ark. This offering should consist of 5 golden tumors and 5 golden mice - crafted to represent the plagues that God had stricken them with - 1 for each of the lords of the Philistines. The priests urged the Philistine rulers to humble themselves before the God of Israel and not to harden their hearts as the Egyptian Pharaoh had done almost 4 centuries earlier.
Following the priests’ instructions, the Philistines took and prepared a new cart with 2 milch cows that had never been yoked. They hitched the cows to the cart and took their young calves away from them so as not to be a distraction. Then they placed the Ark of the Covenant and a box containing the golden guilt offering on the cart. The priests told them to send the cart on its way without an escort to see where the cows went. If they took it to Beth-shemesh on the western edge of the tribal territory of Judah, then God had punished them. If not, the harsh afflictions that had ravished them were merely coincidental.
The Philistines loaded the cart and sent it away. Sure enough, the cows headed straight down the highway toward Beth-shemesh, neither turning aside to the right or left, lowing as they went. The Philistines followed the cart, watching closely as it came to the city limits of Beth-shemesh.
II. THE ISRAELITES RECEIVE THE ARK (1 Samuel 6:13-7:2)
The people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest when they saw the cart approaching. It came into and stopped in the field of a man named Joshua, where there was a large stone. The Levites were summoned to come and unload the cart. They placed the Ark of the Covenant and the box containing the guilt offering on the stone. Then the men split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. They were so thankful that the Ark had been returned to Israel. After seeing this, the Philistine lords who were looking on from a distance returned to their country.
Unfortunately, some of the men of Beth-shemesh looked into the Ark. This was an egregious act of irreverence toward the LORD and was strictly forbidden by the Law. Because they had profaned the Ark, God struck down 50,070 men of Beth-shemesh. The survivors mourned deeply over the slaughter and sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim asking them to come and take the Ark.
So some men from Kiriath-jearim came and took the Ark of the Covenant. They brought it to the home of Abinadab, whose house was on a hill. They consecrated his son Eleazar to keep the Ark. And thus, it remained at Kiriath-jearim (about 12 miles west of Jerusalem) for 20 years during the judgeship of Samuel.
Notice that God’s anger toward the Philistines also struck the Israelites in Beth-shemesh. Just because they were descendants of Jacob did not exempt them from the LORD’s judgment. By violating His commands and disrespecting His holiness, the people of Beth-shemesh foolishly provoked the LORD. It is bad enough when God’s enemies do it, but you’d think that His own people would know better. Yet, oftentimes, we act no differently than they do.
III. SAMUEL JUDGES ISRAEL (1 Samuel 7:3-17)
Once the Ark had been returned, Samuel urged the people of Israel to repent of their idolatry and remove their foreign gods from among them. He told them to worship the LORD alone, that He might deliver them from the oppression of the Philistines. The sons of Israel obeyed Samuel’s plea and they put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth.
The Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered in Mizpah. They came up to do battle with them, and the Israelites were very afraid. Samuel told the people of Israel to cry out to God for salvation and deliverance. He offered a burnt offering and prayed on behalf of his people. When the Philistines drew near to attack, the LORD caused a great thunder which utterly confused them. The men of Israel routed the Philistines, pursuing and killing them from Mizpah all the way to Beth-car.
Samuel set up a memorial and named it Ebenezer because the LORD had helped Israel during the battle. The Philistines did not come up against Israel anymore during the days of Samuel. In fact, much of the territory they had taken was eventually restored to Israel. There was peace between the Philistines and Israel once again. So Samuel made an annual circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, ministering in each of these places. Then he’d return to his hometown of Ramah, where he had built an altar to the LORD. Thus Samuel judged Israel for the remainder of his life.
When the people of Israel turned to the LORD and sought His strength prior to the battle, they were victorious. He fought on their behalf and struck the Philistines with thunderous disarray. This is in sharp contrast to their behavior in last week’s message, when they sought the LORD’s help only after their efforts were failing. This is an important distinction that we would be wise to consider.
CONCLUSION
Following their victory over the Philistines, the elders of the 12 tribes of Israel decided to unite themselves into a single nation. Rather than continuing as a confederation of distinct, independent tribes led locally by regional judges, they desired to become a united kingdom like those around them. Though God warned them of the dangers that this change would bring, the tribes insisted. Therefore, in the years that followed, according to the LORD’s guidance, Samuel searched for, found, and crowned Israel’s first king. A new era in Israel’s history had begun, as the time of the judges (which had persisted for some 350 years) gave way to that of the kings.
Samuel continued judging in Israel until his death, although his authority was superseded by that of King Saul in his latter years. Samuel bravely stood up to and openly rebuked King Saul when he disobeyed God. This caused a fracture in their relationship. In the wake of the king’s disobedience, Samuel anointed a young boy named David to someday take Saul’s place. However, Samuel died before David ever became king. Samuel also wrote extensively, preserving the history of Israel during the age of the judges.
And so we have come to the end of our series on “The Conquering and Independent Church”. We have read as the people of God experienced seasons of victory and success followed by seasons of persecution and defeat. From the triumphs of Joshua, Deborah, Gideon, Samson, and others to the oppression of the Canaanites, Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines, and more - back and forth they went. In much the same way, our lives cycle between highs and lows - from mountaintops to valleys and back again - a rollercoaster ride that repeats itself over and over. May we as God’s children, in all of these circumstances, whether they be good or bad, trust in the Lord Jesus, our Great Judge and Deliverer!