What does Samuel tell Israel to do before promising deliverance from the Philistines?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

If they turn to the Lord with all their heart, they must put away Baalim and Astaroth, prepare their hearts and serve the Lord only. Israel does so, then gathers at Masphath, where Samuel prays and offers a lamb as the Philistines attack.

Chapter breakdown

The men of Cariathiarim fetch the Lord’s ark and carry it to Abinadab’s house in Gabaa. They sanctify his son Eleazar to keep it. Challoner separately explains Gabaa as on the hill, since the name means hill. Days multiply from the ark’s arrival in Cariathiarim; it is now the twentieth year, and all Israel’s house rests, following the Lord. Samuel tells the whole house that if they turn to the Lord with all their heart, they must put away the strange gods Baalim and Astaroth, prepare their hearts for the Lord and serve him only; he will deliver them from the Philistines. Israel’s children put away Baalim and Astaroth and serve the Lord alone.

Samuel calls all Israel to Masphath so he may pray to the Lord for them. They gather, draw water and pour it before the Lord, fast that day and confess that they have sinned against him. Samuel judges Israel’s children there. Hearing of the gathering, the Philistine lords go up against Israel. Israel hears and fears them, asking Samuel not to cease crying to their God for rescue from the Philistines. Samuel takes a sucking lamb and offers it whole as a holocaust, crying to the Lord for Israel; the Lord hears. While Samuel offers it, the Philistines begin battle. The Lord thunders with great thunder on them that day, terrifying them, and they are overthrown before Israel. Israel’s men go out from Masphath, pursue them and make slaughter until they come under Bethchar.

Samuel places a stone between Masphath and Sen, calls the place the Stone of help and says the Lord has helped them thus far. The Philistines are humbled and no longer come into Israel’s borders; the Lord’s hand is against them all Samuel’s days. Cities the Philistines took from Israel are restored, from Accaron to Geth and their borders. Israel is delivered from the Philistines, and there is peace with the Amorrhites. Samuel judges Israel all his life. Each year he travels to Bethel, Galgal and Masphath, judging in those places. He returns to Ramatha, where his house is and where he judges Israel, and builds an altar to the Lord there.

The story inside

The ark’s custody in Abinadab’s house and the twentieth year introduce Samuel’s conditional call to wholehearted return and exclusive service. Israel puts the named gods away, assembles at Masphath, pours water, fasts and confesses sin. The Philistine advance prompts fear and a request for continued prayer. During Samuel’s whole-lamb offering the Lord hears and thunders upon the attacking Philistines; Israel pursues the defeated army to below Bethchar. Samuel’s stone and words mark the help received. The ending names restored cities, peace with the Amorrhites and the places and yearly rhythm of Samuel’s lifelong judging.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Samuel’s call names actions as well as a condition. Wholehearted return is followed by putting away Baalim and Astaroth, preparing hearts and serving only the Lord. The next verse records the people’s actual response.
2
Prayer, offering and battle have a stated order. Fear leads to asking Samuel not to cease praying. He offers a whole sucking lamb and is heard; the attack begins during the offering, and the Lord’s thunder terrifies the enemy before Israel pursues.
3
The closing help is described with places and time. The stone stands between Masphath and Sen, cities from Accaron to Geth are restored and the Lord’s hand opposes the Philistines all Samuel’s days. His yearly circuit and Ramatha altar finish this chapter without requiring later events.

Test your recall

What condition and commands precede Israel’s gathering, how does the Philistine attack lead to Samuel’s offering and the Lord’s thunder, and what places and time spans mark the outcome?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 28756–28779
1 Kings Chapter 7 The ark is brought to Cariathiarim. By Samuel’s exhortation the people cast away their idols and serve God alone. The Lord defeateth the Philistines, while Samuel offereth sacrifice. 7:1. And the men of Cariathiarim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and carried it into the house of Abinadab, in Gabaa: and they sanctified Eleazar, his son, to keep the ark of the Lord. In Gabaa.... That is, on the hill, for Gabaa signifieth a hill. 7:2. And it came to pass, that from the day the ark of the Lord abode in Cariathiarim, days were multiplied (for it was now the twentieth year) and all the house of Israel rested, following the Lord. 7:3. And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying: If you turn to the Lord with all your heart, put away the strange gods from among you, Baalim and Astaroth: and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 7:4. Then the children of Israel put away Baalim and Astaroth, and served the Lord only.
Lines 28781–28807
7:5. And Samuel said: Gather all Israel to Masphath, that I may pray to the Lord for you. 7:6. And they gathered together to Masphath, and they drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and they fasted on that day, and they said there: We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Masphath. 7:7. And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Masphath, and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard this, they were afraid of the Philistines. 7:8. And they said to Samuel: Cease not to cry to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 7:9. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it whole for a holocaust to the Lord: and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him. 7:10. And it came to pass, when Samuel was offering the holocaust, the Philistines began the battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and terrified them, and they were overthrown before the face of Israel. 7:11. And the men of Israel going out of Masphath, pursued after the Philistines, and made slaughter of them till they came under Bethchar.
Lines 28809–28830
7:12. And Samuel took a stone, and laid it between Masphath and Sen: and he called the place The stone of help. And he said: Thus far the Lord hath helped us. 7:13. And the Philistines were humbled, and they did not come any more into the borders of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines, all the days of Samuel. 7:14. And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel, were restored to Israel, from Accaron to Geth, and their borders: and he delivered Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and there was peace between Israel and the Amorrhites. 7:15. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life: 7:16. And he went every year about to Bethel and to Galgal and to Masphath, and he judged Israel in the foresaid places. 7:17. And he returned to Ramatha: for there was his house, and there he judged Israel: he built also there an altar to the Lord.