CHAPTER SEVEN

7:1
So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the !R"# The$ took it to A%inada%&'
hou'e on the hi(( and con'ecrated E(ea)ar hi' 'on to *uard the ark of the !R"#
+
,t -a' a (on* time. t-ent$ $ear' in a((. that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim. and a(( the peop(e of
,'rae( mourned and 'ou*ht after the !R"#
1. The Philistines soundly defeated Israel in battle 20 years ago.
2. The Philistines took the Ark of God from them during this time.
3. Simultaneous with or soon after taking the Ark the Philistines !robably mar"hed into Shiloh and burnt it
down. #owe$er it a!!ears as though the Taberna"le of God had been taken down !rior to this time.
%. The Philistines a!!ear to ha$e some "ontrol of Israel. It is not "lear whether Israel !ays them tribute or
whether they o""u!y any of Israel&s "ities' howe$er they "learly "ontrol some border "ities.
(. Israel a!!arently does not ha$e a fun"tioning Taberna"le and the Ark of God is in storage.
). Israel has fallen into great idolatry.
The !eo!le seem to ha$e re!ented of their sin of falling away from God.
Samuel is about 32 years old. #e has been in training for all these years. *esus and Samuel were about the
same age when they began their ministries.

/
And Samue( 'aid to the -ho(e hou'e of ,'rae(. 0,f $ou are returnin* to the !R" -ith a(( $our
heart'. then rid $our'e(1e' of the forei*n *od' and the A'htoreth' and commit $our'e(1e' to the !R"
and 'er1e him on($. and he -i(( de(i1er $ou out of the hand of the Phi(i'tine'#0
forei*n *od' The +aals. There were many forms of +aal and Ashtoreth.

2
So the ,'rae(ite' put a-a$ their 3aa(' and A'htoreth'. and 'er1ed the !R" on($#
A'htoreth' female gods
'er1ed the !R" on($ ser$e him e,"lusi$ely. The !eo!le are told to dis"ard the figurines of their gods and
!ut out of their minds these false gods and worshi! only the -ord.
4
Then Samue( 'aid. 0A''em%(e a(( ,'rae( at 5i)pah and , -i(( intercede -ith the !R" for $ou#0
A''em%(e a(( ,'rae( at 5i)pah This !robably means re!resentati$es from all the tribal territories. .ational
su""ess only "omes with national unity s!iritually and !oliti"ally. /i0!ah is "entrally lo"ated in +en1amin
and that it was a "ommon meeting !la"e for the tribes of Israel during the !eriod of the 1udges 2*udges 2031
1Sam. 43( 103145.
, -i(( intercede -ith the !R" for $ou Samuel will !ray for the !eo!le that the -ord will forgi$e them and
restore them. *ames (31) 6The effe"tual !rayer of a righteous man a$aileth mu"h.7
1
6
7hen the$ had a''em%(ed at 5i)pah. the$ dre- -ater and poured it out %efore the !R"# !n that
da$ the$ fa'ted and there the$ confe''ed. 07e ha1e 'inned a*ain't the !R"#0 And Samue( -a'
(eader of ,'rae( at 5i)pah#
the$ dre- -ater and poured it out %efore the !R" The e,!ression is uni8ue and !robably a 9symbol of
"ontrition9 :or re!entan"e ;ummelow< in this setting. ;a$id later 9!oured out9 water before the -ord in 2
Sam 2331).
The !ouring of water symboli0es 6their ruin and hel!lessness7 22 Sam. 1%31%5 or their desire that their sins be
forgi$en. 2P#= !. >15
confe''ed. 07e ha1e 'inned a*ain't the !R"#0 This is true re!entan"e. ;r. S"hafer has a good story
about re!entan"e. See *udges 10310 1Sam. and 12310 1?ings @3%4. I donAt think that ea"h and e$ery "iti0en
of Israel !oured out his heart before God and "onfessed his sin before #im. It seems reasonable that there are
many who did not. #owe$er there are enough to "ount as the national entity turning toward God. 2?ukis5
And Samue( -a' (eader of ,'rae( at 5i)pah Samuel was re"ogni0ed by Israel as their 1udge and s!iritual
leader. #e was also !ro!het and military leader. A 9*udge9 often !aralleled 9ruler9 or 9!rin"e9 in
"ontem!orary =anaanite literature as well as in the BT 2 C, 231%5. Bne of the most "ommon roles of the
1udge was to re!el in$aders 2$. @' *udg 231) 1@5. #e also 1udged Israel with the 1udgment of God. 2P#=5

7
7hen the Phi(i'tine' heard that ,'rae( had a''em%(ed at 5i)pah. the ru(er' of the Phi(i'tine' came
up to attack them# And -hen the ,'rae(ite' heard of it. the$ -ere afraid %ecau'e of the Phi(i'tine'#
The Philistines no doubt knew that Samuel was there as was a gathering of re!resentati$es from the different
tribes and figured that an atta"k was being !lanned. 69The "hara"ter and im!ortan"e of the national
"on$ention at /i0!eh were fully a!!re"iated by the Philistines. They dis"erned in it the rising s!irit of
religious !atriotism among the Israelites that was !re!ared to throw off the yoke of their domination.
An,ious to "rush it at the first they made a sudden in"ursion while the Israelites were in the midst of their
solemn "elebration.7 2*D+5
the$ -ere afraid %ecau'e of the Phi(i'tine' The Israelites were in GodAs will but were still afraid. Carlier
they were out of GodAs will but showed no fear. .ow they are in GodAs will and afraid. Peo!le need the
Eord of God to build them u!.
8
The$ 'aid to Samue(. 0"o not 'top cr$in* out to the !R" our 9od for u'. that he ma$ re'cue u'
from the hand of the Phi(i'tine'#0
"o not 'top cr$in* out to the !R" 6;o not be deaf towards us.7 2E+=5
"o not 'top cr$in* out to the !R" our 9od for u' This is inter"essory !rayer.
The *ews were always it seems afraid of the Philistines 2$. 4' 14311' 2@3(5. They did not belie$e they "ould
beat the Philistines.
2
:
Then Samue( took a 'uck(in* (am% and offered it up a' a -ho(e %urnt offerin* to the !R"# He cried
out to the !R" on ,'rae(&' %eha(f. and the !R" an'-ered him#
The lamb was at least @ days old and still nursing. This is in a""ordan"e with -e$. 22324. The young lamb
indi"ates a new Israel an Israel whose relationshi! is beginning afresh with God.7 2?ukis5 Samuel who was
not a !riest of the tribe of -e$i offered the offering be"ause the ark was se!arated from the taberna"le we
donAt know where the taberna"le is5 and Samuel was gi$en a s!e"ial "ommission from God. 2P#= !. >15 The
offering e,!ressed total dedi"ation. 2E+=5
1;
7hi(e Samue( -a' 'acrificin* the %urnt offerin*. the Phi(i'tine' dre- near to en*a*e ,'rae( in %att(e#
3ut that da$ the !R" thundered -ith (oud thunder a*ain't the Phi(i'tine' and thre- them into 'uch
a panic that the$ -ere routed %efore the ,'rae(ite'#
The Philistines atta"ked as Israel was worshi!!ing. Perha!s they thought the *ews were too distra"ted and
un!re!ared to fight.
Thunder is said to be the $oi"e of God 2Ps 2>33F>5. There is a reason that God "hose a storm and great
thunder to derail the Philistines. The gods of the an"ient world were !rimarily gods of agri"ulture whi"h
in"luded the weather as agri"ulture was de!endent u!on the weather. Therefore when the God of Israel
strikes the Philistines with the weather this throws them into a great !ani" as their godsG+aal in !arti"ular
the god of thunderstormsGare !owerless by "om!arison.7 2?ukis5
6+aal was known to be a rider of "louds most a"ti$e during storms but was also "onsidered to be a 9lord of
hea$en and earth9 e$en "ontrolling earth&s fertility. #e was the god of thunderstorms the most $igorous and
aggressi$e of the gods and the one on whom mortals most de!ended. Some of his other "ommon e!ithets
in"lude 9 /ost #igh Prin"eH/aster9 9 =on8ueror of Earriors9 /ightiest /ost #igh Su!reme Powerful
Puissant9 9 Earrior9 and 9 Prin"e /aster of the Carth9. #e is also sometimes "alled Ie&ammin meanign
9Thunderer9 as well as Aleyin meaning 9/ost #igh9 /ightiest9 9/ost Powerful9 or Su!reme and he has
many many other e!ithets.
9od <'e' Natura( E1ent'
Thunder our $erse
-ightning 2 Sam. 2231( 1 ?ings 1@33@
#ail *osh. 1031%
;arkness *osh 2%34
Stars *osh (320
;isease 1 Sam (3)
the !R" thundered -ith (oud thunder a*ain't the Phi(i'tine' 6And the im!erfe"t $oi"e indi"ates that it
did not sim!ly thunder on"e. It was this ongoing thing with thunder so loud that it shook the Philistine troo!s
u! as they mar"hed. Although the Philistines tended to think that the God of Israel was in"onsistent in #is
!rote"tion of Israel they were also fully "ogni0ant that when *eho$ah God "hose to ste! in it was deadly
serious.7 2?ukis5
the$ -ere routed %efore the ,'rae(ite' The Israelites were not !re!ared for war. I sus!e"t that the Philistines
dro!!ed their wea!ons whi"h were !i"ked u! and used by the Israelites.
3
11
The men of ,'rae( ru'hed out of 5i)pah and pur'ued the Phi(i'tine'. '(au*hterin* them a(on* the
-a$ to a point %e(o- 3eth Car#
The thunder !ut the Philistines in full retreat and the Israelites followed slaughtering them.
Beth-car is only mentioned here and nowhere else in S"ri!ture. Ee would assume that this would be a
Philistine "ity whi"h stood between /i0!eh and the /editerranean Sea. In the Se!tuagint we ha$e Beth-
chor, whi"h is e8ui$alent to Beth-horon, whi"h is the ne,t ma1or "ity west of /i0!eh.
1+
Then Samue( took a 'tone and 'et it up %et-een 5i)pah and Shen# He named it E%ene)er. 'a$in*.
0Thu' far ha' the !R" he(ped u'#0
The setting of a stone is also found in Gen 3(31%' *osh %3>' 2%32).
Shen lit 6tooth.7 This site has not been identified. 2E+=5
E%ene)er lit. 6stone of hel!.7 A different stone than in %31 and (31.
In either "ase the Cbene0er of $. 12 is almost "ertainly not the Cbene0er of %31 and (31 sin"e the latter is too
far to the northwest for /i0!ah to be used as a ben"hmark for its lo"ation. 2Jonder$an5
1/
So the Phi(i'tine' -ere 'u%dued and did not in1ade ,'rae(ite territor$ a*ain# Throu*hout Samue(&'
(ifetime. the hand of the !R" -a' a*ain't the Phi(i'tine'#
The Philistines were subdued by still "aused Israel !roblems. 6They no more in$aded the territory of Israel
with lasting su""ess as they had done before.7 2P#=5 +ut they tried. Iemember Saul died fighting the
Philistines. Geisler and #owe gi$e us three !ossible e,!lanations of this $erse3 6215 the Philistines "ame no
more for some time; 225 the Philistines "ame no more at that time; or 235 the Philistines "ame no more to
o""u!y and dwell in the territory of Israel whi"h did not e,"lude them from "oming ba"k to fight Israel in
the future.7 2kukis5
?eil and ;elit0s"h say that the Philistines made attem!ts to re"o$er their lost su!rema"y but that so long as
Samuel li$ed they were unable to effe"t anything against Israel. This is also manifest from the su""essful
battles fought by Saul 2"h. 13 and 1%5 when the Philistines had made fresh attem!ts to sub1ugate IsraeK
They defeats infli"ted u!on them by Saul also belonged to the days of Samuel who died but a $ery few years
before Saul himself
#ow is our "ountry e$er going to subdue its enemiesL Through turning to the -ord $erse 2.
12
The to-n' from Ekron to 9ath that the Phi(i'tine' had captured from ,'rae( -ere re'tored to her.
and ,'rae( de(i1ered the nei*h%orin* territor$ from the po-er of the Phi(i'tine'# And there -a' peace
%et-een ,'rae( and the Amorite'#
The /T has 6Ckron to Gath7 while the -MM has =As"alon to A0ob.7
6Ehat a!!ears to be the "ase is that for the !ast 20 or more years the Philistines ha$e ad$an"ed from this
northFsouth line taking large "hunks of IsraelAs !ro!erty. In $. 11 Israel a!!arently !ushed the Philistines
%
ba"k either to these "ities or e$en !ast these "ities. +y the time of ;a$id these "ities will be in the hands of
the Philistines again whi"h leads me to belie$e that these "ities from this !oint in time mark the border of
Israel and Philistia on"e again.7 2?ukis5
These border territories only "ame under Israelite "ontrol in the time of ;a$id.
And there -a' peace %et-een ,'rae( and the Amorite' The Amorites !referred to li$e in the hilly regions
of the land 2.um 1332>' ;eut 1345 while the Philistines li$ed along the "oast. The Amorites were relati$ely
nonbelligerent during this !eriod 22 Sam (314F2( 21325. The Philistines and the Amorites were related but
1ust barely and from a long time ba"k 2see Gen. 103)N1)5. #owe$er this statement means that the Israelites
li$ed for some time after this !oint without internal aggressors.7 2?ukis5
Ehat would life be for us if we 6ser$ed the -ord onlyL7 Ehat would life be like if Bur =ountry returned to
GodL Oi"tory o$er enemies and relati$e !ea"e.
14
Samue( continued a' >ud*e o1er ,'rae( a(( the da$' of hi' (ife#
16
?rom $ear to $ear he -ent on a
circuit from 3ethe( to 9i(*a( to 5i)pah. >ud*in* ,'rae( in a(( tho'e p(ace'#
17
3ut he a(-a$' -ent %ack
to Ramah. -here hi' home -a'. and there he a('o >ud*ed ,'rae(# And he %ui(t an a(tar there to the
!R"#
he -ent on a circuit from 3ethe( to 9i(*a( to 5i)pah Samuel was the 1udge of Israel but he tra$eled in
only a small area of "entral Palestine where he li$ed. These towns are "lose to ea"h other' Iamah for
e,am!le is about 1% miles from /i0!ah. Samuel therefore remained entirely within the territory of
+en1amin 2or at least the territories of +en1amin and C!hraim5. Ehen Saul be"ame king Samuel still
retained his s!iritual authority and may ha$e retained his "i$il authority. Samuel tra$eled about from "ity to
"ity until the dis!utes in that "ity had been settled' and he did this year after year.
3ut he a(-a$' -ent %ack to Ramah. -here hi' home -a' The most likely reason that Samuel ke!t a home
in Iamah is that his !arents and brothers and sisters were !robably still ali$e and li$ing in Iamah. Samuel
had a mission in life' he had a threeFfold res!onsibility as !ro!het !riest and 1udge 2like /oses5' howe$er
this did not "om!letely remo$e him from his geneti" family. 2?ukis5
he a('o >ud*ed ,'rae( #e 1udged in s!iritual and national dis!utes and !ossibly indi$idual dis!utes. Samuel
tra$eled the "ountry to administer 1usti"e. #e administered 1usti"e a""ording to the -aw' was a mediator
between the !eo!le and God' and he "arried out the duties of head of the go$ernment.
And he %ui(t an a(tar there to the !R" Ee donAt know where the Tent is. Shiloh was burned to the
ground and the Tent remo$ed to an uns!e"ified lo"ation and the Ark is in ?iriathF1earim.
6An altar was the bare minimum of s!iritual "onta"t between Israel and God. In fa"t it a!!ears as though
Samuel had to set u! se$eral altars. In 1Sam. 43(N10 Samuel offers animals in /i0!ah. It will be im!lied
that sa"rifi"es are being offered in +ethel in 1Sam. 1033N4 2the three !ro!hets are "arrying kidsGi.e. baby
goats5. In the ne,t $erse sa"rifi"es would be offered from Gilgal. /y guess is that Samuel had set u! altars
in ea"h of the three "ities that he fun"tioned as a "ir"uit 1udge in 2/i0!ah +ethel and Gilgal5 as well as in his
hometown of Iamah.7 2?ukis5 Samuel doesnAt seem to ha$e tried to bring the Tent and Ark together.
The author +arnes writes 6Ehether this altar was in "onne,ion with the Taberna"le or not we ha$e no means
of de"iding sin"e we are in "om!lete ignoran"e as to where the taberna"le was at this time or who was #igh
Priest or where he resided. It is 8uite !ossible that Samuel may ha$e remo$ed the Taberna"le from Shiloh to
some !la"e near to Iamah' and indeed it is in itself im!robable that brought u! as he was from infan"y in
(
the ser$i"e of the Taberna"le he should ha$e left it. At the beginning of SolomonAs reign we know it was at
Gibeon "lose to Iamah 2I ?. iii. %' 2 =hr. I. 3N)5. If the Taberna"le had been at Shiloh at this time it is
likely that Shiloh would ha$e been one of the !la"es at whi"h Samuel 1udged Israel. +ut Shiloh was !robably
waste and !erha!s unsafe on a""ount of the Philistines.7 2?ukis5
Bur "ha!ter ends with things going relati$ely well in the land of Palestine. This is against the ba"kdro! of
our ne,t "ha!ter where the !eo!le want a king. Ehy would they want a king when the "ountry is in good
sha!eL
The on* i't of <nan'-ered @ue'tion'
1. Ehy is there no "ontem!orary re"ording of the destru"tion of ShilohL
2. Ehere is the Tent of GodL
3. Ehy is the Tent of God not set u! and fun"tioningL
%. Ehy is the tent of god not set u! and fun"tioning after Samuel assumes !oliti"al and s!iritual leadershi!
of IsraelL
(. Ehy did Samuel allow the Ark of God to remain in ?iriathF1earim a!!arently without fun"tionL
). Ehy didnAt Samuel sim!ly take o$er the !osition of #igh PriestL
4. Ehy are there at least % altars set u! throughout IsraelL
7h$ ,' There No Contemporar$ Recordin* of the "e'truction of Shi(ohA
1. Dirst of all I belie$e that we ha$e reasonably !ro$en the fa"t that Shiloh was destroyed during this time
!eriod. This was "o$ered in 1Sam. 432a 2whi"h really belonged with the !re$ious "ha!ter so we "o$ered it at
that time5.
2. Ehat ha!!ened during the time of Samuel was a great sho"k to e$eryone. The "a!ture and return of the
Ark and the destru"tion of Shiloh the holy "ity of that time !eriod. This did not o""ur howe$er under
SamuelAs wat"h. Cli was still ali$e and his sons more or less fun"tioned as !riests in Israel. That the Ark was
"a!tured did not refle"t negati$ely u!on Samuel as he was a !riestFinFtraining at this time.
3. Ee sus!e"t that Shiloh was destroyed soon after the "a!ture of the Ark. Although the Ark "aused great
de$astation in the land of Philistia they still had a fun"tioning army whi"h was remo$ed from that land and
o!erating in Israel. #ere is the tough 8uestion3 we ha$e a detailed re!ort of what ha!!ened to the Ark while
in Philistia a land of mostly heathen. Ee do not ha$e any "ontem!orary re!ort of what ha!!ened in Shiloh a
!la"e where we would e,!e"t to find mostly belie$ers. Ehy the information about the Ark and not about the
destru"tion of ShilohL
a. A!!arently there was information from Philistia as to what o""urred with the Ark of God. This
information is so detailed that it a!!ears as though we ha$e an eyewitness a""ount. As I suggested at that
time the ra$ages "aused by the Ark resulted in many Philistines be"oming belie$ers. This hel!s to e,!lain
the relationshi! that ;a$id later en1oys with "ertain men of royalty in Philistia.
b. Bn the other hand we ha$e no information about the destru"tion of Shiloh. /y guess is that the
!riests had enough time to dismantle and mo$e the Tent of God 2!robably to .obL5. #owe$er they were not
obser$ers at the time that Shiloh was destroyed. They were gone.
". The !eo!le of Shiloh who remained were !robably slaughtered.
d. Those who destroyed Shiloh were most "ertainly unbelie$ers with great Satani" influen"e.
e. Therefore we ha$e no witnesses to this e$ent who would re"ord S"ri!ture. So whereas we ha$e
belie$ers 2Philistines5 who obser$ed the destru"tion "aused by the Ark of God 2and who be"ame belie$ers as
a result5 we do not ha$e belie$ers who witnessed the destru"tion of Shiloh and who were ali$e in the
aftermath.
f. Another !ossibility is that Samuel was too embarrassed to re"ord this information. .ow it is true
that the belie$ers who wrote S"ri!ture !resent us with a $ery "andid $iew of themsel$es. #owe$er re"all that
S"ri!ture was written e8ually by the hand of man as well as by the hand of GodGtherefore it should not be
)
out of the 8uestion that a belie$er would lea$e out an in"ident in his life whi"h was a se$ere embarrassment
to him. Samuel had the Tent of God !la"ed in his "are and the Philistines burned down the "ity of Shiloh and
the Tent was ne$er !ut u! again during the life of Samuel.
7here i' the Tent of 9odA
1. Ee do not know for "ertain where the Tent of God is.
2. Dor a long time the Tent of God was set u! in Shiloh. It was there at the beginning of SamuelAs life as
he was raised in and around the Tent of God. 1Sam. 1N3
3. #owe$er on"e the Ark is remo$ed from the Tent of God 21Sam. %33N(5 the Tent of God is no longer
s!oken of for a long time.
%. Ee "an tra"e the mo$ement of the Ark of God whi"h we did in great detail in the "octrine of the Ark
of 9od 21Sam. %3115.
(. Ee know in retros!e"t that Shiloh was burned to the ground and destroyed. The in"ident is ne$er
a"tually "o$ered histori"ally in S"ri!ture but there are !assages whi"h look ba"k on its destru"tion.
Psalm 4@3)0 *er. 4312N1% 2)3%N)
). Ee know that ;a$id and his men ate "onse"rated bread at .ob the "ity of the !riests. The only likely
!la"e to ha$e "onse"rated bread would be at the Tent of God. Therefore we "an reasonably assume that the
Tent of God was in .ob after it was in Shiloh. 1Sam. 2131N) 1Sam. 22311N22
4. Ee also know that the Tent of God was a!!arently res"ued as when Solomon went to worshi! at the
Tent of God it was set u! in Gibeon and it was the original Tent built by Israel in the wilderness desert
21=hron. 1)33> 2=hron. 133N)5.
@. Ehere the Tent was and whether or not it was set u! in between Shiloh and .ob is a matter of
s!e"ulation whi"h we "o$ered in great detail in 1=hron. 432 2whi"h we !la"ed at the end of 1=hron. )5 and
will "o$er again in greater detail in 1Sam. 1033.
>. Solomon would bring the original Tent of God to *erusalem as he builds the Tem!le of *eho$ah.
10. I will "o$er the mo$ement of the Tent of God in greater detail in the ne,t "ha!ter but the short $ersion
goes like this3 the Tent was in Shiloh but was remo$ed !rior to ShilohAs destru"tion. The Tent was e$entually
mo$ed to .ob where it was set u!. Solomon worshi!ed at the Tent in Gibeon and then mo$ed the Tent to
*erusalem when he built the Tem!le. In between .ob and Shiloh it is anyoneAs guess as to the TentAs
lo"ation.
7h$ ,' the Tent of 9od Not Set up and ?unctionin*A
1. The "ity of the Tent of God was destroyed on SamuelAs wat"h. /y thinking is that during these 20 years
alluded to in 1Sam. 432 Shiloh was destroyed.
2. Samuel did not ha$e "om!lete !oliti"al and religious authority at the time that the Tent was destroyed.
3. Ee do not ha$e any details as to who remo$ed the Tent of God and the arti"les of furniture nor to where
they were mo$ed. As Samuel grew u! there was a man in the line of Phinehas his older son who may ha$e
had something to do with mo$ing the Tent of God 2although he would ha$e !robably been too young at the
time to ha$e an in$ol$ement5. Another reasonable guess is that the -e$ites who were asso"iated with the Tent
of God mo$ed it. It would not be unlikely that God would ha$e "ommuni"ated by !ro!het to the -e$ites
asso"iated with the Tent gi$ing them ad$an"e warning to dismantle and mo$e the Tent.
%. Bne !roblem is that we ha$e two sons of Phinehas neither of whom is old enough to ser$e as the #igh
Priest. +e"ause of the a"ti$ities of Phinehas they !robably en1oyed little su!!ort for this offi"e. Therefore
there was no "learF"ut !riestFleader from the line of Cli.
(. Samuel although he be"ame a religious and !oliti"al leader 2whi"h a!!ears to take !la"e in 1Sam. 433
after 20 diffi"ult years for Israel5 he !robably en1oyed little !ower !rior to this. To us it is ob$ious that he is
the leader for Israel. The !eo!le of Israel on the other hand while they res!e"ted his abilities as a !ro!het
were not ne"essarily eager to embra"e him as a !oliti"al leader or e$en as a leader of all things s!iritual. In
4
fa"t res!e"t due Samuel as a !ro!het did not ne"essarily "ome immediately during these 20 years. It was a
res!e"t whi"h he !robably slowly earned whi"h "ulminated in a !osition of res!e"t and !ower in 1Sam. 433.
In other words you ha$e a set of -e$ites who ha$e taken the Tent of God and s!irited it elsewhere !rior to
the destru"tion of Shiloh but there is no "learF"ut #igh Priest or s!iritual leader while this takes !la"e.
).Eithout a #igh Priest why set u! the Tent of GodL Eould you o!en u! a +urger ?ing without a managerL
4. The !riesthood will undergo a dramati" "hange. The line of Ithamar is about to be re!la"ed by the line of
Clea0ar. #owe$er this will not ha!!en o$ernight. Ee are at a time !eriod where the "ity of God has been
destroyed' the line of Ithamar the re"ogni0ed line at that time for the #igh PriestAs offi"e has two young
men who are not old enough to lead nor do they ha$e !o!ular su!!ort. There is another "om!letely different
line of !riests who will take o$er but this does not sim!ly ha!!en o$ernight. The result is that this "hange
from the line of Ithamar to the line of Clea0ar takes !la"ed during the reigns of Saul ;a$id and Solomon. It
is a slow !ro"ess during whi"h we almost ha$e a !air of #igh Priests one from ea"h line.
@. Again we ha$e no re"ogni0ed s!iritual leader' no re"ogni0ed #igh Priest. Therefore setting u! the Tent
of God would be a moot !oint. Durthermore the Ark of God the most sa"red arti"le of furniture in the Tent
of God is in a different "ity.
7h$ ,' the Tent of 9od Not Set up and ?unctionin* after Samue( A''ume' Po(itica( and Spiritua(
eader'hip of ,'rae(A
1. Samuel was a !ro!het who be"ame a s!iritual and !oliti"al leader.
2. It is !ossible in fa"t likely that he was in the -e$iti"al line but unlikely that he was in the line of
Aaron.
3. Therefore with res!e"t to the Tent of God he was not ne"essarily "onsidered the #igh Priest of Israel
e$en though he was raised by Samuel to !arti"i!ate in !riestly fun"tions.
%. Samuel was likely a .a0arite whi"h is not the same thing as being a #igh Priest.
(. Ee ha$e nothing by way of S"ri!ture whi"h "on$eys to Samuel the offi"e of #igh Priesthood.
). There would not ne"essarily be a !o!ular su!!ort for Samuel to assume the offi"e of #igh Priesthood for
se$eral reasons3
a. There were already two males a$ailable in the line of Ithamar to assume this offi"e.
b. There was another ma1or bran"h of the line of Aaron the sons of Clea0ar who "ould ha$e assumed
this offi"e.
". Samuel was raised by Cli who did not ha$e the best of re!utations as his sons !robably led to the
dismantling of this offi"e and the loss of the s!iritual integrity of the Tent of God.
d. There is no "lear message from God that Samuel is to assume the !osition of #igh Priest.
4. =on"lusion3 Samuel be"ame a religious and !oliti"al leader of Israel. This is not e8ui$alent to him
be"oming #igh Priest.
@. So again we ha$e the Tent of God in the hands of a "ertain grou! of -e$ites 2in"luding those in the line
of Clea0ar5' and there is no undis!uted "andidate for the offi"e of #igh Priest. .o #igh Priest means no
fun"tion of the Tent of God. Therefore the Tent of God would not be set u!.
7h$ "id Samue( A((o- the Ark of 9od to Remain in KiriathB>earim Apparent($ 7ithout ?unctionA
1. This a"tually be"ome the easiest of all 8uestions to answer gi$en what has "ome before. Ee ha$e no
fun"tioning Tent of God.
2. Ee ha$e no "learF"ut #igh Priest.
3. C$en though Samuel was raised as a .a0arite in the Tent of God this did not gi$e him s!e"ial authority.
The mo$ement of the Tent !rior to Shiloh was a de"ision made a!art from the dire"tion of Samuel.
Therefore he would not ne"essarily ha$e the authority to then take "ontrol and "all the shots.
%. So without a #igh Priest without a fun"tioning Tent of God there is no reason to mo$e the Ark of God.
@
(. The Ark of God was res!onsible for the deaths of thousands of Philistines and Israelites. Ehen it was
mo$ed to ?iriathF1earim the house of Abinadab en1oyed great !ros!erity and there were no !roblems. Pou
donAt fi, what ainAt broken.
7h$ "idnCt Samue( Simp($ Take o1er the Po'ition of Hi*h Prie'tA
1. Also a relati$ely easy 8uestion to answer3 .owhere did God "all u!on Samuel to be the #igh Priest to
Israel.
2. Samuel was a man of God.
3. If God did not "all u!on him to be the #igh Priest then why on earth would he try to assume that offi"eL
%. In a way the Ark was taken from Israel during his wat"h and Shiloh was destroyed when Samuel was
"onsolidating his !ower 2!erha!s I should say while Samuel was earning the res!e"t of the !eo!le of Israel5.
Samuel assumed a handsFoff !oli"y. #e was not the #igh Priest' he had not been "alled to be the #igh Priest.
#e therefore did not take any a"tion with res!e"t to the Tent or the Ark and as a man of God he "ertainly
would not ha$e assumed the authority of the #igh Priest.
(. -etAs go with a "ontem!orary e,am!le3 des!ite his !o!ular su!!ort in the Qnited States former !resident
+ill =linton would not go o$er to Dran"e during a time of !oliti"al "hange and assume the !osition of
!resident there. .or would George +ush *r. des!ite ha$ing tremendous !o!ular su!!ort and an o!en side of
s!irituality go to the Oati"an and assume the !osition of Po!e e$en though Po!e Paul is getting on in years.
Dor a !erson in one !osition of !ower to sim!ly assume another !osition of !ower would in most "ases
seem ridi"ulous. So it would be with Samuel. #e was a !oliti"al and s!iritual leader. This did not gi$e him
the right or the ability to walk into the Tent of God 2or to where it was being ke!t5 and say 6IAm taking
o$er.7
). Su"h a mo$e would ha$e been blas!hemous and Samuel would !robably ha$e suffered the sin unto
death.
7h$ Are There at ea't 2 A(tar' Set up Throu*hout ,'rae(A
1. Ee ha$e altars in Iamah /i0!ah +ethel and Gilgal. Although it is !ossible that not all % were
fun"tioning at the same time it is not unlikely that they were.
2. Ee are in a time of s!iritual "hange in Israel. The Ark of God is tem!orarily retired as is the Tent of
God.
3. Ee are in a time of !artial "om!romise. There seems to be an asso"iation between the high !la"es and
the worshi! of the True God of Israel. Although this may be no more than terminology we really do not
know.
%. God is often indulgent. Ee ha$e good =hristian !eo!le who "elebrate =hristmas with a s!iritual fo"us
e$en though our -ord was not born on =hristmas and e$en though =hristmas is not a true =hristian holiday.
Still God does not strike down a "hur"h whi"h has a =hristmas "elebration or s!e"ial =hristmas ser$i"es'
nor does God destroy a family that "elebrates =hristmas.
(. Samuel had a "ir"uit that he tra$eled in order to 1udge Israel. It is not out of the 8uestion that while
dis!ensing 1usti"e that he also saw to the s!iritual needs of the !eo!le. .ow this was not ne"essarily GodAs
first "hoi"e for the s!iritual a"ti$ity of Israel. #owe$er we do not ha$e a fun"tioning Tent of God with the
+ra0en Altar' therefore Israel made do. God a!!arently honored these sa"rifi"es' or #e at least tolerated this
situation.
). This is not the only in"ident in the +ible where God is indulgent. The A!ostles filled with steam and
fer$or who had been told to sim!ly wait on God for Pente"ost de"ided to ele"t a twelfth A!ostle. There was
no real 1ustifi"ation for this and God essentially ignored this ele"tion. #owe$er God did not strike them
dead nor did he remo$e /atthias $ia the sin unto death.
4. It is reasonable to su!!ose that only Samuel offered u! animals as sa"rifi"es' and therefore only one
altar would be used at a time whi"h would !reser$e them as ty!es of *esus =hrist.
>
@. Dinally we ha$e "ome to the end of the !eriod of the 1udges one of the darkest !eriods in the history of
Israel. That Samuel established four altars is !robably one of the most inno"uous things to o""ur with res!e"t
to s!iritual matters in the nation of Israel.
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