1 Samuel 7

Israel Finally Gets Right

1 The men of Kiriath-jearim came and got the Ark of the Lord. They brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill and set his son Eleazar apart to guard it.

2 The Ark stayed there for a long time, like 20 years, and all Israel started crying out to the Lord, feeling the pain of being far from Him.

Samuel Calls for Real Repentance

3 Samuel told the whole crew, “If you all really tryna come back to the Lord, then get rid of the foreign gods and Ashtoreth statues. Give your full heart to God and serve only Him, then He will save you all from the Philistines.”

4 So the Israelites threw away their Baal and Ashtoreth idols and served only the Lord.

Israel Gathers at Mizpah

5 Then Samuel said, “Everybody meet me at Mizpah. I will pray to the Lord for you all there.”

6 They gathered at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, showing they were broken. They fasted that day and confessed, “We sinned against the Lord.” Samuel judged the Israelites right there at Mizpah.

Philistines Pull Up

7 When the Philistines heard Israel was meeting at Mizpah, they pulled up ready for war. Israel got shook when they heard the Philistines were coming.

8 They told Samuel, “Man, do not stop crying out to the Lord for us! Pray He saves us from these Philistines!”

Samuel’s Offering and God’s Thunder

9 Samuel grabbed a young lamb and sacrificed it as a burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to God for Israel, and the Lord answered.

10 While Samuel was still offering the sacrifice, the Philistines came in close. But the Lord thundered so loud against them that they freaked out and ran.

11 Israel chased them from Mizpah all the way to below Beth-car, laying them out along the way.

Setting Up a Reminder

12 Samuel took a big stone, set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “The Lord helped us all the way here.”

Israel Stays Winning

13 The Philistines stayed crushed, they did not mess with Israel again during Samuel’s lifetime. God’s hand stayed heavy against the Philistines the whole time.

14 Israel got back the towns the Philistines had snatched, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel ran their own land again. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites too.

Samuel Judges Israel

15 Samuel judged Israel for the rest of his life.

16 Every year he made a circuit, he would go to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, judging the people at each spot.

17 But he always came back to Ramah, because that is where his home was. He judged Israel there too, and he built an altar to the Lord at Ramah.