Study Desk

So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought around the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people!"

So they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines, and they said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel and let it return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people." For a deadly confusion was throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

They said, "If you are sending the ark of the God of Israel away, you must not send it away empty, but by all means return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will become known to you why his hand is not turned aside from you."

You must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that are ravaging the land, and you must give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand on you and on your gods and on your land.

Then the men of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? And to whom shall it go up from us?"

Then the Israelites said to Samuel, "You must not cease from crying out to Yahweh our God, so that he will deliver us from the hand of the Philistines."

But he said to him, "Look, a man of God is in this town, and the man is honored. All that he says certainly comes true. So then let us go there; perhaps he will tell us about our journey on which we have gone."

So Saul said to his servant, "Look, we may go, but what should we bring to the man? For the bread is gone from our bags, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have with us?"

The servant again answered Saul and said, "Look, I have in my hand a quarter shekel of silver! I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us our way."

(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he would say: "Come, let us go up to the seer." For the prophet of today was formerly called a seer.)

So Saul said to his servant, "Your suggestion is a good one. Come, let us go." And they went to the town where the man of God was.

As they were going down to the outskirts of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to pass on before us. When he has passed, you stand here a while, so that I can make known to you the word of God."

Then you will go on from there and further you will come to the oak of Tabor. There three men will meet you, who are going up to God at Bethel. One will be carrying three male kid goats, one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and one will be carrying a skin of wine.

After this, you will come to the Gibeah of God, where there are sentries of the Philistines. Just as you enter the town there, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place, with harp, tambourine, flute, and zither before them, and they will be prophesying.

When these signs come to you, do for yourself what your hand finds to do, for God will be with you.

Just as he turned his shoulder to depart from Samuel, God changed his heart. And all these signs were fulfilled on that day.

When they went from there to Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.

and he said to the Israelites, "Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'

But you today have rejected your God who always delivers you from all of your calamities and your distresses. You have said to him, ‘No, but you must appoint a king over us!' So then present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes and by your clans."

And Saul also went to his house at Gibeah, and the troops whose hearts God had touched went with him.