Study Desk

These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath and one for Ekron [the five chief cities of the Philistines];

So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they consecrated Eleazar his son to care for the ark of the Lord.

And from that day the ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a very long time, for it was twenty years [until the reign of King David]; and all the house of Israel lamented (wailed) and grieved after the LORD.

Samuel said, "Gather all Israel together at Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you."

And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, so that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines."

So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel and the LORD answered him.

As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines approached for the battle against Israel. Then the LORD thundered with a great voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated and fled before Israel.

The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them.

So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.

He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them for himself to his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.

"He will appoint them for himself to be commanders over thousands and over fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and equipment for his chariots.

"He will take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work.

"Then you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you on that day [because you have rejected Him as King]."

And the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to their request and appoint a king for them." So Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go, each man to his own city."

Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, had wandered off and were lost. Kish said to his son Saul, "Please take one of the servants with you and arise, go look for the donkeys."

Then Saul said to his servant, "But look, if we go [to see him], what shall we bring to the man? For the bread from our sacks is gone and there is no gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have [to offer]?"

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

They answered them, "He is; look, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today because the people have a sacrifice on the high place today.

"As you enter the city you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because he must ask the blessing on the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. So go up now, for about now you will find him."

"About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him as leader over My people Israel; and he will save My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon [the distress of] My people, because their cry [for help] has come to Me."