1 Samuel 7 Study Notes: Repentance and Victory at Mizpah
After twenty years Samuel calls Israel to put away its idols, and the people fast and confess their sin at Mizpah. When the Philistines attack, Samuel prays, the LORD routs them with thunder, and Samuel sets up the Ebenezer stone and judges Israel all his life.
General
True or False: At Mizpah the people fasted and openly admitted their sin before God, and Samuel served as Israel’s judge there.
Answer: True
This is true. Samuel called all Israel to gather at Mizpah, promising to pray for them before God. There they drew up water and emptied it on the ground in the LORD’s presence, fasted that day, and openly confessed their sin against Him; and Samuel judged Israel there, meaning he led and governed them (7:5-6). The text does not explain the meaning of the poured-out water. What it does make plain is that the people owned their guilt before God. Scripture promises forgiveness to those who confess their sins (Psalm 32:5; 1 John 1:9), and the prophets called Israel to come back to God bringing words of confession (Hosea 14:1-2).
- 1 Samuel 7:5-6 (BSB)“Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.” When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.”At Mizpah, where Samuel prays for them, Israel pours out water before the LORD, fasts and confesses its sin, and Samuel judges them.
- Psalm 32:5 (BSB)“Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah”David acknowledged his sin to the LORD and was forgiven.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”God is faithful and just to forgive those who confess their sins.
- Hosea 14:1-2 (BSB)“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity. Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.”The prophet calls Israel to return to the LORD bringing words of confession.
Theological
True or False: At Mizpah the people fasted and openly confessed their guilt before God, and Samuel acted as judge there.
Answer: True
This is true. Samuel convenes Israel at Mizpah to intercede for them; they draw water and pour it on the ground in the LORD’s presence, fast, and confess their sin, and Samuel judges the Israelites there (7:5-6). The text does not explain the water rite. What is clear is corporate confession of guilt before God, the response to which forgiveness is promised (Psalm 32:5; 1 John 1:9) and to which the prophets summoned Israel (Hosea 14:1-2).
- 1 Samuel 7:5-6 (BSB)“Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.” When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.”At Mizpah, where Samuel prays for them, Israel pours out water before the LORD, fasts and confesses its sin, and Samuel judges them.
- Psalm 32:5 (BSB)“Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah”David acknowledged his sin to the LORD and was forgiven.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”God is faithful and just to forgive those who confess their sins.
- Hosea 14:1-2 (BSB)“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity. Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.”The prophet calls Israel to return to the LORD bringing words of confession.
General
When Samuel set up a stone and named it Ebenezer, what did he say to explain the name (1 Samuel 7:12)?
Answer: The LORD had helped them up to now
After the victory, Samuel set up a stone, named it Ebenezer, and explained the name by saying that the LORD had helped Israel up to that point (7:12). The stone was a memorial, a lasting reminder of what God had done, much like the stones Israel set up when the LORD stopped the Jordan’s waters (Joshua 4:6-7). Samuel gave the credit for the victory to the LORD alone. God’s people say the same in the Psalms: their help is from the LORD, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2; 124:8).
- 1 Samuel 7:12 (BSB)“Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.””Samuel sets up a stone between Mizpah and Shen and names it Ebenezer, explaining the name with his words about the LORD’s help.
- Joshua 4:6-7 (BSB)“to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.””Earlier, Israel set up stones at the Jordan as a lasting memorial of what the LORD had done.
- Psalm 121:1-2 (BSB)“A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”The psalmist confesses that his help comes from the LORD.
- Psalm 124:8 (BSB)“Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”God’s people declare that their help is in the name of the LORD.
Theological
How did Samuel explain the name Ebenezer when he set up the stone (1 Samuel 7:12)?
Answer: The LORD had helped them up to now
Samuel erects a memorial stone, names it Ebenezer, and interprets the name with his declaration that Israel had been helped by the LORD up to this point (7:12). Like the Jordan stones (Joshua 4:6-7), it functions as a memorial of the LORD’s saving act. Samuel ascribes the deliverance entirely to the LORD, as the Psalms confess the LORD, Creator of all, as the source of His people’s help (Psalm 121:1-2; 124:8).
- 1 Samuel 7:12 (BSB)“Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.””Samuel sets up a stone between Mizpah and Shen and names it Ebenezer, explaining the name with his words about the LORD’s help.
- Joshua 4:6-7 (BSB)“to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.””Earlier, Israel set up stones at the Jordan as a lasting memorial of what the LORD had done.
- Psalm 121:1-2 (BSB)“A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”The psalmist confesses that his help comes from the LORD.
- Psalm 124:8 (BSB)“Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”God’s people declare that their help is in the name of the LORD.
General
The ark stayed at Kiriath-jearim for many years. What does the narrator say the whole nation of Israel did during that long period (1 Samuel 7:2)?
Answer: Mourned and longed after the LORD
Kiriath-jearim’s men took the ark into the hilltop house of Abinadab and set apart Eleazar, his son, to watch over it (7:1). Years later David would bring it out of that house (2 Samuel 6:2-3). Twenty years went by, and all Israel lamented and sought after the LORD (7:2). After defeat, the loss of the ark and the deaths at Beth-shemesh, the people began to grieve over their distance from God. Mourning like this is how a return to God often begins; the LORD later called His people through Joel to come back to Him with their whole heart, with weeping and mourning (Joel 2:12-13). Samuel’s message in the next verse speaks to that longing.
- 1 Samuel 7:1 (BSB)“Then the men of Kiriath-jearim came for the ark of the LORD and took it into Abinadab’s house on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to guard the ark of the LORD.”Kiriath-jearim brings the ark into Abinadab’s house and sets apart his son Eleazar to guard it.
- 1 Samuel 7:2 (BSB)“And from that day a long time passed, twenty years in all, as the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim. And all the house of Israel mournfully sought the LORD.”Twenty years pass with the ark at Kiriath-jearim, and all Israel mourns after the LORD.
- 2 Samuel 6:2-3 (BSB)“And he and all his troops set out for Baale of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name—the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on it. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart,”Years later David brings the ark out of Abinadab’s house on the hill.
- Joel 2:12-13 (BSB)““Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.”The LORD calls His people to return to Him with all their heart, with weeping and mourning.
Theological
According to the narrator, what did all Israel do during the twenty years the ark stayed in Kiriath-jearim (1 Samuel 7:2)?
Answer: Mourned and longed after the LORD
The ark is lodged in Abinadab’s hilltop house, with his son Eleazar consecrated as its guardian (7:1), from which David would later bring it up (2 Samuel 6:2-3). Over twenty years the whole house of Israel laments after the LORD (7:2). The national grief sets the stage for Samuel’s call to repentance. Such mourning is a recognized mark of return, as Joel’s summons to return with all the heart, with weeping and mourning, illustrates (Joel 2:12-13); Samuel will test whether it is genuine.
- 1 Samuel 7:1 (BSB)“Then the men of Kiriath-jearim came for the ark of the LORD and took it into Abinadab’s house on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to guard the ark of the LORD.”Kiriath-jearim brings the ark into Abinadab’s house and sets apart his son Eleazar to guard it.
- 1 Samuel 7:2 (BSB)“And from that day a long time passed, twenty years in all, as the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim. And all the house of Israel mournfully sought the LORD.”Twenty years pass with the ark at Kiriath-jearim, and all Israel mourns after the LORD.
- 2 Samuel 6:2-3 (BSB)“And he and all his troops set out for Baale of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name—the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on it. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart,”Years later David brings the ark out of Abinadab’s house on the hill.
- Joel 2:12-13 (BSB)““Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.”The LORD calls His people to return to Him with all their heart, with weeping and mourning.
General
True or False: After the victory at Mizpah, the Philistines no longer invaded Israel’s land, and the LORD’s hand was against them for as long as Samuel lived.
Answer: True
This is true. The Philistines were humbled and stopped coming into Israel’s territory, and the LORD’s hand opposed them throughout Samuel’s lifetime (7:13). Towns the Philistines had seized, between Ekron and Gath, came back to Israel, and Israel was also at peace with the Amorites (7:14). Samuel led Israel as judge for the rest of his life, traveling each year to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah and then returning to his home at Ramah, where he built an altar for worship of the LORD (7:15-17). Samuel was the last of the judges, the leaders God raised up to rescue and govern Israel (Acts 13:20; 1 Samuel 12:11), and as with the earlier judges, the LORD saved Israel while he lived (Judges 2:18).
- 1 Samuel 7:13 (BSB)“So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”The Philistines are subdued and stop invading, and the LORD’s hand is against them throughout Samuel’s life.
- 1 Samuel 7:15-17 (BSB)“So Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. Every year he would go on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all these places. Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.”Samuel judges Israel all his life on a yearly circuit, returning home to Ramah, where he builds an altar.
- 1 Samuel 12:11 (BSB)“So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.”Samuel later lists himself among those the LORD sent to rescue Israel from its enemies.
- Acts 13:20 (BSB)“All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.”Paul recalls that God gave Israel judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.
- Judges 2:18 (BSB)“Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.”In the time of the judges, the LORD was with each judge and saved Israel while that judge lived.
Theological
True or False: Following Mizpah, the Philistines ceased invading Israel’s land, and the LORD’s hand opposed them throughout Samuel’s lifetime.
Answer: True
This is true. The Philistines are subdued and no longer enter Israel’s borders, and the LORD’s hand is against them for the whole of Samuel’s life (7:13); the towns between Ekron and Gath are restored, and there is peace with the Amorites (7:14). Samuel judges Israel all his days on an annual circuit of Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah, with his home and an altar at Ramah (7:15-17). He stands as the last of the judges (Acts 13:20; 1 Samuel 12:11), and the pattern of Judges holds: the LORD was with the judge and saved Israel during his lifetime (Judges 2:18).
- 1 Samuel 7:13 (BSB)“So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”The Philistines are subdued and stop invading, and the LORD’s hand is against them throughout Samuel’s life.
- 1 Samuel 7:15-17 (BSB)“So Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. Every year he would go on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all these places. Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.”Samuel judges Israel all his life on a yearly circuit, returning home to Ramah, where he builds an altar.
- 1 Samuel 12:11 (BSB)“So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.”Samuel later lists himself among those the LORD sent to rescue Israel from its enemies.
- Acts 13:20 (BSB)“All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.”Paul recalls that God gave Israel judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.
- Judges 2:18 (BSB)“Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.”In the time of the judges, the LORD was with each judge and saved Israel while that judge lived.
General
Samuel told Israel what a true, wholehearted turning back to God would require. What did he say they must do (1 Samuel 7:3)?
Answer: Rid themselves of idols and serve Him alone
Samuel spoke to all Israel: if they were truly coming back to God with their whole hearts, they must remove every foreign god, including the Ashtoreths, images of a goddess worshiped by the Canaanites, set their hearts on God and worship Him alone. Then He would rescue them from the Philistines (7:3). The people obeyed, putting away the Baals, Canaanite gods, along with the Ashtoreths, and serving only the LORD (7:4). Real repentance shows itself in action. Moses had commanded Israel to serve the LORD only (Deuteronomy 6:13), Joshua had told them to throw out their foreign gods (Joshua 24:23), and the New Testament describes true conversion as leaving idols behind for the living God (1 Thessalonians 1:9).
- 1 Samuel 7:3 (BSB)“Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.””Samuel tells Israel that a wholehearted return to the LORD means putting away foreign gods and serving Him only.
- 1 Samuel 7:4 (BSB)“So the Israelites put away the Baals and Ashtoreths and served only the LORD.”Israel removes the Baals and Ashtoreths and serves the LORD alone.
- Deuteronomy 6:13 (BSB)“Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.”Moses commanded Israel to fear the LORD and serve Him only.
- Joshua 24:23 (BSB)““Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.””Joshua likewise told Israel to get rid of foreign gods and incline their hearts to the LORD.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (BSB)“For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God”Genuine conversion is described as turning from idols to serve the living and true God.
Theological
What did Samuel say would demonstrate that Israel’s turning back to God was wholehearted (1 Samuel 7:3)?
Answer: Rid themselves of idols and serve Him alone
Samuel tests the people’s lament: a wholehearted return must be shown by removing every foreign god, the Ashtoreths included, directing the heart toward God and serving Him exclusively, with the promise that He will then deliver them from the Philistines (7:3). Israel complies, discarding the Baals and the Ashtoreths (7:4). Repentance bears visible fruit in forsaking idolatry, in keeping with the Mosaic demand of exclusive service (Deuteronomy 6:13), Joshua’s covenant charge (Joshua 24:23), and the apostolic description of conversion as turning from idols to the true and living God (1 Thessalonians 1:9).
- 1 Samuel 7:3 (BSB)“Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.””Samuel tells Israel that a wholehearted return to the LORD means putting away foreign gods and serving Him only.
- 1 Samuel 7:4 (BSB)“So the Israelites put away the Baals and Ashtoreths and served only the LORD.”Israel removes the Baals and Ashtoreths and serves the LORD alone.
- Deuteronomy 6:13 (BSB)“Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.”Moses commanded Israel to fear the LORD and serve Him only.
- Joshua 24:23 (BSB)““Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.””Joshua likewise told Israel to get rid of foreign gods and incline their hearts to the LORD.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (BSB)“For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God”Genuine conversion is described as turning from idols to serve the living and true God.
General
When the Philistines marched against Israel at Mizpah, what did the frightened Israelites ask Samuel to do (1 Samuel 7:8)?
Answer: Keep calling on the LORD to save them
Hearing that Israel was assembled at Mizpah, the Philistine rulers came up to attack, and the Israelites were afraid (7:7). This time they did not reach for the ark as they had in chapter 4. They begged Samuel to keep pleading with the LORD their God for them, that He would save them (7:8). Samuel sacrificed a young nursing lamb, burning it whole on the altar, and pleaded with God for Israel, and God answered him (7:9). Samuel is remembered in Scripture as a man of prayer whom God answered (Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1), and he later said that to stop praying for Israel would be a sin against God (12:23).
- 1 Samuel 7:7-8 (BSB)“When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. And when the Israelites learned of this, they feared the Philistines and said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.””The Philistines march on Mizpah, and the frightened Israelites beg Samuel not to stop crying out to the LORD for them.
- 1 Samuel 7:9 (BSB)“Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him.”Samuel offers a young lamb as a burnt offering and cries out for Israel, and the LORD answers.
- Psalm 99:6 (BSB)“Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called to the LORD and He answered.”The psalmist remembers Samuel as one who called on the LORD and was answered.
- Jeremiah 15:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go!”Centuries later the LORD names Samuel alongside Moses as a great intercessor.
- 1 Samuel 12:23 (BSB)“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.”Samuel later says he would sin against the LORD if he ever stopped praying for Israel.
Theological
What did Israel’s people at Mizpah urgently request of Samuel as the Philistines advanced (1 Samuel 7:8)?
Answer: Keep calling on the LORD to save them
The Philistine advance on Mizpah terrifies Israel (7:7), but unlike chapter 4, where they trusted in the ark, they now ask Samuel to keep calling on God to save them (7:8). Samuel sacrifices a suckling lamb, wholly burned, and intercedes, and the LORD answers (7:9). Samuel’s role as intercessor is remembered in the Psalms and the Prophets (Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1), and he himself regards giving up prayer for Israel as sin (12:23). Sacrifice and intercession go together as the means God appointed for His people’s approach to Him.
- 1 Samuel 7:7-8 (BSB)“When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. And when the Israelites learned of this, they feared the Philistines and said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.””The Philistines march on Mizpah, and the frightened Israelites beg Samuel not to stop crying out to the LORD for them.
- 1 Samuel 7:9 (BSB)“Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him.”Samuel offers a young lamb as a burnt offering and cries out for Israel, and the LORD answers.
- Psalm 99:6 (BSB)“Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called to the LORD and He answered.”The psalmist remembers Samuel as one who called on the LORD and was answered.
- Jeremiah 15:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go!”Centuries later the LORD names Samuel alongside Moses as a great intercessor.
- 1 Samuel 12:23 (BSB)“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.”Samuel later says he would sin against the LORD if he ever stopped praying for Israel.
General
How were the Philistines put to flight at Mizpah (1 Samuel 7:10)?
Answer: The LORD thundered and sent them into panic
As Samuel was still offering the burnt offering and the Philistines were closing in, the LORD sent a great thunder against them that day and sent them into a panic so great that they ran from Israel. Only then did Israel’s men pour out of Mizpah to chase them and strike them down (7:10-11). The battle was the LORD’s. Hannah had sung that He would send thunder out of heaven on those who oppose Him (2:10), and Moses had promised that the LORD would fight for His people (Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 20:4). Earlier, Israel had tried to use the ark to win and lost; now, after repentance and prayer, the LORD Himself gave the victory.
- 1 Samuel 7:10-11 (BSB)“As the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was offering up the burnt offering. But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel. Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth-car.”While Samuel offers the sacrifice, the LORD thunders against the Philistines, they panic and flee, and Israel pursues them.
- 1 Samuel 2:10 (BSB)“Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.””Hannah had sung that the LORD would thunder from heaven against those who oppose Him.
- Exodus 14:14 (BSB)“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””At the Red Sea Moses told Israel that the LORD would fight for them.
- Deuteronomy 20:4 (BSB)“For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.””Moses promised that the LORD goes with His people to fight their enemies and give them victory.
Theological
By what means were the Philistines routed at Mizpah (1 Samuel 7:10)?
Answer: The LORD thundered and sent them into panic
While Samuel is still offering the burnt offering, the LORD thunders mightily against the advancing Philistines and throws them into panic so that they flee; Israel’s part is only the pursuit (7:10-11). The victory answers Hannah’s song, which proclaimed that the LORD thunders from heaven against His adversaries (2:10), and fulfills the pattern of the LORD fighting for His people (Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 20:4). The contrast with chapter 4 is striking: superstitious use of the ark brought defeat, while repentance and intercession bring the LORD’s own deliverance.
- 1 Samuel 7:10-11 (BSB)“As the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was offering up the burnt offering. But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel. Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth-car.”While Samuel offers the sacrifice, the LORD thunders against the Philistines, they panic and flee, and Israel pursues them.
- 1 Samuel 2:10 (BSB)“Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.””Hannah had sung that the LORD would thunder from heaven against those who oppose Him.
- Exodus 14:14 (BSB)“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””At the Red Sea Moses told Israel that the LORD would fight for them.
- Deuteronomy 20:4 (BSB)“For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.””Moses promised that the LORD goes with His people to fight their enemies and give them victory.