Samuel the Judge 1 Sam 7:14-8:9

We are not surprised that Israel enjoyed a period of peace during the time of Samuel. His emphasis on spiritual purity caused the people to turn from idolatry to the Lord. Consequently, they were blessed. Although God does not promise us a life free from difficulty, we may yet enjoy spiritual peace when we learn to rely more upon Him and less upon ourselves. Phil 4:6-7 (ESV) do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The behavior of Samuel’s sons is a black mark on his life. Although he served God and Israel faithfully, Samuel failed at home. This is not to say that Samuel is completely to blame for his sons’ behavior. Even so, they were not prepared to take their father’s place. Parents would do well to learn from Samuel’s mistake. Noah was not successful in preaching to the people of his day, but he did reach his family.

What is a judge?

What is a judge? According to Holman’s Bible Dictionary: (1) An official with authority to administer justice by trying cases (2) one who usurps the prerogative of a judge (3) a military deliverer in the period between Joshua and David

What is a judge? According to Holman’s Bible Dictionary: (1) An official with authority to administer justice by trying cases i.e. Moses was a judge in this sense Ex 18:19-20 (ESV) Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do.

What is a judge? According to Holman’s Bible Dictionary: (1) An official with authority to administer justice by trying cases i.e. elders at the city gates served as judges Deut 22:15-16 (ESV) then the father of the young woman and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city in the gate. 16 And the father of the young woman shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to marry, and he hates her;

What is a judge? According to Holman’s Bible Dictionary: (1) An official with authority to administer justice by trying cases i.e. the king served as supreme judge, but appointed local judges 2 Chron 19:8 (ESV) Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem.

What is a judge? According to Holman’s Bible Dictionary: (2) one who usurps the prerogative of a judge i.e. God is the ultimate Judge of the earth Isaiah 33:22 (ESV) For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us.

What is a judge? According to Holman’s Bible Dictionary: (2) one who usurps the prerogative of a judge i.e. as God’s representative, Jesus serves as a judge as well John 8:16 (ESV) Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.

What is a judge? According to Holman’s Bible Dictionary: (3) a military deliverer in the period between Joshua and David i.e. Shamgar Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, etc. Judges 3:31 (ESV) After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.

1 Sam 7:4-6 (ESV) So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only. 5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. Under the leadership of Samuel, what change occurred in Israel?

1 Sam 7:12-13 (ESV) Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. As a result of turning back to God, what other change did Israel see?

1 Sam 7:14 (ESV) The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. What land did Israel recover from the Philistines? What is notable about the cities of Ekron and Gath?

1 Sam 7:14 (ESV) The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. What land did Israel recover from the Philistines? What is notable about the cities of Ekron and Gath? 1 Sam 5:8b-10a (ESV) “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9 But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.

1 Sam 7:14 (ESV) The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. Who were the Amorites?

1 Sam 7:14 (ESV) The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. Who were the Amorites? Gen 10:15-18 (ESV) Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 16 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. Noah –> Ham –> Canaan –> Amorites

1 Sam 7:15 (ESV) Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. Put yourself in the place of an Israelite. If the country had peace with God, with their external enemies the Philistines, and with their internal enemies the Amorites, how would you feel about him as a leader?

1 Sam 7:15 (ESV) Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. Put yourself in the place of an Israelite. If the country had peace with God, with their external enemies the Philistines, and with their internal enemies the Amorites, how would you feel about him as a leader? As we seek to elect a president, is this something we are looking for?

1 Sam 7:16-17 (ESV) And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord. Since Samuel didn’t have a cell phone, , social media, or even the Capernaum News Network, how did he extend his influence in Israel?

1 Sam 7:16-17 (ESV) And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord. Do you think Samuel maintained the dedication to God that characterized his earlier call of Israel to repentance? 1 Sam 7:3 (ESV) And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”

1 Sam 7:16-17 (ESV) And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord. The altar at Ramah emphasizes Samuel’s dedication to God. It also prepares the reader for Samuel’s introduction to Saul there in 1 Samuel 9:11-26.

1 Sam 8:1-2 (ESV) When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. Samuel served God and Israel successfully. What was the logical next step as he aged?

1 Sam 8:1-2 (ESV) When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. Samuel served God and Israel successfully. What was the logical next step as he aged? Why did pick his own sons instead of someone else?

1 Sam 8:3 (ESV) Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. How’d it work out?

1 Sam 8:3 (ESV) Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. How’d it work out? Do you think Samuel feared the same outcome that he knew happened with Eli’s sons? 1 Sam 2:12 (ESV) Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.

1 Sam 8:3 (ESV) Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. How important is it to develop a faith in our young people that will enable them to carry it on when we are gone? What are we doing about it? 2 Tim 2:1-2 (ESV) You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men[a] who will be able to teach others also.

1 Sam 8:3 (ESV) Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. What do you think happened with Samuel’s sons? A) He didn’t properly train them. B) They rejected his guidance. C) A little of both. D) Who knows?

1 Sam 8:3 (ESV) Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. If the church leadership took a turn like this, how would it impact us? How would we react?

1 Sam 8:4-5 (ESV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Did Israel’s elders do the right thing by taking this issue about Samuel’s sons straight to Samuel?

1 Sam 8:4-5 (ESV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Did Israel’s elders do the right thing by taking this issue about Samuel’s sons straight to Samuel? What was their demand?

1 Sam 8:4-5 (ESV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Did Israel’s elders do the right thing by taking this issue about Samuel’s sons straight to Samuel? What was their demand? Why not simply a change in leadership instead of such a drastic change?

1 Sam 8:4-5 (ESV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Did Israel’s elders do the right thing by taking this issue about Samuel’s sons straight to Samuel? What was their demand? Why not simply a change in leadership instead of such a drastic change? What kind of leader did Israel want?

1 Sam 8:4-5 (ESV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Did Israel want what God had planned? Deut 17:14-15 (ESV) “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

1 Sam 8:4-5 (ESV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Did Israel want what God had planned? Deut 17:16-17 (ESV) Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

1 Sam 8:4-5 (ESV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Did Israel want what God had planned? Deut 17:18-19 (ESV) “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them,

1 Sam 8:4-5 (ESV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Did Israel want what God had planned? Deut 17:20 (ESV) that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

1 Sam 8:6 (ESV) But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. How do you think Samuel felt when the elders asked for a king?

1 Sam 8:6 (ESV) But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. How do you think Samuel felt when the elders asked for a king? What did he do with his displeasure?

1 Sam 8:7 (ESV) And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Do you think Samuel expected God to agree to give Israel a king?

1 Sam 8:7 (ESV) And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Do you think Samuel expected God to agree to give Israel a king? What comfort did God give Samuel? What is the root cause of Israel’s desire for a king?

1 Sam 8:8 (ESV) According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Can you give examples of Israel forsaking God and serving other gods?

1 Sam 8:8 (ESV) According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Can you give examples of Israel forsaking God and serving other gods? Do you think Samuel expected to hear “even to this day”?

1 Sam 8:9 (ESV) Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” Do you think Israel envisioned a king who would continue the peace they enjoyed under Samuel?

1 Sam 8:9 (ESV) Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” Do you think Israel envisioned a king who would continue the peace they enjoyed under Samuel? Do you think that’s what they’re going to get?

Next Week Kingship Comes to Israel 1 Sam 8:10-9:10