1 Samuel 6

Gold Tumors and Rats

1 After the Chest of God had been among the Philistine people for seven months,2 the Philistine leaders called together their religious professionals, the priests, and experts on the supernatural for consultation: "How can we get rid of this Chest of God, get it off our hands without making things worse? Tell us!"

3 They said, "If you're going to send the Chest of the God of Israel back, don't just dump it on them. Pay compensation. Then you will be healed. After you're in the clear again, God will let up on you. Why wouldn't he?"

4 "And what exactly would make for adequate compensation?"5 make replicas of the tumors and rats that are devastating the country and present them as an offering to the glory of the God of Israel. Then maybe he'll ease up and not be so hard on you and your gods, and on your country.6 Why be stubborn like the Egyptians and Pharaoh? God didn't quit pounding on them until they let the people go. Only then did he let up.

7 "So here's what you do: Take a brand-new oxcart and two cows that have never been in harness. Hitch the cows to the oxcart and send their calves back to the barn.8 Put the Chest of God on the cart. Secure the gold replicas of the tumors and rats that you are offering as compensation in a sack and set them next to the Chest. Then send it off.9 But keep your eyes on it. If it heads straight back home to where it came from, toward Beth Shemesh, it is clear that this catastrophe is a divine judgment, but if not, we'll know that God had nothing to do with it-it was just an accident."

10 So that's what they did: They hitched two cows to the cart, put their calves in the barn,11 and placed the Chest of God and the sack of gold rats and tumors on the cart.12 The cows headed straight for home, down the road to Beth Shemesh, straying neither right nor left, mooing all the way. The Philistine leaders followed them to the outskirts of Beth Shemesh.

13 The people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. They looked up and saw the Chest. Jubilant, they ran to meet it.14 The cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth Shemeshite, and stopped there beside a huge boulder. The harvesters tore the cart to pieces, then chopped up the wood and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to God.15 The Levites took charge of the Chest of God and the sack containing the gold offerings, placing them on the boulder. Offering the sacrifices, everyone in Beth Shemesh worshiped God most heartily that day.

16 When the five Philistine leaders saw what they came to see, they returned the same day to Ekron.

17 The five gold replicas of the tumors were offered by the Philistines in compensation for the cities of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.18 The five gold rats matched the number of Philistine towns, both large and small, ruled by the five leaders. The big boulder on which they placed the Chest of God is still there in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, a landmark. If You Are Serious About Coming Back to God

If You Are Serious About Coming Back to God

19 God struck some of the men of Beth Shemesh who, out of curiosity, irreverently peeked into the Chest of God. Seventy died. The whole town was in mourning, reeling under the hard blow from God,20 and questioning, "Who can stand before God, this holy God? And who can we get to take this Chest off our hands?"

21 They sent emissaries to Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the Chest of God. Come down and get it."

1 Samuel 7

1 And they did. The men of Kiriath Jearim came and got the Chest of God and delivered it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. They ordained his son, Eleazar, to take responsibility for the Chest of God.

2 From the time that the Chest came to rest in Kiriath Jearim, a long time passed-twenty years it was-and throughout Israel there was a widespread, fearful movement toward God.

3 Then Samuel addressed the house of Israel: "If you are truly serious about coming back to God, clean house. Get rid of the foreign gods and fertility goddesses, ground yourselves firmly in God, worship him and him alone, and he'll save you from Philistine oppression."

4 They did it. They got rid of the gods and goddesses, the images of Baal and Ashtoreth, and gave their exclusive attention and service to God.

5 Next Samuel said, "Get everybody together at Mizpah and I'll pray for you."

6 So everyone assembled at Mizpah. They drew water from the wells and poured it out before God in a ritual of cleansing. They fasted all day and prayed, "We have sinned against God." So Samuel prepared the Israelites for holy war there at Mizpah. The Place Where God Helped Us

The Place Where God Helped Us

7 When the Philistines heard that Israel was meeting at Mizpah, the Philistine leaders went on the offensive. Israel got the report and became frightened-Philistines on the move again!

8 They pleaded with Samuel, "Pray with all your might! And don't let up! Pray to God, our God, that he'll save us from the boot of the Philistines."

9 Samuel took a young lamb not yet weaned and offered it whole as a Whole-Burnt-Offering to God. He prayed fervently to God, interceding for Israel. And God answered.

10 While Samuel was offering the sacrifice, the Philistines came within range to fight Israel. Just then God thundered, a huge thunderclap exploding among the Philistines. They panicked-mass confusion!-and ran helter-skelter from Israel.11 Israel poured out of Mizpah and gave chase, killing Philistines right and left, to a point just beyond Beth Car.12 Samuel took a single rock and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it "Ebenezer" (Rock of Help), saying, "This marks the place where God helped us."

13 The Philistines learned their lesson and stayed home-no more border crossings. God was hard on the Philistines all through Samuel's lifetime.14 All the cities from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored. Israel also freed the surrounding countryside from Philistine control. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

15 Samuel gave solid leadership to Israel his entire life.16 Every year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah. He gave leadership to Israel in each of these places.17 But always he would return to Ramah, where he lived, and preside from there. That is where he built an altar to God.

1 Samuel 8

Rejecting God as the King

1 When Samuel got to be an old man, he set his sons up as judges in Israel.2 His firstborn son was named Joel, the name of his second, Abijah. They were assigned duty in Beersheba.3 But his sons didn't take after him; they were out for what they could get for themselves, taking bribes, corrupting justice.

4 Fed up, all the elders of Israel got together and confronted Samuel at Ramah.5 They presented their case: "Look, you're an old man, and your sons aren't following in your footsteps. Here's what we want you to do: Appoint a king to rule us, just like everybody else."

6 When Samuel heard their demand-"Give us a king to rule us!"-he was crushed. How awful! Samuel prayed to God.

7 God answered Samuel, "Go ahead and do what they're asking. They are not rejecting you. They've rejected me as their King.8 From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they've been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they're doing it to you.9 So let them have their own way. But warn them of what they're in for. Tell them the way kings operate, just what they're likely to get from a king."

10 So Samuel told them, delivered God's warning to the people who were asking him to give them a king.11 He said, "This is the way the kind of king you're talking about operates. He'll take your sons and make soldiers of them-chariotry, cavalry, infantry,12 regimented in battalions and squadrons. He'll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury.13 He'll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks.14 He'll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends.15 He'll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy.16 Your prize workers and best animals he'll take for his own use.17 He'll lay a tax on your flocks and you'll end up no better than slaves.18 The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don't expect God to answer."

19 But the people wouldn't listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We will have a king to rule us!20 Then we'll be just like all the other nations. Our king will rule us and lead us and fight our battles."

21 Samuel took in what they said and rehearsed it with God.22 God told Samuel, "Do what they say. Make them a king." Then Samuel dismissed the men of Israel: "Go home, each of you to your own city."