The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 129

aide<l them so mightil~- at its beginning, ci,·il and military mnttcrs to tho king, )'Ct wonld also help them unto the end. The he never actually resigned the supreme co11- -mernorinl stood halfway between :Mizpeh trol, and on fitting occasions even cxerci~•,d and Shen, hoth which names have the article it. It was, however, practically withi11 in Hebrew, bec<1nse one signifies the watch- narrow limits that ho personally exercised .f011•er, the other the tooth. It was a steep, his functions as judge in settling the causes pointed rock. bnt is not mentioned clsc"·here. of the people ; for :Bethel, and Gilgal, and Dent. the French for tooth, is n common :Mizpeh were all situated in the tribe of nsme for mountains in the Alps and Pyrences. Benjamin. Both Bethel and Mizpah were Y,.r. 13. -So the Philistines were subdued. holy spots, and so also, probablv, was Gilgal ; :'\ot completely, for we find that thev had and therefore we may conclude that it was gn nisons in Israel when Saul was made "king; the famous sanctuary of that name (sec eh. but it was n thorough victory for the time, :d. 14), and not the Gilgal mentioneu, in 2 <111<! was followed up, moreo,cr, hy an in,asion Kings ii. 1 ; iv. 38. For this latter, situated -of Philist.ia, in which Samuel rcco.cred the to the south-west of Shiloh, near the road towns which had been wrested from Israel to Jerusalem, had .no religious importance, upon the western borders of Judah and and would not, therefore, attract so many Benjamin. MoreoYer, the enemy came no people to it as onethntwasfrequented for sacri- more into tho coast of Israel. That is, all fice. Probably, too, it was upon the occasion inrnsions ceased. And the hand of Jehovah of religious solemnities that Samuel visited was against the Philistines all the days of these places, and heard the people's suits. Samuel. This, of course, inclndes the reign Ver. 17.--His return was to Bamah. Wo -of Saul, till within four years of his death; have seen that Elkanah was a large land- for Samuel continued to be prophet, and to holder there, and Samuel had now apparently n certain extent shophet, even when Saul was succeeded to his father's place. And there king. The words, moreover, imply a stru/!gle, he built an altar unto Jehovah. This old -during which there was a gradual growth in patriarchal c11stom (Gen. xii. 7) long con- strength on Israel's part, and a gradual en- tinued, and it was only gradually that local feeblement on the part of the Philistines, shrines and worship on high places were until David completely vanquished them, superseded by attendance upon the temple -though they appear again as powerful enemies services at Jerusalem. At this time there was in the days of King Jehoram (2 Chron. xxi. especial need for such al tars. The established 16). It is ~ertain, however, that fifteen or worship at Shiloh had been swept away, the :twenty years after this battle the Philistines town destl"oyed, the pi-iests put to the sword, were again in the ascendant (eh. xiii. 19- and the a1·k, though restored, was resting 23'), and it was this which made the Israelites in a private dwelling. Probably Samuel had -demand a king (eh. ix. 16). But it is the saved the sacred vessels, and much even oC method of the Divine historians to include the tabernacle, but no mention of them is the ultimate results, however distant, in here made. ,ve see, however, both in the their account of an event (see on eh. xvi. 21; erection of this altar and all through Samuel's xvii. 55-58) ; e.nd Israel's freedom and the life, that the Aaronic priesthood was in abey- fine.I subjugation of the Philistines were both ance, and that he was not only prophet and -contained in Samuel's victory at Mizpah. judge, hut also pdest. In •thus restoring Ver. 14.-From Ekron even unto Gath. the priesthood in his own person he was Not that Israel captured these two towns, but justified not merely by bis powers as pro- they mark the limits upon the borders, within phet, but by necessity. Gradually, with more which the Philistines had previously seized prosperous times, matters rcturneu. to their -towns and villages belonging to Israel, e.nd regnlar channel ; but even when Ahinh, which Samuel now recovered. There was the grandson of Eli, was with Saul (eh. xiv. peace between Israel and the Amorites. In 3), he was employed not for the offeri11g of Israel's weakness the l."'lmains of this once sacrifice, but for divining with the Urim and powerful Canaanitisb .tock had probably Thummim. On a most important occasion made many a marauding expedition into the the offering of sacrifice is spoken of as un- Lrncl, and canicd off cattle and other plunder; doubtedly Samuel's right, and when he de- 110w they sue for peace, and unite with Israel layed his coming no mention is made of a against the Pbilisiines. priest, but Saul is said to have o~ered ~ho SAMUEL'S CONDUCT AS JUDGE (vers. 15- victim himself (eh. xiii. 9), It 1s plam, 17). Vers. 15, 16.-AndSamueljudgedlsrael therefore that we must not tie down the all the days of his life. As long as Samuel priestho~d too tightly to the house of Aaron ; lived there was no clear limitation of hie for throughout there _lies in the bnc~groun_tl vowers as shophet compared with those of the idea of a higher pr1esthoou., and with th1R .Saul as king. In putting Agag to death (cb. Samuel was invested, as being a typo of him iv. 33) lie even claimed a higher a·1tbority, who is a Priest for ever nfter the order of .aJul though he vohnta1~ly left as rule all Melchisedek (comp. eh. ii. 3f\). r:JI. \'II, 1--17.] TUE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL. 12& -------------------·---------------- HO~ILETICS. Vers. 1, 2.-Fitnessforservice. The facts are-1. At the request of the terrified men of Beth-shemesh the men of Kirjath-jearim bring the ark to their high place. 2. Arrangements are made in the house of Abinadab for the due care of the ark. 3. The time of the sojourn of the ark in this place, up to the date of Samuel's test of repentance, was twenty years. 4. Towards the close of this period the people long for the full restoration .Jf the Divine favour. A new stage was being entered on in the process of restoration to full privileges, and God must have men fitted to the occasion. The ark could not go to Shiloh for evident reasons; so far as the Divine will could be gathered from the controlled action of the kine, Beth-shemesh was, the place for it in which to rest. But the profane conduct of the officials proved that the privilege must be forfeited, and the unmitigated terror of the survivors indicated that they possP.ssed not the spiritual qualifications for the respectful, loving· guardianship of Israel's glory. For some reason the men of Kirjath-jearim ha<l a reputation which justified the belief that they dared and could safely convey and keep what their neighbours dare not touch. Their action~ justified this belief. I. NEW FORMS OF SERVICE ARE CONSTANTLY ARISING IN THE UNFOLDil!G OF Goo's PURPOSES. There was once a need of workmen to build the ark, of men to bear it, of kine to hring it back, and now of men to carry and keep it in all decency and order. Emergencies are inherent in the outworking of the Church's mission. Ages bring: their demands. Education, national affairs, assaults on truth, openings for the gospel in foreign lands, and many other things, call for new lines of action or modific ,tions of old. And thus it will be till the world is brought to Christ. II. THERE ARE ALWAYS IN RESERVE 'l'HE MEN FITTED FOR THE WORK GoD HAS TO BE DONE. If Beth-shemesh cannot supply the men who know how to behave properly towards the sacred symbol, there are othe;s elsewhere. The qualities are being acquired parallel with the providential processes that evolve the new demand. God takes care of all sides of his holy cause. Those disqualified must yield the privilege of new and important service to the qualified, and God knows where these are. In every age he has his chosen, secret methods of laying hold of ability, learning, strength of purpose, and whatsoever else may be required to do his will. Ill. THE FUNDAMENTAL FITNESS FOR GoD's SERVICE ON NEW OCCASIONS IS TRUE REVERENCE AND INTEREST. Many minor qualities were requisite to the bringing and caring for the ark, but the primary was that of proper reverence for the ark of God and due interest in its sanctity and use. The men of Beth-shemesh lacked this ; for they lost true reverence in terror and dread, and they were distrustful of their ability to keep the ark with due honour to it and benefit to themselves. Here we have in incidental contrast a religion characterised by dread, and a religion of true reverence. 1. The religion of dread is a sense of infinite holiness and power unrelieved by a recognition of other Divine attributes. The men of Beth-shemesh had been struck with the awful holiness of Jehovah, and of his mighty power expressing holiness in acts of swift judgment. Thus, generally, when religion consists mainly in this there is a shrinking from God's presence; attention to ordinances under the sheer force of conscience. In so far as Christian men-so called-know only such a; religion they approximate towards paganism. The religion of tnie reverence is t1 sense of infoite holiness and power toned by a trustful lcrve. The men of Kirjath- jearim were not perfect, but they had as correct views as their neighbours of the holiness and power of Jehovah; and yet it is obvious, from the quiet, interested manner in which they received and provided for the ark, that they in some degree loved and trusted their God. In true reverence the awe created by ineffable holines,. and almighty power is mitigated by the remembrance that HE is merciful and gracious, and cares for his people, even in their self-brought sorrows. When this reverence is perfected in Christian life by a due appreciation of the august majesty and love seen in the sacrificial work of Christ, the heart rests in God with all the reverential lov~ of a child. Duty and privilege· then are coincident. General lessons .~1. We should be on the look-out for any new work God may havj for us to do, 2. Never despair of God finding agents for the various enterpn~,·,;  12G THE FlHS'l' BOOK CF S,DllTL. [, H. 1·11. 1--17.