The Father Delivers a Repentant Israel
After twenty years Samuel tells Israel to put away the foreign gods and mean it. They gather at Mizpah, fast and confess, and when the Philistines attack our Father thunders against them. Samuel sets up a stone named Ebenezer: up to now our Father has helped us.
7 1The men of Kiriath-jearim came, took the ark of our Father, brought it to Abinadab's house on the hill, and dedicated his son Eleazar to guard the ark of our Father. 2From the day the ark came to rest at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed—twenty years—and the whole house of Israel mourned and sought after our Father. 3Then Samuel spoke to the whole house of Israel: "If you're returning to our Father with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, set your hearts on our Father, and serve him alone—and he will rescue you from the Philistines." 4So Israel's people removed the Baals and Ashtaroth, and served our Father alone. 5Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to our Father for you." 6They gathered at Mizpah, drew water, poured it before our Father, fasted that day, and confessed, "We have sinned against our Father." Samuel judged Israel at Mizpah. a a v6 Pouring out water before God was a ritual act of prayer, mourning, and self-humbling.
7The Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, and the Philistine rulers marched up against Israel. The Israelites heard, and feared the Philistines. 8The Israelites said to Samuel, "Don't stop crying out to our Father for us, so he'll save us from the Philistines." 9Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to our Father. Samuel cried out to our Father for Israel, and our Father answered him. 10As Samuel offered the burnt offering, the Philistines advanced to attack Israel. But that day our Father thundered with a great voice against the Philistines, threw them into panic, and they were defeated before Israel. 11Israel's men left Mizpah, chased the Philistines, and struck them down to below Beth-car.
12Then Samuel took a stone, set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, "Up to now our Father has helped us." b b v12 Ebenezer means "stone of help" — Samuel set it up to remember how far our Father had carried them. 13So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israel's territory again; our Father's hand opposed the Philistines throughout Samuel's lifetime. 14Israel got back the cities Philistines had taken, from Ekron to Gath, recovering its territory from Philistine hands. Israel also had peace with the Amorites.
15Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16He went year by year, circuiting Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, judging Israel at all these places. 17So he went back to Ramah, his home, and judged Israel there. There he built an altar to our Father.
