1 Samuel 7:10

_AND AS SAMUEL WAS OFFERING UP THE BURNT OFFERING, THE PHILISTINES DREW NEAR TO BATTLE AGAINST ISRAEL: BUT THE LORD THUNDERED WITH A GREAT THUNDER ON THAT DAY UPON THE PHILISTINES, AND DISCOMFITED THEM; AND THEY WERE SMITTEN BEFORE ISRAEL._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

7-12 The Philistines invaded Israel. When sinners begin to repent and reform, they must expect that Satan will muster all his force against them, and set his instruments at work to the utmost, to oppose and discourage them. The Israelites earnestly beg Samuel to pray for them. Oh what a comfort it is to all believers, that our great Intercessor above never ceases, is never silent! for he always appears in the presence of God for us. Samuel's sacrifice, without his prayer, had been an empty shadow. God gave a gracious answer. And Samuel erected a memorial of this victory, to the glory of God, and to encourage Israel. Through successive generations, the church of God has had cause to set up Eben-ezers for renewed deliverances; neither outward persecutions nor inward corruptions have prevailed against her, because "hitherto the Lord hath helped her:" and he will help, even to the end of the...

Verse 1 Samuel 7:10. _THE LORD THUNDERED WITH A GREAT THUNDER_] Literally, _The Lord thundered with a great voice_-he confounded them with a mighty tempest of thunder and lightning, and no doubt slew many by the lightning....

EXPOSITION 1 SAMUEL 7:1 At Kirjath-jearim the people reverently undertook the charge of the ark, and carried out their arrangements so carefully that no further calamity occurred. On its arrival they placed it in THE HOUSE OF ABINADAB IN THE HILL. More probably _at Gibeah, _as it is translated in 2 Samuel 6:3, 2 Samuel 6:4. In Joshua 15:57 a village of this name is mentioned in the tribe of Judah not far from Kirjath-jearim (_ibid. _Joshua 15:60), and probably Abinadab, who lived there, was a L

AND AS SAMUEL WAS OFFERING UP THE BURNT OFFERING.... Which he might do by a priest, as Ben Gersom suggests, he being only a Levite; though he being a prophet, and an extraordinary person, and this an extraordinary case, he might do it himself, as Gideon and others, as well as offer it in another place than where the tabernacle was; Shiloh being now destroyed, persons and places for sacrifice were now dispensed with: and before Samuel had made an end of offering the sacrifice, THE PHILISTINES DREW NEAR TO BATTLE AGAINST ISRAEL; and were come as far almost as Mizpeh, where Israel were, and Samuel was sacrificing: BUT THE LORD THUNDERED WITH A GREAT THUNDER ON THAT DAY UPON THE PHILISTINES; which fulfilled Hannah's prophecy, 1 Samuel 2:10 and this, as Josephus n says, was attended with lightning, which flashed in their faces, and shook their weapons out o

7. THE RETURN UNTO JEHOVAH AND THE DELIVERANCE CHAPTER 7:3-14 _ 1. Samuel's message and the response of the people (1 Samuel 7:3)_ 2. Gathered at Mizpah (1 Samuel 7:5) 3. The deliverance (1 Samuel 7:7) Samuel now is seen beginning his great national ministry. The message he brings is the message of repentance and the assurance of faith. In simple words he addressed the people, who no doubt were prepared for it by their long period of humiliation. He demands that their true return to the Lord must be practical; the strange gods and Ashtaroth must be put away. If they serve the Lord only, deliverance out of the hands of the Philistines would come. The message was at once obeyed. Every true

SAMUEL AS JUDGE. Philistines subdued by Divine intervention; probably an ideal picture, by the Deuteronomic writer, of the happy results of Israel's repentance and Samuel's piety peace, victory, and orthodoxy. The section is the typical form of the Deuteronomic accounts of the Judges apostasy, oppression, repentance, deliverance. The statements that the Philistines ceased to invade Israel, and that the Israelites recovered the Philistine cities from Ekron to Gath, are inconsistent with the older narratives. On the other hand, the writer sees no difficulty in Samuel building an altar at Ramah, because his view was that the limitation of sacrifice to a central sanctuary did not come into force till Solomon built the Temple. 1 SAMUEL 7:2. The return of the Ark leads the people to repent; Samuel encourages them in this by promising deliverance if they worship Yahweh only....

THUNDERED WITH. GREAT THUNDER. Figure of speech _Polyptoton._ App-6....

Total Rout of the Philistines at Ebenezer 7. _when the Philistines heard_, &c. The lords naturally regarded a national assembly of their vassals as a preliminary step towards revolt, and mustering the army of the confederation, marched up towards Mizpah....

THE LORD THUNDERED WITH A GREAT THUNDER— Baldwin the Second, with other princes, marching to Damascus, fully resolved to take it by surrender or storm, met with a check in foraging, which enraged the army so much, that they immediately flew to their arms to chastise the affront; when suddenly God, against whose will men can do nothing, sent such violent showers, such darkness in the sky, such difficulty in the roads by means of the vast quantities of water, that scarcely any one could hope for life; which darkness of the air, and thickness of the clouds, the irregular blowing of the winds, the thunders, and continual lightnings, signified before hand. But as the human mind is ignorant of futurity, they did not attend to the divine patience calling to them to refrain, but strove to proceed in an impossible attempt. The intemperateness of the weather, however, obliged them to desist; and m...