New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
1 Samuel 7
1
So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and got the ark of the Lord. They took it up to Abinadab's house on the hill. They set his son Eleazar apart to guard the ark.
People
2
The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim for a long time. It was there for a full 20 years. All of the people of Israel were filled with sorrow. They looked to the Lord for help.
Reference
3
Samuel spoke to the whole community of Israel. He said, "Do you really want to return to the Lord with all your hearts? If you do, get rid of your strange gods. Get rid of your statues of goddesses that are named after Ashtoreth. Commit yourselves to the Lord. Serve him only. Then he will save you from the powerful hand of the Philistines."
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Kings 8:48
References God
Luke 4:8
Deuteronomy 13:4
Matthew 4:10
Deuteronomy 6:13
Isaiah 55:7
Joshua 24:14
Joshua 24:23
John 4:24
Deuteronomy 10:20
4
So the people of Israel put away their statues of gods that were named after Baal. They put away their statues of goddesses named after Ashtoreth. They served the Lord only.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hosea 14:8
5
Then Samuel said, "Gather all of the people of Israel together at Mizpah. I will pray to the Lord for you."
Reference
References Lord
Judges 20:1
6
When the people had come together at Mizpah, they went to the well and got water. They poured it out in the sight of the Lord. On that day they didn't eat any food. They admitted they had sinned. They said, "We've sinned against the Lord." Samuel was the leader of Israel at Mizpah.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Samuel 14:14
Psalm 62:8
Jeremiah 9:1
Psalm 119:136
References Lord
1 Samuel 1:15
Joel 2:12
Sin
Judges 10:10
Psalm 106:6
Luke 15:18
1 Kings 8:47
7
The Philistines heard that Israel had gathered together at Mizpah. So the Philistine rulers came up to attack them. When the people of Israel heard about it, they were afraid.
Reference
8
They said to Samuel, "Don't stop crying out to the Lord our God to help us. Keep praying that he'll save us from the powerful hand of the Philistines."
Reference
9
Then Samuel got a very young lamb. He sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord to help Israel. And the Lord answered his prayer.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 50:15
James 5:16
References Lord
Jeremiah 15:1
Psalm 99:6
Sacrifice
1 Samuel 7:17
1 Samuel 16:2
10
The Philistines came near to attack Israel. At that time Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering. But that day the Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines. He threw them into such a panic that the Israelites were able to chase them away.
Reference
11
The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah. They chased the Philistines all the way to a point below Beth Car. They killed them all along the way.
📍 Beth-car
12
Then Samuel got a big stone. He set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer. He said, "The Lord has helped us every step of the way."
Reference
📍 Shen
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 1:10
Joshua 4:9
Acts 26:22
Genesis 35:14
1 Samuel 5:1
Psalm 71:17
Psalm 71:6
Exodus 17:15
References Lord
Genesis 22:14
Isaiah 19:19
13
So Samuel brought the Philistines under Israel's control. The Philistines didn't attack their territory again. The Lord used his powerful hand against the Philistines as long as Samuel lived.
Reference
References Lord
Judges 13:1
14
The Philistines had captured many towns between Ekron and Gath. But they had to give all of them back. Israel took back the territories near those towns from the powerful hand of the Philistines. During that time Israel and the Amorites were friendly toward each other.
16
From year to year he traveled from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah. He served Israel as judge in all of those places.
Summary of 1 Samuel 7
1 Samuel chapter 7 records a pivotal turning point in Israel's relationship with the Lord. Having retrieved the Ark from the Philistines, Israel still needs to renounce false gods and return to the Lord from a sincere heart. Samuel leads as the people are called to repentance. When the Philistines attack, Israel asks the Lord for help and not their idol or armies. God grants Israel's request and Samuel becomes an established leader and judge over Israel.
Following the return of the Ark to Israel, the men of Kirjathjearim come to bring it back with them. They bring the Ark to the house of Abinadab upon the hill and consecrate his son Eleazar to care for it.
The Ark shall remain there for many years, and two decades would pass.
In the interim, Israel begins to mourn because the people are burdened with their ungodly ways. They have been under the Philistines' oppression and idolatry has persisted.
Samuel reminds the people that if they return to the Lord, they must renounce the foreign gods and the carved images of Baalim and Ashtaroth; they must give their hearts to the Lord.
Samuel tells the people if they do this, the Lord will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines.
The people heed Samuel's call.
They remove the foreign gods among them and serve the Lord.
Samuel gathers the people together at Mizpeh.
The people water and pour out before the Lord, and they fast that day confessing their sins that they have sinned against the Lord.
Samuel judges the children of Israel at Mizpeh.
While the Israelites are gathered there, the Philistine rulers hear of it, seeing it as an opportunity to strike Israel.
The children of Israel become fearful at the report that the Philistines have come.
They ask Samuel not to cease in praying for them, realizing they do not look to their swords or armies for deliverance. They ask Samuel to cry unto the Lord on their behalf.
Samuel takes a young lamb and offers it up in burnt offering to the Lord. He cries unto the Lord on behalf of Israel and the Lord hears His prayer.
As Samuel is offering the burnt offering, the Philistines come to fight Israel.
At this moment, the Lord thunders against the Philistines, filling them with fear, so the Israelites are able to deliver a crushing blow to the Philistines.
Israel's victories are not due to their armies; they had repented and Samuel had prayed, and God had answered.
The Israelites pursue the Philistines from Mizpeh until they reach Bethcar.
After the victory, Samuel takes a stone and sets it up between Mizpeh and Shen and calls the stone Ebenezer.
Samuel declares, "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us."
The stone becomes a memorial of what God has done and a reminder that Israel's victories were not due to their own armies, but the Lord had delivered them when they repented and turned to Him.
The Philistines are subdued and do not enter the lands of Israel for a time. The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel from Ekron even unto Gath are returned to Israel. There is peace between Israel and the Amorites.
Samuel continues to serve as the judge over Israel. He goes yearly to various places, such as Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh, to judge the people and to call them to live under the Lord's guidance. He goes back to Ramah, his home, and there he judges Israel.
In addition to this, Samuel builds an altar to the Lord at Ramah.
This chapter is significant, as it demonstrates a distinct difference between the narrative in previous chapters and the events that follow. Israel had taken the Ark as if it would bring them victory, and it had failed them, in chapter 17. In chapter 7 we see the people dealing with their spiritual state. The false gods are removed, the people confess their sins, they fast, and ask Samuel to pray for them.
The Ark itself is not the cause of the victory. Repentance, prayer, sacrifice, and reliance on the Lord are the focal points of the narrative.
Samuel is also seen to be the leader of the people. He serves as prophet, priestly intercessor, judge, etc. The people look to him to pray for them when the Philistines come to war, and his leadership enables the people to see their need to return to the Lord in true repentance.
The stone called Ebenezer becomes one of the most memorable parts of the chapter in which Samuel does not want Israel to forget what God had done for them. The words "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us" declare the truth that Israel had been delivered into the hands of the Lord.
The chapter demonstrates that repentance is not simply remorse. Samuel tells the Israelites to remove the foreign gods and to serve only the Lord. The Israelites show their repentance through their actions. They turn from their ways to the Lord and it is the turning point in their history when they are delivered from the hand of the Philistines.
The victory does not mean that Israel will never be in trouble again. Rather, it shows what happens when the people continue to turn away from their idols and return to the Lord in sincerity.
By the end of the chapter, Samuel is firmly established as Israel's judge. The Philistines have been subdued, the lands that they had taken are returned to Israel, and the people experience peace. Most importantly, Israel has returned her heart to the Lord.
1 Samuel chapter 7 is a chapter of repentance, prayer, and recalling of God's help. Israel's victory is achieved when the people stop looking to the things of this world and turn their hearts to the Lord. The stone at Ebenezer is a reminder that God had helped them up to that point.
Following the return of the Ark to Israel, the men of Kirjathjearim come to bring it back with them. They bring the Ark to the house of Abinadab upon the hill and consecrate his son Eleazar to care for it.
The Ark shall remain there for many years, and two decades would pass.
In the interim, Israel begins to mourn because the people are burdened with their ungodly ways. They have been under the Philistines' oppression and idolatry has persisted.
Samuel reminds the people that if they return to the Lord, they must renounce the foreign gods and the carved images of Baalim and Ashtaroth; they must give their hearts to the Lord.
Samuel tells the people if they do this, the Lord will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines.
The people heed Samuel's call.
They remove the foreign gods among them and serve the Lord.
Samuel gathers the people together at Mizpeh.
The people water and pour out before the Lord, and they fast that day confessing their sins that they have sinned against the Lord.
Samuel judges the children of Israel at Mizpeh.
While the Israelites are gathered there, the Philistine rulers hear of it, seeing it as an opportunity to strike Israel.
The children of Israel become fearful at the report that the Philistines have come.
They ask Samuel not to cease in praying for them, realizing they do not look to their swords or armies for deliverance. They ask Samuel to cry unto the Lord on their behalf.
Samuel takes a young lamb and offers it up in burnt offering to the Lord. He cries unto the Lord on behalf of Israel and the Lord hears His prayer.
As Samuel is offering the burnt offering, the Philistines come to fight Israel.
At this moment, the Lord thunders against the Philistines, filling them with fear, so the Israelites are able to deliver a crushing blow to the Philistines.
Israel's victories are not due to their armies; they had repented and Samuel had prayed, and God had answered.
The Israelites pursue the Philistines from Mizpeh until they reach Bethcar.
After the victory, Samuel takes a stone and sets it up between Mizpeh and Shen and calls the stone Ebenezer.
Samuel declares, "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us."
The stone becomes a memorial of what God has done and a reminder that Israel's victories were not due to their own armies, but the Lord had delivered them when they repented and turned to Him.
The Philistines are subdued and do not enter the lands of Israel for a time. The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel from Ekron even unto Gath are returned to Israel. There is peace between Israel and the Amorites.
Samuel continues to serve as the judge over Israel. He goes yearly to various places, such as Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh, to judge the people and to call them to live under the Lord's guidance. He goes back to Ramah, his home, and there he judges Israel.
In addition to this, Samuel builds an altar to the Lord at Ramah.
This chapter is significant, as it demonstrates a distinct difference between the narrative in previous chapters and the events that follow. Israel had taken the Ark as if it would bring them victory, and it had failed them, in chapter 17. In chapter 7 we see the people dealing with their spiritual state. The false gods are removed, the people confess their sins, they fast, and ask Samuel to pray for them.
The Ark itself is not the cause of the victory. Repentance, prayer, sacrifice, and reliance on the Lord are the focal points of the narrative.
Samuel is also seen to be the leader of the people. He serves as prophet, priestly intercessor, judge, etc. The people look to him to pray for them when the Philistines come to war, and his leadership enables the people to see their need to return to the Lord in true repentance.
The stone called Ebenezer becomes one of the most memorable parts of the chapter in which Samuel does not want Israel to forget what God had done for them. The words "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us" declare the truth that Israel had been delivered into the hands of the Lord.
The chapter demonstrates that repentance is not simply remorse. Samuel tells the Israelites to remove the foreign gods and to serve only the Lord. The Israelites show their repentance through their actions. They turn from their ways to the Lord and it is the turning point in their history when they are delivered from the hand of the Philistines.
The victory does not mean that Israel will never be in trouble again. Rather, it shows what happens when the people continue to turn away from their idols and return to the Lord in sincerity.
By the end of the chapter, Samuel is firmly established as Israel's judge. The Philistines have been subdued, the lands that they had taken are returned to Israel, and the people experience peace. Most importantly, Israel has returned her heart to the Lord.
1 Samuel chapter 7 is a chapter of repentance, prayer, and recalling of God's help. Israel's victory is achieved when the people stop looking to the things of this world and turn their hearts to the Lord. The stone at Ebenezer is a reminder that God had helped them up to that point.