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The David Chronicles 11: Another Heart, A New Heart

Joe Harby on June 19, 2011

Introduction

Saul is given favor by God, even though the circumstances are unfavorable indeed. Saul is given favor by Samuel, even though Samuel knows that trouble lies ahead. This chapter contains a number of references that will help us understand the rest of the story rightly.

The Text

“Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel’s sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?” (1 Sam. 10:1-27).

Summary of the Text

We begin with Samuel anointing Saul privately (v. 1). Samuel then gives Saul three signs that will happen to him, designed to strengthen his faith. The first is that they will run into two men by Rachel’s tomb, who will tell him the donkeys are safe (v. 2). The second sign is that on the plain of Tabor, they will encounter three men going to Bethel to sacrifice, who will give Saul two loaves from their offering (vv. 3-4). The third sign is that a company of prophets near a Philistine garrison will come down from a high place prophesying with musical instruments, and because the Spirit comes upon him, Saul will join them (vv. 5-6). Once these signs have happened, Saul may do as God leads (v. 7).

Samuel tells Saul to wait for him at Gilgal for seven days (v. 8). As Saul turned away from Samuel, he was given a new heart (v. 9), and all three signs were fulfilled that day. The fulfillment of the third sign is told in such a way as to highlight the fact that Saul now has Samuel for a father (vv. 10-13). He then comes home, and Saul’s uncle asks for the story. Saul doesn’t tell him everything (vv. 14-16). Samuel then convenes the people at Mizpeh—the place where he had prayed for them before. Samuel’s words make it clear that the choice was ironic (vv. 18-19). Not only had Samuel prayed for them there, but Jephthah was from Mizpeh, and he had defeated the Ammonites (Judg. 10:17; Judg. 11:34), and the Ammonites were the big threat in the next chapter (1 Sam. 11:1). The location was a conscience-prodder, as Saratoga or Valley Forge would be for Americans.

Lots were cast, and eventually the house of Kish was taken. Saul was then discovered hiding in the midst of the military gear (vv. 20-23). Saul is then brought out, and acclaimed by the people (v. 24). Samuel then drafts some constitutional language of “rights and duties,” designed to keep the monarchy a constitutional one, unlike his warnings from chapter 8. These rights and duties are laid up before the Lord (v. 25). Saul goes home, with some men who had been moved by God (v. 26). But some sons of Belial weren’t having any (v. 27).

Three Signs

Saul is given every chance to see that he is becoming a king in accordance with the word of Samuel. As such, the message is that he must rule in accordance with the word of Samuel as well. Samuel had told him about the donkeys at their first meeting, and had anointed him. Samuel had given him three signs, all of which came to pass on that day. And then, after all this, Saul was chosen by lot—so that all Israel would know that God had selected him. Most commentators take Saul hiding in the warehouse as a sign of humility, but I take it as an indication of timidity and unbelief—the very thing that would get Saul into trouble. How many signs do you need before you accept the Lord’s calling?

A New Heart

Was Saul regenerated (v. 9)? I believe so, but I also think we cannot be dogmatic about it. In the sense of systematic theology, regeneration is irreversible, and so if he was, then Saul is with the Lord. If he was not regenerated in this way, then he experienced some enabling by the Spirit of God, but this enabling never got to the root of the matter.

We need to remember that it was the Spirit who enabled judges and kings to rule. If the Spirit departed from them, their dynasty would just fall apart. David knew that he had forfeited this blessing in just the way that Saul had forfeited it. He does not pray that he would not lose his salvation—he prays that he would have the joy of it restored (Ps. 51:12). At the same time, he prays that the Davidic line would not come unstuck (Ps. 51:11).

All this said, the reasons I believe Saul to have been truly regenerate are these: First, the Bible says he was given a new heart (1 Sam. 10:11). Second, his sins (which were great) were motivated by a natural timidity and insecurity, not high rebellion. Third, even in his persecution of David, the Spirit would come upon him (1 Sam. 19:24). Fourth, despite his manic vacillations, he was capable of acknowledging his sin (1 Sam. 24:17-22; 1 Sam. 26:21). Fifth, even when God had deserted him, and he resorted to witchcraft, he did so in order to talk with Samuel (1 Sam. 28:11). And last, David gives him high words of eulogistic praise (2 Sam. 1:23). Saul was certainly snake bit, as we say, but I believe he was a brother.

Words Before the Lord

Words that limit the power of tyrants need to be written on more than paper. The words that Samuel wrote down were words that had been written previously on Samuel’s heart. He knew that rebellion was written on Israel’s heart (v. 19), and this rejection was echoed more blatantly by sons of Belial, who did not want a theocratic king (v. 27). There were certain noble men, who believed in limited government, who were connected to Saul at first, before his corruption.

Constitutions are paper. Paper does not enjoy liberty, and cannot understand liberty. Paper can record what certain understanding hearts comprehend about liberty, and that record can be read by others who understand that liberty. But apart from the Spirit of God, there is no keeping liberty alive. Translating this down to our day, what could bring the Bill of Rights back from the dead? No political party. No rally. No petition. Who then?

The David Chronicles 10: Samuel and Saul

Joe Harby on May 29, 2011

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Introduction

We are now introduced to the first king over all Israel, a man who began well and ended poorly. There are signs of trouble from the very beginning, but there is also grace from God that is clearly present. The fact that we know there will be a fall does not prevent the goodness bestowed from being true goodness. God showed great favor to Saul.

The Text

“Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people . . .” (1 Sam. 9:1-27.

Summary of the Text

Kish, the father of Saul, was a great man (v. 1) in a tiny tribe. This man Kish had a son named Saul, who was both handsome and strong (v. 2). Now a herd of donkeys belonging to Kish were lost, and Kish told Saul to take a servant and to go and find them (v. 3). They obeyed, making a wide circuit without locating the donkeys (v. 4). Saul suggested returning before his father started worrying about them instead of the donkeys (v. 5). But the servant responded by saying that there was a man of God (Samuel) in the city were they now were, and perhaps they could ask him about the donkeys (v. 6). Saul’s only objection was that they had nothing to offer the man of God (v. 7). The servant had a quarter of a shekel of silver, which was sufficient (v. 8). In the old days, prophets used to be called seers (v. 9). And so Saul agreed (v. 10).

As they approached Ramah, they met maidens who came to draw water, and asked after the seer (v. 11). They replied yes, he was ahead of them, approaching to bless the sacrifice in the high place (v. 12). The maidens say where to find him, because the people will wait for his blessing (v. 13). And when they came to the city, they ran into Samuel (v. 14). Now God had prepared Samuel for this the day before (v. 15). God had heard the prayers of Israel and was going to answer them through Saul (v. 16). And when Samuel first set eyes on Saul, the Lord spoke to him again. This is the man (v. 17).

Saul approached Samuel in the gate and asked where the seer lived (v. 18). Samuel identifies himself, and tells Saul to ascend up to the high place ahead of him (v. 19). As for the donkeys, they are found (v. 20). When Samuel says that Saul is the desire of Israel (v. 20), Saul responds modestly (v. 21). Samuel took Saul, and seated him prominently among about 30 men (v. 22). And Samuel told the cook to give Saul a choice portion which Samuel had set aside previously (v. 23). So Saul was given a shoulder portion and ate it (v. 24). They came back down from the high place and talked on the top of Samuel’s house (v. 25). Saul spent the night there (v. 26). They walked together to the outskirts of the city (v. 27), where Samuel had the servant go on ahead. And then he anointed Saul as a prince (10:1).

Let God Sort it Out

The text makes it clear that establishing a king like the other nations was going to be a bad deal (1 Sam. 8). In asking for a king the way they did, they were rejecting God (1 Sam. 8:7). This is one of the great themes of the whole book. In the very first chapter, Hannah asks for a son (1 Sam. 1:20). She later says that she named him Samuel because she had asked for him (1 Sam. 1:27-28). But Samuel means “His name is El,” and not “asked for.” The word for ask is sha’al, from which we get Saul. Hannah had Sauled for Samuel. Samuel was all the Saul that Israel needed, and we are told this on the first page of the book. And of course, Samuel labors to keep the king from being a disobedient king (Dt. 17:15-16).

But at the same time, Samuel anoints Saul and kisses him (10:1). He doesn’t say, “take your stupid monarchy.” He gives him a choice portion of the sacrifice, thus adopting him (v. 24; Lev. 22:10-16). That portion was probably for the priest and the priest’s family (Ex. 29:27), but in any case was a portion of high honor. And the text explicitly says that God was giving them Saul “to save my people out of the hand of the Philistines.” God says that “their cry is coming unto me” (v. 16). Saul begins with manifest princely virtues (v. 2), and in genuine humility (v. 21). What is coming is a fall.

A Foreshadowed Trouble

When Saul asks the maidens drawing water about the seer, the way they answer is interesting. They tell Saul where Samuel will be found, at the high place (v. 12), but they also add the information that the people will wait for Samuel, not partaking until he has arrived (v. 13). But this is precisely the way in which Saul failed as a king. He did not wait for Samuel to come to bless his sacrifice (1 Sam. 13:8-10)

In the Midst of Sin

Samuel labored for grace in the midst of sin. God showed grace in the midst of sin. Sin can be individual, and sin can be corporate. When the godly are placed in the midst of corporate sin, what do they do? They do not have the option of a “do over,” going back to the point of failure and making the right choice this time. We have to start making right choices in the very middle of very bad downstream consequences. God does not call us all to make the same choices, or to take the same stand. Ehud was called to assassinate Eglon in a way that Obadiah was not called to assassinate Ahab. When Nehemiah’s men were told to surrender their arms, their right response amounted to “come and take them.” But Jeremiah required the people to surrender to the Babylonians. But we are all called to take the same kind of stand, responding faithfully to the Word of God.

Counter-cultural obedience is not a “one size fits all” sort of thing. But it is a “one heart fits all” sort of thing. But make special note of this. “The heart must be right” is not intended to be an all-purpose excuse for whatever it was you already wanted to do.

The David Chronicles 9: Like All the Nations

Joe Harby on May 22, 2011

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Introduction

The Lord provided a great deliverance at the second battle of Ebenezer, and Israel was greatly blessed by it. But blessings are like manna—they must be replenished daily. They go bad over time; they don’t keep well. Yesterday’s grace stinks by the time today’s troubles set in. Grace must be replenished constantly. Now Samuel was an adult at the time of the battle, and he was a great blessing for many years as he judged Israel. But when this chapter opens, he is an old man—probably about 30 years later. So Israel did not stumble over this point three weeks after the battle, but they did stumble over it.

The Text

“And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment . . .” (1 Sam. 8:1-22).

Summary of the Text

When Samuel was old, he provided for the succession by making his sons judges (v. 1). They lived in the far south, in Beersheeba, and judged Israel there. Their names were Joel and Abiah (v. 2). But they were not upright like Samuel; they took bribes and bent justice (v. 3). The elders of Israel came to Samuel in Ramah (v. 4), and they said that Samuel was old, his sons were not like him, and so they asked for a king like the other nations had (v. 5). Samuel was displeased about this, but prayed to the Lord (v. 6). And God said that Samuel should do it, and encouraged Samuel by saying that it was not Samuel they were rejecting, but rather the Lord (v. 7). They were now doing to Samuel what they had done all along to the Lord (v. 8). So, the Lord said, give them what they ask for, but warn them about the consequences (v. 9). And so Samuel warned them with the words of God (v. 10).

This is what a king like the other nations will be like—he will conscript sons for his army (v. 11). He will build a fancy and impressive infrastructure, and he will staff it (v. 12). He will take daughters to be confectioners, cooks, and bakers (v. 13). With this last reference, there may be an allusion to a harem (2 Sam. 13; Job 31:10). He will seize the best fields and lands, and give them to his favorites (v. 14)—eminent domain is older than the Kelo decision. In order to fund all this, he will take a tithe of your produce (v. 15). He will conscript servants (v. 16). He will take a tithe from the flocks, and reduce Israel to servitude (v. 17). Israel will cry out because of this internal oppression, but the Lord will not hear (v. 18). Samuel said all this, but the people refused to listen (v. 19). They wanted a king for three reasons—that they might have status like the other nations, that he might be a judge over them, and that he might go out before them to fight their battles (v. 20). Samuel heard what they said and reported it all to the Lord (v. 21). And so the Lord said to Samuel that he should comply with their request (v. 22).

The Coming King

Gideon had been used as a deliverer of Israel, but when he refused the crown he did so in stark either/or terms. Either Gideon would rule or the Lord would (Jdg. 8:23). In the period of the judges, there was one man who was proud enough to try to be king, and that was Abimelech (Jdg. 8:31), Gideon’s son by a concubine. That was a short-lived experiment. And yet the author of Judges indicates that some of their lawlessness arose from the fact they did not have a king (Jdg. 18:1; Jdg. 19:1). The added comment that “everyone did what was right in their own eyes” indicated there was some sort of problem (Jdg. 17:6; Jdg. 21:25). Deuteronomy anticipates the sin of wanting a king like the goyim have (Deut. 17:14-16), but then charges them in the law to prohibit the kind of thing that Samuel said would certainly happen. The law allowed for a king, but not for a king like the nations had. He could not be a foreigner, and he could not multiply in a 3G fashion—guns, girls, or gold. When the moment came, Samuel knew they were off on the wrong foot, and his words of warning were prophetic. They were the words of God.

A Pattern of Sons

Eli was a good man, a leader in Israel, and he had two natural sons, both of them corrupt. His adopted son, Samuel, was an upright man. Samuel was a leader in Israel, and he had two natural sons, both of them corrupt. His adopted son, Saul, began humbly and well, but the temptations of his office soon turned him aside into corruption. Saul was a leader in Israel, a corrupt man, and he had two of the noblest sons found in Scripture— Jonathan and Ishbosheth.

The Rule of God

Samuel bore some responsibility for this. He appointed two corrupt judges, related to him, which gave Israel the excuse they needed to seek for a king like the other nations had. At the same time, this was just a convenient excuse. They had two judges who corrupted justice at the Little League level, so what sense does it make to demand a king who would do it at a World Series level? Israel didn’t like getting her feet wet at the beach, and so they swam out to sea.

The dire warnings given by Samuel seem modest when set alongside the claims of the modern overweening state. What we wouldn’t give to get back to a ten percent level of taxation! The significance of this number lies in the comparison, not in the amount. When the king claims as much as God does, or more, this is a (sometimes thinly) disguised claim to Deity. But the solution is not this party or that one, this protest or that one, this politician or that one. The solution is repentance, a repentance that works its way out into Christian self-government. Self- control, a fruit of the Spirit, is the foundation of all political liberty. Without that, your choice is the tyrant in the red hat or the despot in the blue one.

The David Chronicles 8: The Second Ebenezer

Joe Harby on May 15, 2011

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Introduction

The reformation we see here in this passage was slow in coming, and did not last very long. But at the same time, it was real. Reformations are messy, and cannot be understood by the tidy-minded. As we live in a time that is desperate for real reformation, there are many things for us to learn here.

The Text

“And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD . . .” (1 Sam. 7:1-17).

Summary of the Text

So the ark of the covenant was taken to Kirjathjearim, a predominantly Gentile town, and it was kept at the house of a man named Abinadab. Abinadab’s son was named Eleazar, and he was consecrated to take care of the ark (v. 1). The ark was there for twenty years, and the entire house of Israel lamented after the Lord (v. 2). We know from other chronologies that this was the time when Samson destroyed the temple of the Philistines, and so Samuel judged that the time was right for reformation. The Israelites were suffering at the hands of the Philistines (v. 3), and Samuel told the whole nation to do three things, which all amounted to the same thing. He told them to wholeheartedly return to the Lord (v. 3), to put away their idols (v. 3), and prepare their hearts to serve the Lord alone (v. 3). And so this is what Israel did (v. 4). Samuel saw this, and so he mustered them at Mizpeh so that he could pray for them (v. 5). This they did, and consecrated themselves (v. 6).

The Philistines heard about this, and went up against them. The response was one of fear (v. 7). They turned to Samuel, asking him to pray for them (v. 8), which is why he had called them together in the first place (v. 5). Samuel offered up a lamb as an ascension sacrifice, and God heard his prayer (v. 9). The Philistines arrived just as he was sacrificing, the Lord thundered from the sky, and the Israelites routed them (v. 10), and pursued them to Bethcar (v. 11). And so Samuel set up a memorial between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer (v. 12).

The Philistines were set back all the days of Samuel (v. 13). The Israelite towns controlled by the Philistines, from Ekron to Gath, were returned to Israel (v. 14). And there was peace with the Amorites as well. Samuel judged Israel to the end of his life (v. 15). He was a circuit judge, traveling between Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpeh (v. 16), and his hometown of Ramah (v. 17).

A Lament for the Lord

Israel has the ark back from the Philistines, but everything is still unsettled. There is not a place of worship, like there was at Shiloh, and the ark is being kept was a consecrated man at somebody’s house. This was the state of affairs for twenty years, and the entire nation felt it. It tells us that “all the house of Israel” lamented after the Lord.

Reformations are real solutions for real problems. As William Tyndale once put it, God is “no patcher.” He doesn’t fuss around the edges. His approach is a root and branch approach. Jeremiah once spoke of the tendency of false prophets to “heal the wound of the people lightly” (Jer. 8:11). When someone rushes in to address the people’s “felt needs,” or to tell them “how to have their best life now,” the message is a light daub. Israel’s worship here is in raggedy tatters, and this is the way it is for twenty years—recognized as such for twenty years.

Samuel’s Message

One might argue that Israel’s real god here was their fear of the Philistines. Even after their repentance, they fear (v. 7). God is gracious, and responds even when men cry out to Him with mixed motives. Think of how God even responded to Ahab, for example (1 Kings 21: 27). Their trouble was the Philistines (v. 3). Because of it, they cried out to the true God (v. 2). The victory of Samson had just happened, and Samuel decided that it was time to call for a decision.

As mentioned before, Samuel calls them to three things. The first is to return to the Lord with all their hearts (v. 3). Having done so, they were to purge their lives of the strange gods and Ashtaroth. These baals were the male deities, and the others were the female fertility figures. Get rid of them all, Samuel said. And the third thing was to prepare their hearts to serve the living God only (v. 3). Here they are again: 1. Return wholeheartedly; 2. Purge out all idolatry; and 3. Pursue God only.

Now the fact that the Israelites listened to Samuel, and got rid of their baals and Ashtaroth (v. 4) means that their twenty year lament for the Lord (v. 2) was compromised.

Reformation and Worship

If Israel had gathered at Mizpeh, and had gone to war with the Philistines without repenting, what would have happened? They would have been soundly defeated again. The actual battle here is what we might call an instrument. If they had not repented, they would have used that instrument, and when they did repent they used that instrument. But when a repentant heart picks up an instrument, the attitude is entirely different. Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord (Zech. 2:6).

We are surrounded by Philistines, and we are beleaguered by them. The ancient Israelites had to deal with Ekron and Gath, with Ashkelon and Gaza, and with Ashdod. We have to deal with predatory taxation, and abortion on demand, and sodomy exalted. We have to deal with corruption in the highest places, and with moral stupidity in the lowest. We see this, and go out to battle, and what happens? We get our tails kicked. Why is this? It is because of that little god shelf we have at home. It is because the gods we serve do not want to go to war with their fellow idols. We must return to the Lord, we must throw down the idols, and we must pursue the Lord, and the Lord alone.

The David Chronicles 7: The Ark of the Gentiles

Joe Harby on April 10, 2011

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Introduction

We now can see the shape of an interesting storyline taking place. We see Israelites acting like faithless Gentiles, and Gentiles acting like faithful Israelites. In the pages to come, we are going to see quite a bit of this.

The Text

“And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place . . .” (1 Sam. 6:1-21).

Summary of the Text

The Philistines had the ark for seven months, meaning that they were plagued for about that time (v. 1). When they got to the end of their rope, they asked their holy men how to unload the ark (v. 2). They gave good advice— don’t send it off without a trespass or guilt offering (v. 3). What shall that offering be? The answer was that there should be five golden tumors, to match the number of the chief lords of the chief cities (v. 4). There were also mice, which may have represented the surrounding agrarian villages, which were apparently plagued by mice eating the grain. The mice “marred the land” (v. 5). All Philistia was afflicted. They were told to give glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will take His hand off them, their gods, and their land (v. 5). The priests of Philistia reminded the lords of the Philistines not to harden their hearts the way Pharaoh and the Egyptians had (v. 6). They were advised to take two milch cows, and to tie them to a new cart, and to take their calves away (v. 7). The ark is to be put on the cart, and the gold tumors and mice put in a box next to it, and the cart turned loose (v. 8). If the milch cows head (uphill) to Israel, then God is afflicting them, but if the milch cows go in search of their calves, then the plague was a coincidence (v. 9). So they followed the advice (vv. 10-11). The milch cows, lowing for their calves, made a beeline for Israel anyway, and the lords of the Philistines followed after, right up to the border (v. 12). The men of Bethshemesh were in the wheat harvest (May/June), and they were interrupted by the arrival of the cart (v. 13). The cart stopped by the house of a man named Joshua, and so they offered up the milch cows as a burnt offering (v. 14). They put the ark on a rock, and offered more burnt offerings (v. 15). The lords
of the Philistines, satisfied, returned home (v. 16). The gold tumors corresponded to the five great cities (v. 17). The mice represented all the villages (v. 18).

What could go wrong now? God smote the men of that city because they desecrated the ark by looking into it, and over 50,000 people died (v. 19)—worse than the casualties at the first battle of Ebenezer (v. 19). And the men of Bethshemesh said that they could not stand it (v. 20). And so they handed the ark off to the inhabitants of a place called Kirjathjearim (v. 21).

Keeping in mind that the ancient literary structure won’t necessarily match our chapters and verses (or sermon divisions), consider this chiastic structure.

a First Battle of Ebenezer (Philistine victory)—1 Sam. 4:1b-11
b Ark held by the Gentiles—1 Sam. 4:12-22
c Ark plagues the Philistines—1 Sam. 5: 1-12
d Return of the ark—1 Sam. 6: 1-18
c’ Ark plagues Bethshemesh—1 Sam. 6: 19-21
b’ Ark held by the Gentiles in Kirjathjearim—1 Sam. 7: 1-2
a’ Second Battle of Ebenezer (Israelite victory)—1 Sam. 7: 3-17

A Roundabout Transfer

A few generations later, Asaph tells the story of the Exodus in Psalm 78. But he includes this story near the end of that psalm, where the ark of the covenant went into exile and then returned (Ps. 78:58-72). This is a description of how God moved the ark of the covenant from Shiloh to Zion at Jerusalem, the place He had chosen for the sake of David. God judged His people first, and then rose up like a drunken warrior and smote the Philistines (Ps. 78: 65). This psalm tells us that this was all part of God’s plan to establish the throne in Judah.

What’s Wrong with This Picture?

Let’s consider a few geographical details. Ekron was near where the Sorek Valley opened up into the plain. Bethshemesh was part way up that valley, and was soon to be the site of many of Samson’s great deeds. Delilah was from that region (Judges 16:4). Bethshemesh was a Levitical city (Josh. 21:16). It was full of Levites, who ought to have known how to handle the ark. But the first thing they did was offer up two milch cows for a burnt offering —when the law required that such offerings be of males (Lev. 1:3). They set it up on a stone for people to gawk at, when the law required the ark to be covered (Num. 4:5). Then they looked into the ark, and so the Lord slew a bunch of them. The lesson is clear—these Levites are Philistines.

Instead of repenting, they seek to unload the ark. So they send the ark up to the road to Kirjathjearim. But this was predominantly a Gentile city (Josh. 9:17). Within the borders of Israel, this was nevertheless one of the towns of the Gibeonites who tricked Joshua. So the Levites hand the ark off to the Gibeonites.

From Top to Bottom

We have learned from Hannah that the Lord raises the lowly and topples the arrogant. But this is not something that happens to solitary individuals only—as when one president falls and is replaced with another one, but with the institution of the presidency itself still intact. No, when God mixes it up, the whole structure of society is involved. God is not playing patty-cake here. There are many moving parts, and the stakes are high. The run up to the second battle of Ebenezer includes the ark remaining peacefully at Kirjathjearim for 20 years (1 Sam. 7:2), and it also includes the time in which we see all the exploits of Samson. Just as Dagon fell before the ark, so the whole house of Dagon fell before (and upon) Samson. And it was right after that when Samuel decided to declare repentant war upon the Philistines.