Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and went up to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went close under the door of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech"s head, and broke his skull. Then he called hastily unto the young man his armor-bearer, and said unto him, "Draw thy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, "A woman slew him.""
And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
{338}
SAMUEL
_The Story of a Man Who Began to Do Right When He Was a Boy, and Who Never Departed from the Way in Which He Began_.
(Samuel is one of the finest characters in the Old Testament. In the midst of evil times, and in contact with evil men, he never departed from the strict way of truth and righteousness and service to G.o.d.
Samuel was fortunate in having an excellent mother. She dedicated her son to G.o.d, and gave him very early to the service of G.o.d. She loved him very much, and no doubt missed him very much from the home. Every year she went to see him, and brought him a little coat which she had made.
"But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child. Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.")
HOW SAMUEL LEARNED TO OBEY THE VOICE OF G.o.d.
And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pa.s.s at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see), and the lamp of G.o.d was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of G.o.d was; that the Lord called Samuel: and he said, "Here am I."
{339}{340}
[Ill.u.s.tration]
SOURCES OF THE JORDAN. THE ANCIENT DAN
Dan was a city on the northern boundary of Palestine, and Beer-sheba was a city on the southern boundary, so there came to be a national saying "from Dan to Beer-sheba," to indicate the whole kingdom. "And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord." The picture is taken near the supposed site of the ancient city at the point where a great spring bursting forth forms the princ.i.p.al source of the Jordan river.
[End ill.u.s.tration]
{341}
And he ran to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me."
And he said, "I called not; lie down again."
And he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, "Samuel."
And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me."
And he answered, "I called not, my son; lie down again."
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time.
And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst.
me."
And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.""
So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel."
Then Samuel said, "Speak; for thy servant heareth." And the Lord said, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. For I have told him that I will judge {342} his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not.
And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli"s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever."
And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son."
And he said, "Here am I."
And he said, "What is the thing that the Lord hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: G.o.d do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke unto thee."
And Samuel told him every word, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good."
And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.
HOW THE WICKEDNESS OF THE LEADERS BROUGHT SORE DEFEAT UPON ISRAEL AND HOW ELI DIED WHEN HE HEARD THE NEWS.
Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and camped beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines camped in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
{343}{344}
[Ill.u.s.tration]
THE RUINS OF SHILOH (SEILUN), FROM THE NORTHEAST Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
The mound is covered with foundations, heaps of stones, and walls.
"And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head."
Shiloh was one of the princ.i.p.al sanctuaries of Israel throughout the time of the Judges. Here the ark was kept, and here Eli was living when the man of Benjamin came out of the fatal fight to tell Eli that his sons were slain and the Ark of G.o.d was taken by the Philistines.
[End ill.u.s.tration]
{345}
And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies."
So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which sitteth upon the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of G.o.d. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?"
And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "G.o.d is come into the camp." And they said, "Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty G.o.ds? these are the G.o.ds that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight."
And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very {346} great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of G.o.d was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon his seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of G.o.d. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What meaneth the noise of this tumult?"
And the man hasted, and came and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were set, that he could not see.
And the man said unto Eli, "I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army."
And he said, "How went the matter, my son?"