Study Desk

Good things will happen to Israel, but you will see bad things happening at home. No one in your family will live to be an old man.

There is only one man I will save to serve as priest at my altar. He will live until his eyes wear out and his strength is gone. But all of your descendants will die by the sword.

Samuel thought Eli was calling him, so he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me." But Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed." So Samuel went back to bed.

I told Eli I would punish his family forever. I will do this because Eli knew his sons were saying and doing bad things against God. But he failed to control them.

But Eli said to Samuel, "Samuel, my son." Samuel answered, "Yes, sir."

Eli was 98 years old. He was blind, so he could not see what was happening, but he could hear the loud noise of the people crying. Eli asked, "Why are the people making this loud noise?" The Benjamite man ran to Eli and told him what happened.

She was about to die when the women who were helping her said, "Don't worry, you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer or pay attention.

But the next morning when the people of Ashdod got up, they found Dagon on the ground again. Dagon had fallen down before the Lord 's Holy Box. This time, Dagon's head and hands were broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only his body was still in one piece.

But after the Philistines had moved God's Holy Box to Gath, the Lord punished that city. The people became very frightened. God caused many troubles for all the people—young and old. He caused the people in Gath to have tumors.

So the Philistines sent God's Holy Box to Ekron. But when God's Holy Box came into Ekron, the people of Ekron complained. They said, "Why are you bringing the Box of the God of Israel to our city Ekron? Do you want to kill us and our people?"

Watch the wagon. If the wagon goes toward Beth Shemesh in Israel's own land, then it is their God who has given us this great sickness. But if the cows don't go straight to Beth Shemesh, we will know it was not their God who brought this sickness to us. It was just one of those things that sometimes happen."

The Philistines did what the priests and magicians said. They found two cows that had just had calves and tied them to the wagon. But they kept the calves at home in a pen.

But no priests were there to lead the celebration when the men of Beth Shemesh saw the Lord 's Holy Box. So the Lord killed 70 men from Beth Shemesh. The people of Beth Shemesh cried loudly because of this hard punishment.

The Philistines came closer and closer to fight the Israelites while Samuel offered the sacrifice. But then, the Lord caused a loud clap of thunder to hit near the Philistines. The thunder scared the Philistines, and they became confused, so the Israelites defeated them in battle.

The Philistines had taken some cities from Israel, but the Israelites won them back. They recovered those cities throughout the Philistine area, from Ekron to Gath. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.

But Samuel always went back to his home in Ramah. There he built an altar to the Lord and judged Israel.

But Samuel's sons did not live the same way he did. Joel and Abijah accepted bribes. They took money secretly and changed their decisions in court. They cheated people in court.

They are doing the same thing they have always done. I took them out of Egypt, but they left me and served other gods. They are doing the same to you.

So listen to the people and do what they say. But give them a warning. Tell the people what a king will do to them. Tell them how a king rules people."

When that time comes, you will cry because of the king you chose. But the Lord won't answer you at that time."