From the town of Dan in the north to the town of Beersheba in the south, everyone in the country knew that Samuel was truly the LORD's prophet. One day, Samuel told all the people of Israel, "If you really want to turn back to the LORD, then prove it. Get rid of your foreign idols, including the ones of the goddess Astarte. Turn to the LORD with all your heart and worship only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines. Samuel begged the LORD to rescue Israel, then he sacrificed a young lamb to the LORD. Samuel had not even finished offering the sacrifice when the Philistines started to attack. But the LORD answered his prayer and made thunder crash all around them. The Philistines panicked and ran away. For as long as Samuel lived, the LORD helped Israel fight the Philistines.
Samuel is both a judge and a prophet. He is the link between the period of the Judges and the period of the kings. When he told Israel to repent and turn back to the LORD, he was repeating the words of Moses from Deuteronomy 30 and the words spoken through Joshua. He institutes a blood sacrifice using the best of the flocks and God answers his faithful servant. The Philistines were enemies of Israel in this period and will later be handled by David when the kings of the United Kingdom are ushered in.
Daily Prayer: Father, I too am in need of repentance. While I don't think of idols, I do labor against spiritual strongholds and forces of darkness and evil. In my time also, I call on your name for deliverance and you are there. Amen.
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