And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the children of Israel said to Samuel, cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.-1 Samuel 7:3-17***Samuel the priest, prophet and judge was born into the tribe of Levi to Elkanah and Hannah. Elkanah was descended from Aaron the priest and Elisheba, Jacob (Israel) and his 1st wife Leah, Isaac and Rebekah, Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), their father Terah, Terah's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Arphaxad, Arphaxad's father Shem, Shem's father Noah the ark builder, Noah's great-grandfather Enoch, Enoch's great-great-great-grandfather Seth, and Seth's parents Adam and Eve. The Lord God created Adam, the 1st man. The Lord God formed Adam from the dust of the ground, and the Lord God made Adam's wife Eve, the mother of all living, after taking a part out of Adam. When Samuel was weaned, Hannah took Samuel to live at the tabernacle complex in Shiloh, giving Samuel to the Lord God, fulfilling the vow that she made to the Lord God before Samuel was conceived. When Samuel was a child, he heard the Lord God calling him. After Samuel received instructions from Eli the priest, Samuel answered the Lord God and proclaimed the words of the Lord God to Eli. When Samuel was older, he journeyed among the Israelites and led the Israelites to perform the will of the Lord God. When Samuel was elderly, and his sons Joel (Vashni) and Abiah were wicked judges, and King Nahash and his fellow Ammonites were preparing to attack, the Israelite elders demanded that Samuel appoint a king to lead them. Samuel prayed to the Lord God, and proclaimed the words of the Lord God to the Israelites, and anointed Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, to reign as king, according to the command of the Lord God. Benjamin was the 2nd and last son born to Jacob and his 2nd wife Rachel. In Mizpah (Mizpeh), Saul hid himself, and the Israelites sought the will of the Lord God. After the Israelites presented Saul to Samuel, Samuel presented Saul to the Israelites. Thus, Saul reigned as king over the Israelites in the Promised Land, the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. In Gilgal, after Saul led the Israelites to victory over the Ammonites, according to the will of the Lord God, peace offerings were sacrificed to the Lord God. The Israelites publicly confirmed that Saul was their king, and Saul and the Israelite men rejoiced. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that Samuel addressed the Israelites and spoke of his life and behavior, and the history of the Israelites, and the potential behavior of the Israelites, and made a request of the Lord God. At least twice, Saul did not obey the commands of the Lord God. While Saul reigned, the Lord God sent Samuel to anoint David, from the tribe of Jacob and Leah's 4th born son Judah, to reign as king. Sometime before Samuel's death before David actually began to reign, Samuel and David possibly made plans for the duties to be performed by Levites at the house for the Name of the Lord that would be built my David's son and successor. After Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua (Melchishua) were killed by the Philistines, and Saul's self-inflicted death on the same battlefield, men from the tribe of Judah anointed David, and 30-year-old David began to reign only over the tribe of Judah. Saul's son Ishbosheth (Eshbaal) reigned over the other Israelite tribes. After Ishbosheth was murdered, the Israelite elders went to David, and David made a covenant with them. The elders anointed David, and 37-year-old David became the 2nd king to reign over all of the Israelites. Over 900 years after Solomon, the 2nd child born to David and Bathsheba, became the 3rd king to reign over all of the Israelites, and built the temple of the Lord, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by Mary's relative John the Baptist, from the tribe of Levi. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach and perform miracles among the Israelites, the treasured and chosen people of the Lord God.-Genesis, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 18:1-28, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1:1-11:43, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 6:1-81, 8:1-40, 9:35-29:30, 2 Chronicles 1:1-9:31, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26
Reference Scriptures:
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.-Judges 2:11-13
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and he gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.-Judges 10:6
And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.-1 Samuel 12:1...And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.-1 Samuel 12:12...So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;-1 Samuel 12:18-20...Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:-1 Samuel 12:23
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