Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Samuel 7
-9. Chapter 7 Then the men of Kirjah's dream
came and took the ark of the Lord, and brought
it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and
consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of
the Lord. So it was that the ark remained in
Kirjah's dream a long time, it was there twenty
years. And all the house of Israel lamented after
the Lord. Then Samuel spoke to all the house
of Israel, saying, If you return to the Lord
with all your hearts, then put away the foreign
gods and the Ashtarothis from among you, and
prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve him
only, and he will deliver you from the hand of
the Philistines. So the children of Israel put
away the Baals and the Ashtarothis, and served
the Lord only. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel
to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.
So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water,
and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted
that day and said there, We have sinned against
the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel
at Mizpah. Now when the Philistines heard that
the children of Israel had gathered together
at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went
up against Israel. And when the children of Israel
heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
So the children of Israel said to Samuel, Do
not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for
us, that he may save us from the hand of the
Philistines. And Samuel took a suckling lamb
and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the
Lord. Then Samuel cried out to the Lord of Israel,
and the Lord answered him, Now as Samuel was
offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines
drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord
thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines
that day and so confused them that they were
overcome before Israel. And the men of Israel
went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines
and drove them back as far as below Beth -kar.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between
Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer,
saying, Thus far the Lord has helped us. So the
Philistines were subdued. and they did not come
any more into the territory of Israel. And the
hand of the Lord was against the Philistines
all the days of Samuel. Then the cities which
the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored
to Israel, from Ekron to Gath. And Israel recovered
its territory from the hands of the Philistines.
Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his
life. He went from year to year on a circuit
to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel
in all those places. But he always returned to
Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged
Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
Now it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that
he made his sons judges over Israel, the name
of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his
second, Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.
But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned
aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and
perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel
gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
and said to him, Look, you are old, and your
sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a
king to judge us like all the nations. But the
thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give
us a king to judge us. So Samuel prayed to the
Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, Heed the voice
of the people in all that they say to you. For
they have not rejected you, but they have rejected
me, that I should not reign over them, according
to all the works which they have done since the
day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even
to this day, with which they have forsaken me
and served other gods. So they are doing to you
also. Now therefore heed their voice. However,
you shall solemnly forewarn them and show them
the behavior of the king who will reign over
them. So Samuel told all the words of the Lord
to the people who asked him for a king. And he
said, This will be the behavior of the king who
will reign over you. He will take your sons and
appoint them for his own chariots and to be his
horsemen, and some will run before his chariots.
He will appoint captains over his thousands and
captains over his fifties. will set some to plow
his ground and reap his harvest, and some to
make his weapons of war and equipment for his
chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers,
cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best
of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive
groves, and give them to his servants. He will
take a tenth of your grain and your vintage,
and give it to his officers and servants. And
he will take your male servants, your female
servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys,
and put them to his work. He will take a tenth
of your sheep, and you will be his servants.
And you will cry out in that day because of your
king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, and
the Lord will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless,
the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel,
and they said, No, but we will have a king over
us, that we may also be like all the nations,
and that our king may judge us and go out before
us and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all
the words of the people, and he repeated them
in the hearing of the Lord. So the Lord said
to Samuel, Heed their voice and make them a king.
And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Every man
go to his city. Chapter 9 There was a man of
Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel,
the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorah, the son
of Aphia, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
And he had a choice and handsome son, whose name
was Saul. There was not a more handsome person
than he among the children of Israel. From his
shoulders upward he was taller than any of the
people. Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father,
were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, Please
take one of the servants with you, and arise,
go and look for the donkeys. So he passed through
the mountains of Ephraim, and through the land
of Shalisha, but they did not find him. Then
he passed through the land of Shalim, and they
were not there. Then he passed through the land
of the Benjamites, but they did not find him.
When he had come to the land of Zuth, Saul said
to his servant, who was with him, Come, let us
return, lest my father cease caring about the
donkeys and become worried about us. And he said
to him, Look now, there is in this city a man
of God, and he is an honorable man. All that
he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there,
perhaps he can show us the way that we should
go. Then Saul said to his servant, But look,
if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the
bread in our vessels is all gone, and there is
no present to bring to the man of God. What do
we have? And the servant answered Saul again
and said, Look, I have here at hand one -fourth
of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the
man of God to tell us our way. Formerly in Israel,
when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus,
Come, let us go to the seer. For he who is now
called a prophet was formerly called a seer.
Then Saul said to his servant, Well said, come,
let us go. So they went to the city where the
man of God was. As they went up the hill to the
city, they met some young women going out to
draw water and said to them, Is the seer here?
And they answered them and said, Yes, there he
is, just ahead of you. Hurry now, for today he
came to this city because there is a sacrifice
of the people today on the high place. As soon
as you come into the city, you will surely find
him before he goes up to the high place to eat.
For the people will not eat until he comes, because
he must bless the sacrifice. Afterward, those
who are invited will eat. Now therefore go up,
for about this time you will find him. So they
went up to the city. As they were coming into
the city, there was Samuel. coming out toward
them on his way up to the high place. Now the
Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before
Saul came, saying, Tomorrow about this time I
will send you a man from the land of Benjamin,
and you shall anoint him commander over my people
Israel, that he may save my people from the hand
of the Philistines. For I have looked upon my
people, because their cry has come to me. So
when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, There
he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one
shall reign over my people. Then Saul drew near
to Samuel in the gate and said, Please tell me,
where is the seer's house? Samuel answered Saul
and said, I am the seer. Go up before me to the
high place, for you shall eat with me today.
And tomorrow I will let you go and will tell
you all that is in your heart. But as for your
donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not
be anxious about them, for they have been found.
And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it
not on you and on all your father's house? And
Saul answered and said, Am I not a Benjamite,
of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and
my family the least of all the families of the
tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like
this to me? Now Samuel took Saul and his servant
and brought them into the hall and had them sit
in the place of honor among those who were invited.
There were about thirty persons. And Samuel said
to the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you,
of which I said to you, Set it apart. So the
cook took up the thigh with its upper part and
set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Here it
is. What was kept back, it was set apart for
you. Eat, for until this time it has been kept
for you, since I said I invited the people. So
Saul ate with Samuel that day. When they had
come down from the high place into the city,
Samuel spoke with Saul on the top of the house.
They arose early, and it was about the dawning
of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the
top of the house, saying, Get up, that I may
send you on your way. And Saul arose, and both
of them went outside, he and Samuel. As they
were going down to the outskirts of the city,
Samuel said to Saul, Tell the servant to go on
ahead of us. And he went on, But you stand here
a while, that I may announce to you the word
of God. I hope you enjoyed today's reading as
much as I did, and I look forward to seeing you
again tomorrow to continue on our journey. God
bless you and have a great day.