(3) A Fatal Accident. Their father, whose sin seems to have been his easiness of disposi tion, his passive and quiescent temper, sat on a sacerdotal throne by the wayside, to gather the earliest news of the battle, for his 'heart trembled for the ark of God ;' and as a fugitive from the scene of conflict reported to him the sad disaster, dwelling with natural climax on its melancholy particulars—Israel routed and fleeing in panic, Hophni and Phinehas both slain, and the ark of God taken—this last and overpowering intelli gence so shocked him, that he fainted and fell from his seat, and in his fall, from the imbecile corpu lence of age, 'brake his neck and died' (I Sam. iv : 18). When the feeble administration of Eli, who had judged Israel forty years, was concluded by his death, Samuel was too young to succeed to the regency, and the actions of this earlier portion of his life are left unrecorded.
(4) The Ark of God. The ark, which had been captured by the Philistines, soon vindicated its majesty, and, after being detained among them seven months, was sent back to Israel. It did not, however, reach Shiloh, in consequence of the fearful judgment of Bethshemesh (I Sam. vi: 19), but rested in Kirjath-jearim for no fewer than twenty years (vii:2).
(5) Judge. It is not till the expiration • of this period that Samuel appears again in the history. Perhaps during the twenty years succeeding Eli's death his authority was gradually gathering strength, while the office of supreme magistrate may have been vacant, each tribe being governed by its own hereditary phylarch. This long season of national humiliation was to some extent im proved. 'All the house of Israel lamented after the Lord,' and Samuel, seizing upon the crisis, issued a public manifesto, exposing the sin of idolatry, urging on the people religious amend ment, and promising political deliverance on their reformation. The people obeyed. the oracular man date was effectual, and the principles of the theoc racy again triumphed (t Sam. vii :4). The tribes were summoned by the prophet to assemble in Mizpeh, and at this assembly of the Hebrew com itia, Samuel seems to have been elected regent (vii :6).
(6) Ebenezer Erected. This mustering of the Hebrews at Mizpeh on the inauguration of Sam uel alarmed the Philistines, and their 'lords went up against Israel.' Samuel assumed the functions of the theocratic viceroy, offered a solemn obla tion, and implored the immediate protection of Jehovah. He was answered with propitious thun der. A fearful storm burst upon the Philistines, the elements warred against them. 'The Highest gave his voice in the heaven, hailstones and coals of fire.' The old enemies of Israel were signally defeated, and did not recruit their strength again during the administration of the prophet-judge.
The grateful victor erected a stone of remem brance and named it Ebenezer. From an inci dental allusion (I Sam. vii:14) we learn, too, that about this time the Amorites, the Eastern foes of Israel, were also at peace with them—another triumph of a government 'the weapons of whose warfare were not carnal.' The presidency of Samuel appears to have been eminently success ful. From the very brief sketch given us of his public life, we infer that the administration of justice occupied no little share of his time and attention. He went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh, places not very far distant from each other, but chosen perhaps, as Winer suggests. because they were the old scenes of worship (Real-wort., ii, 444).
The dwelling of the prophet was at Ramah, where religious worship was established after the patriarchal model, and where Samuel, like Abra-, ham, built an altar to the Lord.
(7) The Monarchy. In Samuel's old age two of his sons were appointed by him deputy judges in Beersheba. These young men possessed not their father's integrity of spirit, but 'turned aside after lucre, took bribes, and perverted judgment' (i Sam. viii :3). The advanced years of the vener able ruler himself and his approaching dissolution, the certainty that none of his family could fill his office with advantage to the country, the horror of a period of anarchy which his death might occasion, the necessity of having some one to put an end to tribal jealousies and concentrate the energies of the nation, especially as there appeared to be symptoms of renewed warlike preparations on the part of the Ammonites (xii :12)—these considerations seem to have led the elders of Is rael to adopt the bold step of assembling at Ra mah and soliciting Samuel 'to make a king to judge them.' The proposed change from a republican to a regal form of government displeased Samuel for various reasons. Besides its being a departure from the first Atiolitical institute, and so far an infringement of the rights of the divine head of the theocracy, it was regarded by the regent as a virtual charge against himself, and might appear to him as one of those examples of popular fickle ness and ingratitude which the history of every realm exhibits in profusion. Jehovah comforts Samuel in this respect by saying, 'They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me.' Being warned of God to accede to their request for a king, and yet to remonstrate with the people, and set before the nation the perils and tyranny of a monarchical government (I Sam. viii :9, to), Samuel proceeded to the election of a sovereign.