Eastern building in mountainous countries, partly an excavation, partly a flat roof projecting from the side of the hill, and sustained by a portico of huge columns in front. Fragments of such pillars are to be found in the ruins, or built into walls, and used as door sills. On the flat roof, then, easily approached from the hill behind, would be a large number of the Philistines, within the temple many more, and Samson was placed between the two central columns of the portico, the main support of all. The Philistines watched the blind giant to deride him. He cried aloud to the Lord to give him back his strength, and grant him vengeance at

his death.

Was it a right prayer? We cannot tell. It was not the Saviour's prayer, nor the martyr's, but the devout Israelite viewed the hostile nations as a Christian views the hosts of Satan, and Samson's cry involved the entreaty that he who had sinned, suffered, and repented, might be allowed in his death to fulfil the work he had neglected in his life, that of destroying the strength of the Philistines.

Then, clasping the two huge stone columns, he dragged them together. They yielded like hazel wands. The roof came crushing over him; and Dagon, and the priests and lords who thought they had triumphed over the LORD JEHOVAH, lay one mass of death and destruction among the hosts of the greatest, bravest, and noblest of the Philistines! And Samson, who at least had never broken faith, lay dead, his hands clasped about the pillars; and so great was the confusion and despair, that the kinsmen of the destroyer could venture into the midst of the enemy's country, bear away his body, and bury it in his forefathers' tomb, near the spot where his birth had been foretold. "And they were more that he slew at his death than all that he slew in his life." So he finished his strange, wild, broken, fitful likeness to Him who should "by death destroy the power of death, that is, the devil."

LESSON L.

THE RESTORATION BY SAMUEL.

B.C. 1140.-1 SAM. vii. 3—17.

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 Eben-ezer, † 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.

* The House of the Lamb.

The Stone of Help.

And he went from year to year in circuit* to Beth-el, 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.

COMMENT.-The Nazarite of mighty strength was dead, and had worked no deliverance. What hope was there? The Nazarite of prayer was left, but he was a man of peace, bred in the holy place of Shiloh till twelve years old, when the destruction came, and then had been apparently in retirement at his father's home, the Levite city of Ramah. How should he deliver Israel? But grace can do more than strength. When Samuel was about thirty-two years old-and if we may trust the reckoning in the margin of our Bibles, the ruin of the temple of Dagon at Gaza was just accomplished, killing all the lords of the Philistines, so as to leave them no leader-Samuel came forth, and called on the people to put away their idols, and hold a great day of fasting, prayer, and humiliation, if yet they might win the favour of God.

Shiloh was no more, and the priesthood was out of sight, so Samuel gathered the people at Mizpeh, the watch-tower of Benjamin, and there was a public mourning for their sins, pouring out water as a visible sign that they ought to be dissolved in tears for their sins.

Their Philistine masters kept a jealous watch upon Israel, and hearing of this assembly came forth to break it up; but in spite of the fears of the Israelites, they had hopes in Samuel's prayers. He was no priest, but by special appointment of God, he, a Levite, offered up a lamb entire as a fresh dedication of the whole people to God. While he was in the midst of the sacrifice, the enemy drew near. Samuel prayed on through the battle at his altar: "He called upon the mighty Lord when his enemies pressed him on every side, when he offered the sucking lamb; and the Lord thundered from heaven, and with a great noise made his voice to be heard." (Ecclus. xlvi. 15-16.) It was the first time since the victories of Jephthah that a battle had been gained by the Israelites, or that they had felt that God was for them. Though Shiloh was in ruins, He had not forsaken them. The place to which they pursued their

* Went round.

enemies was called Beth-car, perhaps from the lamb of the sacrifice (though it may have been an older name), and Samuel set up a stone in memorial of the victory, naming it Eben-ezer, "the Stone of Help." The Philistines were effectually driven back, and Israel was free again. The Nazarite of prayer had done what the Nazarite of strength had failed in! And under him the Israelites began a real course of improvement. He not only judged Israel as their defender, but he did what none of the other Judges had apparently tried, he watched over the people to teach them devotion. Since Shiloh was no more, he established three altars, one at Mizpeh, the place of his victory; one at Gilgal, where Joshua and the Ark had been so long; and one at his home at Ramah; and he went from one to the other year by year, acting as ruler, teacher, and priest. Moreover he established what were called Schools of the Prophets, the first apparently at Ramah. He was himself a Kohathite Levite, and is counted as the first of the prophetic system in Israel, so that the Jews numbered the Books bearing his name as the earliest in the division of the Prophets. The office of these prophets was rather to preach righteousness and sing praise to God. That which we call especially prophecy—i.e. the foretelling future events-was an inspiration given to a few; the main body were trained from their youth up in the knowledge of the law of God, and in sacred music and song. They were not priests, and could not sacrifice, but they preached righteousness, led prayer, and tuned the voice of praise, and thus became the stronghold of religion through the sad days when the Ark was lost. It was probably owing to these Schools of the Prophets and the men that came from them, that Samuel's reformation was the most complete the Israelites ever had; it cleared away idolatry, and was the first step to the chief glory of the nation, and it took all the influence of a corrupt court at last to turn the nation back to Baal and Ashtaroth.

LESSON LI.

THE ISRAELITES ASK A KING.

B.C. 1095.-1 SAM. viii.

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah they were judges in Beer-sheba.

And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy 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. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, 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 unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

Now therefore hearken unto their voice: how beit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.

And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.

And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear *his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries,† and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.

And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.

He will take the tenth of your sheep and ye shall be his servants.

* Till.

+ Make sweetmeat-probably with honey.