Reading for February 18th

 Read 1 Samuel 7.2--17. In 7.2-17: Samuel judges Israel. Samuel is described as a transitional figure between the era of the judges and the monarchy. He embodies the roles of priest, prophet, and now judge. In verse 2: Twenty years is a way of designating half a generation. the phrase fits Samuel into the structure of the book of Judges in which a period of foreign oppression precedes Israel's repentance. In verses 3-4: The call for returning to the Lord with all your heart from the sin of idolatry marks these verses as an addition by the deuteronomistic editor. Baal and Astarte were leading male and female fertility gods of Canaan. In verse 5: Mizpah became the administrative and religious capital after Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BCE. The setting of this story in Mizpah may indicate a late date of composition. In verse 6: The libations and fasting described here are part of a community purification ritual, perhaps for war. In verses 8-9: Samuel is depicted as an intercessory for the people in the tradition of Moses and Jeremiah. In verse 10: The first part of this verse is parenthetical; Yahweh's answer is the thunder. In verse 12: An etiology for the name Ebenezer, whose original meaning was religious and military; "stone of the helper/warrior." In verses 13-14: The typical deuteronomistic formula for the judges are here applied to Samuel (compare Judg 3.30; 8.28; 11.33). In verses 15-17: The book of Judges describes two type of judges; military leaders and legal figures. This chapter ascribes both roles to Samuel. The towns of Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and Ramah were all within the territories of the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. Comments or Questions..