And the people of Bethshemesh were in the fields reaping their wheat-harvest; and when they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. And the cart came into the field, and stood where there was a great stone. Then they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the two kine for a burnt offering unto the Lord. And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord, and the box that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone. And the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices the same day unto the Lord. And when the lords of the Philistines who had followed the ark to the field of Bethshemesh had seen the offerings and sacrifices of the men of Israel, they returned to their own land the same day. Thus the Lord made the Philistines to fear the God of Israel, and to know that He alone is the one true God-a mighty God and terrible. He had suffered them to take His holy ark from the children of Israel, to teach His sinful people that it could not be as a god to them, to save them from their enemies. But He made the heathen to fear and honour the ark which He had made holy, that they might learn that the great God of heaven and earth, the God of Israel, was not as their idol gods, which were not gods, but images of wood and stone. While the ark remained on the great stone in the field near Bethshemesh, the men of that city came and looked within the ark. Then the Lord smote many of them, and they died; for He had commanded that no one who was not of the family of Aaron, should dare to look upon the ark, or upon the holy things that were with the ark. Thus the Lord taught His sinful and rebellious people, that though the ark of the covenant was not to be as a god to them to protect them, or destroy their enemies when they willed, that yet it was holy to the Lord their God, and was to be honoured for His sake who had made it holy. Then the men of Bethshemesh said, "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?" And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kir jath-Jearim, another city of the tribe of Judah, saying, "The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord: come ye down and fetch it up to you." And the men of Kirjath-Jearim came and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it to the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of theLord. 1 Samuel v. vi. vii. The heathen, are all nations which are not numbered among God's chosen people. All nations besides the children of Israel were called heathen before the coming of our Lord; now all nations who are not Christians are called heathen, because Christians are now the true Israel, or chosen people of the Lord. Chapter CE. THE REPENTANCE OF ISRAEL UNDER THE PRO- About AFTER the ark of the Lord had been sent back 1128. by the Philistines to the land of Israel, many of B.C. the people still hardened their hearts against the Lord, and served other gods-the idol-gods of the heathen. For twenty years they continued to live in sin and disobedience, and the Philistines still oppressed them. But at length they grew weary of their evil way; they found that it was an evil thing and bitter to have forsaken the Lord their God; and "all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord." Then they turned to hearken to the words of Samuel, the prophet of the Lord. For Samuel had spoken to all the house of Israel, and said, that if they would return unto the Lord with all their hearts, and put away the strange gods from among them, and prepare their hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only, He would deliver them out of the hand of the Philistines. So the children of Israel put away from them the idolgods of the heathen-Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. Then Samuel gathered About the elders and all the people together to a solemn 1108. assembly at Mizpeh. And all the people fasted before the Lord that day, and confessed their sins, saying, "We have sinned against the Lord." And Samuel prayed to the Lord for them. When the Philistines heard that the Israelites B. C. were gathered together at Mizpeh, they went up quickly against them with their army. Then the children of Israel were greatly afraid, and they 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." So Samuel took a lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering to the Lord; and he cried unto the Lord for Israel. And while Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. Then the Lord thundered with a great thunder upon the Philistines, and filled their hearts with fear, so that they could not stand before His people. And the men of Israel went out from Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and slew many of them. So the Philistines were subdued; and for a long time they came no more into the land of Israel. And the cities which they had taken from the children of Israel were restored to them; and all the land was delivered out of the hand of the Philistines. Then Samuel ruled in peace over all Israel as |