1 Samuel 7:6

7:5,6 Israel drew water and poured it out before the Lord; signifying their humiliation and sorrow for sin. They pour out their hearts in repentance before the Lord. They were free and full in their confession, and fixed in their resolution to cast away from them all their wrong doings. They made a public confession, We have sinned against the Lord; thus giving glory to God, and taking shame to themselves. And if we thus confess our sins, we shall find our God faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

And they gathered together to Mizpeh,.... Even all Israel, at least the heads of the people, and representatives of them: and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord; drew it from some fountain near at hand, and poured it out as in the presence of God, who was where his people were met together.

1 Samuel 7:6 . They drew water and poured it out — As an external sign, whereby they testified both their own filthiness and need of washing by the grace and Spirit of God, and the blood of the covenant, and their sincere desire to pour out their hearts before the Lord, in true repentance, and to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. Before the Lord — That is, in the public assembly, where God is in a special manner present. Samuel judged — That is, governed them, reformed all abuses against God or man, took care that the laws of God should be observed, and wilfil transgressions punished.

Verse 6. - They... drew water, and poured it out before Jehovah. While the drawing of water was a joyful act ( Isaiah 12:3 ; John 7:37, 38 ), as symbolising the winning from the depths below of the source of life and health, the pouring it out before Jehovah expressed sorrow for sin, and so it is explained by the Chaldee Paraphrast: "They poured out their heart in penitence like water before the Lord" (comp. Psalm 22:14 ). It might here also signify weakness and powerlessness, the being "as water spilt upon the ground, which cannot be gathered up again" ( 2 Samuel 14:14 ). They further expressed their sorrow by fasting, enjoined "for the afflicting of their souls" upon the great day of atonement ( Leviticus 16:29, 31 ; Leviticus 23:27, 32 ; Numbers 29:7 ). And to these symbolical acts they joined the confession of the mouth, acknowledging that "they had sinned against Jehovah. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. That is, he now became the acknowledged ruler of Israel in things temporal, both civil and military., as he had previously been in things spiritual by virtue of his office as prophet. This was, of course, the result of the decisive action he had taken in summoning this national convention; but the words strongly suggest that there was some direct appointment, or at the very least a national acknowledgment of Samuel's authority, especially as they precede the history of the defeat of the Philistines.

He had summoned the people together as Nabi, prophet, and when he said, "I will pray for you unto Jehovah," there was the implied meaning that he would be with them only in that capacity. But when the time came to appoint a general, who would act under him as Barak had acted under Deborah, the great chiefs, probably, who saw in him the prime mover of all that was being done, urged him also to take the command,and upon his consent he became also Shophet or judge. ISRAEL'S DELIVERANCE FROM THE TYRANNY OF THE PHILISTINES (vers. 7-14). 1 Samuel 7:6

6 . and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord ] A symbolical act which has no exact parallel in the O.T., but was probably significant of the outpouring of their hearts before Jehovah in penitence and supplication. Cp. ch. 1 Samuel 1:15 ; Psalm 62:8 ; Lamentations 2:19 . The paraphrase of the Targum is, “And they poured out their heart in repentance before Jehovah.” and fasted on that day ] As on the great day of Atonement ( Leviticus 16:9 ), in token of humiliation and contrition for their sin. We have sinned against the Lord ] They made a public confession. Cp. Jdg 10:10 . And Samuel judged , &c.] As prophet he effected the religions reformation, and then taking his place as the chief magistrate of the state, he provided for the civil and political reorganization of the people. That the assembly lasted some time is clear from 1 Samuel 7:7 . The Philistines had time to muster their army before it dispersed.

And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and {d} 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. (d) The Chaldee text says that they drew water out of their heart: that is, wept abundantly for their sins.

Two rites are brought together here which belong especially to the Feast of Tabernacles and the Day of Atonement, respectively, namely, drawing and pouring out water, and fasting. Hence, some think that Samuel chose the Feast of tabernacles, and the fast which preceded it, as the occasion for assembling the people. Others explain the pouring out water as the pouring out the heart in penitence as it were water; or, as a symbolic act expressing their ruin and helplessness 2 Samuel 14:14 ; or as typifying their desire that their sins might be forgotten "as waters that pass away" Job 11:16 . And Samuel judged - This seems to denote the "commencement" of Samuel's Judgeship civil and military, as having taken place at Mizpeh on this occasion. As civil Judge he did exactly what Moses did Exodus 18:13-16; as military Judge he did what Othniel, Ehud, Barak, and Gideon had done before him, organized and marshalled the people for effectual resistance to their oppressors, and led them out to victory.

(6) And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. —For some quarter of a century Samuel had been the principal personage among the people, and had, no doubt, long exercised the varied functions of the “judges” of Israel; but the tribes were scattered, their fortresses in the hand of enemies, there was scarcely any national life in that gloomy period in the people. In the first general assembly of the tribes the rank and position which Samuel had long really filled are publicly acknowledged.

To Mizpeh; not that beyond Jordan, of which Judges 11:11,29 ; but another in Canaan, where the Israelites used to assemble, Judges 20:1 1 Samuel 10:17 . Drew water, and poured it out; which they did either, 1. Figuratively; they drew tears out of their hearts, and poured out of their eyes as it were rivers of water; such descriptions of penitential sorrow being not unusual. See Psalm 6:7 119:136 Jeremiah 19:1 Lamentations 3:48,49 . Or rather, 2. Properly, because they are said first to draw it , and then to pour it out . And this agrees well with the state of those times, wherein such rites as this were very customary. Now this course they seem to have used, either, 1. As a mean or instrument of their purification. So they washed themselves in this water, thereby acknowledging their filthiness, and cleansing themselves as the law prescribed. But this seems not probable, 1. Because here is only mention of drawing and pouring forth this water before the Lord, but not of any washing themselves with it. 2. Because this was not a fit time and place to purify themselves in this great and general assembly. Or, 2. As an external sign, whereby they testified and professed both their own great filthiness and need of washing by the grace and Spirit of God, and blood of the covenant, which are oft signified by water, and their sincere desire to pour out their very hearts before the Lord in true repentance, and to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.

Before the Lord, i.e. in the public assembly, where God is in a special manner present, as hath been noted before. Samuel judged the children of Israel, i.e. governed them, reformed all abuses against God or man, took care that the laws of God should be observed and executed, and wilful transgressors punished.

6. Samuel judged … Israel in Mizpeh—At the time of Eli's death he could not have much exceeded twenty years of age; and although his character and position must have given him great influence, it does not appear that hitherto he had done more than prophets were wont to do. Now he entered on the duties of a civil magistrate.