Chapter 10: The Prophet of All Israel

After the battle at Mizpah, the Philistines were subdued. They did not enter the territory of Israel again. The cities they had taken were restored, from Ekron to Gath, and there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

Samuel traveled a circuit through the land year after year, stopping at Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. In each place he settled disputes, gave counsel, and spoke on behalf of God. Then he would return home to Ramah, where he built an altar to the Lord.

The years passed. Samuel grew old. And when the weight of leading the nation became too much for one man, he appointed his two sons, Joel and Abijah, as judges in Beersheba to help carry the load.

But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain. They took bribes. They twisted justice. The man who had spent his entire life serving Israel with clean hands now watched his own children corrupt the very office he had given them.

Word of what Joel and Abijah were doing spread through the land. The elders of Israel saw it. They remembered what had happened the last time corrupt men held sacred positions. They remembered Hophni and Phinehas. And they began to talk among themselves about a different kind of solution.

They did not want another judge. They did not want another prophet's sons. They wanted what every other nation had. They wanted a king.