"Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."

About 1000 B.C. there was a desperate woman. She was the first wife of Elkanah, and had no children. In the Talmud it states that a woman who has not given birth might as well be dead. Not that her husband did not love her, but because the second wife had born him a number of children. But she attended the tabernacle, and poured her heart out to the Lord.

However, her emotions were so deep that her lips moved, but she could not frame the words. And the old priest, Eli came in, saw her, and thinking that she was drunk reproved her. She explained her plight, and promised that if God would give her a child, then she would give him back to God. And eventually he was born, and when he was weaned she came back, and gave him to the Lord, and each year presented him with a new cloak - to express her unquenched love. God blessed her honesty, and subsequently she bore a number of sons.

The priesthood in Samuel's day was a sorry affair. Eli had two sons, Hopni and Phineas. They were both wicked men and polluted the true worship that God had prescribed. You see they stole from the sacrifices, and seduced the women who came to worship.

The principal enemy of the Israelites were the Philistines. They were very fearsome, and struck terror into the hearts of God's people each time. But God was a caring God, and when His people cried out to Him, He heard and came to their defense. However on this occasion when the people heard of the impending attack, they came for help from Eli, whose two sons, decided to come to the aid of the people by taking the ark cut off the tabernacle, and caring it into the field of battle, like a good luck omen.

Unfortunately the Philistines succeeded in the battle, and the ark was captured. The Philistines were of the same mind as Hopni and Phineas, and respected the ark, and took it into their temple for safe keeping. In the morning when they opened the temple doors their god Dagon lay face down on the temple floor in front of the ark. Thinking that there had been a tremor, or something, they placed him upright, and again left for the day. Again in the morning, the doors were opened, and there lay their god on the floor, but this time his head and hands were cut off.

The Philistines were terrified, and took the ark out of the temple, and arranged to have it delivered to the Israelites. Sometime later it found it's way back to Samuel, who brought the people out, rejoicing that the sacred ark had been returned..

The Philistines attacked again, but Samuel prayed, offered up a lamb in sacrifice, and God sent thunder and confusion, and the invaders attacked themselves, and were routed. With the deliverance, Samuel set up a stone of memorial, and proclaimed, that, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."

When all appeared to be lost, Samuel prayed, God heard, and deliverance came. It was set as a national monument, and each time the people passed by, they were reminded of the Lord's goodness to them.