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The Book of Judges ends on a depressing note for the Israelites. The tribal Confederation was proving inadequate for the time of growing Philistine menace because there was no central authority to command the tribes to united action. But the struggle for the 'soul' of the people was only just beginning, as they began to learn how to farm successfully from the Canaanite peoples. Both politically and religiously, Israel's future existence hung in the balance.

Joshua had been welcomed into the Canaanite central shrine, possibly by blood-relations, and the baal sanctuary was re-dedicated to YHWH. Later, at the big Covenant Ceremony, (Josh.24), many people willingly joined the Covenant Community of YHWH, and in the course of time both groups shared their stories, the incomers of the Exodus and Sinai, and the original residents of the heroes and ancestors , as well as all the other popular religious myth stories that abounded in the area of the Fertile Crescent. The Story-tellers did a good job! All the stories were re-told in altered form, referring everything to the might of only one God, - YHWH! They were in three sections:

1. first, the story of experience, from Moses to Joshua;
2. second, the stories of the ancestors, now as if they were all one big (happy?) family; (Gen.11-50);
3. and third the 'YHWH-ised' mythic stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah and the flood, (Gen.2-11).

Nowadays we read the three sections in reverse, chronological order.

This was an important and positive part of the establishment of the national consciousness, but the negative side was the big danger.

The Canaanites were experienced farmers of their day, and like all others, they were aware of the vagaries of Nature, so they offered gifts to their gods and prayed for their help in making the soil fertile, and for rain. Their gods were of the many Fertility cults, and in Canaan it was the Baal cult that flourished.

There were three main agricultural festivals each year:

1. At New Year, when the soil began to warm up after the 'death' of the old year, it was customary to enact the story of Baal's death and return to life with the help of his sister/wife, Anat, with the King and Queen as the principal actors.
2. At seed-time when fertility was the key issue, worship took the form of sacred prostitution at the temples to urge the gods to do the same on behalf of the farmers' fields,
3. and at harvest there was a festival of plenty to eat and drink.

All of these occasions were believed to be essential to successful farming, and to ignore them was folly! They were also the main entertainment events in the life of the community, very attractive and pleasurable. Israelite farmers joined in with enthusiasm, regardless of their Covenant of obedience only to YHWH. They turned to YHWH when they needed help in battle, but to the Baals when they planted their barley seed.

Baalism and YHWHism, however could not be syncretised and merged into one. All fertility cults revolve with the natural seasons, - in 'cyclic' time, but YHWH was the God of historical events, - ie. 'linear' time. Lines and circles cannot merge! Only one system could prevail, but which one? The incompatible difference can be seen most clearly in the attitude of each, to sex itself. In Baalism sex is at the heart of religious activity, (Sexual ecstasy is almost the same as religious ecstasy). YHWH, however, is the God of fertility, while transcending sex him There was never a female consort of YHWH either! Baal-worshippers sought to control and manipulate the gods, whereas YHWH-worshippers sought to serve God by obedience and good behaviour, in and for the community. There was no meeting place!

Priests and Pro Both religions offered sacrifices with the help of priests whose business was to perform all the sacrificial rituals correctly, whether for Baal or YHWH. Sometimes it was for one, other times for the other, one could not be certain.

Prophecy was also a multi-faceted phenomenon common to both religious systems. Some bands of travelling prophets were similar to circus folk - a good entertainment in their drug-assisted, self-induced prophetic ecstasy, especially when their ravings were in the realm of fortune-telling, but people otherwise to be avoided. Some were permanently attached to sacred sanctuaries and others as advisers to governments. At its best, it was the means by which YHWH was recognised making contact with the people. Moses is the best example we have met so far. The YHWH-champions of the OT. were usually the simple-living herdsmen of the hill country, who could see clearly how contemporary events did, or did not, match up to YHWH's requirements. They were usually lonely and very unpopular. Samuel, the centre figure of the next part of Israel's story, was not only 'the last of the Judges', but also the 'first of the new seer (visionary), prophets'.

SAMUEL (1Sam.1-3). The birth story of Samuel is homely and delightful, alerting the reader to expect the emergence of a great person. He was born into the rich Ephraimite family of Elkanah, after his barren mother, Hannah, had prayed to YHWH, (the God of fertility), during their annual family sacrificial holiday at Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, in the care of Eli, the Aaronic priest. In her gratitude, Hannah gave her son to Eli to grow up to be a servant of YHWH's Ark. While he was still young, Samuel was 'called' to be a seer/prophet of YHWH.

The Story of the Ark, (chs.4-6) Soon the Philistine danger erupted again, and the Israelites lost the battle of Ebenezer, so badly that in their extremity they decided to carry the Ark of YHWH into battle next time, as their forbears had done in the wilderness. In the next battle even the Ark was lost to the Philistines; its guardians, Eli's sons, were killed, and Eli died too when he heard of the catastrophe. It would appear that Shiloh too was totally destroyed. The Philistines offered the Ark as a trophy to their god, Dagon, but were very frightened by subsequent events.. After a few months they voluntarily returned the Ark to Israel and it found a new home at Kireath-Jearim.

Samuel became the new leader, the last of the Judges, (ch.7); he instituted a religious reform and all baals were destroyed. Samuel then offered a big community sacrifice to YHWH, though not a priest himself, .... And the Philistines again attacked. This time, however, the Philistines were routed. (YHWH 'thundered with a mighty loud voice', and the frightened enemy fled in the thunderstorm.) For a time there was peace. Samuel regularly travelled on circuit as a Judge, but he was also a prophet. He 'saw' the need for stronger and more authoritative leadership among the twelve tribes, and established SAUL as Israel's first King.