Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If you do return to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to Yahweh, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
"So they put away the Baals and the Ashteroth, and served the Lord only"  (1 Samuel 7:4).  These pagan deities were worshipped by all the Phoenicians, including the Philistines; and, "This casting off of the false deities was equivalent to a rebellion against Philistine supremacy"[6] Due to the abbreviated nature of this narrative, we are not told exactly how Israel rejected the false gods.