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1 Samuel 7.1-17 NOTES

1 Samuel 7:2-17 - Exegesis - RETURNING TO GOD

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is on the life of Samuel, and so far we have looked at Samuel's birth, his childhood, and then his call as a prophet. Then Samuel disappeared from the narrative for chapters 4, 5 and 6 while we followed the ark of the covenant on its adventures in the land of the Philistines. But now in chapter seven Samuel is back in the story. Israel has fallen away from God, and chapter seven is all about Samuel's leadership in helping Israel return to the Lord. (Read 1 Samuel 7:2-17 and pray.)

How is your relationship with God today? Are you walking close with him? Are you growing in Christ, moving forward, making progress? Or have you plateaued or even stepped backwards in your Christian walk? God created you to have a relationship with him. And unless you are growing in that relationship, you are missing out on the best that God has for you. You are missing out on God's daily love and guidance, his peace and assurance in your life. You are missing out on the main reason why you are here. If you have walked away from God in your life in any way, even just a little bit, it's time to return. It's time to come home to God.

That's exactly where the people of Israel were here in chapter seven. They had walked away from God, and it was time to return to the Lord. Samuel, acting as prophet, priest and judge, leads them through the proper steps.

These steps for returning to God have not changed over the years. So as we look at Samuel's instructions to Israel, we can see clearly the steps we also need to take to return to God even today. The steps are simple to understand, but often hard to take because of the stubbornness and pride in our hearts. But they are worth it! When you have walked away from God, nothing is more important than returning to the Lord.

l. Repentance (2-4)

The first step in returning to the Lord is always repentance. Verses 2-4 show us some of the key aspects of genuine repentance before the Lord.

A. Mourning for sin and seeking after the Lord

First of all, there must be mourning for sin and seeking after the Lord. Look at verse 2: "It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD." (1 Samuel 7:2)

Israel had been away from God for a long time. One of the consequences of their rebellion was that they were subject to the Philistines during these years. Now I am sure they were miserable the whole time they were under Philistine control. But there was something different about their mourning now. Now they literally "lamented after the Lord." In other words, they were not just sorry that they were under the Philistines. They were sorry that they were apart from God.

True repentance always involves sorrow for sin and a seeking after the Lord. It is not just sorrow for the consequences of your sin or the difficulty of your circumstances, but it is a lamenting after God. There is a vertical dimension to your sorrow. You are sorry for your sin because of the way it has affected your relationship with God. And so true repentance begins with mourning for sin and seeking after the Lord.

B. Putting aside any rivals to God in your life

A second part of true repentance is putting aside any rivals to God in your life. We see this in verse 3:

And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." (1 Samuel 7:3)

Samuel said, "If you are really coming back to God, then get rid of your idols." True repentance means putting aside any rivals to God in your life.

What are the rivals to God in your life? You never walk away from God to nothing. There is always something that we have allowed to come between us and God. If you are not as close to God as you have been in the past, what have you allowed to come in between? Perhaps it is another person, perhaps it is some goal you are pursuing, perhaps it is money, anger, pride, or the use of your time. What is it in your life that is keeping you from God?

Take a moment and think about that. Because whatever it is, before you can return to the Lord, you must identify your idols and put them aside. Coming back to God without putting aside your idols is like a man coming back to his wife after an affair and bringing the other woman with him. That won't fly with the wife, and it won't fly with God. True repentance means putting aside any rivals to God in your life.

C. Committing yourself to serving God only

And then thirdly, true repentance means committing yourself to serving God only. That was the next part of Samuel's instruction. "Rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only." (1 Samuel 7:3) Repentance isn't just a turning away from sin, but it is a turning towards God. If you just turn away from one sin to another, or exchange one idol for another, that is not repentance. That's like quitting smoking and taking up drugs. You don't really get anywhere.

True repentance always has a Godward direction. It is a returning to the Lord. You put aside those things that drew you away from God in the first place, and you commit yourself to serving the Lord only. And that is exactly what we find the Israelites doing in verse 4: "So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only." (1 Samuel 7:4) The first step in returning to God is repentance.

ll. Prayer (5-11)

The second step is prayer. You need to talk to God about it. Now this second step, prayer, overlaps with the first step of repentance. The whole time you are showing sorrow for sin and putting aside any rivals to God in your life and committing yourself to serving God only, you will be praying as well. But it is helpful to look at this second step separately. And in verses 5-11, we find three aspects of prayer that are an especially important part of returning to God.

A. Asking for prayer from other believers

The first aspect is asking for prayer from other believers. Look at verse 5: Then Samuel said, "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the LORD for you." (1 Samuel 7:5) We need the help of other believers. We can't make it on our own. Samuel realized this. He realized that Israel was weak and needed help. And so he offered to pray for them.

When you have walked away from God, you are weak spiritually. You are going to need some help. You will need to ask other believers to pray with you and for you. Of course that is going to take humility on your part. We don't like admitting that we need help. But that humility and reliance on others in the body of Christ is all part of the process.

That is why God has given us each other. We aren't meant to live the Christian life in isolation. God calls us into community with each other, and we are meant to lift each other up. That means that I can be there for you when you are weak and struggling, and you can be there for me when I am weak and struggling. We need each other. Part of returning to God involves asking for prayer from other believers.

B. Freely confessing your sin against the Lord

A second aspect of prayer is freely confessing your sin against the Lord. Look at verse 6:

When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah. (1 Samuel 7:6)

Here we have a corporate confession of sin, something we do not see as much of today. But it is certainly appropriate for entire groups of Christians to come together to confess their sin to God. Sometimes God will lead an entire church to come together to confess a particular sin or failing. Perhaps we need to see more of that. Perhaps God is calling us to do that as a church at some time. We are not sure exactly what this "pouring out of water before the Lord" represented. We do not find this in any of the other sacrifices to God. It seems to go along with their fasting - fasting from food and pouring out water before the Lord.

But either way the people of Israel came together in prayer and freely confessed their sin against the Lord. Once again this is a humbling thing to do. We don't like admitting that we need help, and we don't like admitting that we are wrong. Your confession of sin may be private, or it may need to be public. It will at least involve talking with those people whom your sin has affected and confessing to them. But first and foremost your confession of sin is a confession to God in prayer.

C. Trusting God to deliver you by his grace

And then a third aspect of prayer we find in these verses is trusting God to deliver you by his grace with the emphasis on the word "grace." Look at verses 7-9:

When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines." Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel's behalf, and the LORD answered him. (1 Samuel 7:7-9)

If you have walked away from God, I can guarantee that you have problems in your life. That is because God disciplines us when we walk away from him so that we will return to him. For the Israelites, their problem had a name. It was called the Philistines. And when the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered together at Mizpah, they went into attack mode. When the Israelites heard about it, they cried out to Samuel, and Samuel sacrificed a lamb. Remember, whenever you see an animal sacrifice in the Old Testament, that is a signal for you to think about Jesus. The Old Testament sacrifices point forward to the sacrifice of Jesus for us on the cross. They are a reminder to us of God's grace.

Whatever problems you may have brought into your life by walking away from God, you need to come to God in prayer trusting him to deliver you by his grace. Don't come to God asking him to deliver you because of something you have done. Don't come to God asking him to deliver you because of something you will do. Come to God asking him to deliver you because of what Jesus has already done for you. That's trusting God to deliver you by his grace.

What happened when the Israelites trusted God to deliver them by his grace? Look at verses 10-11:

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car. (1 Samuel 7:10-11)

Did you get that? While the Philistines were drawing near for battle, the Israelites are gathered around a sacrificial lamb. Samuel took the lamb, offered it up to the Lord as a burnt offering, and God answered his prayer. God thundered against the Philistines and threw them into a panic. He miraculously delivered the Israelites from the Philistines that day. That is the third aspect of prayer we find in these verses - trusting God to deliver you by his grace.

III. Growth (12-17)

So what are the steps to returning to God? The first step is repentance, the second step is prayer, and then the third step is growth. In other words, don't expect to suddenly have it all together after taking these first few steps of returning to the Lord. We will never have it all together until we reach heaven. Returning to the Lord means returning to the process of growth as a Christian. It means you are resuming your journey, not arriving at your destination. This third step of returning to God is the longest step. It is continuing the difficult, daily, sometimes painful but always rewarding process of growing in Christ.

A. Marking your progress

So what are some of the aspects of Christian growth we find in our passage this morning? The first one is such an important one to keep us going and keep us motivated, and that is marking your progress. Look at verse 12:

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us." So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. (1 Samuel 7:12-13a)

God had given the Israelites a victory that day at Mizpah. Samuel didn't want the Israelites to forget it, so he set up a stone as a marker saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." He named the stone Ebenezer, which literally means "Stone of Help." There is a song we sometimes sing called, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." One of the verses says, "Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by they help I've come," that is "Thus far the Lord has helped me." If you've ever wondered what that verse was all about, it is talking about this incident right here in 1 Samuel. It's talking about marking the progress that God has given you in life.

Whenever you undertake a big project, it is always good to stop and mark your progress. When you hike up a mountain, it is good to stop along the way and look back at how far you have come. When you are working towards a high school diploma or a college degree, you take note of important milestones, you keep track of how many courses completed and how many left to go. Even when you do something simple like mowing the lawn, you stop and look at the sections you have already done to motivate you to finish the rest.

In the same way, you need to find ways to mark your progress in the Christian life. If God speaks to you through a verse in the Bible, perhaps put a date next to that verse right in your Bible. If God answers a prayer for you, write it down somewhere. Perhaps start a prayer journal where you can keep a record of these things. But find ways to mark the progress in your Christian life, so that you can see how far you've come. It will motivate you to keep on growing and keep you from getting discouraged when you are not as far along in your Christian life as you would like to be. As John Newton, who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace," once said, "I am not the man I ought to be, I am not the man I wish to be, and I am not the man I hope to be, but by the grace of God, I am not the man I used to be." Now that's an example of a believer who was marking his progress in the Christian life.

B. Seeing the changes

A second aspect of Christian growth is that you will begin to see the changes in your life. The Israelites certainly did. Look at verses 13-14:

Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines. The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to her, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. (1 Samuel 7:13-14)

Now please understand. This does not mean that when you return to God all of your problems will just suddenly disappear. Christians go through hard times just like everyone else. But it does mean that God will withdraw his disciplining hand from you. And it means that God will be there to help you with your difficulties. You may still suffer the consequences from the bad decisions you made while not walking with God, but you will also see some positive changes in your life.

You will also experience what I like to call the "ripple effect" of obedience. The ripple effect is simply this. When you get one part of your life back in order with God, the other parts start to come together as well. The Israelites experienced the ripple effect. When they returned to God, not only were they delivered from the power of the Philistines, but there was also peace with the Amorites. The Philistines lived outside the borders of Israel. The Amorites were those groups of people still living within their borders who had never been uprooted.

And so the Israelites experienced both deliverance from outside forces and peace within their borders. There was a ripple effect of positive change. When you return to God, you will experience the ripple effect too, as the various parts of your life begin to fall back into place.

C. Living it out in your daily routine

And then the third aspect of Christian growth is living it out in your daily routine. We see this illustrated for us in Samuel's life in verses 15-17:

Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life. From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also judged Israel. And he built an altar there to the LORD. (1 Samuel 7:15-17)

Samuel had just led Israel through a dramatic time of returning to God. The people responded to his leadership. They repented of their idolatry and put their trust in the Lord. God delivered them from the Philistines with loud thunder from heaven. They set up a stone as a marker of their progress. This must have been a mountaintop experience for Samuel. He probably thought, "Wow, God that was awesome! That was so exciting! What do you have for me next?"

Well, what God had for him next was the daily routine of judging Israel. Year after year Samuel went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal and Mizpah, judging the people of Israel. He would finish the circuit, go back to his home in Ramah, and then he would start all over again. Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, Ramah. Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, Ramah. Judge the people, start again. Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, Ramah.

Mountaintop experiences are great. But we don't live on the mountain. Nobody lives on the mountain. We usually live in the valley. It is one thing to serve God in the dramatic moments of life. It is another thing to serve him day by day in the daily routines of life. But that is what we are called to do. Get up each morning, read my Bible, say my prayers. Go to work or school, love the people God has placed around me, do a good job, come back home. Love my family, love my neighbors, love my church. Try to do everything to God's glory. Get up the next morning and do it all over again.

It is not always glamorous or even exciting to grow as a Christian. But it is worth it. It is the only thing that makes life worthwhile. And it is what God has called us to do.

CONCLUSION: The Israelites waited twenty years from the time they got the ark back before they returned to the Lord. Twenty years! I'm sure they didn't intend to wait that long. But the years have a way of slipping away from you when you do nothing. Nobody ever says, "I will wait until next year to come back to God." They just say, "Not today." But after awhile all those "not-today's" begin to add up to weeks and months and even years if we're not careful.

Have you drifted away from God? How long has it been? If it's even been one day, that's too long. It's time to come back. It's time to come home. It's time to return to the Lord.

Requirements For Revival Text: I Samuel 7:3-13

When Henry Ward Beecher greeted inquirers at a revival meeting, he didn't ask the usual questions about their souls. Instead, he greeted them at first with questions about their recent patterns of exercise, eating and sleep. He called it "clinical theology" - it helped distinguish between conviction and indigestion. As a church prepares for revival, it's important to have a time of self-examination.

In the text, Israel is a nation in need of revival. Both politically and religiously, the nation was weak. It was in this context of corruption and decline that Samuel emerged as God's man for the hour. Samuel stressed the demands the people faced if they were to experience spiritual renewal. Those same requirements for revival challenge us today.

l. Revival Requires Sincere Repentance (1 Samuel 7:2-4) In the face of the tragic consequences of their own sin, the people recognized their need to be restored to God.

Yet repentance is more than simply feeling sorry for our sins. As one writer said, "Repentance without amendment is likely continually pumping without mending the leak in the pipe." Sincere repentance involves turning from sin and turning toward God.

ll. Revival Requires Sacrificial Commitment We don't like to hear much about sacrifice these days. Perhaps that's why we know so little about revival.

Sacrifice prepares our hearts to hear God and our lives to receive His touch.

(1) They had to give up the false gods. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that, rather than freeing ourselves from idolatry, we've merely transferred our idols. We no longer worship wood and stone; today our gods have electrodes and silicon chips, steel and glass, paper and ink.

2) They submitted their lives to God's authority. The world tells you to push your way to the top and get ahead. In contrast, the way of Christ is a way of submission. By submitting Himself to a cross, Christ allowed God to exalt Him. Only as we give ourselves to Him can God lift up our lives.

The sacrifice of 1 Samuel 7:9 was one in which the entire sacrifice belonged to God; none went to the priests. That is the submission that brings revival: a surrender to God of every part of our lives.

lll. Revival Requires Significant Action

Though the people were afraid, they were willing to trust God and act on the basis of that trust. God calls on us to move out in faith and claim the victory He has already promised.

There are challenges facing you today - perhaps financial, or family, or career, or perhaps your relationship with Christ. The choice is yours: do you really want revival, and are you willing to pay the price? (JMD)

Message

1 Samuel 7:1-2 ESV

1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
Shilo = destroyed
20 yrs - half a generation (40)

1 Samuel 7:3 ESV

3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

IF = you are returning...
ALL your heart
THEN = serve only Him
put away = get rid of...
He WILL deliver / rescue / save

1 Samuel 7:4 ESV

4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
true repentance requires action

1 Samuel 7:5 ESV

5 Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you."
true repentance requires prayer

1 Samuel 7:6 ESV

6 So they gathered at Mizpah and 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 people of Israel at Mizpah.
true repentance requires confession
They Gathered = Mizpah
drew water / poured out & fasted
"we have sinned against the LORD"

Rather than abandoning us God patiently waits for us to come to true repentance toward Him
20yrs / serving Baals & Ashtaroths
guilt & shame
God's never ending, always pursuing, all powerful love patiently waited for them
Samuel = judges them - they are guilty
we are guilty

1 Samuel 7:7 ESV

7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
Philistines = occupying force
gathering = not good
lets wipe them out...
nothing but defeat = fear

1 Samuel 7:8 ESV

8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines."
Before Israel tried to move the ark to bring victory when all they needed was to move their hearts
"Do not cease - to cry out - to the LORD our God - for us / That He Will SAVE us!!!

1 Samuel 7:9-10 ESV

9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.
nursing Lamb = 8 days old
Offered a lamb
cried out to God
God answered him
this is such a clear foreshadow of the gospel !!

V10
As Samuel is making this sacrifice
Philistines are advancing... ready to attack
Although God calls us to turn toward Him, ultimately we are restored to God when we are purchased by the blood of the Lamb.
like a roaring lion defending its territory God bellows forth!!
throws them into confusion
they are defeated before Israel
God thunders over you giving you victory over your enemies as well

1 Samuel 7:11 ESV

11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
tables have turned
no need for the ark in the camp just for God in their hearts!!!

1 Samuel 7:12 ESV

12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he
said, "Till now the Lord has helped us."
monuments = things to help us remember or honor
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Vietnam, ww1 / 2

Perhaps the most meaningful of all our national monuments stands in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty. No other national monument holds the significance of the grand lady of liberty, who has welcomed millions to our shores over the past century. My father shares his memory of returning from the battlefields of Europe after World War II. His ship was entering New York Harbor with the Statue of Liberty well in sight when a small tugboat came out to meet them. On the deck of the little boat was a band and a group of choristers singing, "Welcome Home, Boys, Welcome Home." My father says that everyone of those hardened combat veterans was standing on deck looking at Lady Liberty with tears in their eyes as they realized they had survived the war and it was over.

As important and meaningful as these national monuments are, none of them speaks to the needs addressed by Israel's Ebenezer monument. The Ebenezer stood in Samuel's day as a reminder of what God had done for the nation of Israel. As a matter of fact, the name itself emphasized that their victory was solely of God. On that day when he thundered from heaven, they were the undeserving beneficiaries of his saving work. It was not a monument to an abstract concept such as "liberty" or "justice," nor was it a memorial to individuals who had contributed much or sacrificed most. This was a reminder that repentance and faith had been effective and that God had been faithful to his word; God had acted on their behalf.

the stone the builders rejected has become the corner stone
if this stone falls on you youll be crushed but if you fall on it youll be broken

1 Samuel 7:13-17 ESV

13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. 15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord.

victory over their enemies
peace in their lands
restoration of what was lost, stolen, and broken
Israel enjoys fellowship with God and His priest as he walks among them
God created us to reflect His glory, and desires to fully restore us to that position and will do so.
Close
For you
Over you
Through you
will you acknowledge that God has been thundering for you in your life and answer His call?
will you rejoice that God is thundering over you as a protective father seeking your good and answer His call?
will you commit to live in such a way that allows the God of glory to thunder through you so that the world might know his name?

Baker Chapter III. Revival Under Samuel 1 Sam. 7:1-17

"And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying: If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." I Samuel vii. 3.

BOTH the religious and the national life of Israel were at a low ebb. For years an old and feeble priest had been at the head of affairs. His sons ministered in the priest's office. They were covetous and immoral, and used their position for their own vile ends. The offerings of the Lord were consequently abhorred. Their father, Eli, had not the courage to deal with them as a parent should, or to purify the service of the Lord's house, as the position of high priest required him to do. The service of God was neglected and in disrepute. At this time the Philistines came against the people, and inflicted upon them a severe defeat. In their extremity the Israelites sent for the ark of God. They did not inquire into the moral reasons why the Lord's help was not forthcoming. They turned superstitiously to a symbol instead of to the living God. Their religion was one of externals only, and was altogether independent of questions of character. With the ark in their midst they fought another battle with the Philistines, but were defeated more disastrously than ever. The ark itself was taken, the priests were slain, and Shiloh, their national centre and the meeting place of their faith, was laid waste. For 20 years they were under the heel of the Philistines, and had no place where they gathered to worship God. Though the ark was returned by their oppressors, it was consigned to a private house. It was no longer a rallying point for their faith. Then the people began to lament after the Lord. They became conscious of His absence. There was a power and a blessing, once enjoyed, but now missed. The presence of the living God was their need.

How this yearning found expression we do not know, but we have, in our text, the answer that Samuel gave to their longing. The instructions were obeyed. With all their heart they sought and served the Lord. A national assembly was convened, and ceremonies, expressive of their contrition and of their whole-hearted surrender to God, were observed. They confessed their sins, and individual cases were judged by Samuel, and his judgements were accepted. Then the Philistines gathered against them again. Samuel prayed for deliverance; and, before a blow was struck by them either in self-defence or for liberty, the power of the Lord was made manifest. In a thunderstorm He appeared and discomfited their foes. They saw that He was once more amongst them; and, acting under the inspiration of this, they pursued their enemies and were delivered out of their hands. National deliverance followed a general revival of religious faith and practice. The points we will notice in this story are: The Cause, The Conditions, and The Consequences of Revival.

l. THE CAUSE OF REVIVAL.

In our study of the revival under Moses in Egypt, we noticed that God is the great first, moving cause in such an event. That fact remains concerning all real religious awakenings. In this story we deal, however, with the secondary cause.

The human cause was Samuel. He was the instrument that God used. When quite a boy the Lord had spoken to him and given him His first message. This was one of warning and rebuke to Eli for the careless way in which he dealt with his family and supervised the Lord's work. After that "the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel." That is the record of 20 years before the revival. But the work that produced the great awakening began then. Our text must not be regarded as an isolated utterance of the great prophet at the end of the twenty years, but as an epitome of the message which, during that period, he was continually giving. The burden of his preaching was that the reason for their defeat and oppression was moral. The nation would not revive until religion revived. If there was a widespread reformation in their lives the Lord would give them deliverance. For twenty years Samuel preached this. It took all that time for it to sink into their minds. But it bore its fruit at last. The revival seemed sudden when it came, but it was the result of years of patient labour. This is a lesson we need to learn.

A revival is sadly needed in this land. The religious life is low. Morality is conspicuous by its absence in much of our business life. Men have little conscience in the matter of debt. Gambling is indulged in to an alarming extent. Social evils grow. Not only are divorces on the increase, but the number of wives and families abandoned by their husbands is very great. An awakening that will touch the consciences of men is needed if religion is to be an aggressive force, and if our social, commercial and civic life is to be saved from ruin. With these facts before us, and encouraged by the Welsh Revival, we have begun to pray and work for revival. After a short time many have become discouraged. We see no great movement, and we think we have expected too much. We begin to explain that the Revival in Wales is largely a matter of temperament, that the people are emotional, and naturally religious. We say it is impossible to have such a revival here. Our circumstances are so different, our populations are so mixed, we have such a mass of anti-Christian element. Judaism, Mahommedanism, Hindooism, Confucianism-all number their adherents by the thousand. The emigrants from Continental Europe have a lower moral standard than the British and the Dutch, and a greater mixture of superstition with their religion. All these combine against the atmosphere that would issue in a revival. But our God is equal to all this. The special difficulties are a challenge to His power and to our faith. The greater the difficulty and the need, the greater the reason for a revival. But we must have patience. We must be prepared to work long, and to do what, in the political world, Lord Rosebery calls spade work. God's best things can only be given to those who show appreciation of their value by persistent desire and effort to obtain them. The spasmodic prayers that represent flitting desires, though they are good, He does not answer. The prayers which reveal the settled longing of the heart are the prayers He heeds. And it takes time to reveal that such desires are possessed by us.

Some may be inclined to say: "If we only had a man like Samuel amongst us we should soon have a revival. But we lack an outstanding leader." Wales has given us the answer to this. The work there is the work of no one man. God has used many men, and many of humble origin. There is a story told concerning the football team of Harvard University which is also appropriate to this. For several seasons the Harvard team was beaten by those from the Yale and Pennsylvania Universities. Three young men gave themselves to the task of finding the cause, and also a remedy. The tide of defeat was stayed, and then it turned to victory. One day, after beating Yale by 28 to nil, a friend enquired about the new plan, and received a reply to the effect that every member of the old team was a star. Each was the best in his own particular line, and each played his own particular part, but the playing was that of individuals. "Now," he said, "we have only one star, but we have a team. We all work together." Is there not in that a hint for us? A number of us working together can equal a Samuel. With faith in and consecration to God, and with a conviction of the need of and desire for revival, the blessing can come through us.

ll. THE CONDITIONS OF REVIVAL.

1. Earnestness.-" If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts," said Samuel. That is, if you are in earnest, then put away, the strange gods. Nothing that is required to bring revival can be done unless, first of all, there be whole-heartedness. "If you mean business," Samuel seems to say, "I can give you the programme, but it turns upon this, 'If with all your hearts.'" But this earnestness that must precede everything else must continue throughout and permeate the remaining conditions. After putting away comes: "Prepare your hearts unto the Lord," or "set" or "make firm your hearts." Also "serve Him only.'' The whole thing must be done with the entire being.

John Collett Ryland, in the eighteenth century, at the age of 20, wrote these words: "If there is ever a God in heaven or earth, I vow and protest, in His strength, or that God permitting me, I'll find Him out; and I'll know whether He loves or hates me; or I'll die and perish, soul and body, in the pursuit and search." Ryland not only found God, but became one of His ministers. Within six years of writing this he was called to be the pastor of a Baptist church. Such earnestness cannot fail of finding God. "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

2. Repentance.-Though the people had forgotten God they had not altogether discarded religion. In the place of the true they had put the false. The false gods and the practices connected therewith must now be put on one side. Whilst the mind was occupied with other gods, the true God could not be seen. The heart must be wholly turned to Him to see Him; and in order to do this that which filled the vision must be put on one side. In this country we have not to face the substitution of a false religion for the true, so much as we have to face the substitution of the things of this life for the eternal. "The pure in heart shall see God." The reverse is true : "The impure shall not see Him." Lust blinds the eyes to God. Men cannot see Him, or be sure of Him, when they are lustful. It is easy and natural to be sceptical when impure.

Money is as blinding to the true vision as lust. If men are wholly occupied with the pursuit of wealth, and are determined upon getting money, they cannot see God. It is not a question so much of whether the methods of getting it are justifiable or unscrupulous, as it is the absorption in the pursuit of it. A man who has no time for anything else but business, though he run his business honestly, will find that God is outside his vision. His whole horizon is filled with that which absorbs him. Men must turn from the whole-hearted pursuit of money if they would get right with God.

Ambition is equally blinding. "How can ye believe," Christ said, "which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?" If the praise of our fellows be the dominant motive of our life we cannot find God. If we are prevented from taking our stand for Him, simply because it would mean the contempt of those whose good will we value, we shall find it impossible to be refreshed and helped by His presence. The inspiring, comforting, purifying effect of His presence is worth every sacrifice; and anything that is first, and places Him in a secondary position, must be put on one side.

This repentance includes confession. The children of Israel gathered at Mizpah and said:

"We have sinned against the Lord." The facts of one's life must be faced. The sins must be acknowledged. The responsibility for them must be taken. The blame must not be put upon circumstances. True confession is accepting the guilt. "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

But confession is not completed by making a secret acknowledgment unto the Lord. If our sins have been against individuals, and these are within reach of our word, the confession must be made 'to them. "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed," says James. "Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah." The individual cases came before him, and wrongs were righted. Relationships that were discordant were made harmonious. When people are ready to make up their quarrels revival is not far off.

III. THE CONSEQUENCES OF REVIVAL.

1. Unity - The Book of Judges concludes with the sentence: "Every man did that which was right in his own eyes." There was no recognized head. Eli, as high priest, never rallied or united the people. Not till Samuel came was the old unity restored. Now "all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord." "Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel." "And Samuel said: Gather all Israel to Mizpah."

Revival always means unity. In Wales the churches have never been so one as at the present time. Though the distinctive rite of the Baptists has been more in evidence than ever, 40,000 out of the 8o,ooo converts having been publicly baptised, the harmony of the churches has not been disturbed. In spite of the fierce controversy over the Education Act, Church of England clergymen have joined with the ministers of the Free Churches in the meetings for prayer and the care of the converts. The points of agreement are seen to be more; and whilst individual convictions are not lessened, they do not divide the workers.

In South Africa revival would mean not only greater unity amongst the churches, but amongst our various races. The great mission of Gipsy Smith brought together in the centres he visited men who had been separated for years, and, that kind of thing would be multiplied throughout the land if revival should sweep over it like a great wave.

2. Conflict - The children of Israel could not bestir themselves without their gathering appearing to be a challenge to the Philistines. Sooner or later the two powers must be pitted one against the other. Revival does not mean ease. It is a preparation for work. It will either arouse the organized forces of evil into open hostility, or it will compel the Christian forces to attack them more seriously.

3. Deliverance - "And He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines!" When the religious life of a country is low the wicked prosper, and at the expense of the majority of the people. Drinking corporations flourish, monopolies and trusts come to great estate, wealth is amassed without any consideration for those who are pushed on one side. Dividends have to be paid, and corporations are heartless. Revival means a great awakening of the public conscience, and with that awakening deliverance from greed and selfishness and corruption will follow.

EW COMMENTARY - 1 Samuel 7 - Samuel as Judge

A. Samuel leads the nation in repentance.

1. (1-2) The ark at Kirjath Jearim.

Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

a. The men of Kirjath Jearim: They treated the Ark of the Covenant with respect and honor, yet they did not take it to the tabernacle. Instead of resting at the house of God, it was brought into the house of Abinadab.

b. Consecrated Eleazar his son: We don't know if Eleazar was of the proper priestly lineage, or if his consecration ceremony was legitimate according to Exodus 29. At least this reflected a desire to do the right thing.

c. A long time: Israel had the ark back but things were not really set right. Israel found they were no more right with God just because they had the Ark of the Covenant again. Instead, all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

i. They had good reason to lament. Their cities were in ruins, their armies were defeated, and they were under Philistine domination - all because they were not right with God.

ii. "It may very naturally be asked, 'Where was Samuel all that time?' I know not what he was doing during those twenty years; but I have a suspicion, I may say, I have a firm persuasion, that he was going from place to place, preaching in quiet spots wherever he could gather an audience; warning the people of their sin, and stirring them up to seek Jehovah, thus endeavouring to infuse some spirituality into their national life." (Spurgeon)

2. (3-4) Samuel preaches repentance, both outward and inward.

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.

a. Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel: God raised up Samuel as a prophet and a judge (1 Samuel 4:1). Yet Samuel was strangely absent from the whole Ark of the Covenant fiasco. 1 Samuel 4:1 is the last place Samuel was mentioned, right before Israel schemed to use the ark as a good luck charm in battle.

b. If you return with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods: Samuel called the nation to repentance. The repentance had to be inward (with all your hearts) and outward (put away the foreign gods).

i. The inward was more important than the outward, and it had to come first. That is why Samuel first called Israel to return with all your hearts, then told them to put away the foreign gods.

ii. However, inward repentance is a secret thing. It is hidden. No one can really "see" the heart of another. Yet the inward was proved by the outward. We can know if Israel did return with all your hearts by seeing if they really did put away the foreign gods. No one could see their heart, but they could see if they put away the foreign gods.

c. And serve Him only: Israel did not feel they rejected the LORD; they felt they only added the worship of other gods to their worship of the LORD. Samuel called on Israel to turn their backs on these other gods and serve Him only.

i. "A worse enemy than the Philistines held sway over the land... the people were thus in double bondage; the heavy yoke of the Philistines was upon them, because the heavier burden of a false worship crushed out the life of their hearts." (Spurgeon)

d. So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only: The local gods of Baal and Ashtoreth were popular idols among the people of Israel. Baal was attractive because he was thought to be the god of weather, bringing good crops and financial success. Ashtoreth was attractive because she was thought to be the goddess of fertility, thus connected to love and sex.

i. "Ashtoreth was worshipped over a wide area as the goddess of fertility, love and war, and plaques of naked female figures from the Bronze and Iron Ages in Palestine are numerous. The Baals were the corresponding male deities." (Baldwin)

ii. "Baal, god of fertility and the storm, was believed to be the son of Dagon, god of grain. Ashtoreth, goddess of love and fertility, vied for supremacy with Asherah, mother-goddess and consort of El... The association of Baal, Asherah, and Ashtoreth with fertility, particularly as expressed in depraved sexual ritual at Canaanite shrines, made them especially abominable in the Lord's eyes." (Youngblood)

2. (5-6) The nation repents at Mizpah.

And Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you." So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the LORD. And they fasted that day, and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.

a. Gather all Israel to Mizpah: This is where Jacob separated from Laban (Genesis 31:49) and was the gathering place for a repentant Israel in Judges 20:1. This was a place remembered for separation and repentance.

b. I will pray to the LORD for you: Samuel already called the nation to repentance, and they made a start at it. Samuel knew God's work in them could only be completed through prayer.

c. So they gathered together at Mizpah: This showed the spiritual need Israel felt at the time. They expressed their repentance both by putting away the bad and by pursuing the good.

i. The experience of conviction of sin proves nothing. It is our response to conviction that demonstrates repentance.

d. Drew water, and poured it out before the LORD: In this context a ceremonial pouring of water demonstrated the soul poured out before the LORD. It was an expression of emptiness and need.

i. The Chaldean translation of this passage gives this sense well: "They poured out their hearts like water in penance before the Lord." "They seemed to say in effect, We could wish to shed as many tears for our sins as there are drops of water in this bucket; but because we cannot do this, behold, we do what we can." (Trapp)

ii. They expressed the same heart as Lamentations 2:19: Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord.

e. And they fasted that day, and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." Israel also expressed their sorrow over their sin by fasting (a message that nothing else really mattered except getting right with God) and by confession (a straightforward claim of guilt and responsibility).

i. 1 John 1:5-10 makes it clear that confession is vital to maintain relationship with God. As God convicts us of sin or sins that hinder fellowship with Him, we must confess it and receive forgiveness and cleansing for our relationship with God to continue without hindrance.

ii. If it is meant from the heart, it is hard to make a better statement of confession than "We have sinned against the LORD." This is almost exactly what David said when he was confronted with his sin in 2 Samuel 12:13.

B. And Samuel judged the children of Israel: Samuel was the last judge and he was a judge over Israel as were the leaders in the days of the Book of Judges. But his leadership was more spiritual than military.

B. Samuel leads the nation to victory.

1. (7) The Philistine threat.

Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

a. When the Philistines heard: The Philistines were right to be afraid of a repentant, God-seeking Israel, because with God fighting for them Israel was invincible.

i. When the Philistines looked at a humble and repentant Israel they probably saw weakness. They may have said, "Look at those weakling Israelites. They are such wimps, crying out before their God like this." If the Philistines thought this way, they were dead wrong.

b. When the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines: The Israelites didn't have much more spiritual understanding than the Philistines. They should have been more confident in the LORD.

i. Our feelings of confidence can deceive us. In 1 Samuel 4:5 Israel was completely confident against the Philistines, but their confidence was false and they were soon defeated. Here, Israel is fearful and sure of defeat and they have no confidence at all. They seemed to have more faith when they trusted in the ark than when they are humble and repentant before the LORD. But small faith in the true and living God is more powerful than strong faith in a lie.

2. (8-9) Samuel prays for the nation.

So the children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may

save us from the hand of the Philistines." And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.

a. Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us: The last time Israel was in this kind of situation they said, "Let's get the Ark of the Covenant and take it into battle with us. Then we can't lose!" Now they are much wiser before the LORD, and instead of trusting in the ark they did the right thing and asked Samuel to cry out to the LORD our God for us.

b. Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it as whole burnt offering to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out: Samuel took time for a sacrifice at such a critical time because he knew he could only effectively pray in light of God's atoning sacrifice.

i. Think of that poor lamb - a suckling lamb - who never hurt anyone or who never sinned itself, yet its throat was slit, its blood poured out, its body cut up, and its carcass burned. Why? Because Samuel and Israel had to say, "This is what we deserve. This is the punishment that should come upon us. We thank you God for accepting the punishment of this innocent lamb instead." When we trust in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), we say the same thing.

c. And the LORD answered him: The battle has not yet been fought and a hostile Philistine army approached. Yet in a real way the battle was over and already won because the LORD answered him.

i. The Bible speaks of Samuel as a mighty man of prayer: Samuel was among those who called upon His name; they called upon the LORD, and He answered them. (Psalm 99:6)

3. (10-12) The LORD fights for Israel.

Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."

a. The LORD thundered with a loud thunder: God fought from heaven on behalf of Israel and defeated the Philistines. This was a special work of God because the Israelites heard the same thunder, but only the Philistines became so confused... that they were overcome. God not only sent thunder, He also sent confusion to the Philistines and confidence to Israel.

i. This was the kind of victory Israel hoped for in 1 Samuel 4 when they brought the Ark of the Covenant into battle. If they had only repented and sought the LORD as they did here, they could have had this kind of victory long ago.

b. Called its name Ebenezer, saying "Thus far the LORD has helped us": Samuel knew the nation needed to remember this amazing victory, which came to a humble and repentant Israel. The LORD won this battle, not Israel - so he named the stone Ebenezer, meaning "stone of help."

c. "Thus far the LORD has helped us": Samuel knew the LORD did a great work yet he knew there was much more to be accomplished. So he could say, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." God helps us thus far at a time and His past work is a pledge of future help.

i. Thus far the LORD has helped us can either mean "to this point in time" or "to this geographical place." Probably both are in mind; Hebrew writers loved to use double meanings.

4. (13-14) The success of Samuel as a judge over Israel.

So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

a. The hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel... the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel: Samuel was not a military man, but he was just as successful or more successful than Israel's best generals because the LORD fought for Samuel.

b. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites: Samuel was successful not only as a man of war, but also as a man of peace.

5. (15-17) Samuel's service as a circuit judge.

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the LORD.

a. Judged Israel all the days of his life: Samuel was used of God all his days. Some judges ended their ministry early or in disgrace, but Samuel finished well.

b. He went from year to year on a circuit... and judged Israel in all those places: Samuel worked hard in his service of the LORD. Every year, Samuel worked hard to go all about Israel to help settle disputes and promote righteousness.

c. He always returned to Ramah... and there he built an altar to the LORD: Samuel remained faithful to the LORD. An altar was a place of sacrifice and worship, and Samuel had a consistent relationship with the LORD in sacrifice and worship.

Chapter III. Revival Under Samuel - 1 Sam. 3:3-11 (Baker)

3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." 4 So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone. 5 Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you." 6 They gathered to Mizpah, and 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 sons of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 Then the sons of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines." 9 Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried to the LORD for Israel and the LORD answered him. 10 Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were [b]routed before Israel. 11 The men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as below Beth-car.

l. THE CAUSE OF REVIVAL.

A revival is sadly needed in this land. The religious life is low. Morality is conspicuous by its absence in much of our business life. Men have little conscience in the matter of debt. Gambling is indulged in to an alarming extent. Social evils grow. Not only are divorces on the increase, but the number of wives and families abandoned by their husbands is very great. An awakening that will touch the consciences of men is needed if religion is to be an aggressive force, and if our social, commercial and civic life is to be saved from ruin. With these facts before us, and encouraged by the Welsh Revival, we have begun to pray and work for revival. After a short time many have become discouraged. We see no great movement, and we think we have expected too much. We begin to explain that the Revival in Wales is largely a matter of temperament, that the people are emotional, and naturally religious. We say it is impossible to have such a revival here. Our circumstances are so different, our populations are so mixed, we have such a mass of anti-Christian element. Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Confucianism-all number their adherents by the thousand. The emigrants from Continental Europe have a lower moral standard than the British and the Dutch, and a greater mixture of superstition with their religion. All these combine against the atmosphere that would issue in a revival. But our God is equal to all this. The special difficulties are a challenge to His power and to our faith. The greater the difficulty and the need, the greater the reason for a revival. But we must have patience. We must be prepared to work long, and to do what, in the political world, Lord Rosebery calls spade work. God's best things can only be given to those who show appreciation of their value by persistent desire and effort to obtain them. The spasmodic prayers that represent flitting desires, though they are good, He does not answer. The prayers which reveal the settled longing of the heart are the prayers He heeds. And it takes time to reveal that such desires are possessed by us.

ll. THE CONDITIONS OF REVIVAL.

This repentance includes confession. The children of Israel gathered at Mizpah and said:

III. THE CONSEQUENCES OF REVIVAL.

3. Deliverance - "And He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines!" When the religious life of a country is low the wicked prosper, and at the expense of the majority of the people. Drinking corporations flourish, monopolies and trusts come to great estate, wealth is amassed without any consideration for those who are pushed on one side. Dividends have to be paid, and corporations are heartless. Revival means a great awakening of the public conscience, and with that awakening deliverance from greed and selfishness and corruption will follow.