WEBVTT 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:18.500 So before we read it, I'm just going to introduce 00:00:18.500 --> 00:00:24.559 it as probably a summing up and a conclusion 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:32.240 to Samuel's life as a judge. The last three chapters, 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:34.899 he hasn't even been mentioned, and now he comes 00:00:34.899 --> 00:00:39.780 back on the scene. And really this chapter sticks 00:00:39.780 --> 00:00:44.359 out in sharp contrast with chapter 8. Here in 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:48.320 chapter 7, we see what it's like when God's people 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:52.740 submit to his rule through his man. In this case, 00:00:52.740 --> 00:00:56.320 it's Samuel. The results are always good and 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:00.170 right. The repentance that we see here, you remember 00:01:00.170 --> 00:01:03.329 in Judges, we saw several times where the people 00:01:03.329 --> 00:01:07.290 lamented, but they weren't lamenting or mourning 00:01:07.290 --> 00:01:12.209 over their sins. They were just disappointed 00:01:12.209 --> 00:01:16.069 that their enemies were winning the day, and 00:01:16.069 --> 00:01:18.489 they turned to God, and eventually God didn't 00:01:18.489 --> 00:01:21.890 respond at all. But here in this chapter, they 00:01:21.890 --> 00:01:25.489 do repent, and God hears them, and he acts on 00:01:25.489 --> 00:01:31.719 their behalf. It's undoubtedly frustrating when 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:35.159 we read the next chapter and we wonder what in 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:39.459 the world happened. But we ought to at least 00:01:39.459 --> 00:01:44.140 be encouraged that this chapter 7 stands in sharp 00:01:44.140 --> 00:01:46.540 contrast to the three chapters we read before 00:01:46.540 --> 00:01:53.000 where Israel was in a shambles. And so God works. 00:01:53.919 --> 00:02:00.120 And this was God's design for Israel, and we 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:06.280 will have to content ourselves with that. I think 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:12.080 the Old Testament is probably frustrating to 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:14.340 us in the New Covenant when we look back. We 00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:18.199 try to import ourselves and what we know. We 00:02:18.199 --> 00:02:21.599 import Jesus back in time there, but he wasn't 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:24.560 there. The Spirit wasn't there. So we rejoice 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:28.520 that we live in the new covenant age of the Spirit 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:33.180 and the finished work of Christ. But there are 00:02:33.180 --> 00:02:35.759 lessons undoubtedly for us here. It's a chapter 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:40.780 full of lessons. So let's read it and then we'll 00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:44.020 try to pull some lessons out. Verse 2, chapter 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:47.900 7. And it came to pass while the ark abode in 00:02:47.900 --> 00:02:50.919 Kirjath -Jerim that the time was long, for it 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:53.840 was twenty years. Then all the house of Israel 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:57.319 lamented after the Lord. And Samuel spake unto 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:00.659 all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return 00:03:00.659 --> 00:03:03.379 unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put 00:03:03.379 --> 00:03:06.159 away the strange gods and Ashtoreth from among 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:09.080 you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:12.080 serve him only. And he will deliver you out of 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:14.639 the hand of the Philistines. And the children 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:17.580 of Israel did put away Balaam and Ashtoreth, 00:03:17.580 --> 00:03:20.979 and served the Lord only. And Samuel said, Gather 00:03:20.979 --> 00:03:23.919 all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:26.719 unto the Lord. And they gathered together to 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:29.340 Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before 00:03:29.340 --> 00:03:32.960 the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:36.419 We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged 00:03:36.419 --> 00:03:39.780 the children of Israel in Mizpah. And when the 00:03:39.780 --> 00:03:43.919 Philistines heard that the children of Israel 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:47.150 were gathered together in Mizpah, The lords of 00:03:47.150 --> 00:03:50.729 the Philistines went up against Israel. And when 00:03:50.729 --> 00:03:53.009 the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid 00:03:53.009 --> 00:03:55.870 of the Philistines. And the children of Israel 00:03:55.870 --> 00:03:58.969 said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord 00:03:58.969 --> 00:04:02.129 our God for us, that he will save us out of the 00:04:02.129 --> 00:04:05.469 hand of the Philistines. And Samuel took a suckling 00:04:05.469 --> 00:04:08.030 lamb and offered it for a burnt offering wholly 00:04:08.030 --> 00:04:11.189 unto the Lord. And Samuel cried unto the Lord 00:04:11.189 --> 00:04:16.800 for Israel, and the Lord heard him. And as Samuel 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:19.899 was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:23.000 drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:25.439 thundered with a great thunder on that day upon 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:29.160 the Philistines and discomfited them, and they 00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:32.480 were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:35.279 went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:38.779 and smote them until they came under Beth -kar. 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:42.839 Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:45.259 and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, 00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:49.459 saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. So 00:04:49.459 --> 00:04:51.980 the Philistines were subdued, and they came no 00:04:51.980 --> 00:04:54.600 more into the coast of Israel. And the hand of 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:57.100 the Lord was against the Philistines all the 00:04:57.100 --> 00:05:00.500 days of Samuel. And the cities which the Philistines 00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:03.360 had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, 00:05:03.459 --> 00:05:07.399 from Ekron even unto Gath. And the coast thereof 00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:10.120 did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. 00:05:10.540 --> 00:05:13.839 And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:17.040 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:20.079 life. And he went from year to year in circuit 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:25.100 to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah and judged Israel 00:05:25.100 --> 00:05:29.579 in all those places. And his return was to Ramah. 00:05:30.009 --> 00:05:32.250 For there was his house, and there he judged 00:05:32.250 --> 00:05:35.389 Israel, and there he built an altar unto the 00:05:35.389 --> 00:05:39.870 Lord. So all good stuff that's going on here. 00:05:40.430 --> 00:05:43.329 Exactly what was Samuel doing for those 20 years 00:05:43.329 --> 00:05:47.189 while the ark sat dormant? We're not told whether 00:05:47.189 --> 00:05:51.149 he was busy on his circuit during that time. 00:05:51.310 --> 00:05:56.589 But what is obvious? What was going on in those 00:05:56.589 --> 00:06:00.019 20 years? The Lord was working, wasn't he? and 00:06:00.019 --> 00:06:03.439 the people began to lament. They began to be 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:05.959 sorry that they had turned away from the Lord. 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:12.480 And then, and only then, in preparation, Samuel, 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:16.639 we're told, delivers the message of repentance, 00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:19.819 the need for repentance among the people. If 00:06:19.819 --> 00:06:24.220 you've truly repented, then put away the false 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:26.660 gods and turn only to the Lord. Now, what does 00:06:26.660 --> 00:06:28.899 that tell us about repentance? We have sorrow. 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:32.579 And then we have the turning away. So being sorry 00:06:32.579 --> 00:06:37.459 for sin isn't repentance, is it? It's the first 00:06:37.459 --> 00:06:41.860 part of repentance. But it's not enough to just 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:44.779 simply be sorry. People are sorry for all kinds 00:06:44.779 --> 00:06:46.879 of different things. It doesn't have anything 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:50.939 to do with true repentance. So then true sorrow 00:06:50.939 --> 00:06:56.199 for sin always leads to what? It leads to true 00:06:56.199 --> 00:06:58.839 repentance. And what is true repentance? In the 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:03.699 case of Israel, what was it? Putting away the 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:10.779 false idols. What were the false idols? How did 00:07:10.779 --> 00:07:18.100 they relate to these false gods? They were looking 00:07:18.100 --> 00:07:22.860 to the false gods for what? Any number of different 00:07:22.860 --> 00:07:27.360 things, weren't they? Okay, so they ceased looking. 00:07:28.029 --> 00:07:31.470 at these false gods and they turn to the one 00:07:31.470 --> 00:07:34.750 true God. In our day, probably, we don't have 00:07:34.750 --> 00:07:36.769 a whole lot of idols proper unless we're in the 00:07:36.769 --> 00:07:40.810 Catholic Church, maybe Buddhism. But what do 00:07:40.810 --> 00:07:44.850 people, what are people's God? How is it that 00:07:44.850 --> 00:07:49.509 they intend to relate to the eternal being, the 00:07:49.509 --> 00:07:57.189 Almighty? What will we expect to see in someone 00:07:57.189 --> 00:07:59.129 that was sorry from sin? What will we expect 00:07:59.129 --> 00:08:02.589 to see them turn away from? Not particular sins, 00:08:02.790 --> 00:08:09.829 but in general. I mean self -sufficiency. In 00:08:09.829 --> 00:08:15.230 terms of? Whatever they decided was going to 00:08:15.230 --> 00:08:17.850 be what got them to heaven, I guess. Good works. 00:08:17.949 --> 00:08:23.089 Okay, good works. I think that is dominant in 00:08:23.089 --> 00:08:25.759 our culture. People think if they can just do 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:27.660 enough good works, then everything will be fine. 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:31.600 Most people think if they do more good works 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:34.240 than they do bad works, then they'll be fine. 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:45.179 What else? Well, it's looking to men, isn't it? 00:08:45.179 --> 00:08:47.940 The institutions of men, is that not? I mean, 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:50.419 that dominates our culture, doesn't it? It takes 00:08:50.419 --> 00:08:55.409 the form of what? What are people looking to? 00:08:56.190 --> 00:09:01.629 Some kind of earthly authority. Mostly what? 00:09:01.789 --> 00:09:04.370 In the politic of the country. Is that right? 00:09:05.090 --> 00:09:07.610 If we can just get a good president, if we can 00:09:07.610 --> 00:09:09.549 just get a good Congress, if we can just get 00:09:09.549 --> 00:09:13.590 Supreme Court justices, then righteousness will 00:09:13.590 --> 00:09:16.529 rule the land. Or maybe they say it's in the 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:19.629 realm of education. If we could just get people 00:09:19.629 --> 00:09:23.039 educated. then we would see the result would 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:25.919 be what? This peaceful society where everyone 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:28.139 gets along, where everyone is working for the 00:09:28.139 --> 00:09:31.679 other person's good. I'm not saying there's anything 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:34.980 inherently evil about either one of those things, 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:37.419 but to look to those things for deliverance, 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:39.799 to look to those things for some kind of redeeming 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:43.940 quality in a person's life is folly. There's 00:09:43.940 --> 00:09:46.279 only one place to look, and it's away from our 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:48.639 works. It's away from any deliverance that man 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:51.519 can bring. And it's to look to the Lord God. 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:03.100 It's right that we should say it's good to be 00:10:03.100 --> 00:10:07.179 sorry for sin. What does it look like though 00:10:07.179 --> 00:10:11.100 for a person to repent? And we have the picture 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:16.759 here. What did the people do? Samuel calls them 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.110 to repentance and they gather together. Apparently 00:10:19.110 --> 00:10:22.950 in some kind of national way. It says all Israel. 00:10:23.129 --> 00:10:25.330 So all Israel gathers together there in Mizpah. 00:10:25.450 --> 00:10:27.889 What do they do? They pour out water and they 00:10:27.889 --> 00:10:33.610 fast. So what does that mean? What are we supposed 00:10:33.610 --> 00:10:42.750 to see there? Anybody have any ideas? What was 00:10:42.750 --> 00:10:58.899 that? It wasn't prescribed in any kind of way 00:10:58.899 --> 00:11:03.779 in the Old Covenant, was it? So I can't say with 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:05.419 certainty. If we look at the rest of Scripture, 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:09.259 we might, or just in Israel, we might say that 00:11:09.259 --> 00:11:15.519 it had something to do with their distress before 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:18.259 the Lord or, you know, they're pouring it out, 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:20.159 symbolizing they've been poured out, they're 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:22.710 useless. You know, maybe something like that. 00:11:22.789 --> 00:11:25.750 I tend to think that it just goes along with 00:11:25.750 --> 00:11:27.929 the fasting. That not only did they cease from 00:11:27.929 --> 00:11:30.669 eating, but they poured out the water. And, you 00:11:30.669 --> 00:11:33.590 know, without food and without water, there is 00:11:33.590 --> 00:11:36.269 no such thing as life. Why would they fast? Why 00:11:36.269 --> 00:11:41.110 would they pour out this water? If you just want 00:11:41.110 --> 00:11:43.149 to think of it as a fast, why were they fasting? 00:11:43.309 --> 00:11:46.379 What was the purpose of it? Was it to garner 00:11:46.379 --> 00:11:48.559 favor from God? Were they falling into the same 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:50.580 trap as they did when they took the ark out in 00:11:50.580 --> 00:11:52.960 front of them and said, now we've got the ark, 00:11:53.019 --> 00:11:59.120 the Philistines will fall? Practically speaking, 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:12.070 what is the purpose of fasting? Okay. You're 00:12:12.070 --> 00:12:14.490 not going to bother yourself with the need to 00:12:14.490 --> 00:12:16.990 prepare food or the time it takes to eat the 00:12:16.990 --> 00:12:19.350 food. You're going to have your sole attention 00:12:19.350 --> 00:12:23.750 focused on the Lord. If we fast, if you fast 00:12:23.750 --> 00:12:26.490 at lunchtime, then you would spend your lunchtime 00:12:26.490 --> 00:12:31.029 before the Lord in prayer, presumably. So I think 00:12:31.029 --> 00:12:34.210 that what's going on, and we know what they were 00:12:34.210 --> 00:12:36.710 saying in this pouring out of water and fasting 00:12:36.710 --> 00:12:38.889 because it tells us what they said there. We 00:12:38.889 --> 00:12:42.460 have sinned against the Lord. So true repentance, 00:12:42.779 --> 00:12:49.179 you cast yourself entirely upon the Lord. It's 00:12:49.179 --> 00:12:51.539 not that you hold something in reserve. It's 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:53.500 not that you think, well, if this doesn't work 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:56.200 out right, then I'll try the next thing. It's 00:12:56.200 --> 00:13:00.440 the idea of casting myself completely upon the 00:13:00.440 --> 00:13:05.059 Lord and upon his grace and his mercy. And that's 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:08.220 what was going on. there in the valley of Mizpah 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:10.960 when all of Israel gathered together. They poured 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:14.419 out the water, they set aside all their food, 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:17.059 and they concentrated all their efforts towards 00:13:17.059 --> 00:13:21.159 the Lord in some kind of way, committing themselves 00:13:21.159 --> 00:13:25.379 to the Lord's care. Now, how do we know that? 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:30.600 We know that because of what follows after. They're 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:32.399 down there in the valley. They're all gathered 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:34.139 together. They're seeking the Lord. And what? 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:36.159 The Philistines got wind of it. Now, if you're 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:38.860 interested, you can go back to chapter 4. And 00:13:38.860 --> 00:13:41.360 you can see the Philistines heard this great 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:44.220 noise before when they brought the ark. And you 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:46.600 have those three verbs repeated in both of these 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:49.000 chapters. It's a stark contrast between the two. 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:53.259 The Philistines get word that Israel's gathered 00:13:53.259 --> 00:13:57.480 together. And what do they say? They're ripe 00:13:57.480 --> 00:14:00.940 for the taking. Maybe they had spies. Maybe they 00:14:00.940 --> 00:14:04.200 knew. Israel didn't come there to prepare for 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:13.740 battle. So how are they there? Hungry, thirsty, 00:14:13.940 --> 00:14:17.960 and without any kind of defense. We're just gathered 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:21.379 together here in this valley. And here comes 00:14:21.379 --> 00:14:24.360 our great enemy. They're coming to slaughter 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:32.820 us. I mean, it really is an exciting picture, 00:14:32.940 --> 00:14:36.419 right? Now, this is the way the Lord meets us. 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:40.940 He doesn't meet us when we say, well, we need 00:14:40.940 --> 00:14:43.120 to see some changes. Let's come up with a plan. 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:48.399 Let's get a new procedure. What he does is he 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:53.480 meets us when we say, we have no, there's nothing 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:55.539 that we can do. We followed you in everything. 00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:58.759 And we do not possess the power to accomplish. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:03.080 your will here among us. If your will is going 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:05.159 to be accomplished, then the Lord is going to 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:07.019 have to work. And that's exactly what Israel 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:11.399 did. They cry out to Samuel and they say, don't 00:15:11.399 --> 00:15:15.620 stop praying for us. We're afraid of the Philistines. 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:18.600 And they were rightly afraid of it. Now, it wasn't 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:22.399 a fear that was without faith. They recognized 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:26.559 the danger that was there. There's nothing wrong 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:31.360 with that. What that drove them to was it drove 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:33.419 them to the Lord. That's the way the Lord works. 00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:38.039 When you feel pressure to go to the Lord, go 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:41.100 to the Lord. Whatever's going on in your life 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:45.500 is designed then to cast yourself upon him. It's 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:47.639 not designed for you to find some way out of 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:51.779 it, whether it's a long, burdensome trial or 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:55.470 whether it's a temporary circumstance. When we 00:15:55.470 --> 00:15:58.909 feel the pressure, we realize our need, we are 00:15:58.909 --> 00:16:03.190 cast upon the Lord. Otherwise, we are just preparing 00:16:03.190 --> 00:16:06.350 ourselves for disaster. And that's exactly what 00:16:06.350 --> 00:16:09.950 Israel did. Was the sacrificing of the lamb, 00:16:10.070 --> 00:16:13.789 or was Samuel's praying, is that the thing that 00:16:13.789 --> 00:16:19.090 moved the Lord? How does that fit into the picture 00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:21.769 here? Remember, They had the ark and they put 00:16:21.769 --> 00:16:24.789 the ark out in front of the army and they went 00:16:24.789 --> 00:16:27.570 out. They thought it was some kind of magic words 00:16:27.570 --> 00:16:31.490 or something that they were going to force the 00:16:31.490 --> 00:16:41.190 Lord's hand. In this case, what is it? Well, 00:16:41.309 --> 00:16:44.529 it's an accurate reflection of their state of 00:16:44.529 --> 00:16:49.789 mind. They were wholly cast upon the Lord. And 00:16:49.789 --> 00:16:52.190 so they tell Samuel, don't stop praying for us. 00:16:52.210 --> 00:16:54.710 If there's any hope for us, if the Philistines 00:16:54.710 --> 00:16:56.769 aren't going to fall among us and just destroy 00:16:56.769 --> 00:16:59.190 us all, then the Lord is going to have to do 00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:02.429 something. We're following the Lord and we are 00:17:02.429 --> 00:17:05.730 sacrificing this land in accordance with his 00:17:05.730 --> 00:17:11.430 word. And it's that then. It's the people's mind 00:17:11.430 --> 00:17:14.230 submitted to the Lord, cast upon him that the 00:17:14.230 --> 00:17:21.019 Lord works. The Lord works. And what does he 00:17:21.019 --> 00:17:26.039 do? What does he say? Now what did they do before? 00:17:26.099 --> 00:17:28.480 Remember the Philistines defeated them and so 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:30.240 they said, okay, let's come up with a plan and 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:32.519 get the ark and go out there. They never asked 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:38.559 the Lord. But here, they wait for Samuel. They 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:42.539 just wait. They just stay there. They stay there 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:45.519 before the Lord. And the Lord, what? He thunders. 00:17:46.900 --> 00:17:54.700 He confuses. and he smites the Philistines. And 00:17:54.700 --> 00:17:59.400 what does Israel do? They go out, they pursue, 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:08.779 and they smite. What does that tell us? That 00:18:08.779 --> 00:18:10.799 fits right along with the let go and let God 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:22.480 philosophy, right? Well, what we see there is 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:25.079 the sovereignty of God and the responsibility 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:30.380 of man. God works, but he works with a willing 00:18:30.380 --> 00:18:34.079 partner in you and in me. If you want to know 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.799 God more, he's not just going to pour the knowledge 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:38.700 of him into your head. You're going to have to 00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:43.400 pursue after him. And as you pursue, as you study, 00:18:43.500 --> 00:18:46.079 as you pray, then the Lord will reveal himself 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:49.940 to you. But apart from that, there's nothing. 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:53.740 And so the enemy is there, the Lord works, but 00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:58.799 Israel has to go out. Israel has to not only 00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:03.079 go out, but how did they go out? Did they all 00:19:03.079 --> 00:19:06.000 run home and get their, I mean, maybe get their 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:09.559 pitchforks? Did they pick up some sticks? It 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:13.000 just says they just went out. The Lord thundered 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:17.819 and confused the Philistines, and Israel just 00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:25.230 went out. Now, that's a picture, an Old Testament 00:19:25.230 --> 00:19:29.250 picture, of our spiritual warfare. We go with 00:19:29.250 --> 00:19:32.869 whatever the Lord has given us. We go as he has 00:19:32.869 --> 00:19:36.490 prepared us into battle each day. We don't go 00:19:36.490 --> 00:19:39.190 with our own devices. It doesn't mean that we 00:19:39.190 --> 00:19:41.549 don't think. It doesn't mean we don't act reasonably 00:19:41.549 --> 00:19:44.910 or rationally. What it means is we go out into 00:19:44.910 --> 00:19:47.549 the world and we face the day in the power of 00:19:47.549 --> 00:19:49.809 the Spirit. That's what they did. They just went 00:19:49.809 --> 00:19:56.339 for it. God was working, and so they went. No 00:19:56.339 --> 00:19:59.740 reliance on themselves at all. And the result 00:19:59.740 --> 00:20:05.039 of that was what? That the Philistines were destroyed. 00:20:06.420 --> 00:20:10.380 Now, how does Samuel fit into this whole picture? 00:20:13.299 --> 00:20:16.400 Was he leading them? Remember the judges before 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:18.480 him that we read all through Judges. Remember, 00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:21.470 they all led the people. Out into battle. Except 00:20:21.470 --> 00:20:28.990 for Samson. Who began the victory himself. But 00:20:28.990 --> 00:20:30.789 all the rest of them. What? They went out with 00:20:30.789 --> 00:20:33.910 the people. They led the people. Samuel doesn't 00:20:33.910 --> 00:20:36.950 do that. Samuel wasn't raised up. Because of 00:20:36.950 --> 00:20:40.170 even the Philistine problem. Or because of the 00:20:40.170 --> 00:20:43.289 oppression. God just brought him on the scene. 00:20:45.009 --> 00:20:48.250 And then what did he do? What did it mean to 00:20:48.250 --> 00:20:50.390 be a judge? He spoke the word of God, right? 00:20:50.509 --> 00:20:55.069 And we read in chapter 3 that everything he prophesied 00:20:55.069 --> 00:20:58.230 came to pass. Every word that he told the people 00:20:58.230 --> 00:21:01.269 was true. So what do we have in this picture 00:21:01.269 --> 00:21:05.109 is God is the king. Hopefully we can see that. 00:21:05.750 --> 00:21:08.950 God's already demonstrated his almighty power 00:21:08.950 --> 00:21:12.549 in the last three chapters when the ark went 00:21:12.549 --> 00:21:15.650 through and he slew the Philistines. Here he 00:21:15.650 --> 00:21:20.160 does it on the battlefield. It's God that's ruling, 00:21:20.299 --> 00:21:22.660 and he's mediating that rule through Samuel, 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:26.299 who speaks his word. And the people submitted 00:21:26.299 --> 00:21:30.700 to God then go out according to God's instruction. 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:34.220 And then we see Samuel also, what, as a priest. 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:37.180 Now later on he's going to build an altar. But 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:39.500 here he's interceding for the people before the 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:42.440 Lord. He's taking their cares and their requests 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:48.859 to the Lord. It's a picture that is... undeniably 00:21:48.859 --> 00:21:51.779 encouraging to us. Now, we don't have a Samuel 00:21:51.779 --> 00:21:54.380 among us, but we have someone better than a Samuel, 00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:58.200 don't we? And who is the better that we have? 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:04.859 Now, Samuel's intercessory prayer for the people 00:22:04.859 --> 00:22:08.920 was effective. The Lord heard it. Do you think 00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:11.940 that there's a prayer that Jesus prays on your 00:22:11.940 --> 00:22:14.599 behalf and on my behalf that isn't answered by 00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:17.910 the Father? It's impossible for us to imagine. 00:22:18.930 --> 00:22:22.970 But that's the high priest that we have. A high 00:22:22.970 --> 00:22:26.269 priest that knows us, that cares for us, that 00:22:26.269 --> 00:22:31.470 takes our petitions to the Father for us. So, 00:22:31.470 --> 00:22:36.230 we ought to be encouraged. A heart submitted 00:22:36.230 --> 00:22:40.009 to the Lord. A heart acting upon the instruction 00:22:40.009 --> 00:22:43.210 of the Lord. A heart that hears the voice of 00:22:43.210 --> 00:22:48.740 the Lord. and then acts accordingly, is a beautiful 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:57.740 and... It's our stronghold. It's our strong tower. 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:02.740 I mean, you cannot be defeated when you are going 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:05.039 in the power of the Spirit according to God's 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:09.619 plan and doing things God's way. You stand. That's 00:23:09.619 --> 00:23:14.250 what Israel did. They stood. in the face of their 00:23:14.250 --> 00:23:17.890 enemy, outnumbered, outarmed, and without a hope 00:23:17.890 --> 00:23:21.490 in the world, but God was with them, and God 00:23:21.490 --> 00:23:26.730 acted, and victory was theirs. There's no reason 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:30.289 for them to seek after anything other than the 00:23:30.289 --> 00:23:34.210 word of God, mediated through whoever God rose 00:23:34.210 --> 00:23:38.109 up at any given time. It's a beautiful picture. 00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:00.220 Alright, who wants to say something? Anybody? 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:12.359 Alright then. What do they do after they have 00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:15.779 secured victory? Or the Lord has secured victory. 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:24.650 Samuel picks up a stone, right? And he called 00:24:24.650 --> 00:24:27.369 the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath 00:24:27.369 --> 00:24:34.650 the Lord helped us. Now, if you don't have Ebenezers 00:24:34.650 --> 00:24:37.549 in your life, then you are not paying attention. 00:24:38.549 --> 00:24:44.750 If you are not... Now, I suppose that if you 00:24:44.750 --> 00:24:46.950 were to keep a journal, then every day you would 00:24:46.950 --> 00:24:51.009 have to raise up another Ebenezer, because the 00:24:51.009 --> 00:24:53.680 Lord delivers you through the day. But there 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:57.480 are significant events in each of our lives when 00:24:57.480 --> 00:25:01.599 we really feel the Lord's presence and we see 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:04.160 his amazing deliverance for us, whether that's 00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:07.420 on a personal level, whether that's in our families, 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:11.839 or even in our church. And it's right and proper 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:17.079 that those things be remembered. Why? How does 00:25:17.079 --> 00:25:23.789 it honor the Lord? Start there. What does it 00:25:23.789 --> 00:25:37.509 acknowledge? Okay. So it acknowledges that the 00:25:37.509 --> 00:25:40.069 Lord was our help. This is the Lord's doing. 00:25:40.670 --> 00:25:45.650 And it is marvelous in my eyes. And so it is. 00:25:45.710 --> 00:25:50.390 It's full of thanksgiving. It's a testament to 00:25:50.390 --> 00:25:52.819 his mercy and to his grace. I forget what else 00:25:52.819 --> 00:25:56.099 mom said. It is all those things, but it is an 00:25:56.099 --> 00:26:00.039 acknowledgement that whatever deliverance, whatever 00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:03.279 salvation was received, it was of the Lord. Now, 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:05.859 we all have a common Ebenezer in our lives if 00:26:05.859 --> 00:26:11.920 we're Christians, and that is what? Our salvation. 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:16.480 The day that the Spirit woke us up and we realized 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:20.920 we were sinners and what? We saw Jesus, finally. 00:26:23.950 --> 00:26:27.190 How is it helpful to us to have these Ebenezers? 00:26:27.190 --> 00:26:29.630 It honors the Lord because it acknowledges that 00:26:29.630 --> 00:26:31.849 it's his work, but how is it helpful to you and 00:26:31.849 --> 00:26:35.990 to me? Or how should it be helpful? It encourages 00:26:35.990 --> 00:26:39.609 us to press on, to remember what God has done 00:26:39.609 --> 00:26:43.589 and what he can and will do in the future. Okay, 00:26:43.650 --> 00:26:50.329 so it should fill us with hope that God does 00:26:50.329 --> 00:26:56.269 work. That he does care for me. That he is the 00:26:56.269 --> 00:26:59.289 one that's in control. He is God Almighty. He's 00:26:59.289 --> 00:27:03.750 my king. He's my Lord. He's my deliverer. He 00:27:03.750 --> 00:27:09.410 is all these things to me. And so I ought to 00:27:09.410 --> 00:27:13.309 remember that so that the next time I face or 00:27:13.309 --> 00:27:16.269 the next time I realize that I'm facing this 00:27:16.269 --> 00:27:20.079 insurmountable task, I can remember that. It's 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:23.720 not by my strength or by my power or even by 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:26.319 my plan that deliverance or salvation will be 00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:31.900 had, but it's submitted to the Lord. So, you 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:34.619 know, however you do that in your life, do it. 00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:39.420 Whether you store it up in your memory, whether 00:27:39.420 --> 00:27:41.400 you write it down, whether you hang it on your 00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:46.839 wall, whatever it is, make note. Raise up Ebenezers. 00:27:49.669 --> 00:27:54.569 Now, the chapter ends in a most interesting way. 00:27:54.829 --> 00:27:57.109 And again, there's lessons for us here. What 00:27:57.109 --> 00:27:59.670 does it tell us? Samuel judged Israel all the 00:27:59.670 --> 00:28:02.430 days of his life. Now, I don't know if that means 00:28:02.430 --> 00:28:04.930 literally all the days of his life, or if that 00:28:04.930 --> 00:28:07.190 means all the days of his life as a judge. I 00:28:07.190 --> 00:28:10.029 would suspect it's as a judge. Because once he 00:28:10.029 --> 00:28:12.890 anoints Saul to be king over Israel, he functions 00:28:12.890 --> 00:28:16.940 as a prophet. But all the days of his life, he 00:28:16.940 --> 00:28:20.740 functioned just as God had instructed him and 00:28:20.740 --> 00:28:23.559 just as he had equipped him and just as he had 00:28:23.559 --> 00:28:27.420 called him. And so he goes around from year to 00:28:27.420 --> 00:28:29.920 year to Bethel, to Gilgal, to Mizpah, and he 00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:31.859 judged Israel in those places. Now, what does 00:28:31.859 --> 00:28:40.680 it take for Samuel to be a judge? It takes two 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:43.279 things. Number one, he's the judge, but what 00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:47.130 else does it take? The people have to obey what 00:28:47.130 --> 00:28:49.349 he said. Okay, the people have to submit to him 00:28:49.349 --> 00:28:52.869 as a judge. That was the Lord's way. The Lord 00:28:52.869 --> 00:28:55.089 said, I'm raising up Samuel as a judge. And the 00:28:55.089 --> 00:28:57.769 people said, very good. Then we'll meet him on 00:28:57.769 --> 00:29:00.650 his circuit or we'll go to Ramah and we will 00:29:00.650 --> 00:29:05.349 submit to the Lord kingship mediated through 00:29:05.349 --> 00:29:07.730 Samuel. Whatever Samuel says, that's what we'll 00:29:07.730 --> 00:29:13.829 do. And then what happens? His return was to 00:29:13.829 --> 00:29:17.319 Ramah. For there was his house, and there he 00:29:17.319 --> 00:29:20.220 judged Israel, and there he built an altar to 00:29:20.220 --> 00:29:23.420 the Lord. Now what came first in that formula 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:26.279 was what? The people's willing submission to 00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:31.079 the rule of the Lord through Samuel. And their 00:29:31.079 --> 00:29:33.920 repentance and their turning from these false 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:36.839 gods. And their turning to the one true God. 00:29:37.299 --> 00:29:40.119 And that's the only context that will allow for 00:29:40.119 --> 00:29:43.599 any kind of right worship of the Lord. An altar. 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:48.700 Was raised up in Rama. So. What is that? How 00:29:48.700 --> 00:30:00.680 are we going to apply that in our lives? Is the 00:30:00.680 --> 00:30:02.519 Lord going to be pleased. If we come in here 00:30:02.519 --> 00:30:06.920 on Wednesday nights. And Sunday mornings. And 00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:09.180 we don't have any thought for him. We aren't 00:30:09.180 --> 00:30:11.700 submitted to his will. Or to his way. Any other 00:30:11.700 --> 00:30:15.019 time during the week. Are we expecting that we're 00:30:15.019 --> 00:30:18.019 going to be able to worship the Lord in that 00:30:18.019 --> 00:30:20.779 kind of a circumstance? Is that even possible? 00:30:27.660 --> 00:30:31.000 Is it possible, Ben? It's not even possible, 00:30:31.160 --> 00:30:36.680 is it? To expect or to presume otherwise is a 00:30:36.680 --> 00:30:42.619 folly. The Lord is worshipped. corporately, when 00:30:42.619 --> 00:30:45.480 we are following the Lord personally through 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:48.240 the week, when we come together on Wednesday 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:51.400 nights and on Sunday mornings, it ought to be 00:30:51.400 --> 00:30:56.380 a great rejoicing and it ought to be the demonstration 00:30:56.380 --> 00:30:59.000 that we've been with the Lord. I've seen the 00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:03.220 Lord. I've sought His face. He's drawn near to 00:31:03.220 --> 00:31:05.779 me. And now with His people, I'm going to speak 00:31:05.779 --> 00:31:07.859 forth His name and I'm going to tell what wonderful 00:31:07.859 --> 00:31:12.619 things He's done. I'm going to see the Lord work 00:31:12.619 --> 00:31:18.099 as I walk through my day. Now that's the way 00:31:18.099 --> 00:31:21.859 it was in the old covenant. That's certainly 00:31:21.859 --> 00:31:25.420 the way it is in the new covenant. The Lord is 00:31:25.420 --> 00:31:28.960 not honored by presumption. He's not honored 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:34.039 by ceremony. He's honored by a people submitted 00:31:34.039 --> 00:31:38.079 to him. And in the case of Israel, that submission 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:41.880 looked like... Whatever the judge said, that's 00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:44.880 what we're going to do. We're going to submit 00:31:44.880 --> 00:31:47.740 to the Lord through the judge, because the Lord 00:31:47.740 --> 00:31:51.400 is going to speak to us through Samuel. And so 00:31:51.400 --> 00:31:54.500 when Samuel says, go out, when Samuel says this, 00:31:54.700 --> 00:31:58.200 it's the same thing as the Lord saying, go out, 00:31:58.220 --> 00:32:01.940 or the Lord saying this. That's the way it is 00:32:01.940 --> 00:32:03.740 in your life, and that's the way it is in my 00:32:03.740 --> 00:32:07.730 life. What honors the Lord, that's what brings 00:32:07.730 --> 00:32:11.690 glory to his name. If singing songs is the only 00:32:11.690 --> 00:32:14.829 thing that you do on Sunday morning and Wednesday 00:32:14.829 --> 00:32:17.769 nights, then you're not worshiping the Lord. 00:32:18.289 --> 00:32:21.990 If you're singing the songs is a reflection of 00:32:21.990 --> 00:32:25.190 where your heart has been all week, then you 00:32:25.190 --> 00:32:28.569 can honor the Lord, and only then. When you have 00:32:28.569 --> 00:32:31.849 submitted to his call and to his direction in 00:32:31.849 --> 00:32:34.730 your life, then you and I can worship the Lord. 00:32:50.250 --> 00:32:51.769 Where am I getting this out of the text is what 00:32:51.769 --> 00:32:54.910 you're asking me? Yeah, from his circuit. It 00:32:54.910 --> 00:32:57.569 says he what? He went from year to year in circuit 00:32:57.569 --> 00:33:01.230 to Bethel to Gilgal and Mizpah and judged Israel 00:33:01.230 --> 00:33:18.569 in those places. Anybody going to say anything 00:33:18.569 --> 00:33:21.319 tonight? Anybody want to say anything today? 00:33:22.440 --> 00:33:26.799 Well, I'll say something. Good. So your thing 00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:29.799 about Ebenezer reminded me of the psalm that 00:33:29.799 --> 00:33:33.920 I'm working through. And that idea is all through 00:33:33.920 --> 00:33:38.859 the psalms. So the verse 2, well, so first of 00:33:38.859 --> 00:33:40.940 all, he's like putting his eyes on the Lord. 00:33:41.220 --> 00:33:46.220 What psalm is this? Psalm 27. Psalm 27. He's 00:33:46.220 --> 00:33:49.019 declaring the facts. The Lord's my light, my 00:33:49.019 --> 00:33:51.240 salvation, my strength, so I don't have to be 00:33:51.240 --> 00:33:54.119 afraid. Then verse 2 is, when the wicked came 00:33:54.119 --> 00:33:56.660 against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and 00:33:56.660 --> 00:33:59.259 foes, they stumbled and fell. That's bringing 00:33:59.259 --> 00:34:03.460 up an Ebenezer. So that's the way that we pray. 00:34:04.059 --> 00:34:06.140 And that's the way that we strengthen our faith. 00:34:06.220 --> 00:34:09.800 That's the way that we prepare ourselves to pray 00:34:09.800 --> 00:34:14.500 and to worship and to, you know, live. So, anyway. 00:34:15.050 --> 00:34:18.610 That's what I thought. I mean, when you're in 00:34:18.610 --> 00:34:23.550 a tough spot, and then you're delivered out of 00:34:23.550 --> 00:34:29.530 that spot. If you say, well, I was really smart, 00:34:29.750 --> 00:34:33.429 and that's how I got out of that pickle. Or you 00:34:33.429 --> 00:34:36.070 say, boy, I was really strong, and that's how 00:34:36.070 --> 00:34:39.449 I got out of it. That's no Ebenezer. You've missed 00:34:39.449 --> 00:34:43.710 it completely. So the idea is to view the circumstance 00:34:43.710 --> 00:34:48.150 of your life through spiritual eyes, to acknowledge 00:34:48.150 --> 00:34:51.769 God's work, to see it, to see what you're really 00:34:51.769 --> 00:34:54.110 up against on a daily basis, to see what you're 00:34:54.110 --> 00:34:56.210 up against throughout the course of your life 00:34:56.210 --> 00:35:03.789 and to acknowledge His work there. You want to 00:35:03.789 --> 00:35:07.449 say something? Are you going to talk about the 00:35:07.449 --> 00:35:13.960 altar? That's what I was impressed by. Just the 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:17.380 altar? Go ahead. He erected an altar in his house. 00:35:18.500 --> 00:35:23.780 Well, go ahead. Well, that's how we maintain 00:35:23.780 --> 00:35:27.239 or that's how we should maintain our relationship 00:35:27.239 --> 00:35:30.360 and our walk with the Lord by having our private, 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:33.599 personal altar. Obviously, we don't have the 00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:37.159 same type of altar, but we should have a place 00:35:37.159 --> 00:35:40.989 that we go. To be alone with the Lord, to study 00:35:40.989 --> 00:35:43.809 the Word, to pray, that's our altar. That's our 00:35:43.809 --> 00:35:46.349 meeting place. That's what the altar was. It 00:35:46.349 --> 00:35:48.090 was the meeting place where they could worship. 00:35:48.949 --> 00:35:51.750 We all should have our own altars in our own 00:35:51.750 --> 00:35:54.889 homes if we intend to maintain our walk with 00:35:54.889 --> 00:36:04.570 the Lord. Yeah. So that means what? Does that 00:36:04.570 --> 00:36:10.460 just happen? Did Samuel just go home and say, 00:36:10.699 --> 00:36:15.599 boy, I wish there was an altar here. And then 00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:19.739 sit back and wait. So if we're going to have 00:36:19.739 --> 00:36:22.059 an altar in our home, it's going to require what? 00:36:22.440 --> 00:36:25.059 Some planning. It's going to require some preparation. 00:36:25.380 --> 00:36:28.679 It's going to require some effort. It's going 00:36:28.679 --> 00:36:32.159 to require all those things. And it's well worth 00:36:32.159 --> 00:36:36.860 the effort. We should have an altar in our home. 00:36:44.969 --> 00:36:52.889 Yes. Well, I'm not going to tell you that you 00:36:52.889 --> 00:36:58.110 have to have a place, but I would say you ought 00:36:58.110 --> 00:37:00.530 to think about it. Where am I going to be able 00:37:00.530 --> 00:37:02.829 to concentrate my efforts on the Lord? So it's 00:37:02.829 --> 00:37:07.230 probably not going to be in some busy place. 00:37:08.110 --> 00:37:10.610 It's probably going to be somewhere quiet. Somewhere 00:37:10.610 --> 00:37:12.610 where you can concentrate on the Lord. And once 00:37:12.610 --> 00:37:15.369 you've identified that ideal spot, I don't know 00:37:15.369 --> 00:37:20.329 why you would vary from that. If you have the 00:37:20.329 --> 00:37:23.550 wherewithal to have a room, a study, an office, 00:37:23.789 --> 00:37:28.650 somewhere that you can go to on a regular basis, 00:37:28.750 --> 00:37:31.550 I would say that's ideal. But wherever that is 00:37:31.550 --> 00:37:46.210 in your apartment, that's fine. Anybody else 00:37:46.210 --> 00:37:58.889 want to say anything? I usually change where 00:37:58.889 --> 00:38:01.849 I'm meeting with God. What's the purpose of that? 00:38:03.570 --> 00:38:07.590 Well, it seems like you get too used to it. I 00:38:07.590 --> 00:38:10.429 don't know. It seems like when I change, it helps 00:38:10.429 --> 00:38:15.000 me focus better. So then it's with a purpose 00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:20.719 that you move. So I'm not going to, I don't intend 00:38:20.719 --> 00:38:25.420 to bring shame upon you or correct that. However 00:38:25.420 --> 00:38:28.739 it is that you're able to seek the Lord the best, 00:38:28.860 --> 00:38:31.619 to pay attention and to concentrate your efforts, 00:38:31.699 --> 00:38:46.880 that's what you do. Amen.