The Lord helps Israel as they cry out to Him. May we all have an ‘Ebenezer’ experience..
1 Samuel 7:
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.
Samuel Judges Israel
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."
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only.
5 Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you."
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.
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.
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."
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 routed before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
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."
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.
1 Samuel 8: Israel Demands a King
1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah
5 and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations."
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7 And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.
9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them."
Samuel's Warning Against Kings
10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him.
11 He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.
12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.
16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
The LORD Grants Israel's Request
19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us,
20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD.
22 And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey their voice and make them a king." Samuel then said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."
Things to think about…
1. The first two verses in 1 Sam 7 are tragic. For 20 years no-one sought out the Lord because they were fearful of going near Him to seek Him because they had experienced that He was holy and they weren’t. It says, “they lamented after the Lord”, vs 2. Yet He was the One who delivered them out of Egypt and gave them the land of Canaan as an inheritance. He loved them more than they could know, but they couldn’t draw near to Him because of fear. Has a misunderstanding about a characteristic of God cost you valuable years without the blessing and wisdom from God? I know too many who are in this situation. Redeem the time – get to know this great God of ours, that He may bless your remaining years. Those who draw near to Him will be blessed with His presence, grace, understanding and mercy.
2. Look at 1Sam 7:3-17. It’s always the case when someone wants to seek after God and turn away from idols and the flesh, Satan is not happy. These Philistines have left the Israelites alone for 20 years. When the Israelites turn away from idols, then the Philistines decide to attack. No surprises here. If you are doing a good work in Christ, expect opposition. It just comes with the territory. Remember faithfulness is worth it and ultimately you will see victory and blessing, 1Sam 7:10-14. What is causing you some hard yards at the moment? Are your efforts for the Lord’s glory or your own? Be encouraged to pursue the Lord’s honour. This can only be achieved if all the idols of ‘self’ have been purged from your life.
3. They are times when the Lord mightily delivers us from oppression or persecution, 1Sam 7:12. It is important that we share those stories in our testimony. It is raising a stone of remembrance – like Samuel did between Mizpah and Shen and called it “Ebenezer – “The Lord has helped”. May Jesus be our ever-present help, shield and defender. As we honour him the promise is the same one given to Samuel, “the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel”, vs 13. Peace can even be achieved with enemies, in this case the Amorites, 1Sam 7:14. May Christ not be a stone of stumbling, but a Rock of defence for you this day.
4. Samuel’s sons Joel and Abijah were also corrupt, just as Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phineas were corrupt. Do you think Samuel was influenced by Eli’s fathering example growing up in his household? This must have been a grief for Samuel as it was for Eli. Family heritages can be a blessing in churches where there is a reliance on the Word and the Holy Spirit. Sadly, this is not always the case. Do you pray for the salvation of your kids (if you have them)? We can never presume that they will embrace the faith in Christ that we have, we must constantly present them before our Lord in prayer.
5. In 1Sam 8:6-22 we see the outworking of the people of God crying out for a king. Samuel warns them that a king will be a heavy burden on them in such a way as they have never experienced up to this point. Kingdoms take a lot of infrastructure and resources to maintain. The people were asking for a king. The Lord says to Samuel to give them their request, vs 9. In Romans 1 Paul speaks about God handing people over to their desires, he uses the phrase “gave them up” 3 times in Rom 1:24-28. What a tragedy when the Lord gives a nation over to their carnal desires which ultimately end in the Lord’s judgment upon that nation.
6. Isreal wanted to “be like all the nations”, 1 Sam 8:20. This begins a history that has both blessing and judgement associated depending on the desires of the king’s heart. When the Lord’s people seek after the spirit and desires of the world it never ends well. If they are truly the Lord’s chosen, He will bring them back to the cross and repentance. The often involves pain but has a glorious ending. It’s always better to check heart desires and motivations daily to maintain a sensitivity to His Word and Spirit.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups off over this week. Prepare your heart for the Easter services.
Prayer Points
1. Easter services – pray for messages and visitors
2. New members course – 3 weeks after Easter weekend
3. Keep praying for Anna as she recovers from her operation
4. Pray for Israel/Gaza, Ukraine wars.
5. New people as they settle in
6. New Life group in Karana Downs. One starting soon in Fernvale/Lowood
7. Those that haven’t come to church for a while to return.
8. Revival over our city.
9. Finances to cover our needs
10. Pray for PlayPatch, Kids church, Creche and Kids Hope at Karalee State school.
11. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for new people.
2. PlayPatch keeps seeing new people every week.
3. The Lord’s grace over our lives and country
4. Café, music, kids church, admin, sound and technical team every week
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Easter services. Good Friday 18th Apr 9:00am and Easter Sunday 20th Apr – 9:30am
2. Ministries this week. Life group, Kids@Church, Kids Hope - Karalee.
3. PlayPatch 1-5yos, Fridays 9:30am at church.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 31. Can anyone go to heaven with this sinful nature? A. No - our hearts must be changed before we can be fit for heaven.
