"God Will Help You"

1 Sam 7:1-12 (kjv)

help 📷

make it easier for (someone) to do something by offering one's services or resources.

Aid and assist,The ark is captured.

1. (1-2) Israel is defeated before the Philistines.

And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. 4,000 Then 30,000 Deeper into your problem. woman found, go thy way sin no more, less a worst thing come upon you.

(3-4) The elders of Israel respond with a superstitious trust in the ark.

And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.” So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

(10-11) The ark goes into battle and Israel is defeated worse than before.

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

God blesses us when we get right!

(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.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.

. If you return to the LORD 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 to the LORD with all your hearts, then told them to put away the foreign gods.

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.

(5-6) The nation repents at Mizpah.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)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 to the LORD 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.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.

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 suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out: Samuel took time for a sacrifice at such a critical point because he knew he could only effectively pray in light of God’s atoning sacrifice.Samuel leads the nation to victory. vs. 7

(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.