Turn to the Lord!

Intro

Martin Luther in the first of his ninety-five these said this:

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

From the dawn of time, every notable reformation has been marked by this one characteristic—widespread repentance. And often when you look closely you can see that God had raised up some individual to lead his people to repentance. Luther burst on to the scene acting as a catalyst for a continent ripe for harvest. God used him, and other reformers to lead the Church towards repentance. Whether it was a King like Josiah, or a pastor like Jonathan Edwards, God raises up men to lead the people of God to direct their hearts back to God. Our text today is no different. Samuel calls the nation of Israel to put away the foreign gods from heir midst and turn wholly to the Lord. As the story of Israel's reformation under Samuel unfolds, we learn something of the nature of true repentance. But we also see that repentance often provokes our enemies, driving us ultimately to a greater dependence on the Lord. As we read this text I want you to keep this question in mind: What is repentance?

1 Sam 7:3-17

Repentance is turning to the Lord.

What is repentance? Samuel calls all of Israel together and preaches to them (v.3). Notice what he does in his sermon, he frames it as a rhetorical question that he then uses to instruct Israel on the nature of repentance. It has been twenty years since the return of the Ark, according to v. 2. Have the people learned the lessons of God's holiness? Samuel doesn't seem to think so. Notice at the end of v. 3 he shows that only true heart repentance would bring the deliverance of God from their enemies the Philistines.

It would seem that their old enemy is back at it—nothing will prime your repentance quicker than staring down an enemy staring down the consequences of sin. As WLC#76 says, "out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger but also the filthiness and odiousness of his sins..." No doubt Samuel's sermon consisted of more than v. 3, but from it, we can glean the message. He is essentially saying,

"If you are now quivering in fear because of the philistines, then know this it is your sin against God that has brought you to this precarious position. In fact, as long as you persist in your idolatry, you can expect nothing but God's holy indignation. If then your fear is prompting true repentance let me tell you what that looks like. He then proceeds to outline the nature of true godly repentance. He says if you are turning in repentance then...He provides a conditional statement, an if-this-than-that. He then outlines a two-step process with a negative and positive side.

Repentance is a double turning, a turning away from, and a turning towards. Samuel says if your repenting then you have to turn from your idolatry. And so he admonishes Israel and implores them to put away their false gods. This would include the Ashtaroth, for at this time because the gods of the nations around them had a female companion for the god, it was thought Yahweh might have one too. So they mixed the worship of God with Ashtaroth as his consort. So the negative aspect of repentance is a turning away from anything that has taken the place of God, anything they have elevated to a god-like status.

But repentance is also a turning towards God. The movement of turning involves fixing your focus on God—what Samuel calls here: with all your heart. The heart only has room for one object of worship. Sin is inherently selfish. You could say that there are really only two things that you can be devoted to, yourself or God. Interestingly enough if you choose to be devoted to yourself, you end up losing yourself. But the one devoted to God also gets the self. Do not deceive yourself, you cannot be devoted to both.

More importantly, God will not accept anything less than complete devotion. All our heart, with its affections, its desires, must be wholly devoted to God alone. Him alone must we serve. Israel is trying to dabble, a little of this, a little of that—then you have the good life. But its not god+america=the good-life. Its not god+succes, or god+a beautiful wife, or God+the perfect kids, or God+whatever your idol of choice is. It is God+nothing, for in God we have everything.

This is why the gospel call is a call to come and die. Nothing less than the crucifying of the old man will suffice. That old man who in the first Adam lived for the self was crucified in the second Adam, so that the "life we now live in the flesh, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us, and gave himself for us."

Repentance, the double turning from sin towards faith in Jesus Christ, is not a one-time thing. It is a daily dying to self, taking up your cross and following Jesus. But as Thomas Chalmers in his famous sermon, The Expulsive Power of a New Affections, shows that it is never just the consequences of sin, the misery and filthiness of it that will drive us to quit it. For like the parable of the demon-possessed man, when the demon is cast out, it passes through waterless places, and when it finds no rest, it returns and finds the place swept clean, then he goes and gets seven of his friends, and the last state is worse than the first.

You may reform your life through what I call bootstrapping it. You imagine that you have lifted yourself by your own bootstraps. I am saying that the negative aspect of repentance is necessary, but it's not enough to carry the whole thing through. As Chalmers said, you need the expulsive power of a New Affection. This is why we confess that repentance is an evangelical grace because the natural man only looks around at his sin and sees things that he must give up. But the Christian sees not that he has to give things up but that he receives Christ. All of Christ, the whole Christ. And if he receives Christ, then he has everything already.

Repentance provokes our enemies.

It is just here that the enemy swoops in to test your repentance. To test your devotion to God. For all temptation is really a subtle variation of the question did God actually say. So it is with Israel. They respond to Samuel's sermon with heartfelt devotion, gathering together at Mizpah and fasting and confessing their sins together. But then their enemies get wind of the repentance and come in like a flood to drown out their devotion.

Psalm 18:4–5 ESV

4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

David pictures his enemies breaking upon him like a mighty flood, the torrents assaulting him, while the waves hold him under. Doesn't the assault of our enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil feel that way sometime. Like David, Israel cries out to the Lord for deliverance. They plead with Samuel not to cease praying for them, recognizing that as prophet, and priest, and judge, he is their mediator. So he offers sacrifice, and cries out to the Lord.

Nothing is more alluring for an enemy than one fresh from repenting of sin, and freshly turned to God. And make no mistake we have an enemy. What Israel saw as the Philistines comes to us in the form of that ad at the bottom of your screen begging you to click to see shocking nude photos of someone or other. Or it comes in that little thought that says, I don't need to read my bible and pray today, or I don't need to go to corporate worship—I mean there is still the threat of COVID! We might not have physical enemies who want to kill us with swords and bows, but we have enemies that want to kill us. As Paul says:

2 Corinthians 10:4–5 ESV

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

We are in a war, a war waged for your soul, and you can be sure that the battle will be intense. But because we don't always see it going on, and we don't see how effective our weapons are against our enemies we don't engage. For the silent killer in the pews is apathy, a nominalism that pervades all that you do. As Screwtape said to Wormwood in The Screwtape Letters:

You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,

But what are the weapons that Samuel, and Israel uses to face down the philistines? Samuel takes a sacrifice and offers it as a burnt offering, and then cries out to the Lord for deliverance. Two beautiful things are here pictured for us, Deliverance comes in the form of a substitute, and is received by faith.

What is a sacrifice, and what is it for. Positioned as we are as new covenant believers with perfect hindsight, we know that the sacrifice is the message of the Gospel. In the whole burnt offering, the worshipper offers an animal to be completely consumed in the fire. Then while leaning against the animal, the worshipper slaughters the bull or this case a nursing lamb, signifying his identification with the animal. Some of its blood is caught in a basin, and then the whole animal, is offered up to the Lord in the fire. Signifying that the animal has taken the place of the worshipper. Their sin is then atoned for which “communicates two ideas: ransoming and purifying. On the one hand, sin or impurity puts the offeror at risk of the Lord's judgment. As a result, the offer needs ransoming. On the other hand, sin and impurity are defiling. As a result the offeror also needs purifying” (Sklar, Leviticus, 90).

There the worshipper learns that salvation comes through death, and more specifically the death of another on your behalf. This salvation is received by faith alone. As the worshipper in complete dependence on God by faith rests in his salvation. For as John says in his epistle "this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one that believes that Jesus is the Son of God." What John means by "the world" is our enemy. What overcomes the enemies that come into overwhelm our repentance—our faith. Armed then with the gospel what enemy can stand against us, if God is for us who can be against us?

Repentance brings an answer from the Lord

Just as readily as true repentance brings enemies, it also brings a word from the Lord. Right as Samuel is offering the burnt offering, the philistines draw up for battle. Here we see one of the ways that God loves to act. You see, God loves cliff-hangers. He loves edge of your seat, how is he going to pull this off, moments in the story. He waits until you can see the white in their eyes. How many have had that experience, where you were desperate, and right in the nick of time, God intervened? You thought to yourself, wow God, cutting close, aren't we.

Then God thundered. We read earlier David's cry to the Lord to save him from drowning beneath the enemies waves, listen now to his description of the Lord thundering:

Psalm 18:6–15 ESV

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. 7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. 12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds. 13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. 14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them. 15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

That is a terrifying picture of the Lord thundering against the enemies of Israel. And we sang earlier Psalm 29, which states that the voice of Jehovah breaks the cedars. The same word that brought the universe into being is the voice that thunders and routes the enemy. In all the confusion, Israel pursues the philistines as far as Beth-car. They then return again to gather at Mizpah where Samuel erects an Ebenezer, a stone of help saying, "thus far the Lord has helped us."

We see that the Lord's answer was a stunning victory—a victory worth remembering. That is the purpose behind memorials. They provoke not just our memory but our praise. And more importantly, they provide the impetus for further repentance. As the larger catechism says, "upon the apprehension of God’ s mercy in Christ to such as are penitent." Thus far the Lord has helped us is an apprehension of God's mercy to us. The right response always to the mercies of God is, as the Larger Catechism elaborates, is grieving and hating sin so as to turn from it; and purposing and endeavoring after new obedience.

Perhaps your thinking to yourself, there are things I have cried out to the lord for, and he did not respond in this way. Maybe you have year, after year cried to the Lord for the salvation of a loved one, or the relief from pain, or strength to overcome some besetting sin—and instead of hearing God thunder you hear silence.

Where did God's voice thunder mightily against your enemies? Was it not the cross of our Lord Jesus? There God routed our enemies, defeating the power of sin and death. As Col. 2:14-15 says:

Colossians 2:14–15 ESV

14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

He triumphed over them in his death. When his voice thundered, darkness covered the whole land from noon on. When it thundered, the earth shook, and the dead were raised and went into the city, and the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. There on Golgotha in the deafening silence of his agony, Jesus spoke the words that banish all your fears—It is finished. Just as the Philistines on that day when God thundered, all of the enemies of God were thrown into confusion and are to this day easily routed. As James said, resist the devil, and he will flee from you—that isn't an empty promise. You are a child of the king, and your God has thundered against every enemy that rises to defeat you.

What's more, Jesus erected an Ebenezer for us; we have it before us in His table—a table of help. For there he feeds us his bread and wine, visible reminders of his broken body and His shed blood—all for you. The whole Christ, given for the forgiveness of your sins and restoration of all things—including, of course, the power over your besetting sins.

God's past mercies to us in Christ form the foundation for fresh obedience today and the hope of future reward for faithfulness. So it may be that you continually cry out for God to save your loved one, perhaps it will be your steady growth in godliness—the daily dying to sin and living to Christ that will be the apologetic that leads them to Christ.

Or perhaps you have cried to God to relieve you of pain to no avail. It may be that your pain is the thing that has kept you clinging to Jesus instead of falling comfortable into apathy and sinking to your death like the rich man, who found that in this life he just didn't need the mercies of God.

Or maybe, it is your besetting sin that you have cried to the Lord over and heard nothing. Maybe like a dog, you have returned to your own vomit. Your addiction is so great you feel you will never break free of this sin. Even though you are ever struggling against it, a part of you has resigned yourself to thinking that escape from its clutch is impossible. But as was mentioned earlier as Chalmers taught, the real power over sin is not hatred of it or grieving its filthiness, but love of Jesus. It is the beauty and wonder of the gospel that can drive out our besetting sins. For only in the cross do we see mercy poured out, and only in the empty tomb do we see power over sin and death, and only an ascended Christ who is praying for you is strong enough to overcome our besetting sins.

His voice is not silent. You need only lift your eyes from your situation outward to see Christ. There you see precisely what we see in our text today: repentance brings an answer from the Lord.

Conclusion

As Israel gathered at Mizpah for covenant renewal, we are taught something of the nature of true repentance, which is more than turning from sin, but a turning towards God with our whole heart to serve and worship Him alone. That act is enough to provoke a response from our enemies—but take courage—the Lord will fight for you. And his answer to all who have looked in faith to Christ is the defeat of sin and death and hell, and the freedom for fresh obedience as we look not to the things that are seen, but unseen—keeping our eyes fixed above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the father—daily taking up our cross by dying to the old man, and living to Christ. As Martin Luther said,

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

Turn to us, O Lord, and we shall be turned. Be favorable, O Lord, be favorable to your people, who turn to thee in weeping, fasting, and praying. For you are a merciful God, Full of compassion, Long-suffering, and of great pity. You spare us when we deserve punishment, and in your wrath you remember mercy. Spare your people, good Lord, spare them, and let not your heritage be brought to confusion. Hear us, O Lord, for thy mercy is great, and after the multitude of your mercies look upon us; through the merits and mediation of your blessed Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.