Have you ever heard a really good inspiring speech that got you onboard with whatever the person was selling? A politician said something so compelling that you decided to vote for them? A salesman sold you that car? You believed someone’s story because they told it so well? Whatever they said, they swayed you from one idea to their cause. Costco is one of those places that has so many free samples to get you to buy a product they’re trying to move. We’ve boughten so many of those things because we were persuaded to, either by the sales people or our kids.
Well it’s this idea of being swayed to something, that brings us back to summer series where we’ll be picking it back up in First Samuel chapter 7, verse 3, as we wrap up the first section of the book of of First Samuel. Now as we open to First Samuel 7:3, lets recap the last four weeks.
In our first week, we discussed how God was narrowing his work to bring about the Messiah and he did this by granting the heartfelt desire of Hannah as it aligned with his will. It would be through the Prophet and Judge, Samuel, that God would call David and through his lineage, bring Jesus to the cross.
Following this, we saw how we must keep our eyes on Jesus, because when people get into power, they can easily become spiritual abusers. By looking to Jesus as the source for our spiritual life, we better see spiritual abusers and can call them out when needed.
In our third week, we walked through the calling of the boy Samuel. Through his calling we saw four lessons: First, we must learn to hear God; God desires to speak to us as individuals directly and we need to learn his voice. Second, we need spiritual mentors who will point us to Jesus, showing us what it means to put him first in our lives. The third thing we talked about was how sometimes God’s messages to us are bad news, whether because we are under discipline, or because life sometimes brings pain; so we need to be willing to hear those hard messages he has for us. Finally, we talked about how sometimes those hard messages God shares with us are for other people, and we need to gracefully share them as the Holy Spirit leads.
Finally, last week, we saw how the nation of Israel had turned the ark of the covenant into an idol. Because of this, God allowed his ark and the symbol of his presence to leave Israel. Yet the point of Israel’s defeat was to show God’s holiness. He did this through the destruction of Dagon’s idol, and the judgment of tumors upon the Philistines. God’s holiness was also shown to the Israelites when men tried to look inside the ark and were struck down. A holy fear and reverence moved through the Philistine and Israel nations after these events, and led to what happens in our passage today.
Like last week, we are covering multiple chapters to see the bigger picture of what is happening. In this case we are covering chapters 7 and 8. Since we are covering so much to read in one setting, your default challenge is to go back and re-read these two chapters this week.
With that said, let’s read together starting in chapter 7, verse 3, of First Samuel.
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 defeated 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.
v.7:3-11 - The holy fear and reverence that God displayed through the capturing of the ark that we looked at last week, has led the people of Israel to finally do what they should have done before: sought God through God’s prophet Samuel.
Seeking God should have been the default response that the Israelites took, but instead they sought an idol to help them. But now, as they have a new reverence for God, they are now seeking his prophet, and thus, seeking God.
Samuel’s question “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart … (v.3)” is a reference to the Shema of Deuteronomy 6, where Moses told the Israelites, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (v.4-6)”
Samuel’s if-then statement of, if they seek God with all their heart, then they must destroy the idols of Baal and Ashtaroth; two Canaanite deities that had become imbedded into Israelite culture and have led the Israelites away from their God. This isn’t the first time, there has been a call to destroy these idols, we saw it in the book of Judges, and it won’t be the last, when we will see it again during the time of the prophets before Israel is sent away into captivity.
In response to Samuel calling the people to repent and destroy the Canaanite idols that they have been worshiping, they comply. Samuel calls them to gather to worship God and make atonement for their sin at Mizpha, and they comply. If we read through the book of Judges into Samuel, this is the first time in almost two generations that the people have finally stopped seeking after idols and chosen to follow God. We cannot fully appreciate this moment without seeing all the rebellion and destruction Israel’s sin has caused for almost a hundred years.
However, the Philistines take this as an opportunity to come attack the Israel. Here we can see the difference in the response of the Israelites. Just a few chapters back, the people sought after an idol and went out to battle, this led to their defeat. Yet this time, instead of seeking the idol and fighting, they seek God through Samuel. It is God who then defeats the Philistines. It is God who sends the something that confuses and causes the Philistines to scatter, allowing the Israelites to win the day. Just as it was God who brought his ark back to Israel, it is God who defeats the Philistines.
v.12-17 - It is then that the Israelites make a memorial to God for what he has done. They place a stone and call it Ebenezer, which means stone of help, because it was the Living God, not a lifeless idol who helps the Israelites.
From here God restores the lands that the Philistines had taken, leading to Samuel and most of Israel to live in relative peace for the next several decades.
And if we were to end there, we finally have a moment of hopefulness in Israel. Everything is as God intended: Israel is restored, both politically and spiritually. Yet, we must see the contrast between this moment and the next.
Dropping down to chapter 8, verse 1, we see that at the end of Samuel’s life, things begin to spiral down once again.
Reading in First Samuel 8:1 we read, “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.”
8:1-9 - We find out that there are things that have begun simmering below the surface for years. The peaceful time that is thought to have been going on, was brewing sin. Like Eli before him, Samuel’s sons were abusing their spiritual office. Again, whether Samuel, like Eli, didn’t know, or turned a blind eye towards the abuse, we don’t know. What we do know is that because of this abuse, the people call on Samuel to appoint a king.
The reasoning of the people was twofold: First, they were upset that Samuel’s sons were spiritual abusers, a trend that has come multiple times from the Judges. And twice from the most recent ones. Second, the people wanted to be like other nations, such as Egypt.
However the people aren’t thinking through their request and the problems that it will bring. See, God’s Judge system was only supposed to be one generation of lineage. God would call a person to live out the call of Judge and then call a different person after them. These were only called when necessary due to internal or external strife. The sons of the Judge were not to take over their parent’s position, yet as we saw with Gideon, this idea had begun to take root, and had already created a mindset of a semi-monarchy; something that wasn’t God’s intention.
The second problem with their request, was that the people were unwittingly inshrining into their governmental system a lineage approach that would not allow for the replacing of a son who was bad. Whereas the Judge wasn’t a king and therefore his children had no divine appointment, a king’s lineage would. They weren’t stuck with a Judge’s son, but they would be stuck with a king’s. The problems would show themselves in Solomon’s son Rehoboam in 1 Kings 12, where his defiance would lead to the nation of Israel separating into two.
It is here that we get an interesting insight into Samuel. He felt that their request was wrong instinctively and yet, he still took the request to God. Samuel is putting into practice what Proverbs 3:5 would later state, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Though Samuel knew that the people’s request was outside of God’s desire, he still took the request to God to see if it was in his plan.
And it’s a good thing that Samuel did this, because God explains that Israel was rejecting him and not Samuel. They were rejecting God’s governmental system. They were rejecting God’s position as king in that system. They were calling for an amendment to the covenant they had with God. They were rejecting that God is going to fulfill his side of the covenant. And they were wanting to look to a man, rather than to God.
How vastly different than just a chapter earlier. In one chapter, and several decades of time earlier, the people were ready to follow God as he led. They were willing to recognize their sin, and trust God for his help rather than look else where. But now, with having a cycle of Judges or their kids turning out bad, the people want a change. God’s help isn’t enough, they want some one else.
We might think that this is something out of the blue, but God had foreseen this happening and had already put a provision for a king within his covenant way back in Deuteronomy 17. God knew this day would come and prepared for it in his law.
v.10-18 - So God grants their request, but in verses 10-18, he communicates through Samuel just what that will look like. Samuel begins this list in verse 11, saying, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you …”
The list goes like this: Some sons will be be made warriors, while others will be made to plow and reap the king’s harvest and not their own, while still other sons will be called upon to make weapons. The daughters will be made to serve as food prepares. The king will take the best land for himself, and on top of that will take a tenth of their production as tax. The king will also take the peoples’ servants and animals and a tenth of the flocks.
In other words, the king is going to become an oppressor over the people, and then when they cry out to God, he will not answer because they have chosen this path. As the old saying goes, they will have made their bed, and now, they have to sleep in it. All this will end up coming about as the kings progressively get worse until God does step in and exiles the people from the land. However, this is a part of the God’s plan to show the lack of ability in human kings, that we might seek Jesus, the King of kings, when he descends.
v.19-22 - In verse 19 we get the people’s response to God’s word through Samuel, “But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, ‘No! But there shall be a king over us, 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.’(v.19-20)”
The people have rose colored glasses on about how the king will treat them. They are not seeking God as they did in the last chapter, and we can see how quickly within one lifetime society can drastically turn away from God. Something that we have seen in our lifetimes today.
It is here that we come to the end of the first section of Samuel’s book, as Samuel brings the peoples’ response back to God. “And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 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.’ (v.21-22)”
The section doesn’t end as the last chapter did, on a high note, but on an almost ominous one. Who is this king that is to come? Where will he be from? What will his lineage produce? Is this the hope for the nation that was hinted to in Ruth? Is this David?
The tone is ambiguous, yet there is an underlying truth that the people think that by looking to a man they will experience greater freedom and peace, when God knows, that this will lead to both their spiritual and physical bondage.
And this is the reality that we are to walk away with. In chapter 7, when the people turned their hearts to God, God fought for them and brought peace. One chapter, and several decades later, the people sought another king which would lead them in strife.
How easily this happens in our lives? We do not need decades for our heart to be swayed from God, someone’s mean glance, a news article’s inflammatory headline, a headache, can send us to seek a new king to help us.
It’s because of this tendency to have our hearts swayed away from God that Jesus speaks these words in John 15, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (v.1-11)”
We are to live in the joy of the Lord. Even when we struggle against sin, or the weight of the world is pressed against us, we are to find joy in Jesus. But that joy comes from a constant reminder to abide in him. We are to abide when that mean glance comes our way. We are to abide when we read that headline. We are to abide when we get those physical alignments.
And how do we abide? By putting into practice God’s word. We see Samuel, though he knew the request from the Israelites was wrong, he still did not lean on his own understanding and took it before God. What would have happened if Samuel just responded, “No?” Would there have been another civil war? Would God’s plan changed in how he brought about David’s lineage? We don’t know. What we do know is that Samuel abided in God and sought him.
The Israelites didn’t abide in God, and though God would work it out to bring about Jesus’ cross and the forgiveness of sins, it led to hundreds of years of bondage for them.
God desires that we abide in him, seeking after him above all other things; above idols, and above people. And when we are abiding in him, seeking his will, like Hannah, our desire will match his, and he answers us in those godly desires.
My challenge for you this week is to have this word “abide” on your lips when you wake up, and throughout the day. When you wake up let it be one of the first things you request of God, “Lord, let me abide in you today.” When you get that glance, “Lord, let me abide in you.” When you read that headline, “Lord, let me abide in you.” And when you have those physical alignments, say it with me, “Lord, let me abide in you today.”
Let us be an abiding people, who find joy in the Lord no matter the circumstance. Amen.
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