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 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. Meditation God’s sovereign grace guarantees that God hears cries of faith and will help in times of need. It may look different than we would prefer but “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers….” (Psalm 34:17) After the ark returned to Israel, Samuel leads Israel’s return to the Lord by calling them to put away false gods, return to the Lord with all their heart, and serve the Lord alone. Faithful leadership always leads God’s people to turn their hearts to the Lord. Opposition always rises when God’s people wholeheartedly return to Him. Israel gathered at Mizpah for sacrifice and the Philistines gathered to attack. Samuel cried out on Israel’s behalf and God heard, responding with thundering faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is marked by a stone and a saying. The Ebeneezer was a rock of remembrance, similar to the stone set up by Jacob to mark where God had met him (Genesis 28:18-22) and the stones set up by Joshua so Israel would remember God’s faithfulness when passing into the promised land (Joshua 4:5-12). The stone of remembrance is celebrated with the saying, “Until now, the Lord has helped us.” The Lord hears the cries of the righteous, and the Lord delivers. This covenant promise is cemented by a better representative, Jesus Christ, sealed with a more powerful symbol than a stone- The cross where He died for all who believe. Christ’s work makes us righteous! So we can be confident the Lord will hear our cry of faith through Him. Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you about Israel’s returning to the Lord, Samuel’s crying out, God’s protection, and their remembrance? -How do you mark and remember God’s faithfulness to you, empowering your faith by “until now, the Lord has helped us” symbols? -How does the cross of Christ guarantee God will help by helping us see that “until now, God has helped us”? How does this fuel your faith? Key Verse 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.” Comments are closed.
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AuthorPastor Mitchell celebrates twenty-five years of marriage with Lisa & together they have four adventurous children. |