1 Samuel 7:3-17
Returning to the Lord
Introduction
When God brought the Israelites into the land of Canaan, one of the things He told them to do was to drive out all the heathen nations from the land. They were to leave none of them behind as they took over the land. After they crossed the Jordan, they began to do just that. However, as these heathen nations began to leave and Israel began enjoying victory, their zeal for completing the task started to wane. After all, there was a need for economic development, and they were enjoying peace, even with many of the Canaanites still around. Their actions and their unwillingness to follow through would cause them much grief for generations to come. There is something to be said for obeying God completely.
In our text, many events have transpired that need to be understood. The Philistines were a mighty force that had to be dealt with, and Israel had no national leader they were looking to. By now their dependence upon God’s leader, the priest had begun to falter. They did not want to follow some religious leader, but they wanted a leader like the other nations round about them. In 1 Samuel 4, Israel went into war against the Philistines, and out of desperation and self-sufficiency they decided to take the ark of God into battle. Notice that they were worshipping and trusting the object rather than the One it represented. This was a great irreverence for the Lord in misusing the ark, though the people couldn’t see it. They tried to confine God to a box, rather than recognizing His presence all around them, and rather than ensuring Israel’s victory, they were sealing their own fate by carrying the ark into battle. They moved from a relationship of dependence on God to one of using Him when they were in over their heads.
Even though they fought valiantly, the Philistines were victorious, and the ark was captured. For seven months, the ark remained captured, but the Philistines kept suffering plagues and deaths while it was in their presence, so they decided to send it back to Israel on a cart, hooked to two cows. By now Israel was at a low point: they had moved beyond the favor of God and needed renewal.
As we consider the actions of the people of Israel today, let’s examine our own lives and see if we have not also taken the things of God lightly. Ask yourself right now, "Are the things of God as important to me as they are to God?" "Do I contain God’s work in my life to the church property, or only when I have a Bible in my hand?" "Have I been guilty of using God when I face trouble?" The Israelites readily received the ark back into their presence, but what were they told by God’s prophet? What was it that would bring renewal to them? Because if we can discover God’s plan for their renewal, we can also see His plan for our lives as well.
There must be a decision of the will.
Read verse 3 with me.
“And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
Probably one of the most important words in the entire Bible is that little word "if." If I counted correctly there are 1522 uses of this word in the KJV. God is a God of choices, and you must make yours. No one else can make your decisions for you. No one else can tell you what to do. The decision is yours. We have said before that life is like a coin, it’s yours to spend, but you can only spend it once.
Think about how the Scriptures speak about personal choice…
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
"If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you…"
"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
"If you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, then put off the ways of the old man and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
If, if, if… Whether or not you ever experience what God has for you in Christ Jesus depends on you making a decision. If revival is what you want, then you can have it, but it will not come until you make a personal decision of the will. You can think with your brain that you need renewal, but stop there. You can feel with your emotions that you need renewal, but you will remain empty, but when you decide with your will to do what is necessary to get it then you have overcome the biggest obstacle.
There must be consecration.
To consecrate something means to set it apart, to separate yourself from that which is contrary to God. Samuel told the people that if they were going to return to God, if they were going to experience revival, they were going to have to first put away the strange gods. They needed to rid themselves of the Ashtaroth, the fertility cults, their lustful pleasures and sex worship. If we are to consecrate ourselves to God, we must place our love for God above every other love we have in this life.
We get so involved in making a living or in community affairs that we let go of our service to God. I knew a man who was married with three children. He worked 50 – 60 hours a week. He was the fire marshal for the fire department, was an EMT, was a part time student in seminary, was the church treasurer, the Sunday school superintendent, a Sunday evening Bible class teacher, and a preacher. Here was a man who could not put God and family first. We depend on our own ability to support our families and forget that everything we own comes from God.
Are you too busy to spend quality time in prayer? Are you too busy to study God’s Word? Are you giving to God your leftovers? Your leftover time? Your leftover money? Your leftover energy? “I can’t give that much time; I have things to do. I can’t give God 10% of my income; I can’t afford to do that.” These are the gods of self-reliance and they say a lot about what we think of God.
Consecration means putting away the world’s ideas of marriage; of raising your children. It means putting away man’s philosophies about self-esteem and tolerance for unbiblical lifestyles. Consecration means forsaking sin. It means calling sin what it is and forsaking it.
Gary Richmond, a former zookeeper, had this to say: “Raccoons go through a glandular change at about 24 months. After that they often attack their owners. Since a 30-pound raccoon can be equal to a 100-pound dog in a scrap, I felt compelled to mention the change coming to a pet raccoon owned by a young friend of mine, Julie. She listened politely as I explained the coming danger. I’ll never forget her answer. "It will be different for me . . ." And she smiled as she added, "Bandit wouldn’t hurt me. He just wouldn’t." Three months later Julie underwent plastic surgery for facial lacerations sustained when her adult raccoon attacked her for no apparent reason. Bandit was released into the wild.”
Sin, too, often comes dressed in an adorable guise, and as we play with it, how easy it is to say, "It will be different for me." The results are predictable. Sin will drag you down and will kill you. It will deceive you until you can’t think clearly and you won’t listen to what the Lord says. Oh, it won’t happen to me. I’m in control.
In 1982, "ABC Evening News" reported on an unusual work of modern art--a chair affixed to a shotgun. It was to be viewed by sitting in the chair and looking directly into the gun barrel. The gun was loaded and set on a timer to fire at an undetermined moment within the next hundred years. The amazing thing was that people waited in lines to sit and stare into the shell’s path! They all knew the gun could go off at point-blank range at any moment, but they were gambling that the fatal blast wouldn’t happen during their minute in the chair. Yes, it was foolhardy, yet many people who wouldn’t dream of sitting in that chair live a lifetime gambling that they can get away with sin. Foolishly they ignore the risk until the inevitable self-destruction.
If you don’t think sin will get you, you keep on. "Don’t be deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap." Consecration to God means more than putting away your sin and the world’s ideas; it also involves replacing those things with something better. Paul said it best in Romans 6:18, "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."
There must be a commitment that is proved by action.
Verse 4 says,
“Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only.”
The people of Israel followed through on their decision; they put away the gods like they were told to do. They made a conscious decision, they had a willingness to be consecrated from their sinfulness and turned to God.
If you realize your need to be drawn back to God today, it is not enough to just understand it. You can understand the gospel and go to hell. You can know all about revival and remain lifeless before the Lord. What are you going to do now? What decision does the Lord want you to make today? There are things in every one of your lives that you know God has been dealing with you about. They may not be big, obvious things to those around you. It may be something that only you and the Lord are aware of. It may be sin, it may be a place of service, it may be someone you need to speak to about Christ. Perhaps you have a relationship you need to make right, or a habit that needs to be broken that is controlling your life. Whatever that decision is, make the commitment to do it and then follow through.
There must be confession.
Verses 5-6 continue as Samuel speaks to the people.
“And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord. And they gathered together to Mizpeh, 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 children of Israel in Mizpeh.
This was no lip service revival. They were praying, fasting, confessing to God their sin. They were so distraught over their condition that the people couldn’t even eat. They had no appetite, but were spending that time in the dirt. Oh that God would make us hunger for Him as much as we do our food. You must confess to God your own sin. What is it that has taken you away from God? If you will consecrate yourself to God, seek Him in prayer, genuinely begging God to show you what separates you from Him, He will show you. Do you really want to walk closer to Him?
A genuine seeking after God will bring revival.
“And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard [it], they were afraid of the Philistines. And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered [it for] a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until [they came] under Bethcar. Then Samuel took a stone, and set [it] between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. And his return [was] to Ramah; for there [was] his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.”
God saw that Israel had humbled themselves. No longer were they filled with pride and self-sufficiency, they saw how they were. God was pleased with their prayer and confession. He saw that they had turned from their sin and had consecrated themselves to Him. He forgave their sin and He brought a great revival to their land. He can do the same for you; in fact, He wants to do the same for you. Whether it ever happens or not is left up to you.
