1 Samuel 7:2-4 "Returning To The Lord"

1 Sam 7:2-4 "Returning to the LORD" Marc Transparenti / General Samuel / Repentance; Deliverance / 1 Samuel 7:2-4 Context: 1 Sam 4:1-11 "Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. 2 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. 3 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." 4 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. 5 And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. 6 Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp. 7 So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp!" And they said, "Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 9 Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!" 10 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. 11 Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died." 1. Background: a. Context: Corrupt time in Israel where the High Priest, Eli, had turned a blind eye to the wickedness of his sons Hophni & Phinehas. b. In 1 Sam Chapter 4, the Philistines defeated Israel in battle, so the Ark of the Covenant was foolishly taken into battle as though it were a magic trinket or good luck charm. The battle is lost, the Ark is captured, the wicked sons are killed, and Eli falls and breaks his neck upon hearing all of this. c. In 1 Sam Chapter 5, God struck the Philistines with tumors and struck their pagan god Dagon. The New King James Version Chapter 5 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. 4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon's torso was left of it. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. 6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god." i. So, in 7 mos, they send the Ark back to Israel. d. In 1 Samuel Chapter 6, the Ark is returned to Israel, but when the men of Beth Shemesh receive the Ark, they foolishly look inside... violating God's command that only the Levites could handle the ark and 50,070 men are struck by the Lord. The men of Kirjath Jearim take the Ark to the house of Abinadab, who Josephus said was a Levite, where the Ark remains about 100 years, but after 20 years Samuel speaks as Israel lamented after the Lord. e. Israel was still a Theocracy at this time, led by God, but was on the brink of becoming a monarchy, led by man, which begins in 1 Sam 8 when Samuel is old. 1 Sam 7: 2-4 "So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 3 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." 4 So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only." Picking up in verse 3, Samuel addresses the nation with words that are timeless...relevant for them and relevant for us today..."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." 1. The conjunction "if" introduces several conditional clauses that would lead the nation to repentance and a season of revival. 2. First, and I would suggest the primary condition: a. Return to the LORD with ALL your hearts. i. Return- Turn back. Repent inwardly. Implies one was once in fellowship with the Lord and has drifted away from their first love: ii. Heb 2:1 warns "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." There is always a temptation to drift from the things of God and to the things of the world. 1. That verse in Hebrews says to prevent drifting "...we must give the more earnest heed to the thing we have heard..." 2. "earnest heed"...this carries the idea of 'giving special attention to.' Heed by def. can mean 'addicted.' Be addicted to the 'things we have heard, lest we drift away.' 3. What have heard? We have heard many things regarding the Lord. a. Samuel said, "Return to the LORD with all your hearts..."The Great Shema" Dt 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Jesus echoed this in His ministry. i. Love God with ALL your heart. Biblically speaking, the heart is not just the seat of emotion as we think of today, but to the Jews, this represented the whole inner man (i.e., mind, will, spirit, self, desire, conscience, etc.). b. And, there are so many other things you have heard from the word, from Christian brothers and sisters, from God's still small voice, and when you heed these things...when you hold these and God close to your heart you will not drift. c. If you have drifted, listen to Samuel...Return...turn back...God always stands with open arms. Next, Samuel states, "...then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you..." 1. Put Away: Imperative/ Command a. Foreign gods: i. They were to tear down their high places; to purge them from their lives. ii. Baals- Canaanite god of fertility or abundance; weather god associated with thunderstorms. Fertile ground = good crops = wealth 1. Quote "Baal was a god of sexual congress whose cult sported erotic acts that offended Israelite sensitivities." iii. Ashtoreths- Canaanite goddess and companion deity of Baal. goddess of fertility. Connected to love & sex. iv. Sex and Money- 2 idols that are still worshipped today, but a foreign god is truly anything loved more than the one true God. b. Scripture declares that God is a jealous God and finds it abominable when His people are unfaithful or adulterous. Samuel continues, "...and prepare your hearts for the LORD,..." 1. Prepare- Imperative a. Second mention of heart in this verse. b. Prepare: make ready, be established. c. The idea is "Preparation in expectation." d. Prepare your hearts because God is going to show Himself in your life. i. 2 Ch 16:8-9 "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." ii. That's a promise you can hold to. Samuel continues "...and serve Him only;..." 1. Serve- Imperative...a command. This is not a suggestion. a. Serve by def. "to do work, but can also imply acts of worship, or to obey." 2. Serve Him ONLY a. Not our hedonistic selves; Not our flesh...our desires...our wants...Serve GOD. b. Sometimes we even prioritize loving and serving people, which is good, but it's not good if our love for others is above God. i. Love God first, then love others. Be right on the vertical, right on the horizontal. Samuel continues "...and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." 1. Now we see the Result: a. Deliverance- by def. "to snatch away" it implies to defend, preserve, rescue. b. Philistines- the worst enemy of the Israelites at this time in history. They were a constant oppressor. A Pagan culture worshipping false gods, and they hurt Israel in many ways. c. What are our Philistines today? i. Principalities and powers in our society that are not friendly to our Christian beliefs. ii. Sometimes we even face friendly fire in our fellowships. iii. Sometime the worst Philistine in our lives is simply ourselves and this body of flesh. d. But, despite the Philistines in the world, keep your eyes on Jesus. i. John 16:33: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." In verse 4, we see the response: "So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only." 1. The Response- hearts turn, idols put away, and they serve the LORD only. 2. Sounds like a revival. 3. In these few verses we have observed powerful themes: Repentance...Purging...Preparation in Expectation & finally Dedication. Page . Exported from Logos Bible Software, 10:46 PM June 7, 2021.