Samuel Intercedes for Israel

1 Samuel 7:1-17

Key Verse 1 Samuel 7:12

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."

Read verses 1-4. How did the men of Kiriath Jearim handle the ark of God? (1) How long did the ark remain at Kiriath Jearim? (2a) What did the people of Israel do during this time? (2b) What did Samuel ask them to do and what would God do in return? (3) Then, how did they respond to Samuel’s instruction? (4) 

Read verses 5-9. What was Samuel’s second instruction for them to follow? (5a)  What would Samuel do for them? (5b) How did they follow Samuel’s instruction? (6) How did the Philistines try to take advantage of Israels’ assembly at Mizpah? (7)  What did Israelites ask Samuel to do for them? (8) How did Samuel help them? (9)     

Read verses 10-14.  How did God help the Israelites? (10) What did the men of Israel do to the Philistines? (11) How did Samuel commemorate God’s help? (12)  How did God restore Israel’s territory and keep peace in the land throughout Samuel’s lifetime? (13, 14)

     

Read verses 15-17.  How did Samuel continue to serve the Israelites as judge? (15-17)

Samuel Intercedes For Israel

1 Samuel 7:1-17

Key Verse 1 Samuel 7:12 

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. 

He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."

We can see the salvation/revival in the time of Samuel. 

(1) God prepared the salvation/revival. (v1,2)

In the hearts of people and Samuel 

(2) God used His servant, Samuel (v3-9)

To delivered Message of Repentance (v3)

To do Intercessory Prayer and Burnt Offering (Atonement) (v5-9)

(3) God saved them (v10-17)

Salvation of God (v10-14) 

Continuity of Salvation through his servants. (v15-17) 

May God prepare our hearts and the hearts of Lord’s servants for the revival in our generations. 

1. Read verses 1-4. How did the men of Kiriath Jearim handle the ark of God? (1) How long did the ark remain at Kiriath Jearim? (2a) What did the people of Israel do during this time? (2b) What did Samuel ask them to do and what would God do in return? (3) Then, how did they respond to Samuel’s instruction? (4) 

1-1) Read verses 1-4. 

1 So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They took it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. 2 It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord. 3 And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

1-2) How did the men of Kiriath Jearim handle the ark of God? (1) 

a) Took up the ark of the Lord to Abinadab’s house on the hill. 

The ark of the Lord should be in the holy of holies in the tabernacle. (Ex 26:32-34)

But instead, they took it to the Abinadab’s house. 

b) Consecrated Eleazar to guard the ark of the Lord. 

Their motive was to treat the Ark of the Lord with respect and honor. 

But they did not know the Law of God (Ex 29).

1-3) How long did the ark remain at Kiriath Jearim? (2a) 

a) 20yrs: The ark of Lord remained Kiriath Jearim until David. (2 Sam 6:3)

Although they had the Ark of the Lord, their relationship with God was not set right. 

1-4) What did the people of Israel do during this time? (2b) 

a) All the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord. 

Because their armies were defeated: their husbands and sons were dead. 

Because their cities were in ruins: their properties and crops were plundered. 

Because they were under Philistine domination: they were slaves. 

b) God prepared the hearts of people for their salvation.   

i) All the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord. 

‘All the people’ indicated that God is working in this. 

ii) Their mourning may not be true repentance. 

Because they had their own idols for the last 20yrs. 

They were not willing to give up their idol worship, idolatrous life style. 

People mourn about the mess of their lives without repentance. (Worldly sorrow)

Godly sorrow brings us repentance that leads to salvation. (2 Cor 7:9,10)    

Therefore, they needed spiritual leader(s) to lead them to repentance. 

c) God prepared Samuel, spiritual leader, to lead Israel to repentance. 

For 20yrs, Samuel was not mentioned since 1 Sam 4:1. 

Probably, Samuel had been teaching the word of God, praying for all Israel. 

He did not have any visible fruits in his ministry for 20yrs. 

God prepared Samuel from childhood for the revival. 

1-5) What did Samuel ask them to do and what would God do in return? (3) 

a) Samuel delivered the message of repentance.

i) Returning to the Lord: (repent) 

Turning away from “your” sin and turning toward the Lord. 

Repentance is different from worldly sorrow. 

ii) All your hearts [lebab: inner man, mind, will, heart]

All your mind, all your will, all your heart, and your inner man have to repent. 

Real repentance involves all our being: will, mind, heart. 

b) Rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths.

i) Completely removed idols among them: complete rejection for idols.

ii) Idols in Israel

Baal; god of fertility and weather; 

Ashtoreths: goddess of fertility, love and sex

iii) Idols in our time: (Money, Success, Fame, Sex, Pleasure etc) 

Anything in our lives that takes the place of God. 

Give more of your affections than you do to God. 

More important to you than God, His word, and His church. 

Demand the sacrifice and devotion that belongs only to Him 

                                    Idols in the heart are far more dangerous than (visible) idols.

iv) Get rid of source of our idol: Greed ( HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+3:5&version=102" Colossians 3:5)

Greed: desire to have more, lust to have beyond God’s will, covetousness. 

c) Commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only. (Deut. 6:13; 13:4; Matt. 4:10)

[NASB: direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone]

i) Commit ourselves to the Lord (the way of life for believers)

Direct your hearts [everything in our heart, will and mind] to the Lord. 

God-centered, God-exalting, God-glorifying will, mind, hearts. 

ii) Serve Him only: the purpose/goal of God’s creation and of God’s salvation.

d) He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 

Salvation from the slavery of sin and death in NT perspective. 

1-6) Then, how did they respond to Samuel’s instruction? (4)

a) They put away their Baals and Ashtoreths and served the Lord only.

Completely removed idols among them.

b) Genuine Repentance is rare, hard, not natural. (divine work of God) 

Israel’s repentance took over 20 years. 

Confessing one’s sin, is not an easy thing. 

It doesn’t come naturally to us to bow the knee, to acknowledge our sovereign God 

2. Read verses 5-9.  What was Samuel’s second instruction for them to follow? (5a)  What would Samuel do for them? (5b) How did they follow Samuel’s instruction? (6) How did the Philistines try to take advantage of Israel’s’ assembly at Mizpah? (7)  What did Israelites ask Samuel to do for them? (8) How did Samuel help them? (9)     

2-1) Read verses 5-9.    

5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel was leader [judge] of Israel at Mizpah.

7 When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. 8 They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him. 

2-2) What was Samuel’s second instruction for them to follow? (5a)  

a) Assemble all Israel at Mizpah: the place for a repentant Israel. (Judges 20:1)

So that they could continually repent and he could pray for them. 

2-3) What would Samuel do for them? (5b) 

a) I will intercede with the Lord for you. 

Samuel wanted to pray for them as a priest because he saw their repentance. 

b) Intercessory Prayer

i) Definition: the act of praying on behalf of others.

ii) Who intercedes for others? All believers. (1Pet 2:9)

Believers are all priests who should pray to God on behalf of others

iii) Whom do we intercede? 

We should intercede for all men ( HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Timothy%202.1" \t "_blank" 1 Tim 2:1) and all believers (Eph 6:18) 

People in authority ( HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Timothy%202.2" \t "_blank" 1Tim 2:2) and Enemies ( HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Jeremiah%2029.7" \t "_blank" Jer 29:7,  HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Matthew%205.44" \t "_blank" Mat 5:44)

Ministers ( HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Philippians%201.19" \t "_blank" Phil 1:19, Eph 6:19) and the sick ( HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/James%205.14" \t "_blank" Jam 5:14) 

iv) Who intercedes for believers?

The Holy Spirit (Rom 8:26,27) and Jesus Christ (Rom 8:34)

2-4) How did they follow Samuel’s instruction? (6) 

a) They assembled at Mizpah: 

They showed their desire to repent and to come back to God. 

b) They drew water, and poured it out before the Lord

It was an expression of total inability to fight against the enemy. (Ps. 62:8)

It was an expression of our emptiness and need. (Lamentations 2:19)

c) They fasted and they confessed. 

Fasting: Desire to be right with God is more important than physical needs. 

They confessed their own sins before God. (1Jn 1:9)

Confess every sin and ask for His divine forgiveness based on the work of Jesus. 

2-5) How did the Philistines try to take advantage of Israel’s’ assembly at Mizpah? (7)  

a) When the Philistines heard: 

When they saw the humble repentant Israel, they saw their weakness. 

They wanted to attack them because they thought they would be off-guard.

 

b) When the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

They had no confidence in themselves or in God: No faith in God. 

They had more confidence when they brought the ark of God. (1Sam 4:5) 

Our feelings of confidence can be very deceptive. 

2-6) What did Israelites ask Samuel to do for them? (8) 

8 They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” 

a) Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us.

Before, they said, bring the ark of the Lord (1 Sam 4:3).

Now, ask Samuel to cry out to the Lord. (v8)

b) He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.  

Before, this ark may save us. (1 Sam 4:3)

Now, the Lord may rescue us. 

2-7) How did Samuel help them? (9)     

a) Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it as whole burnt offering to the Lord. 

A suckling lamb was given to God as burnt offering.

Samuel knew in order to come to God, atoning sacrifice was needed before Him. 

Jesus, the Lamb of God was given to God as burnt offering on the cross.

To take away the sin of the world. (Jn 1:29) 

c) He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf. (the intercessory prayer)

After atoning sacrifice, we can pray for the salvation of people. 

Because of the atonement of Jesus, we can pray for salvation.  

 

d) The Lord answered him: 

The battle was over even before it began, because the Lord answered him.

Samuel was a man of prayer. (Psalm 99:6)

3. Read verses 10-14.  How did God help the Israelites? (10) What did the men of Israel do to the Philistines? (11) How did Samuel commemorate God’s help? (12)  How did God restore Israel’s territory and keep peace in the land throughout Samuel’s lifetime? (13, 14)

3-1) Read verses 10-14.  

10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. 11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”  13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. 14 The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to her, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 

3-2) How did God help the Israelites? (10) 

a) The Lord thundered with a loud thunder.

God fought against the Philistines on behalf of Israel. 

God threw them into a panic. 

b) God punished the Baal (god of weather; storm) which was pictured with a thunderbolt. 

God showed the Philistine who was the real God of thunder. 

3-3) What did the men of Israel do to the Philistines? (11) 

The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines.

God provided the courage to the men of Israel to pursued the Philistines. 

3-4) How did Samuel commemorate God’s help? (12)  

a) Took a stone and set it up.

Remember the Salvation of God is extremely important. 

Because we forget about the grace of salvation so easily. 

We should remember His past work which is a guarantee of future help.

 

b) Named it Ebenezer [stone of help] 

The battle was won by the Lord, not by Israel. 

3-5) How did God restore Israel’s territory and keep peace in the land throughout Samuel’s lifetime? (13, 14)

a) The hand of the Lord (the power of God) was against the Philistines. 

The towns were restored to Israel. 

Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the Philistines.

There was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 

4. Read verses 15-17.  How did Samuel continue to serve the Israelites as judge? (15-17)

4-1) Read verses 15-17.  

15 Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life. 16 From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. 17 But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also judged Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

4-2) How did Samuel continue to serve the Israelites as judge? (15-17)

a) Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life.

b) Samuel worked hard as a judge: Every year, went on a circuit, from town to town.

c) Samuel worshiped the Lord faithfully: built an altar to the Lord. 

An altar was a place of sacrifice and worship. 

Samuel had a consistent relationship with the Lord in sacrifice and worship.

In Conclusion, God in his Sovereign will saved the people of Israel and caused revival among them. Revival is amazing work of God. God can save us for his revival. He could cause the great revival among us.  God prepares everything so that we can repent of our sins and fully commit to Him. As priests of God, all believers must deliver the message of repentance, must do intercessory prayer based on atonement of Jesus. Then God will save His people from the power of sin and death. Praise God who is our Savior. Praise God who is powerful and sovereign.   

Ebenezer!

1 Samuel 7:1-17

Key verse 7:12

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”

God is in the business of helping his people. The problem is that God’s people are not always open to receiving his help. For the most part we try to do things on our own. But there is one thing that we cannot do on our own. We cannot return to the Lord on our own. We need God’s help in order to return to the Lord. In today’s passage, Samuel led a spiritual revival in Israel. But the real leader of this revival was the Lord. The Lord was persistently helping his people to return to him. Though the message, we would like to consider the steps involved in revival. But most of all we would like to be better able to recognize and respond to the Lord’s help to lead a revival in this generation.    

Part I. “If you are returning to the Lord” (2-9)

The first thing the Lord did to help the Israelites to return him was to discipline them. Look at verse 1-2. “So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They took it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD. It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD.” 

Originally, the ark of the Lord had been in Shiloh. From Shiloh, it was taken into the Israelite camp, where it was captured by the Philistines. Then it went to Ashdod and Gath in Philistine territory. After 7 months it was returned to Israel; to Beth Shemesh. Finally, it was put under guard at Abinadab’s house in Kiriath Jearim. It seems that wherever the ark went there was the Lord’s discipline. In the Israelite camp, the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines and thirty thousand men died, including the priests, Hophni and Phinehas. In the towns of the Philistines, there were plagues of rats and painful tumors. In Beth Shemesh, seventy men died, because they looked into the ark. The Lord kept on disciplining his people. 

The point of the Lord’s discipline was for the Israelites to know that the Lord is holy. When the men of Beth Shemesh were disciplined by the Lord; they asked “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? They recognized that the Lord is holy and that they were not holy. They could not stand before the holy God, so they sent the ark away to Kiriath Jearim. While the ark was locked up at Abinadab’s house, the Israelites must have felt far from God. They must have thought that the Lord had abandoned them. But it was all part of the Lord’s greater plan to help them to return to the Lord. Through the Lord’s discipline, the Israelites learned that God is holy and they became humble. They began to mourn for their sins. And, they began to seek the Lord. This movement was initiated by the Lord and it was universal. All the people mourned and sought after the Lord.

No one likes to receive discipline. But we need to remember that the Lord disciplines those he loves. He disciplines us to know his holiness, so that we would be humble and seek the Lord. With this in mind, the right response to the Lord’s discipline might be to give thanks to the Lord.   

The second thing the Lord did to help his people to return to him was to help them to repent practically. Look at verse 2. He said, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourself to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hands of the Philistines.” 

Samuel did not commend the Israelites for seeking the Lord. He helped them to repent practically. Feeling sorry for our sins is not enough. It must lead to practical repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorry brings death.”

The worship of foreign gods is idolatry. It is strictly forbidden by the Lord. The foreign god’s the Israelites served were the Baals and Asteroths. These were the pagan deities of the Canaanite nations. Serving these gods involved the worship of nature, material, fertility and sex. Worship services included ritualized heterosexual and homosexual prostitution and child sacrifice. These practices seem really barbaric. However, they share a lot of similarities with the more subtle forms of institutionalized idol worship we see today. Homosexual lifestyles and widespread abortion promote free sex without the material burden of having children. Such an environment makes it very easy to compromise ones views about marriage, divorce, multiple partners, pornography, lustful thinking and an unhealthy focus on outward appearance. Meanwhile, materialism is constantly being advanced through the media, style, and technology and a credit card culture.       

Practical repentance is not easy. It takes a long time for one person to repent fully. The Israelites continued serving idols even as they mourned and sought after the Lord. At first glance this might not have seemed like the best time to challenge them. They had already been disciplined by the Lord and had begun to humbly seek Him. But this was God’s time. This was the time when the Lord was helping them to return to him. So it was the best time to help them to repent practically. 

When it comes to helping one person to repent, we need to strike when the iron is hot. Then best time is when they have been disciplined by the Lord and are beginning to humbly seek the Lord. When Samuel waited for the best time to challenge God’s people, his challenge was very effective. If they were really serious about seeking the Lord, they must repent. They must get rid of their idols and commit to the Lord and serve him only. The people accepted Samuel’s challenge and repented practically.  

The third thing the Lord did to help the Israelites to return to the Lord was to help them to publicly confess their sins. Look at verses 5-6.  Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the LORD for you.” When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah. 

Samuel organized a Bible conference where the people could confess their sins. Remember, they had already repented practically. They repented practically prior to attending the Bible conference and confessing their sins. Here we can learn that we don’t need to use our Bible conference as our opportunity to repent. We can repent before attending the Bible conference. When the Israelites repented practically before their Bible conference, the Lord helped them to make a sincere confession of their sins. It was more than a cathartic exercise, but a real confession before the Lord. 

As they poured out water before the Lord, they poured out their hearts—in humility and gratitude and probably many tears. And they fasted and confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Through making a public confession, the Israelites were completely cleansed of their sins.  

Look at verse 6b again. “And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah.” Samuel led Israel by leading a national repentance movement—helping the people to repent before the Lord. But behind the scenes, it was really the Lord who helped them.     

The fourth thing the Lord helped the Israelites to do to return to the Lord was to help them accept the way of salvation. Look at verses 7-9. “When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. ⁸ They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel’s behalf, and the LORD answered him.”

When the Israelites repented fully, the real battle began. The Philistines came up to attach them. The Israelites were afraid and said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” Then what did Samuel do for them? He did two things. He sacrificed a lamb as a burnt offering and he cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf. 

These two things remind us of what our Lord Jesus has done for us. One, Jesus became the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for our sins. We could not pay the price for our sins. But Jesus paid the price with his blood, when he died in our place. There is no way for us to return to the Lord apart from through Jesus blood sacrifice as the Lamb of God. There is no other way to be saved, but through his blood. Two, Jesus became the only mediator between man and God. After Jesus rose from the grave, he ascended to the right hand of the Heavenly Father. There he cries out in intercessory prayer on our behalf—that we would be set free from the power of sin and Satan. The Israelites accepted an animal sacrifice and Samuel’s intercessory prayer and were saved. But we received a gospel that is far superior—with absolute power to save. In order to return to the Lord, we must not only repent of our sins, but also turn to Jesus Christ and accept God’s way of salvation.

Part II. “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (10-17) 

To this point, the Lord helped the Israelites to repent fully and accept God’s way of salvation. Even if the Lord ceased to help them in any other ways they could be alright. But the Lord continued to help them. 

The fifth thing Lord did to help the Israelites to return to him was to help them to experience the victory over their enemies. Look at verses 10-11. “While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car.”

The Philistines had oppressed the Israelites for a very long time. But now the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Philistines. Instead of being ruled over by their enemies, they ruled over their enemies. The Philistines represent all the unbelieving people, worldly principles and deceptive philosophies that work to oppress God’s children. The Lord wants to give us complete victory over our enemies, just as he gave Israel complete victory over the Philistines. However, if we expect to have God’s victory in our lives, we must turn from our sin and turn to the Lord.  

The sixth thing the Lord did to help the Israelites to return to him was to help them to testify to the Lord’s help. Look at verse 12. “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.”

The name Ebenezer means stone of help. Samuel raised this stone as a testament to God’s help. It was erected at the location were the Israelites were twice defeated by the Philistines, which was the same location where they now won a resounding victory over the Philistines. It commemorated the fact that they won this victory only through the Lord’s help. Not only that, but it also commemorated all the help the Lord had provided for them thus far—for Samuel testified, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”   

The words “Thus far” refer to all the ways that the Lord had helped them to return to the Lord. Broadly, it could mean all the help the Lord had provided for them back to the time of Abraham. It could mean all the help they received from the Lord from the time Moses brought them out of Egypt or Joshua led them into the Promised Land. It could mean all the help the Lord gave them beginning with Hannah’s prayer or the birth of Samuel. Narrowly, “Thus far” could signify all the help they received from the Lord beginning with the Lord’s discipline described in this passage. Thus far, the Lord helped them to 

Thus far the Lord helped them to be disciplined by the Lord to know his holiness and to humbly seek him. He helped them to repent practically. He helped them to hold a Bible conference and confess their sins. And now, he helped them to win the victory over the Philistines. 

It is not always easy to see the Lord’s help. But it is even more difficult to remember the Lord’s help. In order to remember the Lord’s help, we need to commemorate it. Spiritually speaking, we need to raise up an Ebenezer to the Lord. 

As a portion of one of the verses from the Hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing says: 

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
Here by your help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.

An Ebenezer can be nearly anything that reminds us of the help we received from the Lord. One of the best ways to raise an Ebenezer is through writing Bible testimonies. Writing Bible testimonies can help us to identify God’s help in our lives and to remember his grace. Another good way is to keep a prayer journal where you record dated prayers and answers to prayers. But raising an Ebenezer is not only for us to remember God’s help. It is also to encourage others. When others hear how the Lord has helped us, they may be encouraged that Lord could help them in the same or a similar way.

Finally, raising an Ebenezer helps us to secure future help and continual protection from our enemies. Look at verse 13. So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. Remembering God’s grace is one of the best ways to keep from falling back into our sins. Remembering that God has “helped us” in the past gives us confidence for the future.

   

The seventh thing the Lord did to help the Israelites to return to him was to help them to receive proper follow-up. Look at verses 15-17. “Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶ From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. ¹⁷ But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also judged Israel. And he built an altar there to the LORD.”

The Lord provided follow up through Samuel. This follow-up was ongoing and systematic. As Israel’s judge, Samuel followed up on the flock of God all the days of his life. Each year he went on circuit from town to town in order to continually reach out to all the flock of God under his care. A true shepherd follows-up on God’s flock systematically, throughout their lifetime. This point characterizes my calling to UBF ministry. I first believed the gospel and received Jesus with a pure heart when I was 17 years old. But the men who shared the message with me, never followed-up. So over the following 12 I was swallowed up by the world little by little until I was completely lost. But when the Lord brought me to UBF ministry I discovered something different: follow-up—in some people’s opinion, too much follow-up. However, in my case, I knew that I needed it. Also, I knew that others needed it, although they didn’t know that they needed it. With this conviction, the Lord called me as a shepherd. Through preparing the message on today’s passage, I realized that I had forgotten much of God’s grace on my life. It was because I didn’t continue to struggle hard to write testimony and became spiritually dull to see the Lord’s continual help to help me to return to the Lord. I pray to struggle newly to write testimony as raising my Ebenezer to the Lord.

In conclusion, we need God’s help to return to the Lord: We need it for spiritual revival and we need it continually throughout our lives.

One word: He named it Ebenezer  

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