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Okay, you can turn in your Bibles 
to 1 Samuel chapter 7. 1 Samuel chapter 7. The last that 
we saw of Samuel was in chapter 3, where he had become officially 
installed as the prophet over or for Israel. We can't explain 
his absence during the crisis in chapters 4 to 6. The scripture, 
the text doesn't say anything specifically concerning his whereabouts 
at that particular time. Of course, we do pick up with 
Samuel again now in chapter 7. So in chapter 4, we have the 
capture of the ark. Chapter 5, we see God's judgment 
upon the Philistines. And then in chapter 6, The ark 
is returned to Israel. It initially goes to Beth Shemesh, 
and there is a judgment upon the men of Beth Shemesh, and 
then they send the ark to Kirjath-Jerim, and that's where we pick up in 
chapter 7. We'll read verse 1, but our exposition 
tonight will be 2 through 17. Then the men of Kirjath-Jerim 
came and took the ark of the Lord and brought it into the 
house of Abinadab on the hill and consecrated Eleazar, his 
son, to keep the Ark of the Lord. So it was that the Ark remained 
in Kirjath-Jerim a long time. It was there 20 years. And all 
the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. And 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. So the children of Israel put 
away the Baals and the Ashtoreths and serve the Lord only. And 
Samuel said, gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to 
the Lord for you. So they gathered together at 
Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they 
fasted that day and said there, we have sinned against the Lord. 
And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. Now when 
the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered 
together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against 
Israel. And when the children of Israel 
heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. So the children 
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. 
And Samuel took a suckling 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. Now as Samuel was offering 
up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. 
But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines 
that day and so confused them that they were overcome before 
Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued 
the Philistines and drove them back as far as below Beth-kar. Then Samuel took a stone and 
set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer, 
saying, Thus far the Lord has helped us. So the Philistines 
were subdued and they did not come anymore into the territory 
of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was 
against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. Then the cities 
which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to 
Israel, from Ekron to Gath. And Israel recovered its territory 
from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between 
Israel and the Amorites. And Samuel judged Israel all 
the days of his life. He went from year to year on 
a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel 
in all those places. But he always returned to Ramah, 
for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there 
he built an altar to the Lord. Amen. So as we saw specifically 
in Chapter 3, Samuel was, in fact, a prophet to the Lord. Remember that incident where 
he's spending, or he's in the house of the Lord at Shiloh, 
and he hears the Lord call. And then he responds, and he 
says specifically, speak. for your servant hears." And 
the first sermon he had to deliver was against Eli, essentially 
telling him that judgment had in fact come upon his house, 
because Eli did not restrain his sons. And then at the end 
of the chapter, in chapter 3 at verse 21, it says, Then the Lord 
appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself 
to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. And the word of 
Samuel came to all Israel. Well, here in chapter 7, we see 
that Samuel exercises, as well, a judgeship. He functions as 
one of the judges of Israel. We see that at the end of verse 
6, and then we see that at the end of verse 17, where it sort 
of summarizes what his life was. And when we consider the fact 
that he judged, certainly it had the same sort of function 
as a Gideon or a Samson in terms of dealing with foreign oppressors, 
but as well, there was an internal element. And specifically in 
this chapter, we see that not only does he function judicially, 
but he functions religiously. He calls the people to repentance. 
He calls the people to faith. He calls the people to fidelity 
before the Lord God Almighty. So we need to understand that 
he is in this ecclesiastical realm as well. So he's a civil 
leader, a civil governor, but he's also one involved with church 
matters. So he's a prophet and a judge. He exercises various offices 
or tasks. Later, we'll see that he's also 
a kingmaker. He's the one that ordained Saul. 
and ultimately will be the one that ordains David to the monarchy 
there in Israel. So as we look at chapter 7, I 
want to look at three specifics. First, the longing for God. Secondly, 
the preparation for God. And then thirdly, the presence 
of God. And if you took this chapter 
and put it right by chapter 4, you would see a lot of similarities. 
The children of Israel aren't doing well. They have a foreign 
oppressor in the Philistines. With chapter 4, they seek to 
manipulate God. They seek to use the Ark of the 
Covenant as a means by which they will gain victory over their 
enemies. Here in chapter 7, however, they 
don't try and manipulate. Rather, they repent and they 
cry out in prayer to the Lord God. And so the results are fundamentally 
different. In chapter 4, they are defeated. 
The Ark of the Covenant is taken from them. But here in chapter 
7, we see that they are victorious and that they enjoy a degree 
of domestic and foreign peace in terms of their station under 
Samuel. at this particular crucial time. 
Chapter 4, we see that there was this child named Ichabod. That means the glory of the Lord 
has departed. We have the naming of this particular 
stone in chapter 7, Ebenezer. Thus far or hitherto hath the 
Lord helped us. So there is a big difference 
in terms of the way or in terms of the way that they approach 
the situation that they were facing. Under Samuel's leadership 
and under Samuel's prophetic ministry, we see God's blessing 
here, which then tends to highlight chapter 8. When the people are 
crying out for a king, so that they would be like all the other 
nations, it exacerbates it in the sense that they were doing 
well under Samuel. Things were going good, and yet 
nevertheless they want to be like the other nations. Remember, 
monarchy is never condemned. There are specific rules in the 
book of Deuteronomy in chapter 17. that speak to the king of 
Israel. In other words, when the king 
occupied his throne, he was to write out the law of God, he 
was to function in a particular manner. So monarchy isn't wrong, 
but it's the means or the manner by which the people here pursue 
it. They're discontent, they're basically 
whining and grumbling, they have a good thing in the leadership 
of Samuel, but they want to be like the nations around them. 
So seven and eight also are a bit of a contrast as well. You have 
four and 7, the different ways that they go about seeking the 
assistance of their God, and then chapter 7, and the blessing 
of God shows or highlights that their expression for a king in 
chapter 8 really is an expression of thanklessness and in gratitude 
to what God had done. in terms of their history. But note first the longing for 
God. We read in chapter 7 at verse 
2, a long time, it was there 20 
years. So there's some period of time 
between these chapters. It's not happening Monday, Tuesday, 
Wednesday. There are seasons. There are 
periods. There are long stretches of time 
that are expressed here. So now the Ark has been returned 
to Israel. It was in the territory of the 
Philistines. Now it's back in Israel. But 
there is no presence of God. Just because the physical Ark 
is located in Kirjath-Jerim, does not necessarily mean that 
the people are knowing the nearness and the kindness of God. That's 
what the end of verse 2 indicates. And all the house of Israel lamented 
after the Lord. So they recognize this particular 
absence. Yes, we have the physical presence. 
Yes, we have the Ark of the Covenant. But no, we are not enjoying the 
nearness of our God. And something else that I think 
that verse 2 indicates to us is the futility, again, of idolatry. We have traced that theme repeatedly 
in these early chapters in Samuel. We saw the folly or the futility 
of idolatry in the fall of Dagon before the Ark of the Covenant. 
I mean, certainly a God with no head and a God with no hands 
and a god that needs to be propped up indicates that its worshippers 
have something wrong going on in their heads and hearts. In 
other words, if you are bowing down to something like Dagon, 
you've got big problems and issues. Well, here, the fact that the 
house of Israel lamented after the Lord indicates the emptiness 
of idolatry. Because notice what Samuel says 
to them in verse 3. They are to give up the gods, 
the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths that they have been bowing down 
before. Verse 4 says very specifically 
that they take that counsel and they respond properly. The children 
of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths and serve 
the Lord only. So what does this indicate? They 
had the foreign gods, they had Baal, they had Ashtoreth, but 
there was no satisfaction, there was no blessing, there was no 
communion, there was no nearness of God, because these gods have 
ears and they can't hear, they have eyes but they cannot see, 
they have mouths but they cannot communicate. They have hands 
that break off when they fall. They have heads that fall off 
when they fall. The gods of the nations cannot 
satisfy the longing of man. The children of Israel finally 
recognize that and they lament after the Lord. They recognize 
that He's absent from them and they want His presence because 
that is wherein true blessing lies. You can have all the money 
in the world And at the final day, when you go to your grave, 
there's an emptiness. You can have all the sex or all 
the drugs or all the rock and roll or all the fame and the 
fortune or whatever it is that men pursue as their idols. Does 
it bring lasting happiness? Have you ever looked at some 
of these people that have billions and billions of dollars? Isn't 
there a threshold of where there's enough money? I don't think you 
could possibly spend a billion dollars in a lifetime if you 
trotted off to Walmart every single day of the week. Why would 
you need several billion dollars? Obviously, if you went to Walmart, 
you're certainly not going to spend a billion dollars if you 
went to some place and Rodeo Drive, you might start to make 
a dent. But you see, all of that does not satisfy. Why does a 
man with 10 billion need 50 billion? Is it satisfying? Does he have 
spiritual peace? Does it bring comfort and joy 
and lasting treasure? It certainly does not. Learn 
the lesson from Israel. They went a-whoring from the 
true and the living God. Now they've come to their senses 
and they are lamenting after the Lord. It's akin to the young 
adult or the teenager that says, all I want is to move out of 
your house. All I want is to leave. I don't 
like your regime. I don't like your rules. I don't 
like your government over me. I'm going to go live on my own. 
And then that young man or woman goes out and lives on their own 
and they make a mess of things. Home doesn't look so bad anymore, 
does it? In fact, home looks pretty good. 
I mentioned Jeff Massey earlier, his fellow elder, Pastor Steve 
Markadon. He's the pastor in Ontario, California. I always have to say California. 
So if I say Ontario, you'll think Ontario, Canada. But Pastor Markodont 
used to say, at least I heard him say it one time, he quite 
liked it when people went on holidays and they would visit 
other churches. He said that they always came 
back appreciating our church. And there's something to that. 
They bowed at Baal's feet, and they bowed before these Ashtoreths, 
but it didn't satisfy. It didn't make their family lives 
any better. It didn't help them to grow in 
holiness. It didn't help them to have that 
peace which surpasses all understanding. You need to understand that anything 
that you pursue that is not God will ultimately fail you. The 
only one that can ultimately satisfy the one in whom there 
are treasures of wisdom and knowledge is the Lord God Most High. And 
thankfully, Israel has come to that place and all the house 
of Israel lamented after the Lord. The Baals, the Ashtoreths, 
the idols of man in our generation will never bring relief. It is 
Christ alone who brings forgiveness. It is Christ alone who brings 
righteousness. It is Christ alone who brings 
the peace which does in fact surpass all understanding. What could be better? than to 
know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? What could be better 
than to know that my sins are forgiven, and should I die, I'm 
going to wake up in the presence of God Most High? Is there anything 
better? Would you want to have a pile 
of gold and end up in hell? Or would you rather have a pile 
of rocks and end up in heaven? Jesus speaks this way very specifically. It's better to enter into life 
maimed than to enter into hell full or whole. Brethren, this 
is a very good indicator that things are on the upswing here 
in Israel. So that's the longing for God. 
Notice, secondly, the preparation for God. We can be very thankful 
that they had Samuel. We can be very thankful they 
had good leadership at this particular time. All the house of Israel 
lamented after the Lord. Thankfully, they didn't have 
some of the prophets today. Well, in your lament, why don't 
you just try to be a better you? Or in your lament, why don't 
you just try to find satisfaction in these other things? No, Samuel 
points them to the Lord after whom they are lamenting. Notice 
specifically his instructions to them. We see this in verse 
3. First, their need for repentance. Samuel spoke to all the house 
of Israel saying, if you return to the Lord. It's the language 
of repentance. It's the language of a change 
of mind. It's the language of stop following 
Baal and return unto Yahweh of Israel. Again, the contrast with 
chapter 4 is clear. The children of Israel are in 
a difficult situation. They want God. The Philistines 
are still an issue. They're still a problem. And 
the way by which they deal with this problem now, as Samuel speaks 
to them, is through repentance. You need to humble yourselves 
under the mighty hand of God. What should we do if we are lamenting 
after the Lord? Well, repentance. is the call 
of duty, repentance and humbling ourselves before God. Isn't this 
what James and Peter tell us? Humble yourself under the mighty 
hand of God and in due time He will lift you up. It's not going 
to be like that. It's not going to be formulaic. 
All of the stuff that is indicated here isn't a formula. If you 
repent, then God will bless you. No, repentance is a means by 
which God calls us to receive the blessings that He conveys. 
It's not as if I conjure up repentance and then God owes me because 
I've done quite well in His sight. No, repentance is a humbling 
of oneself before God. Not necessarily to get stuff. 
You know, in this instance, the idea isn't that we want victory 
over the Philistines. That's a blessed by-product. 
You see something about tangible religion in this chapter as well. Repentance is tangible in the 
fact that they actually put away these foreign gods. And you see 
something about the tangibleness of our God. Our God not only 
promises, but He actually does vindicate them. He actually does 
deliver them from the oppression of the Philistines. You all know 
what tangible means. If I always tell my wife, I love 
you, it's nice to back it up with a tangible expression. To 
give her flowers, or to take her out for dinner, or to do 
something that is tangible in nature. You see, repentance here 
isn't the fruit. Repentance begins here. But repentance 
evidences itself in the fruits that are worthy of it. In other 
words, if a man goes out and he stops doing something that 
is wrong, it's not necessarily repentance. It must be a change 
of mind. It must be a change of heart. 
And then when he stops doing something, we call that the fruit 
of repentance. That's not repentance itself. 
Everybody get that? Because if that was the case, 
anybody who stopped smoking, we could say, wow, they've repented. Anybody who stopped smoking crack 
cocaine, we could say, wow, they've repented. Or anybody who stopped 
looking at internet porn, wow, they've repented. Not necessarily, 
not before God. You see, it's the heart, it's 
the mind, it's the change, and those things would be fruits 
of that repentance. So Samuel's instruction to them, 
you're lamenting after the Lord. You know what you need? You need 
to return to the Lord. Isn't this precisely what James 
bids us in James chapter 4? James chapter 4. Specifically. beginning in verse 4. He says, 
Adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship 
with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants 
to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do 
you think that the scripture says in vain, the spirit who 
dwells in us yearns jealously? But he gives more grace. Therefore, 
he says, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. 
Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will 
flee from you. Draw near to God and he will 
draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, 
and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let 
your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble 
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." 
So you see, for Samuel, the instruction was clear. You are lamenting 
after the Lord. You have already departed from 
the Lord. You've bowed to these idols. 
The first order of business is repentance before the Lord. Notice, repentance, as I've already 
mentioned, is a matter of the heart. If you return to the Lord 
with all your hearts, It's not just the externals. It's not 
just stop going over there and bowing before Baal. It must be 
heart religion. And this is something that should 
have been the case in all of Old Covenant religion. It is 
simply not the case that the New Covenant is all about the 
heart and the Old Covenant was all about the externals. Certainly 
there was an external element to National Israel, but true 
and undefiled religion in National Israel was still a matter of 
the heart. Deuteronomy 6, 4, and 5. Hear, 
O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the 
Lord your God with all your heart. with all your soul, and with 
all your strength." So you see, what Samuel is doing here is 
not innovative. Samuel is not creative. Samuel 
is not, you know, just kind of going by the fly. Samuel is teaching 
what the Word of God has always said. You are lamenting after 
the Lord, you need to pursue the Lord in the manner by which 
the Lord has commanded. You need to repent, and you need 
to do so with all your hearts. Westminster's shorter catechism 
says, what is repentance unto life? Repentance unto life is 
a saving grace whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin 
and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with 
grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God with full 
purpose of and endeavor after new obedience. Now we might take 
that and plug it in to that initial act of repentance when a sinner 
comes to the Lord Jesus. We believe on the Lord Jesus, 
we repent from our sins, that is an apt and fitting description 
of what repentance looks like in that particular instance. 
But as Christians, We sin. As Christians, we need to renew 
repentance. As Christians, we need to engage 
in this grief and hatred of our sin, turn from it unto God, with 
full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience. You see, 
that's what repentance should look like in our hearts. Not 
just here in Mizpah. Not just here in Kirjath-Jerim. Is this what repentance ought 
to look like? It ought to look like this in 
Chilliwack, B.C. in the 21st century. Notice, 
not only a need for repentance and a need for the heart involvement, 
but as well a need to serve God alone. He goes on to say, return 
to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods 
and the asterisks from among you. You see, this again is the 
first commandment. You shall have no other gods 
before me. You do not lament after the Lord 
while you're carrying Baal under your arm. You do not lament after 
the Lord when you're leaving the house of Dagon with a plan 
to go back. You do not lament after the Lord 
with this idea that if it doesn't work out, I'm going to go back 
to Asherah. That's simply not the case. The 
Lord our God is a jealous God according to the Second Commandment. 
The Lord our God is an exclusive God. The Lord our God will brook 
no rival. And we need to get that, and 
we need to understand that. Davis mentions this element of 
tangible repentance. He says, genuine repentance, 
Samuel says, is a tangible repentance. It does not stop with tears and 
weeping. They've got that. They lamented 
after the Lord. And notice, they don't stop there. And this is what he goes on to 
say. It does not stop with tears and weeping, but moves to concrete 
action. Put away the foreign gods from 
among you. See the same demand by Jacob 
in Genesis 35 and by Joshua in Joshua 24. That's exactly what 
Joshua says at Shechem. They are to put away the foreign 
gods. He says true repentance will 
meet Yahweh's demand for exclusive allegiance with whatever it takes 
to obey it. Samuel's demand is simply the 
reassertion of the first commandment. And I think this is very appropriate 
for us today. There are times when it may be 
the case that we sense the absence of God. And we might find ourselves 
saying something like, I just don't know how to fix it. I just 
don't know what to do. I better go buy a book at the 
bookstore that talks about experiencing God. No, I think we all know 
what to do. In many respects, we probably 
know enough right now to carry us till the very end. And I'm 
not suggesting that we stop by any means, because I think we 
all ought to seek to grow in the grace and in the knowledge 
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But when you sin, you 
know what you need to do, don't you? And it's not like, well, 
I'm not sure. You should know this. It's called 
repentance. It's called, Lord, please forgive 
me. So, Lord, if thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, who 
could stand? But there is forgiveness with 
you that you may be feared. There is that pardon my iniquity, 
for it is great. We know what we ought to do. 
The problem is, is that we don't always do it. We need, by the 
grace of God, to seek to renew that repentance and to pursue 
those things which are pleasing in His sight. No one in Israel 
at this particular instance should have said, Wow, Samuel, you are 
such a mastermind. Wow, Samuel, this is cutting 
edge. Samuel, these are things we've 
never heard before. Hopefully it's the case when 
you hear the Word of God preached. It's not this It's brand new 
stuff, but it's stuff rather that reminds you of things you 
already know and things you ought to be doing. You ought to put 
into practice the biblical knowledge that God has given to you. It 
was there in Kirjath-Jerim a long time. It was their 20 years. There was a long period of time 
where they're seeking Baal, they're seeking Ashtoreth, and it comes 
after this long period that finally they're lamenting after the Lord. 
Samuel essentially says, you know what you need to do. Go 
read Moses. Go read Deuteronomy. Go read 
the book of Exodus. Renew repentance and seek the 
Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. 
Let the wicked forsake His way. Bow before the Lord God Most 
High. Notice he goes on to say, prepare 
your hearts for the Lord. Prepare your hearts for the Lord. 
Again, this isn't a cause and effect. Because I prepare, God's 
necessarily going to bless me. No, the idea here is probably 
use the means, genuinely renew repentance, genuinely understand 
what the will of God is, genuinely pursue the knowledge of God that 
you should already possess. Prepare your hearts for Him. 
This is what is said of Ezra in Ezra 7.10. It says that Ezra 
prepared his heart to study the law of the Lord, to do the law 
of the Lord, and then to teach the law of the Lord. This idea 
of preparation doesn't mean preparation is up, whereas there is a thing 
that a sinner can do to put him necessarily under the saving 
grace of God. but rather it is the people of 
God preparing their hearts for the Lord. And then again, this 
call to exclusivity. Prepare your hearts for the Lord 
and serve Him only. You've got to part with this 
idolatry. You've got to stop with this 
conception that there's satisfaction, comfort, and blessing in something 
else. You've got to stop that manner 
of thinking. Baal's not going to give it. 
Asherah's not going to give it. And certainly, Dagon's not going 
to give it. You serve him only. You see, 
that's the path to blessing. That is the trajectory one takes 
in order to know the nearness and the blessing and the presence 
of God Most High. Then notice what else he goes 
on to say, and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. I think this is the faith element. 
You see, they've got a return. That speaks to repentance. But our repentance is never just 
a bare act. We repentingly believe and we 
believingly repent. In other words, when we return 
to the Lord, we in the language of Hebrews 11 believe that He 
is, and we believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently 
seek Him. You see, it's faith and repentance. It's going back to the Lord, 
trusting in the reality that He is there, and trusting in 
the reality that He will indeed Bless His people. We don't turn 
from idols to the true God without faith that the true God is in 
fact there. And this is the promise that 
Samuel gives them, and He will deliver you from the hand of 
the Philistines. Praise God. The grace of God 
is operative. in Kirjath-Jerim this particular 
day. And they're not at Mizpah yet. 
In Kirjath-Jerim, the grace of God is evident. How do we know? 
Because of verse 4. So the children of Israel put 
away the bales and the ashtoreths and served the Lord only. Love that, only. That's very 
important because you see what sinners sometimes do is they'll 
go to the Lord, but they'll keep Baal and Ashtoreth in their pockets 
just in case. See, it's called syncretism. 
We want to cover all of our bets. We want to cover all of our options. Sure, we'll serve Yahweh, but 
we're going to also have Baal because we want our crops watered. 
and we're going to keep Asherah because we want our wombs fruitful. So we're going to try and have 
each and every one of them so that we can get the best of all 
the gods. No, what we see here is that 
they responded favorably to Samuel's call to exclusivity with reference 
to the worship of the living and true God. And then notice, 
we move to Mizpah. It says in verse 7, I'm sorry, 
in verse 5, and Samuel said, gather all Israel to Mizpah and 
I will pray to the Lord for you. So they gathered together at 
Mizpah, drew water and poured it out before the Lord and they 
fasted that day and said there, we have sinned against the Lord. 
And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. And Samuel's 
a good brother. He prays for them. Isn't that 
what you want? Somebody in this world that prays 
for you? I mean, that's a blessing, isn't 
it? I think Samuel is functioning typologically here as well. Who 
is it that always lives to make intercession for his people? 
Who is it that is enthroned at the right hand of the majesty 
on high? Who is both our advocate and our intercessor? We have 
the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. And certainly Samuel 
is functioning typically this way. Gather all Israel to Mizpah 
and I will pray to the Lord for you. The people poured out water 
before the Lord. I don't know the significance 
of this. The commentators, there's several things that are offered, 
why they would have done that. That would be a good assignment 
for one of you and you can report back next week as to why they 
poured it out before the Lord. Notice they fasted that day. 
Fasting oftentimes accompanies this humility before the Lord, 
this repentance, this idea that we're emptying ourselves of food 
and those basic necessities for a season and a time to commune 
with our God, to get close to our God, and to show this humility, 
or rather it manifests or evidences humility before the Lord God. And then notice, they as well 
confess their sin. We have sinned against the Lord. That is an element, a necessary 
ingredient to biblical repentance. Now, when we go before the Lord 
our God, we say, Lord, please forgive me. For I have sinned. 
Lord, forgive me, because I this, that, or the other." This is 
what part of repentance is. It's one of those things that 
Jesus teaches us. We are to pray for forgiveness. And the fact that he tells us 
we pray daily for our bread, and then the next two petitions 
are spiritual in nature, forgiveness and protection, we ought to probably 
include or conclude, rather, that we not only daily pray for 
temporal food, but we daily pray for that spiritual forgiveness 
and that spiritual protection that only our God can grant to 
us. So we have sinned against the 
Lord, and Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. Samuel's ongoing work then, Mrs. Davis, did not consist merely 
deciding legal disputes, but of reproof, instruction, and 
counsel for living under Yahweh's Lordship. a very accurate, very 
apt description of the manner in which Samuel functioned as 
a judge in Israel at this particular time. So notice, we see their 
longing in verse 2. We see the preparation in verses 
3 to 6. Now notice in verses 7 and following, 
the presence of God. They experience His blessing. 
They experience his blessing, only this wasn't the experience 
that some of us treasure. You know, we go to our secret 
place and we pray and we feel all warm and built up and blessed, 
and I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with that. But 
they experienced his blessing in the sense that the Philistines 
ran from them. They experienced the blessing 
of Yahweh and the fact that He protected His people in the land 
that He had covenanted to give to them. Notice verse 7a. Now when the Philistines heard 
that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, 
the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. This 
would have been easy pickings, right? Israel wasn't at Mizpah 
armed. They weren't strategically setting 
together a battle array. They weren't there ready to face 
the Philistines. As far as the Philistines and 
the lords of the Philistines were concerned, this was going 
to be easy pickings in Mizpah. We're going to go in. We're going 
to decimate them. We're going to teach them a lesson 
about what happened with reference to the Ark of the Covenant being 
in our land. Remember the incident in Ashkelon 
and Gath and Ekron? The Lord God is that covenant 
is going around and what appears to be a defeat is actually a 
victorious conquest as he goes from city to city bringing emeralds 
and all manner of horrible things upon the Philistines. I mean, 
they're bleeding, they're dying, they're suffering, and yet they've 
captured the Ark. What do they do when they get 
to Ekron? Let's get it out of here. Send 
it back to Israel. So perhaps they're thinking, 
the Philistines that is, when we get to Mizpah we can teach 
them a lesson for having given us the Ark of the Covenant to 
begin with. Notice the response of Israel 
to this. Verse 7b, And when the children 
of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. So 
the children 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. You see, I'm not suggesting that 
everything from here on out is happily ever after in Israel's 
history. You've got to read the Old Testament 
pretty optimistically. I mean, you get a chapter or 
two of good, and then it's not long until you've got a chapter 
or ten of bad. Okay? But when they're doing 
well, we need to be thankful. When they're doing well, we need 
to be encouraged. We need to be happy. And they're 
doing well. They've learned a valuable lesson. 
In this instance, they don't say, go get the Ark of the Covenant 
from Kerjath-Jerom, and let's trot it out, because then we'll 
magically win the Philistines. No, what do they do now? They're 
afraid of the Philistines, and they say 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. This is the appropriate response. It's not manipulating God, it's 
not trying to reduce God to a magic act, but rather it is crying 
out to God in despair and asking Him to vindicate His people. 
John Gill says, and the children of Israel said to Samuel, to 
whom they applied, not as the general of their forces, but 
as the prophet of the Lord. You see, Samuel's a judge, but 
that's not what they're asking for here. They're not saying, 
do what Samson did to the Philistines. Find the jawbone of an ass and 
take care of these Philistine lords in Mizpah. No, they say, 
cry out to the Lord. They are appealing to Samuel, 
the prophet, not Samuel, the military leader. This is a good 
sign, brethren. They've humbled themselves under 
the Lord, after whom they have lamented. This evidences and 
manifests that they mean business at this particular time. He says, 
but as the prophet of the Lord, believing his prayers for them 
would be of more avail to them than an army of men ever so numerous 
or so well accoutred. Isn't that what Mary, Queen of 
Scots, reckoned? She feared the prayers of John 
Knox rather than an army of 10,000 men? They've learned that. It's 
not military equipment. It's not the Ark of the Covenant. 
It's not any physical thing. We need the strong arm of God 
Most High to come and to vindicate His name among us. He says they 
said to cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us. He had 
been praying for them that day and they desired he would continue 
praying for them well knowing that the effectual fervent prayer 
of a righteous man avails much. They knew their salvation was 
of the Lord, and that He only could save them, and that He 
must be sought unto for it. And as Samuel had an interest 
in Him, they begged He would continue to make use of it on 
their behalf, in which they expressed their trust in God, their regard 
to means, the duty of prayer, and the high esteem they had 
of the prophet of the Lord. whom they entreat to pray for 
them." That is a beautiful statement. Now, if you were in Mizpah and 
you saw a fearful, trembling Israelite who was calling out 
to Samuel saying, please pray to the Lord to deliver us. And 
if you were to ask him to parse this, he probably wouldn't be 
able to say it as well as John Gill did. He's afraid. He wants 
deliverance. He cries to the prophet. and 
he says pray. Listen to what Gil says. In which 
they expressed their trust in God. First and foremost. Right? Pray to God for us. Their regard to means. They're praying. They're not 
seeking to manipulate. They're not seeking to engage 
in holy magic. The duty of prayer, you see, 
You ask and you shall receive. This is a lesson our master taught 
us. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened 
unto you. And the high esteem they had 
of the prophet of the Lord, whom they entreat to pray for them. Davis makes this comment. He 
says, Israel's plight is admittedly pathetic. Right? Imagine. Israel's 
gathered at Mizpah. You've got no arms. You're not 
there in battle array. You're not there so you can go 
out and kill Philistines. You are there to humble yourselves 
before the Lord. Added to that, you're fasting. I don't know about the actual 
ins and outs of battle, but I know I'd like to have something to 
eat at least within some degree of time that I've got to exercise 
energy in killing people and breaking things. So you need 
energy to do those sorts of things. A humbled people, a fasting people. Maybe they're all grumpy. I don't 
know if you've ever gone without food and you get grumpy and your 
blood sugars are low. You fight each other. You're 
not fighting Philistines. You see, they're easy pickets. 
This is a pathetic situation. He says, Israel's plight is admittedly 
pathetic, but she occupies much firmer ground than in the crisis 
of chapter 4. One can't help noticing the contrast 
between an Israel that thinks she had coerced Yahweh's power 
by having his furniture and an Israel who sees her helplessness 
and can only resort to desperate prayer. You see, the people are 
where they ought to be, is what we see in this section. Samuel, 
Samuel's a champ in chapter 7 here. Who wouldn't follow Samuel? It's 
very interesting, too. When a leader is called to service, 
at least in some of these instances, same thing will happen with Saul. What happens when Saul comes 
to power? He defeats Ammonites, right? They're killing Ammonites 
until the heat of the day. That's very encouraging to the 
people who are called to follow this leader. It is a confirmation 
of, and the affirmation of, that they are God's servant to lead 
the people. So when Samuel is the leader 
and victory comes under his leadership, this consolidates Israel to follow 
him. So it's another means whereby 
God is vindicating his servant in this particular instance. 
But for good cause, notice in verse 9, Samuel took a suckling 
lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Then 
Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel. And the Lord answered 
him." Again, typical of our Lord Jesus, that great intercessor 
for his elect. Samuel does that here in Mizpah. And then what we find in verses 
10 and 11 is the victory of the Lord. Now as Samuel was offering 
up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. 
Again, it's just so not ready for battle. You're offering up 
a sacrifice, you're not ready to plunge the knife into an attacker. But the Lord thundered with a 
loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them 
that they were overcome before Israel. Wouldn't you love to 
just see these things? I mean, I know we walk by faith, 
and we certainly didn't live there, but, man, I was, you know, 
be in a helicopter and see this, you know, all these Philistines, 
cocksure and ready to pounce upon Israel at Mizpah, thinking 
that the battle is in the bag, and then the Lord thunders from 
heaven, and they run like babies. They run like cockroaches. Actually, 
they don't run like babies. Like cockroaches when the light 
is flipped on, the Lord thunders. They are confused and they were 
overcome before Israel. Verse 11, the men of Israel went 
out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and drove them back 
as far as below Beth-kar. Now, verse 12, here's Ebenezer, 
stone of hell. This is good. We need to erect 
a stone of help, an Ebenezer. We happen to have one as the 
New Covenant people of God. It's called the Lord's Table. 
This is our stone of help. Every time we gather in the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ and we do this in remembrance of 
me, we're renewing that blessed reality that Christ on the cross 
is our stone of help. It says, Samuel took a stone 
and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name 
Ebenezer, saying, Thus far the Lord has helped us, or hitherto 
hath the Lord helped us. Now, it probably doesn't refer 
just to this 10 and 11, or to 7, 10 and 11, this victory over 
the Philistines. It probably has to do with Israel's 
history. You might wonder, how could that 
be the case when they suffered defeat in chapter 4? When they 
lost the ark in chapter 4? How could it be when there was 
judgment and chastening and the severity of God turned upon them? A commentator named Blakey said 
this, all that Samuel has considered, even the defeat of Israel and 
the capture of the Ark, even this hitherto or thus far hath 
the Lord helped us. Everything. He says even amid 
the desolations of Shiloh, the Lord was helping them. He was 
helping them to know themselves. helping them to know their sins 
and helping them to know the bitter fruit and woeful punishment 
of sin. You see, sometimes the best we 
can do for people is to let them be so that they might feel the 
repercussions of their particular sin or course of duty. a particular 
course so that they will come back. I mean, you keep pleading 
with somebody and pleading with somebody, and then you send two 
or three witnesses after that person, and they still don't 
hear it. They refuse to hear it. You tell 
it to the church, then what do you do? You treat them as a heathen 
and a tax collector. Not because you hate them, not 
because you want bad for them, but because the Lord God has 
ordained it first and foremost for His glory and for the purity 
of His church. Because He knows that unchecked 
sin will spread like gangrene in a congregation. but for their 
well-being as well. I've heard personal testimony 
of people that were excommunicated and they said that is what God 
used to show me my sin. Praise God there was a church 
that disciplined me and put me out so I would feel the repercussions 
of my waywardness and I would renew repentance by the grace 
of God. You see, we can look at Israel's 
history, or we ought to look at Israel's history, and see 
that every step of the way, God is working out His purpose and 
plan in their midst for His glory and for their well-being. He 
goes on to say, the lengths of the long chain denoted by Samuel's 
hitherto were not all of one kind. Some were in the form of 
mercies. Many were in the form of chastenings. You see, probably all of us can 
testify, you know, when I went through that season and period, 
it was good for me. Isn't this what the psalmist 
says? It was good for me that I was afflicted. This is a tough 
lesson, brothers and sisters, but this is how God deals with 
us. He deals with us as with sons, as with children that are 
needful of discipline, chastisement for their well-being and instruction. 
So this hitherto doesn't just point to this victory at Mizpah, 
but it points to the dealings of God with his chosen people 
throughout their history. And then notice, this is the 
means by which they remember. And then the effects of his blessing 
are summarized in verses 13 to 17. So the Philistines were subdued 
and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. 
Some have stumbled here and said, well, wait a minute. What about 
when we get to Saul? What about the Philistine oppression 
that continues when we pass chapter 8? There's still Philistines 
to deal with. Well, you have to be assured 
that if we saw that as a discrepancy, the man who wrote this would 
have seen that as a discrepancy. Right? He doesn't write chapter 
7 and say, we had no more problems with the Philistines. And then 
a couple of chapters later said, hey, by the way, we kept having 
problems with the Philistines. Davis offers up several ways 
that we ought to look at this section. The language of 13b 
indicates ongoing conflict during the days of Samuel. Notice verse 
13. So the Philistines were subdued 
and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. 
and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the 
days of Samuel. So it indicates that all the 
days of Samuel there was this ongoing conflict. In fact, those 
remaining chapters are probably an example of verse 13. God subdued through those means 
that we'll read when Saul becomes king as Samuel continues to function, 
and so on and so forth. As well, the language is the 
language of a summary statement and shouldn't necessarily be 
pressed. Davis says, one could argue that 
in 713 and 714, our writer wants us to realize how important Samuel 
was. How important Samuel was. He 
was really the shield of Israel. Samuel, he might be saying, was 
far more responsible for the safety of Israel than was the 
soon-to-be desired king, Saul. As I said, it exacerbates the 
problem of chapter 8. Monarchy is not bad. It's the 
spirit in which they pursued the monarchy that's bad. It's like so many things in the 
Bible. It's not bad to have this. But it's bad when I pursue it 
at the exclusion of my God. And in this instance, they put 
their trust in monarchy. They put their trust in being 
like other nations. And if Davis is right, what the 
author is telling us, they had everything in Samuel. I mean, 
look at verses 13 and following. This man was doing his job. He 
sacrificed. He interceded. Notice it tells 
us the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored 
to Israel from Akron to Gath. Israel recovered its territory 
from the hands of the Philistines. Also, there was peace between 
Israel and the Amorites. So they had both internal and 
external peace in terms of their dealings. And then it closes 
with a statement concerning the ministry of Samuel. Samuel judged 
Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year on 
a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel 
in all those places. But he always returned to Ramah, 
for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there 
he built an altar to the Lord." So a couple of things before 
we close. First, the necessity of repentance. We've already 
covered this. We are lamenting after the Lord. The first order 
of business is repentance. So I don't know of any big sins 
I need to repent of. You probably have them. Just 
try a little harder. Open to Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 
5 and just go through that. The Ten Commandments will typically 
show you where you've got sin. If you make it through one to 
nine and you're congratulating yourself, spend some time on 
number 10. Because more than likely, number 10 is going to 
level you like it did the rich young ruler. Secondly, the blessing 
of God, as already indicated, is tangible here. It wasn't, 
you know, blessed times in the quiet place, though I'm sure 
Israelites had blessed times in the quiet place. It was rather 
victory at Mizpah. It was thunder from on high. 
It was the dispersal of their enemies who ran and fled from 
them. A third observation is this necessity 
of verse 12. Samuel took a stone and set it 
up between Mizpah and Shenn, and called its name Ebenezer, 
saying, thus far the Lord has helped us. Brethren, we need 
Ebenezers in our lives. As Christians, we have the Lord's 
table. That is one of the primary Ebenezers 
that we have as the corporate body of Christ. We have an Ebenezer 
in our Bible. Certainly you are to take your 
Bible each day as a stone of help and read it. Remember that 
the Lord hitherto has been our help. You need to refresh yourself, 
you need to remind yourself, you need to encourage yourself 
with what God has done, with what God has promised to do, 
and reflect upon what God has done in your own personal life. You see, amnesia, as Davis says 
in another place, is one of the quickest means to apostasy. Forgetting the blessing of God 
means most likely that we will leave the nearness of God. Recall these things. Rehearse 
these things. Some people keep track in a book. They have a journal. Now don't 
go from here and buy a journal because Jim Butler said you got 
a journal for Jesus. I am not saying that. I'm simply 
saying some people write things down, or they might put it on 
their computer, or they might think about it with, you know, 
on their... make a conscious mental note, or put a ribbon 
around their finger, whatever. We're prone to forget things, 
aren't we? We're prone to not remember things. This is probably why we have 
the Lord's Table. Why bread? Why wine? Why do those 
indicate for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
because we're prone to wander and prone to leave the God we 
love. And God has, in his mercy and in his kindness, not only 
list his word to us so that we can receive it, but he's list 
these elements to us so that we can make the tangible concrete 
connection between bread and body. wine and blood. The Lord died for me. He rose 
again. You see, this is an Ebenezer. We neglect this to our own peril. 
We neglect the Bible, we neglect prayer, we neglect church, we 
neglect the the supper to our own peril. We need to set up 
these Ebenezers and we need to rehearse the fact that hitherto 
hath the Lord helped us. Davis says we stand in the present 
but dwell on the past in order that we can be steadfast for 
the future. And then finally, Notice the 
ministry of Samuel in this passage. If I were to give you a piece 
of paper, we were to shut off the microphone, and I were to 
say, write down the most significant thing about Samuel, the one most 
significant thing in this chapter, I suspect that many of us would 
gravitate toward 10 and 11. This extraordinary deliverance. Samuel offers up this burnt offering. He intercedes before the Lord. And what happens? God answers 
him. And God thunders and God drives 
these Philistines out of Israel. And the Israelites get their 
land and property back. And it wouldn't be wrong to write 
that on your paper. But how many of us would write 
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went 
from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah, 
and judged Israel in all those places. There was the one event 
where God thunders and drives off the Philistines. But there's 
a pattern of several years of faithful ministry, right? Faithful 
ministry. Not glamorous, not exciting. I'm sure as he's wandering around 
Benjamin, going from Bethel to Gilgal and Mizpah, he's probably 
reflecting to himself, yeah, it was pretty cool. And God thundered 
and drove out those Philistines from Mizpah. But he probably 
also reflected, this is as necessary. This is as important. This is as much a help to the 
people of God as those extra ordinary manifestations of the 
power of God. We tend to remember the revival 
at Mizpah, but we don't always remember the normal, ordinary 
ministry in Benjamin. Brethren, to appreciate the entirety 
of Samuel's ministry, not just the power at Mizpah, but the 
faithfulness in Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. Davis says, it is 
instructive to have glimpses of Samuel in both a major crisis 
and routine duties. The Lord's servant usually has 
both, but frequently far more of the latter. There's going 
to be far more of the routine duties. He says crucial breakthroughs, 
verses 3 to 6, are exciting. But patient consolidation, verses 
15 to 17, is necessary if their impact is to be preserved. You see, you have revival. What 
happens in the wake? You need faithful preaching and 
teaching and shepherding and loving so that the people of 
God press onward. He goes on to say. Fresh commitment 
requires plotting instruction to sustain it. The circuit through 
Benjamin is never as glamorous as revival at Mizpah, but it 
is the road for many of us. He says Yahweh has his altars 
there as well. We have been trained to pursue 
celebrity. We have been trained to see only 
big churches is mattering. We have been trained that the 
glamorous and the revival is where God really is. And then 
we come into the church and it's a pretty normal service, but 
the word is preached and the people of edified are edified 
and somehow that's not as good. not according to God in 1st Samuel 
7. He's as much present in thundering 
and sending Philistines running from Israel as he is when Samuel 
trods year to year on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal and Mizpah. And he would always return to 
Ramah for his home was there. You see, he needed food, he needed 
sleep, he needed All those normal, routine, ordinary things. Samuel 
didn't sort of just float around Israel with his, you know, prophetic 
wings and just do his thing. He went home, he got refreshed 
so that he could go back out and he could go from Bethel to 
Gilgal and to Mizpah so that he could continue this faithfully 
all the days of his life. So in the glamour and in the 
mundane, the Lord God Almighty was with him. Well, let us pray. 
Our Father, we thank You for this, Your Word, and we thank 
You for the lessons that we learned from the history of Israel. And 
I pray that You would grant us grace if, in our lives, we have 
sensed absence, that we would lament after You, that we would 
humble ourselves under Your mighty hand, that we would, by Your 
grace, renew repentance, and with our whole hearts seek You, 
Lord God. We ask that You would cause Your 
face to shine upon us, that we would know Your nearness, and 
your goodness and your kindness. And as well, God, we would see 
you in the big things, but we would see you in the in the still 
small voice or the small, still voice. We would know your presence 
and your nearness in the routine and in the daily and in the normal 
and the ordinary and for our church life. Help us to be faithful 
and to plot on together for your glory and for your praise. And 
we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.