Month: July 2023

1 Samuel 8:19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us.

When Israel asked Samuel to give them a king, Samuel proceeded to list all the negative consequences that will come from such a decision. It will be a bad choice and bad things will happen to you. In spite of his warning, the people refused to obey, listen, to Samuel. Their mind was made up, and no amount of reasoning would change their minds. The facts don’t matter; only what I want matters.

It is like when a person sits down to write up all the pros and cons concerning a given decision, and then he throws the paper away and does what he wants anyway. The rebellious sinner will not listen to reason nor even to morality nor to God. His mind is already made up. It’s a classic case of following our own subjective feelings in place of the objective Law of God.

We need the convincing of the Word and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to change our minds. Objective Reasoning alone will not overcome the Subjective Emotions of the human heart. We would find life going better when we listen to God’s will in place of our own will. Therefore, we need to pray, “Thy will be done” in my life as opposed to my own selfish will and the devil’s evil will. Much human struggle would be avoided if we could pray and believe this petition. But, alas, we think we know best what’s good for us.

1 Samuel 8:7-8 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

Israel wanted a king to rule over them because Samuel’s sons were not fit, the 12 tribes had problems working together, and they wanted to be like the neighboring nations. But God saw it differently. Their desire for a human king was a rejection of the Lord as their sole ruler. This rebellious, independent, and stubborn worldly attitude was in the people since the great Exodus Salvation Event. This desire for a human king was the last evidence of their rebellious, unbelieving spirit. They have forsaken the God who saved them, and served worldly gods.

We don’t even realize how quickly and easily we can forget God in our lives, what He does for us, and reject His Kingdom rule over us. It is easy to put our trust in what we can see and go the world’s way. We need the Spirit’s help to seek first the kingdom of God. So we repent of forgetting and forsaking, receive forgiveness and blessing, and believe the Gospel, for the kingdom draws nigh in Jesus. We are just as weak as Israel, as we need daily reminders and encouragements of God’s presence, goodness, mercy, and loving rule.

1 Samuel 8:9 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

When Samuel was old he made his sons judges over Israel. But they walked not in the ways of Samuel, turned aside after money, took bribes, and perverted judgment. Samuel’s sons turned out to be godless politicians, abusing the office for personal gain. We are not told whether Samuel was a good father or not, like we are told about the failings of Eli as a father.

Either way, the sons turned out to be evil judges, and everyone knew it. This was one of three reasons why Israel wanted a king. This desire was contrary to God’s will. But we can see how one sinful act can cause a chain reaction of further evils.

Though Samuel is not responsible for the sins of his adult children, perhaps he did not “train up a child in the way he should go.” As parents, we are responsible for the loving discipline and training of the children while they are home, but parents are not responsible for their behavior as adults. We are still able to love them, pray for them, and welcome them home if necessary. As good and faithful and godly a man as Samuel was he is not expected to control his adult children.

The greedy, selfish nature of his children ended up causing untold problems for the nation, with a string of ungodly kings ending up in the nation’s destruction and exile. We do not see the cause and effect relationship between our selfish sins and their consequences, but we must simply trust that God’s revealed will for our lives, as summarized in His Law, is the best for our lives and families. And the gospel forgives us, helps us, and restores us.

1 Samuel 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.

The Lord had given Israel a miraculous victory over the enemy. So Samuel took a stone and set up before the Lord as a memorial to remind everyone what great things God has done. He called it Ebenezer, meaning “stone of help.” For he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us.”

Samuel acknowledged that it was God who gave them the victory. They had God’s help. The stone of remembrance was a concrete expression of thanks to God. Whenever the people, and even future generations, would see it, they would remember what great things God has done and give Him thanks. The memorial stone is a permanent reminder of the invisible God who is here to help.

We would do well to set up markers in our own life to remember and give thanks, like we do with birthdays and anniversaries. the Lord has touched our lives in various wonderful ways. We do well to remember them. But particularly, we go to Holy Communion weekly to “Do this in remembrance of Me.” And we remember our Baptism daily by repentance and faith, “drowning the old man and a new man arises daily.” Then we hear and read the Word of Law and Gospel on a regular basis to be reminded of the Victory of Jesus in the cross. Indeed, we set up many Ebenezers in our life. We do so every time we stop and pray and give thanks.

1 Samuel 7:8-9 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burn offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him.

“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you [Psalm 50:15].” In response to the day of trouble, to impending danger, and to the threat from enemies we may cry unto the Lord, call upon Him, and pray fervently. Or at least we can ask our spiritual leader to cry out to the Lord for us.

The truth is: every day is a day of trouble and a time of danger. The devil the world, and our own sinful flesh is always around us, even in us. Sin and temptation is an ever present reality. But we also have “God with us.” Jesus (Immanuel) is always here to hear our cry, listen to our plea, and answer our prayer. But even more: Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, continually intercede for us in every time of need. So we pray without ceasing. And though we sometimes neglect to pray, the Holy Spirit never forgets to bring us and our needs before the Father.

Samuel was a type of Christ in that he cried unto the Lord in the day of trouble. God directly answered his cry by sending a great thunder to discomfit the enemy army. So He hears us. Don’t forfeit peace or bear needless pain; carry everything to God in prayer.

1 Samuel 7:4, 6 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashteroth, and served the Lord only….And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.

Israel mourned, and sorrow gripped the nation for twenty years. Samuel roused them to action and said that if they were truly sorry, they should do something about it. Instead of complaining, act, change, and do what He requires. Take the advice He already gave you.

And so they responded to Samuel’s call: they fasted in sorrowful repentance, confessing, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And they put away their worship of false gods and demons. It’s one thing to say you repent, and another to actually change your ways and actually put away the sins that separate us from a love relationship with God. But since we sin daily we need to repent daily and put away the idols in our life. And just as Israel enjoyed peaceful years, so we enjoy peaceful days. And we know it is not the outward rituals, like fasting and pouring out water, but the inward faith in the heart that affects actual change. But we remember we don’t change our ways to gain God’s favor, but we change because of God’s full and free favor toward us.

1 Samuel 6:3 And they said, if ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty, but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.

The priests and diviners of the Philistines devised a plan to test Yahweh and to appease Him by returning the ark with a trespass offering. The test was to send the ark back pulled by two milk cows, who had just given birth. The cows’ motherly instinct would be to not move, but to return to their calves. But the cows headed on a straight path for Beth-shemesh and did not turn back.

The Lord condescended to their test and caused the cows to act against nature. God sent the cows to Israel. Only God, who has power over the natural order, could cause this to happen. God did this, not to pass the Philistines’ test, but to show them His mighty power.

It is unbelief to put the Lord to the test. Jesus responds to the devil with Moses’ words, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Just believe the Word. That is enough. But these were unbelievers anyway. Believers don’t test; they believe. In rare instances, God orders a test, like He did with Elijah and the prophets of Baal or in the case with doubting Thomas; but in most cases, the word of Moses and the prophets is sufficient to convince.

Our faith may be tested, as gold in a furnace to purify, but God is not to be tested. He has already proven Himself at the Cross and the Empty Tomb. The Word and the Spirit convince.

1 Samuel 5:2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

The Philistines had seized the Ark of the Covenant, which Israel had foolishly brought into battle. After the decisive defeat, the Philistines believed their chief god, Dagon, was superior. As a symbol of superiority, they placed the Ark in front of Dagon’s idol. Each nation had its own gods and chief god, and the stronger god won the battles.

Yahweh was mistakenly regarded as only Israel’s god, and just one god among many. But actually, Yahweh was the only true God, and all the others were actually demons, originally created by the One Creator. Yahweh turned out to be the greater, as the Dagon idol fell before the ark of god several times. And not only did that miracle demonstrate Yahweh’s superiority, but then the Philistine people were afflicted with tumors (emerods in KJV, possibly hemorrhoids)).

The lesson in this humorous story is clear enough: don’t doubt, mock, or challenge the One True God. The Lord, He is God, and there is no other. All other gods, demons, and idols will fall before God. And they all did when Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. Questioning or challenging God will always end in defeat. Submit to God and bow the knee willingly. Even Righteous Job had to learn the lesson the hard way. God is God, and I, the creature, the sinner, am in the wrong. Therefore, repent in dust and ashes. Receive God’s forgiveness and redemption in Christ. He is the true God, and His Strength is greater than our sin, unbelief, and the demonic gods that try to take us away from Life and from God. Our God always wins. Don’t fight it.

1 Samuel 4:21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken and because of her father in law and her husband.

It isn’t that unusual for life to become so unbearable that someone can give up in despair and even be tempted to commit suicide. Despair means no hope, believing that things cannot ever get better.

The wife of Phinehas and daughter-in-law of Eli had just given birth, after hearing the bad news: the Ark was taken by the enemy, her husband died in battle, and her father-in-law died from hearing the news. Life is irredeemably messed up, irreparable, and hopelessly destroyed. Therefore she named the baby Ichabod, meaning inglorious, that the glory of God has departed from Israel.

She was wrong in thinking that God could not be present because the symbol of His presence fell into enemy hands. But she was right in believing that God was not present with His people, but the reason for God’s departure was the idolatry and unfaithfulness of His people. Belief and worship of the Lord was absent. It’s not just that the invisible God was with the Ark; it is that the people deserted the one true God for other gods, Therefore, the glory was departed. The Lord is no longer with us because of our unbelief.

Her response to the desperate and bleak situation was to announce her despair. Giving up in despair happens to humans when they perceive that God is not in their lives any longer. If we believe that God is real and present in our lives we have good reason to hope. If not, we are doomed to hopelessness. We are tempted to blame God for leaving, instead of repenting for leaving God, for our sinfulness, and for seeking our selfish interests instead of God’s. Repent, return, believe, and hope.

1 Samuel 4:7-8 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there has not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? These are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

Israel had brought the Ark of the Lord into the camp, and there went up a great shout. When the Philistines heard the shout and saw what happened they were afraid and said “woe unto us,” They were wrong in thinking that the Ark was an idol god, but they were right in thinking that this God (“these Gods” according a pagan worldview) had great power to bring defeat. For they had heard the stories of the Exodus and the ten plagues defeat of Egypt.

Either way, the very Presence of God in our midst should strike fear in the hearts of unbelievers. The Almighty Power of God is here to judge their wickedness and condemn. But they do not know (and can’t know unless told) that the Presence of God is also the Almighty Love of God that cares, forgives, saves, delivers, protects, and defends those who will believe. This Gospel would cause them to repent of sin, believe God, and love Him, as God strikes love in the heart.

Israel was wrong in treating the Ark as an idol, a kind of magic charm, and hoping that as God did once He will do again. But they had strayed far from the Lord and were not faithful believers in their hearts. So also our spiritual victories come through a continually renewed relationship with the living God through Christ.

Here we learn the Scriptural truth: the Law strikes fear in the heart so that, being genuinely afraid, the Gospel strikes love in the heart so that we genuinely repent and believe and receive life. This Christian life is characterized by fear and love of God, so that we want to live rightly.