1 Samuel 7

At their core, the many problems we see in the world are spiritual in nature. Revival and renewal can begin when God's people repent, turn, and allow themselves to be used for God's purposes. Join Dr. Marty Baker in 1 Samuel 7 as we take a look at how God used Samuel to bring about a righteous return in the nation of Israel.

This week, as Americans, we witnessed one of the biggest political comebacks of all time. Not since President Grover Cleveland returned for a second term from 1893-1897 has a President achieved this feat, but President Trump did despite all odds. From the number of electoral college and popular votes he received, it appears his conservative platform resonated with most of the country. We now pray for him, as we would have prayed for Kamala, to prosper in his quest to rebuild and strengthen the nation.

Regardless of which candidate won, the Lord remained sovereign either way. He removed one leader and raised up another, just as He has done for millennia, to ultimately achieve His broader, loftier goals for mankind and His people.

Further, regardless of which candidate won, the message from God’s Word concerning radical national events like this remains unchanged. God has but one penetrating question for leaders, no matter where He has providentially positioned them:  What kind of leader is He looking for?

First Samuel chapter seven definitively answers this all-important query. For years, Israel’s corrupt priesthood under the inept, compromised leadership of Eli had preyed upon the people materially and sexually. For years, Israel had drifted from a vibrant relationship with God. This waywardness resulted in them attempting to use the holy Ark as a magic weapon to defeat their enemies, the Philistines. We all know how that fared. They lost two major battles, plus their enemies hauled the Ark off the Philistia. Sure, God demonstrated His superiority over the gods and armies of the Philistines, resulting in them returning the Ark through divine, miraculous guidance to Israel at Beth Shemesh.

Israel, however, revealed their continued spiritual shallowness by not only offering inappropriate sacrifices upon receiving the Ark, but they lost several people whom God struck down for daring to peer into the holy vessel. Smarting from God’s judgment, the fearful people sent the Ark to godly, holy people who could successfully house it. We don’t read that anyone offered confession or sacrifice after this act of divine discipline. They just moved quickly to transfer the Ark away from them lest they possibly became the brunt of God’s wrath.

This movement was a sign that Israel, as a nation, had a spiritual, not a political, problem. What was to be done about it? They needed a leader who could lead them in God’s way, not theirs. What kind of leader did they need? A man like Samuel. Likewise, regardless of who won the presidency, I think the question remains: What kind of leader do we need now? We need a leader, as Israel did, who understands the importance of spiritual revival before political revival. When the spiritual revival precedes the political, people turn from sin, secure forgiveness from God, and place themselves under God’s Word and ways, not theirs. All of this results in a strengthening of political change. It also garners the blessing of God, individually and corporately.

Watch how the Spirit of God develops this timeless truth as Samuel, the prophet, priest, and judge, responds to his spiritually compromised and carnal people.

The Procession (1 Sam. 7:1-2)

As I said, instead of coming clean from their sin in mishandling the Ark, instead of doing a little introspection to discover why God had reacted so severely toward some of them, the Israelites merely found a new home for the holy relic:

¹ And the men of Kiriath-jearim 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. ² And it came about from the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim that the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. (1 Sam. 7)

Located about ten miles northwest of Jerusalem, on what is now Highway 1, Kiriath-jearim became the new home of the Ark. Shiloh had probably been destroyed in the previous warfare with the Philistines. Still, at least Israel needed a location to place God’s Ark, and they found it here on a mountain outside of Jerusalem.

Who was Abinadab? He was probably a Kohathite Levitical priest because the Torah specifically said God called them to care for the Ark (Num. 3:31; Deut. 10:8; 3:8, 25). As such, he and his son were qualified to be the caretakers of the Ark of God. Had they not been, you would have seen the disciplinary judgment of God. But since God did not react negatively, they must have been classified as the rightful recipients of this precious spiritual object.

It says they kept the Ark for twenty years, but that does not necessarily mean it was only in Kiriath-jearim before David moved it to Jerusalem 2 Sam. 6:3; 1 Chron. 13:5, 6; 2 Chron. 1:4). If this were the case, not enough time would have elapsed for the David story to develop. So, what does this time marker mean? I think it means the Ark rested atop this beautiful mountain, which I visited in 2006, for twenty years before the events of verses three and following occurred. Put differently, during those twenty years, Israel continued to go back to their old spiritual ways of wedding the true religion of the Lord with the false religions of the indigenous people. When their embrace of wickedness and false teaching did not prove beneficial . . . because sin always leads to chaos and bondage . . . they eventually came to a point at the end of this time period where they finally cried not for a political solution, but a spiritual one. When that amazing conviction from the Holy Spirit occurred, Samuel, their prophet, priest, and judge, stepped up to the proverbial plate and led them forward by pointing to political solutions and spiritual ones. We would all do well to mark his example and seek to emulate it where God has placed us.

Watch how the Spirit of God unfolds Samuel's stellar and brave leadership.

The Path  (1 Sam. 7:3-6)

Samuel wasted no time telling these beleaguered sinners what they needed to do:

³ Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." (1 Sam. 7)

Mark it well. Though he was a political leader with political solutions, Samuel did not offer a political platform to solve the nation's issues. On the contrary, he addressed the sin of the nation. He addressed their propensity to worship anyone and anything other than the living God. Therefore, he took them to task for breaking the first two commandments of the Law. They had put other gods before the living God and worshipped gods they had fashioned with their hands instead of the God, whom man does not fashion because He is the great I Am (Ex. 3:14-15). And his call to them was honest. He did not know what they would do with his challenge, so it was couched in a conditional clause denoted by the introductory word “if.”

What did they need to do? They needed to do what our nation needs to do: Return to a loving, intimate, and vibrant relationship with the living God while taking radical action to rid their lives of gods that pulled them away from God. This was not their first time nationally at this spiritual juncture. You will remember the Golden Calf incident with Aaron (Ex. 32) and their idolatrous failure in Moab right before they entered the Land of Promise. While they waited for God’s signal to move out, they wasted no time joining themselves to the worship of the Canaanite stone god called Baal of Peor (Num. 25). As Peter would say many years later, “A dog returns to its own vomit” (2 Pet. 2:22), to denote how sinners love to return to their disgusting sins, so it was with ancient Israel.           Israel, in Samuel’s day, had returned to the forefathers' sins, but as numerous times before, they finally saw the error of their way and needed a way forward. Samuel gave them that way, and it had nothing to do with a political solution but a spiritual one. His advice was clear: They needed to take radical action and come clean from their sin.

Samuel went to the core of their issue. They needed to eliminate their dependence on the Canaanite false gods associated with Baal, specifically Ashtaroth. From clay tablets found at Ras Shamra in Syria in 1928, we now know how evil the Canaanite polytheistic belief system was. El, the mighty one, represented the head of the belief system. His three wives, Astarte (also called Athtarat or Ashtaroth, Deut. 1:4; Jud. 2:13), Athirat (also called Asherah), and Baaltis were his sisters. His son, Baal, the god of fertility, had incestuous relationships with his sister, Anath, and his father’s wife and sister, Athirat.

When the dry season came to the region every April through October, Baal died, as it were, only to be reborn and resurrected when his consort, Anath, fought and defeated Mot, or death. With his arrival, Baal was again positioned to bring fertility and prosperity to the land utilizing storms. And, of course, all of the sexual perversion of the gods filtered down unto the people. All of the goddesses were considered sacred prostitutes. Hence, it was customary to find male and female prostitutes in local temples who were there to help you connect with the gods and goddesses.

Sad. Israel went from worshipping the unseen God of the Exodus, the great God who had used the nature He created to free them from bondage and who had shown His greatness when He spoke from the thick clouds surrounding Mount Sinai to worshipping the creation. And that worship could not have been more sexually perverted, which is probably why they went back to it. They loved the pleasure it provided; however, that perverted pleasure came with a steep price tag: Bondage.

No wonder Samuel called the people out. If they would not come clean from their false worship, the living God would not bless any political solutions. If they, however, would break from their sin(s), God would forgive and bless them greatly.

What did they do? Read on.

⁴ So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone. (1 Sam. 7)

Israel did what their courageous leader called them to do. They took radical action by ridding their lives of the false gods that tripped them up. I’m sure they smashed or burned several idols made in the likeness of these so-called gods throughout the region. We must commend them for this, for we know how hard it is to break with ingrained sin (Rom. 6:19ff). Yet, in decisive moves, they cut the false worship and the perverted sins generated from their lives.

This all makes me wonder, as we look at a new political platform that will be erected in January, what sins we need to repent of. What gods have we placed in our lives that distract us from the living God? For you, it is a social movement that consumes all your time. For others, it might be a sexual perversion that the culture calls your right and that you embrace wholeheartedly. For others, it might be an ideology that you feel is superior to the story of the Scriptures, even though you claim the title Christian. Some might be all about making sure everyone is “woke” to what the carnal, misguided culture says they must be awakened to. Regardless of what the new Baal is, it just might be there in your life, drawing you away from God and leaving you hopeless, sad, unfulfilled, and guilt-ridden. Your way forward is not a political step but a spiritual one; wise leaders will point you in this direction. That’s what Samuel did. That’s what wise leaders always do. They recognize that spiritual revival must always come before political revival for lasting impact.

What else did Samuel do after addressing the spiritual elephant in the national living room? Again, read on, and you will see.

⁵ Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you." ⁶ And they gathered to Mizpah, 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 sons of Israel at Mizpah. (1 Sam. 7)

Samuel called the people to meet him in the mountain town of Mizpah, a small place in the tribe of Benjamin some 14 miles north of Jerusalem and about 20 miles south of Shiloh. Here, the convicted sinners repented of their sin against God, poured life-giving water onto the ground to denote that they now valued a relationship with God more than water, and denied themselves food to show God they meant business.

What did Samuel do? He stepped up and prayed for them. Wow. What a leader. He did not give them political platitudes , but prayers offered to God on their behalf. Underscore Samuel’s actions. Why? They show how a great leader functions. He is not afraid to humble himself before God and ask for God’s forgiveness and blessing for himself and others. Under Eli, Israel had experienced failed leadership, and the results were tragic, costly, and horrific. Under Samuel, however, Israel had a leader who knew how to lead. He prayed for and with his people, seeking God’s forgiveness and blessing. Oh, for more leaders like this, leaders who are prayers, not players.

The Devil never rests, does he? He can’t stand to see people making spiritual progress, so he moved behind the scenes, as he always does, to create fear, angst, and havoc.

The Problem (1 Sam. 7:7)

While Israel enjoyed restoration, their enemy looked for retaliation and domination. Activity like this is most certainly inspired by the Devil, who is the ultimate insurrectionist. He cannot stand it when people break free from spiritual and sinful bondage and start enjoying life as God designed it. On the contrary, he is all about inspiring his followers to tear down and destroy any beautiful movement that brings honor to God and spiritual and political health to people:

⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. (1 Sam. 7)

Rightly did Israel fear because these warmongering people had summarily defeated them on the battlefield numerous times. They were a formidable enemy; however, they were no match for Israel’s God. Years prior, He had destroyed their lifeless god, judged their cities with plagues, and miraculously guided a cow-driven cart carrying the Ark of God uphill to Beth-Shemesh. Since God did all these things, Israel should not have been afraid, and the Philistines should have taken some educational notes from history. But they did not. Why? They just would not let go of their love of more power, more land, and more domination over people. They were about to get educated again by God.

However, before God made a move, the fear His people felt moved them closer to Him. May the same be true of us.

The Plea (1 Sam. 7:8)

Their cry here illustrates they had learned the importance of not relying on their power but God’s at a time of trial:

⁸ Then the sons of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines." (1 Sam. 7)

They no longer rushed to get the Ark of God out before their troops. They knew they must ask their leader to call God on their behalf. Now, they realized the value of intercessory prayer to the living God. Oh, that our people might also remember this when, not if, forces arise in our own country seeking to oppose, thwart, or hijack the positive momentum God is allowing to develop. When opposition comes, from within or without, we might have leaders who pray for us and call us to pray. Prayer moves the hand of God and opens the gates of heaven for wisdom and blessing to flow down upon us.

Samuel did not disappoint the people but rose to the occasion.

The Prayer (1 Sam. 7:9)

Samuel was a class act:

⁹ And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried to the LORD for Israel and the LORD answered him. (1 Sam. 7)

According to the dictates of Leviticus, he offered a burnt offering to cover his sin. He realized he could not and should not just waltz into God’s holy presence without first making sure sacrificial blood atoned for his sin, making him capable of enjoying an audience with God. Once he was covered, he started praying for his people.

Believers today need not offer a burnt offering because Jesus is our perpetual burnt offering. Yet they need to remember the cost of their salvation, which permits them to come boldly before the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). With that humble mindset, let those leaders pray for the people under their care.

When Glenn Youngkin became the Governor of Virginia, he and his wife invited Liz and me to the Governor's Mansion to celebrate Christmas with other pastors and their wives from Virginia. Later that evening, we joined the Governor around the state Christmas tree and sang carols to the Lord. When we finished worshipping, the Governor stopped and said he wanted to spend a few moments praying for us. I could not believe it:  A godly politician who wanted to pray for pastors. I had never experienced anything like this, and I will never forget it. Samuel was there that holy night as the Governor prayed. Again, might God give us more leaders like this.

The Provision (1 Sam. 7:10-11)

A little sign used to hang on the wall behind the podium of the Southern Baptist Church that Liz and I attended in the seminary. It read: Prayer changes things. Indeed, it does. The following few verses substantiate this truth:

¹⁰ Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were routed before Israel. ¹¹ And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as below Beth-car. (1 Sam. 7)

God responded to Samuel’s prayer using thunder to confuse the Philistine crack troops. He could have vaporized them with a word from His mouth, but He chose, as He did in His battle with Pharoah, to employ nature to accomplish His will (Ex. 9:23-25). I am sure the thunder was so loud it wrecked their lines of communication, caused them to hit the ground, and disoriented them, leaving them wondering which way to attack. This is interesting. With a bit of thunder, God redirected and humbled the mighty, menacing army of the Philistines. His ways are not our ways. Recognize that when you, as a leader, pray for God’s help when troubles arise, you should prepare yourself for the unusual way God will act to help you.

Considering the need for leaders to lead the way in prayer, consider Franklin Roosevelt's prayer on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity…

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph…

Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And for us at home—fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them—help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice… Give us strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace — a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

On June 6, a storm battered the coast of Normandy, and the Germans did not think the Allies would invade because they needed clear skies, calm seas, and calm winds. Meteorologist British Captian James Stagg used meteorological information from Maureen Sweeney in Northwest Ireland to determine the storm would be too severe on June 5, the proposed date for the invasion. June 6, however, provided a small weather window when the seas and winds would not be perfect but better. So, the Allies moved to invade on this day, and that one weather forecast helped catch the Germans off guard and enabled the Allied troops to land to defeat the Nazi occupation of Europe eventually. I am sure that Roosevelt’s humble prayer was instrumental in moving God’s hand, which, in turn, assisted the meteorologists in seeking a viable window for the campaign to end all campaigns.

Similarly, Samuel prayed, and God answered to position His people for victory over evil. What happened next?

The Praise (1 Sam. 7:12-14)

When God answers a prayer profoundly, there is but one thing you should do. Praise Him. That is what Samuel did:

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." (1 Sam. 7)

Ebenezer in Hebrew means “stone of help.”  By erecting this stone, Samuel set up a perpetual reminder for the people of what God did on this day. When they thought all hope was lost and that their enemies would prevail, God stepped in and controlled events, so they were positioned to gain a decisive victory over those who sought their destruction. Once more, we can and should learn from this. Leaders lead their people in remembering God’s great works, and they might even go so far as to create permanent ways to recall just what God did to help. Will you call for remembrance?

Israel did not just remember God’s miraculous victory that day. They remembered how that one victory led to other victories, which, in turn, allowed Israel to regain territory previously lost to the Philistines. It even led to peace with the Amorites. Amazing.

¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴ And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. (1 Sam. 7)

When saints place the spiritual before the political, God answers powerfully. Because they prayed with their leader, they achieved many victories they never thought they would achieve, and peace also rested on them. Had they pursued political solutions first, I’m sure none of these gains would have been realized. What are your priorities, especially if you are a leader?

After God granted Israel victories spiritually and politically because their leader, Samuel, led them in the right way, watch how the historical scene closes:

The Performance (1 Sam. 7:15-17)

First, let us read the text and then make some observations about Samuel:

¹⁵ Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶ And he used to go annually on circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. ¹⁷ Then his return was to Ramah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel; and he built there an altar to the LORD. (1 Sam. 7)

What did Samuel do? Realizing the people's propensity to fall back into their old ways, he committed himself to having an annual circuit he would travel from Gilgal, located near the Jordan River in the valley below, up to the mountain towns of Bethel and Mizpah. What was the purpose of this circuit? To teach the people God’s Word, to make sure they were in the Word, to make sure they were not drifting back into sin, to give counsel with challenging situations, and to pass judgment where needed so peace and prosperity could flourish. What a wise leader. He continued to put the spiritual before the political so that the revival fire would continue to burn brightly. May God give us leaders like this for a time like this.

Ronald Reagan was such a man. Here is one of his prayers from a February 6, 1986 speech.

"To preserve our blessed land we must look to God… It is time to realize that we need God more than He needs us… We also have His promise that we could take to heart with regard to our country, that 'If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.'”

Let us, young and old, join together, as did the First Continental Congress, in the first step, in humble heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance and the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our nation, our friends in the defense of freedom, and all mankind, now and always.

The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America… Our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal. Today, we utter no prayer more fervently than the ancient prayer for peace on Earth.

If I had a prayer for you today, among those that have all been uttered, it is that one we’re so familiar with: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace…” And God bless you all.

This week, God sovereignly gave us many new leaders to guide our country. I pray they would lead us as great leaders should by calling us to find healing through confession of sin and reliance on the care and provision of God. Reagan was on the right track, but long before him was a man named Samuel. Might people like Samuel increase. That’s my prayer.