Year One, August 9

Till Now the LORD Has Helped Us1

1 Samuel 7:1-13; 15-17

1And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD. (The ark of God was moved from Shiloh, but the light of God that it represented2 was even brighter than before.) 2From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. (This was a happy sorrow. They were full of regret because the Lord had left them. Whenever people seek God and mourn over their sin, he will soon make his presence known to them. Anyone who has not yet found Jesus, should sigh and cry after him. It will not be long before he looks on us in love. God had already come back to Israel when the people lamented after him. When a soul sighs for the Lord, the Lord is already with it.)

3And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. (Their repentance would not have been real if it did not change the way they lived. People cannot keep their sins and have their God. No one can serve two masters.)

5Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you. 6So they gathered at 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 people of Israel at Mizpah. 7Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. (Yet they had no cause for fear, because they were now reunited with God. The person who is at peace with God should be fearless.)

8And the people 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.” (They spoke wisely, and showed that they had faith as well as fear. Faith in God gave them faith in the power of prayer.) 9So Samuel took a nursing 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.

True repentance, true prayer, and faith in the true Lamb of God, will win the day.

10As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

12Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer (or, stone of help), for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” (Samuel won that battle on his knees. Then he placed a stone as a reminder to praise the Lord for answering prayer. Praying people are thankful people.) 13So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

15Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. (God does not abandon his faithful servants when they grow old. And they do not ask their Lord for permission to retire and stop serving him. To serve God from our childhood to our old age is an honor. May such grace be given to the young members of our family.) 16And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the LORD.

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¹ 1 Samuel 7:12

² 1 John 1:5 , “God is Light.”