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Samuel’s Leadership Brings Victory

1 Samuel 7:1-12

Text

LESSON 6 JULY 12, 2020

SCRIPTURE LESSON TEXT I SAM.

7:1 And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. 5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. 6 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. 7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 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. 9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. 10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.

Press, Union Gospel. Bible Expositor and Illuminator (p. 74). Union Gospel Press. Kindle Edition.

Title Page

Samuel’s Leadership Brings Victory

Lesson Text: I Samuel 7:1-12

Related Scriptures: Deuteronomy 30:1-10; I Samuel 12:16-24; Psalm 18:7-15; Joshua 4:19-24

TIME: 1047 B.C. PLACES: Mizpeh; between Mizpeh and Shen

GOLDEN TEXT—“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”

(I Samuel 7:8).

Press, Union Gospel. Bible Expositor and Illuminator (p. 75). Union Gospel Press. Kindle Edition.

Lesson

5mi

Overview

Life in Israel during the early years of Samuel’s ministry was disorganized to say the least. Israel was more a loose federation of twelve individual tribes than a united nation. There was no strong, godly leadership among the people to draw them together. To make matters worse, the ark of the covenant, the most sacred object on earth, was being moved around between Philistine territory and different parts of Israel. The people did not seem to have a proper view of God until He raised up Samuel and brought him to the forefront in Israel.

Press, Union Gospel. Bible Expositor and Illuminator (p. 80). Union Gospel Press. Kindle Edition.

Textual Outline

THE VICTORY BROUGHT ABOUT BY SAMUEL'S LEADERSHIP (7:1–12)

I The retreival (7:1-2): The ark is retrieved from Beth-shemesh and taken to the home of Abinadab.

II. The repentance (7:3–6): After 20 years of spiritual decline, Samuel leads the people to repentance.

A. The Israelites destroy their idols and worship only the Lord. B. Samuel becomes Israel’s judge.

III. The routing (7:7–11): The Philistines prepare to attack the Israelites,

A. But the Lord’s mighty voice thunders from heaven,

B. The Philistines are thrown into confusion and allowing the Israelites to defeat them.

IV. The rock (7:12): Samuel sets up a huge stone

A Which serves to remind the people of God’s help.

B. And calls it Ebenezer.

H. L. Willmington, The Outline Bible (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999), 1 Sa 6:19–7:12.

Significant Points

7:2 The people “lamented after the Lord” (vs. 2). This means they mourned and sought Him.

7:3–17 The biblical narrative reintroduces Samuel, signaling a positive change for Israel. This passage establishes the background for Samuel’s career as a prophet, priest, and judge.

7:4 Baal was the male god and Ashtaroth his female counterpart. Ritual prostitution was often associated with their worship.

7:5-6. There are various places in the Bible named Mizpeh or Mizpah. The name simply means “lookout” or “watchtower.” This particular Mizpeh was less than ten miles north of Jerusalem and was a frequent gathering place for Israel.

The pouring of water before the Lord was symbolic of their repentance and cleansing, similar to water baptism (cf. Matt. 3:6, 11; Acts 2:38; I Pet. 3:21).

7:7-8. When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpeh, their leaders saw this as a serious challenge, they thought Israel was gathering for battle.

The Israelites though fearful, properly asked Samuel to keep praying for them. It is to their credit that they recognized that the Lord was their ultimate Deliverer.

7:9 The people’s repentance was symbolized in the animal sacrifice, and Samuel cried out to the Lord on their behalf. And God “heard”—that is, He answered—Samuel’s prayer on their behalf.

7:10 God’s voice is also depicted as thunder in the Bible (cf. Ps. 29:3-9; John 12:27-30). The Philistines were “discomfited” (I Sam. 7:10), meaning they were panicstricken and confused. This led to their defeat by the Israelites, who responded with an immediate counterattack.

7:11 Instead of just defending their position, the Israelites left Mizpeh and pursued the Philistines as far as Beth-car. Beth-car’s precise location is unknown, but this indicates that the Israelites had the Philistines on the run, back toward their own territory.

7:12 As a memorial of their victory, Samuel set up a stone between Mizpeh and a place called Shen, a location unknown to us today. Samuel named this memorial “Eben-ezer” (I Sam. 7:12), which means “stone of help.”

Press, Union Gospel. Bible Expositor and Illuminator (p. 76). Union Gospel Press. Kindle Edition. John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Sa

Press, Union Gospel. Bible Expositor and Illuminator (p. 77). Union Gospel Press. Kindle Edition. 7:3–17.

Gleanings from the text

1. The Israelites are an example to us of the importance of worshipping God and God alone.

2. There are many distractions in our lives that compete for our attention, If we want to receive His blessing, we must devote ourselves entirely to Him. He does not allow His people to worship Him and anything else at the same time.

3. To a large degree, people do not readily admit their personal sinfulness, but this is the first step toward receiving forgiveness from God (cf. I John 1:7-10). Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (cf. Ps. 34:14-22; Isa. 59:1-2).

4. Repentance is best understood as turning away from sin and turning to God.Notice that repentance does not simply involve an apology. Repentance demands action. It is not simply turning away from sin. It also involves turning to the Lord. It is not only forsaking evil but also actively pursuing after righteousness.

5. Far too often people seek the Lord only when all other avenues have been pursued. This does not mean there is nothing we can do to alleviate fears or problems, but we should not view God’s help as a last resort. He, in fact, should be our first option.

6. As believers, we should not only pray for ourselves and our own needs but also intercede for others.

7. Have you raised any Ebenezers to the Lord in your own Christian life?

Press, Union Gospel. Bible Expositor and Illuminator (p. 81). Union Gospel Press. Kindle Edition.

Press, Union Gospel. Bible Expositor and Illuminator (p. 81). Union Gospel Press. Kindle Edition.

Next Week

Israel Demands a King

Lesson Text: I Samuel 8:1-11, 18-20

Related Scriptures: I Samuel 8:1-22; Deuteronomy 17:14-20; Judges 8:22-23; Hosea 13:4-11

TIME: 1043 B.C. PLACE: Ramah

GOLDEN TEXT—“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” (Luke 24:27).

Press, Union Gospel. Bible Expositor and Illuminator (p. 89). Union Gospel Press. Kindle Edition.

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