1 Samuel 7:2-5 - It
was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD. And Samuel said to the whole
house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all
your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the
Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and
serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the
hand of the Philistines." So the
Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only. Then Samuel said,
"Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the LORD for you."
The ark had been returned…and the Israelites needed a place
for it to stay…for most commentators feel that Shiloh had been destroyed in the
battles against the Philistines. So the
Israelites decided to place it in Kiriath Jearim ..at Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard it. It
stayed there for 20 years…while God softened their hearts to their need for him
in their lives….while he listened to them cry out in deep sadness at their
empty lives….at the great cost of their former choices.
Samuel had grown to be a man…and God began to use him to
return his people to the true worship Moses had taught them so many years
before. He first called for them to give
up every idol in their life…to recommit
their hearts to Yahweh full time….and they did.
So Samuel went one step further….and asked them to gather together at
Mizpah...so he could intercede for them in prayer. It must have been one great prayer…for God
heard it plain and clear.
God began to show off that day …because they returned to him
full time…with committed hearts…that even threw away every idol they had been
worshiping. God was so overwhelmed with
this renewed loved that he covered them with his mighty power so that they were
able to defeat some Philistines who thought they were going to get a few new
slaves that day. Samuel’s great prayer
convinced God that it was time to start protecting his people again…and he did…for
another 20 years while Samuel was their judge.
We
need to heed the words of Samuel just as much today…and put away our idols….and
return to the true worship of God. We really don’t need Samuel to intercede for
us anymore…if we gave our hearts to God…we can ask Jesus and the Holy Spirit to
intercede for us ourselves….and they will call out to God in our behalf…so he
can cover us and give us the power we need to defeat the idols satan has
convinced us are okay.
Confusing ...those idols we have in our lives….for anything
can become an idol if it takes our time away from God…if it focuses our love on
some Earthly thing instead of the work he placed us here to do. I reexamine the
things in my life every day….especially those times when God humbles me…and
shows me that I have way more blessings in my life that most. When those simple blessings begin to consume
my time….and keep me from reading the Bible…and studying his word…they are
turning into idols. When the simple
pleasures of eating out…or shopping…that define fun in our lives become
something that controls us…or helps us justify not spending time with God in
prayer...they may have become an idol.
Once satan has tricked us into having these ‘things’ in our
life…we fail to see how they are dangerous.
Satan uses the ‘blessing’ lie to convince us there is nothing wrong with
buying some enormous TV…when our 50 inch is working just fine. Or adding to our 200 plus collection of DVD’s
just because we are working on the Guinness World record. That shoe collection…or jewelry we buy…or
yarn for that matter…can’t possibly be getting in the way of our relationship with
God. We tend to focus on the things that
harm our bodies…like smoking…drinking….or overeating….for those things are no
easier to give up when they consume our lives…just because they harm us in some
physical way.
The truth is that the money we spend on ourselves sometimes…can
be used to spread God’s gospel. That
$200 plus dollars the American family spends on Easter baskets and new clothes
this weekend could feed a small army of starving children somewhere…probably
close to where you live. The $4o dollars
you spent on the shoes alone…combined with all the Easter shoes everyone bought
could build a new church somewhere…or support some program that helps people
rebuild their lives…or complete a
mission project somewhere.
Father…I thank you for the call to return to true worship
this morning. Thank you for Samuel…and
his heart that you trained to serve you completely. Help me to be a true
worshiper like him…and remove every idol that prevents me from doing your work
here on Earth. Help me this day…so close to the memorial of your Son’s great
sacrifice on the cross…his triumph over
death…and his resurrection that allows me to enjoy a relationship with you…to
always consider what I can give back to you with the blessings you give to me.
Help me to identify and remove any idol that satan has tricked me into keeping
in my life. Help me to intercede for
others the way Samuel and you interceded for these Israelites. Amen.
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