7:1 And 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. 2 From 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.
Samuel Judges Israel
3 And 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.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So 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. 7 Now 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. 8 And 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.” 9 So 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. 10 As 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 routed before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” 13 So 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. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then 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. (ESV)
3 And 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.”
One of the main themes of 1 Samuel is getting to the heart. Notice the emphasis Samuel puts on returning to the Lord with all their hearts and directing their hearts to the Lord. This is what we are going to talk about on the first night of Revival: Winter Edition. Which I am getting psyched out of my mind about!
Today I am going to make sure that my heart is directed towards the Lord! I am not going to serve anything else but Jesus Christ. Seek Jesus first, nothing else second!
“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.”
The only devotion the LORD is interested in is full devotion! Samuel explains clearly what full devotion entails: 1) turn from sin (“put away the foreign gods”), 2) turn to God (“direct your heart to the Lord”), and 3) don’t go back (“serve him only”).
I’m resolved by God’s grace to put away sins that remain, to pursue Christ, and to never look back!
AMEN! Like a laser this question cuts right to the heart and remains for us today! 100% or nothing! There is no middle ground.
Nice example Mr. Hosford! Never thought of it that way!
ELLO… I read
I like verse 3,”And 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.””
I like this verse because it talks about serving GOD only. Today you don’t see very many people bowing down to idols because we are not that obvious. Today you see people spending too much time watching TV or too much time thinking about school and their future. We tend to focus on everything that is important in this life which isn’t always a sin but if we make it a priority before GOD it is an idol. I need to make sure that I have no idols in this life because GOD is the only one that deserves anyone’s attention.
CYA
1 Sam 7:3 And 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.”
These people, and all of us in churches where the biblical gospel is preached, understand who God is and what He requires of his property (us). The question Samuel lays out to God’s chosen people is this: are you going to turn in full repentance to God or not?
I choose Evan’s answer above – full resolve, powered by God’s grace, to pursue Christ and never look back! And you? What is your response? Seek Him whole heartedly today and yield to His Spirit in order to do what He says! He gives us everything we need for life and godliness – take it!
Lord, please come soon!
Mornin’, Dave. I just want to thank you for being a part of our daily growth in Him and with one another as we endeavor to study and apply God’s Word. Your comments are encouraging and I always look forward to them. Thanks for hoppin’ on so faithfully!
i also loved verse 3 but i would like to talk about verse 6…
6 So 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.”
confessing our daily sins before God is sometimes something we forget to do but its a big part of our relationnship with the Lord to know that we are able as human beings to come before Him and ask for His forgivness. That is so cool isnt it cool to think that we dont need a Pope or a Saint or Mary to “pray for us” but we as Christians are able to have that direct connection wih the ALMIGHTY ONE ! thats pretty amazing to me! we are sooooo blessed!<333
3 And 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.”
Jesus Christ is worthy of all the glory. There are no other Gods, and no one like him! The Lord wants you to either be all in or all out, not Lukewarm. It takes commitment and your whole heart! Christ loved us while we were still sinners, and I am so in love with Jesus because of everything he has done! I want to be fully committed to my Savior, serving him and always and be willing to drop everything and follow him! It is important to evaluate yourself to see if there may be any idols that are causing sin or temptations, or above Jesus. God should always be number one and first love, he will not tolerate it when there is something/someone higher than he is! I pray that I will strive to please God and have no other idols ever in my life! I want God to always be my first love and number one priority!
no luke warm christianity!!! great post!! i always love reading yours. you make great points!!
Awesome post!!!!!!!! <333
Good Morning!!
Verse 8 ‘And 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.” ‘
In this verse these Israelites show great faith and courage in the LORD that HE might save them. GOD heard their cry and completely through the whole Philistine army into confusion thus they could not fight. The Israelites are a great example sometimes to us on how to have faith in GOD. If your prayer is sincere and you really need HIS help, HE will be there for you. GOD is omnipresent.
3 And 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.”
When it comes to being apart of God’s work, there’s only two options: You’re either in or your out. A person can’t simply be one foot in to Christianity and living for God while their other foot stays behind to dwell in sin and live for yourself in the world. Here Samuel commands the people of Israel that if they truly are returning back to God with all of their hearts, then they need to leave behind and throw away all of the old stuff, such as foreign gods and idols. And after, Samuel told them to direct their heart to the Lord and serve him only. And in doing this, God would deliver them from the Philistines, as he stayed faithful in doing.
I can’t have anything to do with lukewarm Christianity. I can’t be calling myself a Christian, but then living a lifestyle that doesn’t back it up. It would be better for one to never have been a Christian than falsely claim that he is one and then live a life completely in the world. And so I must live a life fully devoted to God, that it shows that I am all-about Jesus all the time. I need to live with fervor as I keep God above all things in everything in my life. As I am living for God, I can’t have anything interfere in the relationship. Whatever threatens to be a problem, I need to cut it out of my life. Nothing can take higher priority in my life. God needs to always be my number one priority, but even more, so much all that matters, that there is no competition for second place!
AWESOME COMMENT!!! KEEP UP THESE IN-DEPTH COMMENTS DUDE!
4 “So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only.”
To be a slave to Christ means we can’t be a slave to something else, we can’t have two masters because that will destroy us. The people of Israel were worshipping other gods, the people of today do exactly the same thing. Sure, we don’t bow down to Baal, but we consider worldly things better and higher than God. We have to be committed to Christ 100% or it doesn’t count at all. There should be no room for ourselves, we give everything up to follow Him.
!!!MARANATHA!!!
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”
God is addressing the truth of what faith is to me throughout my current studies and daily quiet times with Him. A resounding theme has been to REMEMBER His goodness and HIS faithfulness in saving. Here is another example of how God called the Israelites to do the same. All throughout the Old Testament we see how His people set up monuments after God did something gnarly-good in their lives. These monuments serve as reminders to them and us of how GOOD God is. I wonder what monuments I can be setting up in MY life as daily reminders of how good He is. So that when I face the temptations of sin and unfaithfulness toward God, I will be reminded of how He does not change, and He is steadfast. Quite a powerful and necessary conviction…
Oh how awesome is our God?
He takes the burnt offerings of the Israelites and lets nothing interupt a perfect moment like that. The Philistines are destroyed and God brings His choosen people back. The Israelites get all of their territory back and God shines brilliantly through them. Samuel is such a Godly man, just as his mother was….It reminds me of how other people influence you and the way we live. Most families that grow up strong in the Lord, remain strong in the Lord and the children take God with them. Like Bobby said, he had his “bible time” with his family and all of Bobby’s family grew up strong in the Lord. Of course, not everyone will be like that because God chooses His followers…and that includes me. 
I’m thankful that I am like Samuel, who had Godly parents and that I, myself, am saved. How awesome it is to be choosen by Him! Today, I shall be grateful and continue to pray that my family will have more Biblical talks. MARANATHA!
“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.”
I think that people can really get quite a lot from this verse. If you give everything to God, then he will provide for everything… so then you’ll have nothing to worry about. Maybe with something like finals… It’s crazy how God says that all we really need to do is come to him and give ourselves fully to him and he will take care of everything, but there are so many people who still haven’t done so! Maybe it could be some pride getting in the way, or lack of faith, but as bobby says, we need to be praying for revival in OC and everywhere for that matter. Off to my cultural geography final…
I liked this verse
6) So 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”
This is important because it’s the first step in taking up the Lord as your saviour by confessing your sins. Above this verse 3 is also important because it explains that if you want to put your heart, your full body, into worshiping and being with God you have to get rid of everything that goes against him. You can’t live a double life when you want to have eternal life with the Lord in heaven.
This chapter is also really cool because even after all the suffering the Israelites have gone through God brings back their cities and His most loyal followers are brought back and rejoice in the return of the Lord.
Remember to put all your heart into God =]
Erin! nice to see you on SOTD! great comment
Erin! You are amazing =) I love how you said you can’t live a “double life.” It is so true, you are so wise =)
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
Look at this example of how we should be! When asked to drop all other gods/idols in their lives, the people put them away and wholeheartedly served the Lord! That is what we should be like! When the Lord asks us to serve Him only, we should obey Him and devote our lives to Him!!! Nothing in this world should take the place in front of the Lord!
nice post! its totally true that we need to put God first in everything we do and nothing should come before Him!
Verse 8 ‘And 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.” ‘
This verse stood out to me because the Israelites had such a different response to the attack of the Philistines in chapter 7 than they did in chapter 4. Here they re putting all of their trust in God and relying on Him to save them, which He graciously does! It got me thinking about my own life and how times that I experience defeat against sin are times that I have relied upon myself to conquer it. It is only when I cry out to God, begging Him for His help, and relying on His Spirit that I am able to avoid temptation and sin. At small group last night we identified ways that we are hypocritical in our faith and I am committed to fighting back against sin with the force of Darth Vador as I rely on God’s help!
AMEN BETH! (:
The Israelites served God and were on fire for him, and then they burned down. When they needed the Lord’s help they were crying out for him. They are so much like us! We have a period in our lives when we are on fire for him, and then school, sports, homework, etc. happen and we become distracted. It isn’t until we need him that we are drawn closer to him. We need to be praisng and loving him all the time, not just when we need his help.
3 And 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.”
My heart needs to be directly focused on God and not put towards anything else. I need to make sure i am giving 100% to him! Like Pastor Bobby said, today i want to make sure i am giving God my whole heart ((=
3 And 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.”
I totally agree with you, Evan! What an awesome example of repentance and faith, and its from the Old Testament! God is everlasting, which means that salvation through faith is also everlasting. Here, the prophet of God is commanding Israel to return to the Lord with all their heart, and that includes putting away any other idols in their life. I’ve talked to some people who don’t want to follow God because they simply don’t want to give up one person, one sin, or one thing that they idolize. To be on God’s team, we need extreme devotion. So extreme that we cannot give it by ourselves- the ability is a gift of God (Eph. 2:10). He also calls us (not invites us as Pastor Mike clarified this weekend!) to direct our heart to the Lord and to serve Him ONLY! Directing our heart towards God means that we steer away from anything and everything else that we are giving our heart to. God needs to be #1 with nothing coming close to 2nd. Serving Him ONLY means that everything we do needs to be for the Glory of God! In response to this devotion, God delivers us from Hell. Deliverance from the Philistines was just foreshadowing the deliverance we have through the sacrifice of Christ. I should be so grateful to be part of that ultimate redemption! All of this is a lot to swallow, and I could never accomplish it fully while I’m on this Earth, but its something we as Christians need to always be striving for. I pray that I can remember that God is always #1, He will not accept anything less, so I shouldn’t compromise and put Him in 2nd!
Great chapter!!!!!!!!!! From reading this chapter I read that I need to be serving nothing else but Jesus Christ!!!! Not $$money$$ or myself I need to live my life for the Glory of God!!!!!!!! I need to give him my all in whatever I do!!!!!
Wow what faith Samuel had. This might sounded weird but Samuel is like a Jedi from star wars. From the time he was a child he was raised up in the mind set of the church to serve God. Samuel is a great example of a guy tha had faith in God and stood up for the Lord and his purpose. When he did this he changed his whole city. This is a good example of what we can do at our high schools. We can stand up and change our entire schools.
Go to gravatar.com
Amen Brother Austin Preach It!
3 And 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.”
I agree with all of you who wrote that your focus today will be on directing your heart to the Lord and serving Him all day long. Samuel is a great example to us of a man who served God and directed others to repent and put their trust in the Lord.
Ahh I couldn’t agree more with Beth! I had the same reaction to v. 8!
Verse 8 ‘And 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.” ‘
How much these Philistines HAVE changed! It’s amazing to see how God works! And how Samuel is such a great example, representing Christ and giving Him the glory deserved! So easy to be defeated by sin and it’s always a struggle but when we cry out to God like Samuel did in v. 9 (“……And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.”) When we cry out to God, coming to Him in humility and fear, it’s so encouraging to see how God responds to us! We can’t get through anything, sin, this life on our own but in full reliance on God, and God alone!
great post hannah! i love it!!!
WINTER REVIVAL IS 9 DAYS AWAY!!!
3 And 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.”
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST VERSES IN THE BIBLE, I BELIEVE. RETURNING TO GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART. GOD HAS A BIG EXPECATATION ON HOW HE WANTS US TO LIVE AND WHAT TO DO. HE WANTS EVERYTHING WE HAVE. HE WANTS US TO FOCUS ON HIM IN OUR LIFE.
3 And 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.”
I LOVED this verse soo much! The reason for this is that it stood out to me in a way of which we must take everything we have ever owned, seen, touched, tasted, and wanted and put it aside for the Lord. A lot of times I get caught up in the world and put things #1 in my life before God. Which is a TOTAL MISTAKE! God needs to ALWAYS BE #1 IN OUR LIVES. We need to put worldly things aside and make sacrifices for God. Some good sacrifices are reading your bible more, praying more, going on sotd everyday, and hanging out with the right people, ect. We must please God since we represent Him! For we must not be hypocrites like how Pastor Bobby said! We need to serve God in the way most pleasing to Him. Just remember this; are you 100% for God? Because if we are not, we need to check our faith.
3 And 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.”
mhmmm Great verse! If I am returnjing to the Lord, he desreves my whole heart, all of it. This reminds me of the New Moon sermon and how halfway in isn’t in at all. I want God to have all of my heart. If I pursue other things and have idols, then there is less of my heart devoted to God which is actually none at all. There has to be nothing in my life to compete with the love I have for Him. Samuel says that if the Israelites put away the foreign gods and direct their hearts towards Him, than they will be delievered. God has delivered me from my sin, it only makes sense that I can only serve him. This reminds me of the Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Do I hate the world, and my flesh ?. I have to be devoted and love one and hate the other. Sometimes I find myself neutral and overlooking sins that “aren’t as serious” which becomes apparent when I’m not in the Word. Like procrastination- I’ll say I’ll skip my morning devotions and then after I come home from school I tell myself I will do it after I finish my homework and by that time it’s night time. I still do it but I procrastinated and I was lazy and didn’t get the benefits of being refreshed in the Word when I needed it the most. I have to make war on sin and realize that I have to despise it as much as God does because I know that i grieves His heart. I pray that I can direct my heart torwards the Lord and serve Him only!
Yeahh Jasmine I completely second your post =]
3 And 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.”
This verse reminded me of Pastor Bobby’s message about Christians and hypocracy. If a person claims to be a Christian, they should follow the actions of the people of Israel in the verse and “put away the foreign gods” and “direct [their] heart[s] to the Lord and serve him only.” If we say one thing, like tell people we are Christians, yet do another thing, like make fun of others constantly, then we are not being good foreign exchange students of Heaven!
3 And 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.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
The israelites seemed to get sidetracked by idols for much of the time, like we often are. We know that GOD calls us to devote ourselves completely to him, and yet we let stupid things like swearing or disrespect get in our way to bringing him joy. I need to give myself fully to the LORD.
Amen! Stupid is a perfect word to describe sin.
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
In this verse and verse 6 the people of Israel respond to Gods command instantaneously. Right after God commands them the next second they are responding and doing what He says. They do what He says out of fear and obedience. I really have to step back and think what I am doing is either pleasing to God or responding to Gods command. When my parents tell me to do somthing I normally dont do it with a happy attitude, if even right away. I should be fearing Gods punishment upon me and also wanting to please Him in everything I do. Especially what He has specifically commanded me to do.
10 As 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 routed before Israel.
The Philistines are gone!! God is so good!! I loved this verse!! God just seems to always come back with a “booyah, i’m in charge, you’re not, get out of here and glorify me!!”. Lord, you never cease to amaze me!!
1 Samuel 7:3 And 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.”
This is a sign of repentance, the Israelites were worshipping false gods and this was causing them defeat against the Philistines. Samuel called them to repent from these idols. God commanded them to serve Him and Him alone above all other things. They were told to direct their hearts to God. This is an example of repentance and faith.
I need to be committed to God fully in all things, the israelites struggle with sin as do I. Turning from my sin and staying away from it is the only way that I can grow closer to God. Being in the scriptures will let me know how to discern right from wrong and how to live a Godly life. In the end, I need to get into God’s word more, and definitely sin less.
Great Gravatar pic!
3 And 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.”
here we see some of the things that someone who truly is desiring God with all their heart will do. a real Christian will cast away the idols in their life, no matter what they are, and they will be focused on the Lord, and serve Him only. for me, i need to be turning away from laziness, and instead do everything with all my heart, for it is Christ that i am serving (Colossians 3:23-24). i also need to be tearing down the idols in life, whether they be my reputation, my earthly treasures, or school. i need to be focusing more on God, which includes reading my Bible more and praying to God. i pray that the Lord would help me to give up everything for Him daily and follow Him with all of my heart!
your picture is almost as great as your post! nice!
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
This is a good verse because it is true that the only one we need to truly serve is God. We shouldn’t have worldly idols.
“If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods…”
I need to give the Lord my whole heart and that means giving up any other “gods” that are taking his place, or idols. There can be nothing in the way of HIM
So true Victoria! We need to examine our hearts and make sure that nothing is battling for first place in our life.
3 And 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.”
Today we don’t think to ourselves that we are worshiping idols more then God. What we don’t often understand is that things such as tv, music, video games, and even a significant other are things that can become our idols. We need to make sure that we are putting more of our time into focusing on God then we do focusing on other things. We should always think of God first and make sure He is our one true love. Without God all other things are nothing anyway so why show them more attention then Him. God should be our number one priority.
I read….
3 And 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.”
What I got from this verse is that if we want to follow God truly, we need to put away all of our foreign “idols”. I dont think any of us has a problem with worshiping Baal or Ashtaroth, but I know I have had and have idols that I needed/need to cast away. Only than can I truly be following God.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”
Amen to this! God has not stopped helping us through life, nor will he. And we sure need it! I had an extremely bad spirtiual low yesterday, and then me and my mom prayed, and i started listening to some christian music, and boom! i felt so much better. I know I need help through life, and God has brought me to my knees to show me. Thank you Lord, for humbling me and teaching me.
9…And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.
This sense of urgency is often lost in prayer nowadays. Especially when praying for others, it can be hard to get this “emotionally involved” in our prayer. Too often, it’s just a list of requests. We’re better at praying earnestly for things that WE want, but these things aren’t usually the things that we should be praying about on a regular basis. I need to resolve to take prayer for others more seriously, remembering that I am praying to an almighty God who is willing to listen to me and answer my prayers, so I will not be tempted to take it lightly.
God is so generous to us he gives us a home and a family that loves us and he calles us and i love the people he put me around because they help me to grow up to be who I am and I thank him for that.
10 As 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 routed before Israel.
It is amazing how powerful the Lord is. Samuel cried out for help and the Lord answered him and helped him by throwing the Philistines into confusion. It is awesome and comforting.
I read…
This chapter was so awesome! The Israelites repented of their sins and turned back to God in this chapter. It was so awesome how they responded with the Philistines came; they put their complete trusts in the Lord. I pray that I would have the same response in my life, by always turning to Him in everything.
3 And 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.”
This verse seems almost foreign to our present-day lives. Just as the application of this verse seems virtually non-existent, so too is our comprehension of what the verse really applies to. Samuel told the Israelites that if they were going to return to the Lord, they needed to turn to him completely. Just like Pastor Bobby mentioned a few weeks ago, we cannot be part-time Christians. Samuel goes on to say that the Israelites need to turn away from their foreign gods. There aren’t very many people in today’s world that have idols and multiple gods they worship, but Samuel commands the Israelites to direct their hearts’ to the Lord. In essence, he is telling the Israelites to flee from all distractions that would draw them away from directing their complete attention on Christ. There are definitely plenty of distractions in today’s world that tempt us from the path that leads to Christ. We need to flee from temptation and keep our focus on Christ. Samuel says that if we dedicate our time and our lives to Christ’s plan, He will deliver us; He will bless us!
3 And 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.”
direct your hearts to the Lord and serve him only, we cannot serve more then one master, and we need to chose the Lord. So we need to be all for the Lord, half way doesnt cut it in christianity
c u all later
nice! lets live for him 24/7! we can only serve one Master, the Lord or Satan – not both!
so true! no luke warm christianity!! love it!
….as much as that temperature sounds apealing….lukewarm Christians with be vomited outta God’s mouth! I agree that half way DOES NOT cut it!….all or nothing baby
3 And 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.”
Go to the Lord with all your heart if you are not willing to go to Him with it all then dont go to Him. YOu need to be willing to give Him your all and everything u can offer Him you need to give your life to Him. Do not have other gods over our Lord for God needs to be #1 in our life always.
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
Just like the Israelites put away thier idols and served God only, we need to do the same thing and put away anything we hold before God. I’m sure we could all think of at least one thing we might consider an “idol.” This isn’t ok guys!! we have to cast down our idols and obsessions and devote ourselves FULLY to God! He isn’t getting the worship he deserves….so what are we gonna do about it?
Great comment!! Very encouraging!!!! Something that needs to be thought about continuously as we go through the struggles of this life, and new “idols” pop up. We need to be fully devoted to the Lord and NOTHING ELSE!!
3 And 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.”
I really like this verse. It just resounds one of the main elements in this book, that God should be our first priority. So far we have seen both Hannah and Samuel demonstrate how they put God first in their life, and we are able to see the positive effects of that. And here Samuel talks about how we can not be luke-warm. The LOrd only wants whole-hearted worship and service. The Lord wants to be first i our lives, He DESERVES to be first in our lives, and He demands to be first; this verse is just a reminder. 1 Samuel is definately better that twilight!
“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.”
This was just like something Christa said about making sure your heart is solely focused on God. If we are, nothing else should be more interesting than him. i need to make sure that my heart isn’t divided up, and that don’t i spend more energy and effort on other areas of my life than i do with my relationship with God. I need to make sure God is the only thing that’s captivating me and that he is always at the front of my attention. He needs to be the only one i serve.
“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. when we turn to christ we need to give up everything to serve him. i need to work on serving only christ and not worrying about other things and putting them before christ.
3 And 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.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
I want my heart to be directed toward the Lord! We need to put the Lord first in everything we do and nothing should come before Him. I love thise verse!!! It seems like it was so easy for them to put down their other idols/gods and direct their hearts towards God. This is how we need to be…we should be able to put down the ways of this world and sin and compromise and turn our hearts toward the Lord. We need to give everything up to Him and serve Him with everything we have.
AMEN SISTER!!!
13 So 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. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines.
What a contrast from the earlier chapters, where the Israelites were disobeying God and He allowed them to be delivered into the hands of their enemies. Here the Israelite truly turn to God in their need and God is (of course) faithful.
God told the Israelites very plainly who He was back in Deuteronomy 7:9-11: “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the fraithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. he will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.” It’s amazing that despite this clear warning and promise, the Israelites still failed to obey (over and over), and yet we often do the same thing, falling into sin that we know is wrong and offensive to our righteous God. I know that I don’t want to have to learn the hard way that God “will not be slack”, as the Israelites had to in these chapters of 1 Samuel. I want be steadfast in my love and obedience to God. My life is definintely more peaceful and joyful when I’m right with the Lord.
3 And 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.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.”
Our heart should me fully focused on God, when we are serving the Lord. If we are doing anything we should be doing it for him and not for yourself or mens approval. But I know that sometimes I am not totally focused on God and i am focused on the world, but God is the one that deserves my full undivided attention.
Yeah for small groups!!! <333
Glad to see you got on today, Angela!!
3 And 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.”
This verse stuck out to me especially with Revival so close! I want to make sure that I am serving the Lord with all my heart and with all my effort and not serving anything else, especially myself which is what happens sometimes. I want to be a full out slave for the Lord and spreading his message on my campus and constantly fighting sin like we talked about in small groups tonight!
Small groups were great tonight!! Good luck on spreading the word. Ill be there with you since you dont know anyone hahaha:)
I loved how the were afraid and feared the judgement day as we should all fear judgement day. Not too many as you see from our schools fear God and his wrath. I know that some of us are afraid of what others might think of us, and go around telling people about us. The thing is that we should not care what the think. If they go around telling people to me that seems good because at least they are hearing your beliefs adn getting a sence of what you fear. This is something that I need to start up again. Ive been lacking to do so. Also lacking to be on SOTD everyday. I know I can do it it is just a matter of making myself make time to do so. Ive been having a attitude thoward my parnets and it has been getting better, but I know I cn try harder and reach my goal to think what I am going to say and How I am going to say it. This is something we talked about in small groups and I hope to to see my buddies up here so that they can make it to the party. Excited for Winter Revival. Lets bring the Heat To the Snow!!!!!!!!!
3 And 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.”
Not only was this important for the Israelites then, but it is also very important for us now! Sure we might now have actually golden idols or statues that we worship, but we all can have idols in our life that take place before God! It can be school, sports, friends, tv, facebook, or a lot of other things. I need to make sure that God is always number one in my heart and nothing else takes the place of him. I need to worship him and serve him before anything else!
I also noticed how interesting it was that once the Israelites got rid of their idols, God delivered them from the hands of the Philistines. That is so cool! We need to put God first in our lives ALWAYS! He will provide
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
The Lord needs to be my main focus in life. Always as the forefront of my mind, and at the tip of everything that i do. I need to serve the Lord whole heartedly, and give everything i have over to him. I need to serve HIM ONLY, and not give priority to other things in my life. It is amazing to read about all of these different groups of people that were serving the Lord!!
I need to trust in the Lord as Samuel did, for i know that he works all thing together for the good of those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) By keeping my focus on Him, and developing a devotion and reverence for Him, i will learn so much of the Lord and HIs will for my life. I am so excited to be growing in the knowledge of Christ each and everyday!
super excited for revival!!!
amen girl!!!
Ill join U with the excitement of GROWING IN KNOWLEDGE! Bible rocks! legit(imate) coment!
3 And 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.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
Great chapter…these were the two verses that really stood out to me. This all relates to being a hypocrite. If i say i love the Lord with all my heart and i come to Him with all my heart, i cannot have any other gods in the way. I must put away and remove the other gods! You cannot serve multiple gods, it is either Gods team or Satans team and if i say i am on Gods team then i love Him with ALL my heart and i serve him ONLY! If i am on Satans team, then i can have as many gods as i want and i can serve myself. But no, I am on Gods team and i must serve him and him alone!
I am here to serve(:
3 And 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.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
God has to have the number one spot. He will not settle for anything less. If my heart is divided God will not be satisfied. In the Old Testament God punished the Israelites over and over again because they rebelled against him and turned towards idols. When they repented God would bless them again. I don’t want to be punished because God is not my number one focus. He has to have 100% of my life 100% of the time.
So 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.
Just Like Israel,I need to confess my sins to God and Repent. I need to wage war on sin each day so it will not over take me. in small grou we talked about accountability partners to hel us in the fight against sin. Hunter has been a great help to me in my battle with sin.
“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.”
This passage is about repenting!! Its about puting your idols and all other things behind you and keeping God as #1, following Him and His command day in and day out
10 As 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 routed before Israel.
Wow! This is a really powerful description…and word descriptions *never* capture the real feeling completely. The thundering of the Lord must have been *really* intense. The people gave up their idols and Samuel prayed and God answered! I need to make sure that I am putting God before *all* else and always praying His prayers so that they will happen!
10 As 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 routed before Israel.
This is an amazing verse. The Isrealites realized they they had sin in their lives, repented from it, a put their faith in God to save them from their enemies. They had faith that God would save them from certain death. If they could trust him in that cituation then I think that we should be able to trust him in the petty events of our daily lives. So be remebering to trust in him everyday. And let’s build our street cred!!!!
“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.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.—I love how the Israelites just gave up everything and ONLY served the LORD!! That is what I need to be doing here on earth! Nothing can compare to the greatness of God and everything that I think is valuable should be nothing in my life compared to my love for Jesus Christ! I need to put away all distractions and make sure I am all in for the LORD! At Revival 09 we talked about living with NO COMPROMISE and making sure we are God’s team 100% and nowhere near Satan’s team! I need to point out the parts of my life that are causing me to stumble and I need to watch and see if I am on the fence. Instead I need to be all the way on one side and that definitely needs to be God’s! It will be worse for the people who are luke warm or on the fence about their faith. God says he will spit them out, he would rather have them be on against him then not sure. I am going to be making sure that I am totally all in on God’s team and nothing should be in the way!
MARANATHA!!!
3 And 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.”
Basically if we are choosing to live lives holy and pleasing to God, then our hearts should be set and focused on serving him daily and living up to his commandments!!! Christians should be living above reproach!! Everything that we do should be glorifying God and anything that we do should be for God.
This past week or so I have been losing some of my devotion to the Lord. Instead of giving him my full heart, soul, mind, and strength, I have taking some of it back for myself, and that is not right. I need complete devotion to God in everything I do; he needs to be the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing when I go to sleep. We have a relationship all the time. I cannot wait for revival!
We must remember to: pray, read the bible, and get accountability!
Thanks for being honest Kelly! I am excited for Revival too!
3 And 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.”
God is amazingly powerful and can do anything. He is willing and able to help me out and defeat my enemies, but I have to show Him that I love Him by following Him and serving Him with ALL my heart. I need to keep that in mind more this week. Praise the powerful God in Heaven.
3 And 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.”
put down your false idols and worship God and he will protect you and keep you from harms way.
Great to see you at small groups Colin!
3 And 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.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
How awesome is that?
A group of people became completely conformed for the Lord!
That’s amazing!!
God really worked through these people to show His love and mercies thoroughly.
They even disowned their own gods, which they had been worshiping since birth.
That’s gotta be tough! To become detached from something you were taught to praise and thought gave you protection and salvation for all those years?
AND they didn’t go back to those idols, but served the Lord only.
Praise be to Him who brings the people out of darkness and into His light!
God is so good!!
“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.”
Obvi in these times right now we aren’t running away from the Philistines, but this can be used in our fight against sin while being a Christian. It cuts straight to the point-if we are truly repentant, we will completely put off the sin we had a problem with and not return to it again. There was a sin in my life lately with my parents and I’ve had to go throguh this kind of transformation- where I had to put off that sin and turn to God for help.
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
THis verse is really legiT. We can totally take this verse and use it in this present day and age! Back in the day they had idols like baals to worship, but now adays if we heard that we would think of it as cultish or something! But lets really think about it an idol is really anyhting that is taking priority in our live over God !! There are so many things in this world that are tempting us to choose that over God! And in most of the occasions people choose the idol over GOd. But we as Christians are different, we are not of this world, we have been renewed and changed by God. We can not be choosing anything over God. Let us make sure that we are putting Christ in the place that He should be in, the number one spot and highest thing that we are striving for!! So let us search our lives and make sure that there is nothing that is keeping us form putting Christ as number one in our lives!!!
When I studied in Israel for a semester in college we lived on the hill right next to Kiriath Jearim!
3 And 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.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
This goes along so well with what we talked about at True North this weekend and small groups tonight! If we want to unhypocritically return to God, we must put away the foreign Gods among us. God wants my undivided attention, and he is so worth it!
Let’s keep waging the war against sin as we seek to live for God a life of Street Cred Christianity!
3 And 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.”
The Lord is worthy to be served with my whole heart. I hate to think that he has paid my debt, saved me from God’s wrath and eternal separation from him and given me a new life that I’d then only life half-heartedly for him…? No idol can ever compare to the living God, I pray that I will consider who it is that I am serving and make sure that it is only him and with all that I am!
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
The Israelites were obedient to the instructions of Samuel. As he called them out to worship only the Lord, they responded and put aside their idols. My response to conviction or confrontation needs to be the same: when I’m made aware of sin in my life, I need to respond in obedience. We often use phrases like “I’ll try” or “I need to,” but these Israelites actually did! They immediately obeyed! I’ve been given God’s Word to understand what he wants me to do, and it’s my responsibility to make sure I am doing what he commands. Just like the people of Israel, I need to be ready to immediately obey.
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
WOW!!!! What an awesome chapter and verse and you know what! How great is the Bible! It is how God reveals Himself to us! And I need to be like the people of Israel and get rid of all the distractions! Today, before I flew back, i went to go see the Amish people who moved into Nebraska and their lifestyle was plain. They didn’t have the distractions I face. Yes there are some they may have, but in our society now it is hard! So many people think that just knowing God and not having a relationship wiht Him is it. But it’s not! I need to get RID of all distractions! GOd has to be my first love and never lose that 1st place rank in my heart! Glory be to God! What a sinner I am, yet God still loves me and puts up with my craziness! Praise the LORD!!! :]
***MaRaNaThA!!!***
9 more days!!!! TILL WINTER REVIVAL!!!
Can I get a WHOOT WHOOT! :]
Verse 8 ‘And 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.” ‘
We whould never give up on anything!!! God can take care of anything!! Our prayers should never stop to God because He is the only that can answer them!!! God will deliver on what He promises and that is to always be with us and watching over us!!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 And 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.”
We must all go to the Lord with our hearts, and earnestly be thinking of him all the time. Think; would our Lord approve of this? He doesnt need us to worship anything except for him, and him only. He is the one and only! May he keeping pointing us in the right direction. I cant wait for revival!
3 And 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.”
MMMMMM. I was really feelin’ this chapter of 1 Samuel. This verse does the perfect job of attacking the idolaters and false worship-ers. You can’t get to heaven if you’re lukewarm and without a whole-hearted surrender it is pure waste! That was what I didnt understand when I thought I was a Christian. Thank God that it changed!!! I’m 110% now for Jesus Christ!! Let’s make sure we make it clear to those at our schools that there is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian!!! The gospel has the power to save and it must be clear and precise!! Pray for a REVIVAL at the O.C. high schools!!! Maranatha!!!!!!!!
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Winter Revival is just over one week away! Have you signed up?
3 And 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.”
I thought Evan’s comment was great. This is a clear picture of repentence. It involves putting off sin and directing our hearts fully and soley on the Lord. “serve him only” and return to the Lord “with all your heart” These phrases leave no room for apathy or to being lukewarm. This is a full-time for Christ attitude where the idols of our lives are disregarded. Small groups tonight were great! Lets fight against sin!
3 And 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.”
Other Gods, or Idols have to be cast aside in order to serve God with our whole hearts. Because a servant cannot serve two masters and God doesn’t want what’s left after you’re done, He wants your first fruits. And if you give Him that, you will be His child. And as the Isrealites were delivered from the Philistines, we will be delivered from sin.
Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
“Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines
Jesus says, “you have not because you ask not”
The incredible power of prayer is shown throughout the Bible and I should not neglect to use it. Even though my mind may be full of things which i make myself believe are more important, i cannot do anything without God and should be constantly in conversation with Him instead of blocking out prayer and worrying myself over unimportant things of the world.
3 And 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.”
Lately I’ve been reminded about the sad idolatry of my heart. Especially with finals this week, I can see how I spend A TON of time worrying about school and little time in comparison thinking about God. And when I have some free time away from school I many times go to video games or being with my friends when I should be first reading my Bible. It’s sad because all these things I think about are useless and will pass away but God is eternal and His Word lasts forever. Small groups was great this week because were going to be taking accountability a lot more seriously at Laguna Hills. So with some accountability and God’s power I pray that I will put off idols and have my thought taken captive by God, for only when we are seeking God with all our hearts will things go well for us.
3 And 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.”
I want to follow the God completely. If I follow God completelty then that means putting God above everything else in this world. God is #1 and comes second to none and I will put him number one on my list everytime. psyched about first small groups today it was awesome!
This was truly an amazing turn-around!
This is a perfect picture of true repentance. The Israelites mourned and cried for God’s mercy, Samuel prayed to God on behalf of them for forgiveness, and God had mercy on them, delivering them from the Philistines. I’m sure there has to be something that I could love less in comparison to God. God deserves my full devotion, attention, and praise! He is truly worthy, and the only master I can serve. I cannot serve both God and money (or whatever else becomes an idol). I praise the Lord with my whole heart!! He is my devotion. I fear, love and even thirst for his goodness.
God is good! All the time!
1 Samuel 7
6 So 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.
I love how we see the people of Israel repent of their sin and put their trust in God. Israel approached the Lord with their whole hearts in submission to God alone. The Lord was faithful to restore favor on Israel and deliver from the Philistines. This is a great Biblical example of repentance and faith. I need to make sure that there are no gods in my life before the Lord or I can expect God’s favor and protection to be removed from my life. If we are faithful to the God with our whole heart we too can expect that the enemy will not overcome us. Lord thank you for your faithfulness to those who ask for your forgiveness and give you their whole heart.
Bring Your FIRE to REVIVAL WINTER EDITION
mmmmmm. Like most of the people here, verses 3-4 seemed to make largest impression on me.
We can’t skimp on our love towards God–we can’t love anything else more than God! (remember; god HATES love triangles!)
therefore we have to give him our full dedication, and hand him all of the glory ad all of our love.
4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
I really want to live out this verse in my life!! I want to make sure that my number 1 focus is serving God and that all other things come second! It is such a blessing to be chosen by God. I want my life to be a response of praise and live a lifestyle of 24/7 worship that brings Him glory!
8 And 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.”
God will always provide for me and get me through difficult situations! I need to stop worrying and stressing and just rely on him, knowing that his plan for my life is the best! It is so comforting to know that he is always in control of my life!
MARANATHA!
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.
What a chapter! God is so faithful to answer our prayers.. Verse 12 really stood out to me tonight. “till now the Lord has helped us.” Till now, the Lord has helped ME.. Every time I get worked up over something that is so meaningless, I look back in my life and remember that God has never let me down. When we are obedient and sincerely seek him, whole heartedly, God honors that. I want to always have a pure heart and seek to please our Maker. Why would I ever doubt his sovereignty over my life? I shouldn’t! I’m so thankful for God’s word that reminds me how our Father is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same God working in our lives, is the same one that worked in Samuel’s!
The Israelites turned to God and he delivered them from the Philistines. God will hear our cries for help if we come to him with a repentant heart. God knows the things that worry and concern us. He knows that we need food,clothes and shelter etc. God has promised to take care of our needs for us as Christians. The problem is confusing wants with needs. Basically my attitude should be if God hasn’t given it to me, then obviosly I don’t need it. And if I need it then I will trust in the Lord to provide. Sounds simple, but I pray that the Lord will give me the strength to live by the Do not worry passage in Mathew 6.
Loving this chapter! I love how the israelites respond to what Samuel said. Talk about obedience!! The Isrealites weren’t glorifying God by what they were doing, and when Samuel told them what to do, they did it! And in the end, God really helped them when they needed it! This also reminds me of the passage in Matthew where Jesus talks about cutting off your arm or taking out your eyeball if it causes you to sin. I need to be doing this, one step at a time, I will remove myself from that influence because it is causing me to stumble!